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Need some workout ideas?

How about these workout ideas?

If you’ve read the previous posts on why you don’t have time to skip your workout you’ve also read about some of the immediate benefits of a workout that you can experience. I hope you’ve also thought about the long-term benefits, such as better overall fitness, healthier blood pressure, a tendency toward lower body fat, and an overall sense of well being.

Many people feel challenged to find exercise that they want to do or are willing to commit to on a long-term basis. To those concerns I have two responses:

1. You don’t have to make a long-term commitment! If you try something and find that it doesn’t work for you – either modify the exercise or your approach to it – or try something else. Just because you start out jogging doesn’t meant that you are committing yourself to jogging every day for the rest of your life! As a matter of fact – I recommend that you don’t do the same thing every day – it leads to boredom and to increased potential for injury.
This is why I personally follow a fitness program called P90X – it contains a variety of different exercises and includes weight and resistance exercises as well as aerobic activity and routines to increase flexibility and range of motion. I think another great aspect of P90X is that I can do it at home on my schedule.  And best of all – it really works.
I also like to run – so I also run when possible. I am blessed to live in an area where I can run on horse trails through the mountains so the view is always changing and beautiful. But I also try to make sure I do something when traveling – even if that means running in and around the area, or even just using the treadmill in the hotel where I’m staying. The point is to do something. If what you’re doing doesn’t work for you – try something else.

2. You have more options that just joining a gym or running. Find something that you like to do and that you will put on your schedule every day and commit to doing. Joining a gym is not a bad thing since you may have access to trainers or people who can show you proper form and various ways of exercise. It may also give you access to classes on new forms of exercise that you’re not familiar with. Running is great because you can go as fast or slow as you need to tailor your fitness level, and you can do it just about anywhere with almost no equipment.

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

But besides a gym or running – what else can you do?
Here are a few more fitness ideas – not in any particular order:

Walking, hiking, swimming, water aerobics, aerobics, fitness dvd at home, yoga, home rebounder (small trampoline), kettlebell workout, team or intramural sports, skiing, rollerblading, jump-rope, bicycle – either mountain, trail, or road, spinning (think stationary bicycle), stretching, dancing, tennis, racquetball, handball, weight training.

These are just a few – get creative – try some fitness videos, talk to others. It doesn’t matter what you do, just that you do something regularly.

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Eliminate Negativity = the key to a healthier life?

Could it really be this simple?   Could negativity be what’s holding you back?

 

We know that activities and habits form feedback loops in our lives.

For example, start eating junk food and lying on the couch watching TV every night, and pretty soon you’ll start to feel “blah” and will probably lose the desire to exercise, which will leave you feeling even more tired and wanting to lay on the couch and watch TV, and so the cycle goes.

Conversely, if you eat a healthy diet and exercise every day, you feel more driven to make sure you continue to eat healthy, keep junk out of your body, not miss even one day of exercise, and you start to search for ways to optimize your health even more.

 

What about negativity?   What part does your attitude and mindset play in all of this and with respect to your healthy (or unhealthy) lifestyle?  What does negativity do to your metabolism?  To your immune system?  To how you feel about most everything?

 

What if a negative mindset is what is robbing you of energy and a positive outlook in life?  What if you could forget the negative pictures and words in your mind regarding yourself and your body, and instead, you replaced them with the image of who you want to be and the healthy lifestyle you want to have?

What if those negative words and thoughts that repeat over and over in your head excusing away why you can’t lose weight or can’t get healthy or can’t eat right are the anchors that hold you to your current lifestyle?

 

What if having a positive outlook and attitude had a positive effect on yourself, on others around you and it propelled you to do positive things?  What if you decide to replece the raincloud that seems to always park itself over you and follow you with negative thoughts, words, and mental pictures?

What if the you started to visualize a new healthy who ate good and nourishing foods and followed through on exercise and fitness plans – seeing the new you even as you started taking small steps toward a healthier lifestyle?

Trade in any negativity you might have for a positive outlook today –  and see where it leads you!

 

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What’s holding you back?

So you’ve decided that you have some fitness goals, or want a healthier lifestyle, or want to lose weight, or want to get into shape and have your body look a certain way, or be able to run a 5k or 5 miles …  what’s holding you back?   It might just be you.

To often people sabotage their own success before they even start something.
Today – now – you have to eliminate negativity from your mind and from your psyche.   It’s very easy to look around and blame your friends, your spouse, your co-workers, your frame, your body type, genetics, the snack food in the vending machine, the fast food restaurants, your busy schedule or any of those things around you – the list could go on and on – seemingly endless.
You could also sabotage yourself mentally and emotionally thinking about past times when you’ve been discouraged or not reached a goal –  or about diets that you’ve been on in the past (remember – diets don’t work – change in lifestyle does).

You don’t have the luxury of thinking this way.

Where you are today is the result of all of the thoughts and actions you’ve taken in the past.  Remember, that is the past and what you want to focus on is NOW.

As long as you are living and breathing, it is not too late to make a change.

Yesterday is gone, and you don’t have tomorrow yet – but you do have today – you have this moment right now.   This is the time to decide who you want to be, what kind of shape you want to be in, what kind of lifestyle you want to have, what state you want your health to be in.

 

  1. Decide on your goal.  You may want to work with a coach or mentor if you’re not sure what your goal should be – but once you decide on it – right it down and keep it in front of you – literally.  You need to constantly remind yourself of where you are headed and what you want for yourself.  This is best done once you decide and commit it to paper.   Even better is to have a coach or mentor that helps keep you on track.  As a part of this, you have to decide what is most important to you.  Once you understand your goal, you can start to measure the things you eat and how you spend your time against that goals.  Some things will stack up, other things you will have to give up.   It won’t seem like much of a loss as long as you keep your goal in mind and before you.
  2. Don’t be discouraged that it will take some time and effort to reach your goals.  You didn’t get to where you are today overnight, and you won’t reach your goals overnight either.  You’re in this for the long term and you have to keep your long-term goals in mind.   The one exception to the overnight thing is that it’s not a bad idea to have some mini-goals that you can check off as successes along the way.  Decide to skip candy for a day, or dessert for a week, or to exercise every day for a month.  Checking off these short-term successes can be a great encouragement toward reaching a healthy lifestyle.
  3. Place reminders of your goal around you.  This might be a post-it note on your refrigerator, or on your bathroom mirror – or maybe on the background/desktop of your computer.  These reminders help keep you on track and help keep you from getting of track.  Just like you wouldn’t head East if you wanted to go West, you need reminders of where you’re headed.  Snacks, cookies, cakes, and lying on the couch snacking and watching TV every night are probably not going to help you attain a goal of a healthy lifestyle.  That doesn’t mean you can never eat a cookie or watch a TV show – but it should help you weigh out what’s important and whether your actions are moving you in the right direction.
  4. Change what you need to change to help you reach your goal. If you want to lose weight, don’t go into the donut shop.  If you want to get more physically fit, stop lying on the couch all night every night.  If you want to quit eating junk food, stop buying it and having it in the house.  If you have healthy foods around you – you will eat healthier things.  If you regularly spend some time exercising, you will get more physically fit.  If you get good regular sleep, you will be more rested and an overall healthier person.  Incorporate the good things you want into your lifestyle and remove those negative things that got you to a place where you don’t want to be.  Remember that if you want a different outcome, some things will need to change.
  5. Forget the past.  Its gone and over and you can’t go back and change anything about it.  You have today and the decisions you make right now will move you toward or away from your goal.  Want to lose weight – you will need to change some of the things you’ve done in the past – probably both diet and exercise (see the posts on which is more important).  Want to be able to perform better athletically – you are going to have to find some ways to exercise to help you reach your goal.  Any goal worth having is worth the work to get there.   If you don’t change anything then you won’t change either – that’s what got you to where you are today.

Finally, try to surround yourself with people to can encourage you toward your goal and with things and reminders that will help you get there.  The notes and reminders in your daily planner, and on your screen, mirror and refrigerator are all helpful.  People around you that encourage you toward your goal are even more helpful.   You should create an environment around yourself that helps drive you toward your goal.  It’s your life, and you can have a healthy lifestyle if you

 

 

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You don’t have time to skip your workout Part 2

Most people know that you get long term benefits from working out – things like:

-increased cardiovascular fitness and ability

-overall increase in muscle tone

-better body tone and composition

-an improved sense of well-being

-healthier overall blood pressure

 

These results are great as part of a long term-lifestyle motivation.

But did you know that you get at least three distinct benefits the same day that you do your exercise?
You don’t have to wait weeks or months to see these benefits – these are yours to enjoy on the same day as your workout.

 

Reduced Stress

Taking an exercise break from the rest of the activities of the day is a great way to reduce stress.  You can release much of the stress and anxiety of the day with exercise.  A short intense workout can help you refocus on tasks at hand and move past frustrations or mental blocks. A moderately intense workout can also release endorphins to your system.  These “feel good” chemicals released by your brain help to reduce feelings of stress and pain, and promote a sense of well being.

 

Increased Energy Level

If you’re not in the habit of regularly working out, this may seem counter-intuitive; but working out will actually give you increased energy levels.  I’m not talking about working out far beyond your ability or running a marathon, but a moderate to intense 30-60 minute workout increases blood flow to both muscles and brain.  The release of endorphins as noted above – responsible for the so-called “runners high” can help give you the energy to complete tasks, even on a very full day.

 

Better sleep

A moderate to intense workout burns fat, stimulates the brain and muscular systems, and promotes a sense of well being during the day.  In addition to this, it can also help you sleep better at night.  I recommend that you don’t exercise right before going to bed; for some people this may interfere with sleep or being able to fall asleep quickly.  However, a good workout during the day will generally help you sleep better at night and promote better quality sleep.  For other tips on sleep, see my posts healthy sleep and healthy sleep part2.

 

There are many other short-term benefits in addition to these.  Start adding your workout to your daily schedule and experience for yourself what regular exercise can do for you!

 

Want more info or have a question?   Leave a comment below – I’d love to hear from you.

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You don’t have time to skip your workout

The most frequent reason I hear people give for why they don’t exercise is that they “don’t have time.” While there are the rare days when you might truly be pressed for time because of travel or flight schedules, I’ll tell you why even on your busiest days – you don’t have time to not exercise.

The reality is that it is a matter of priorities and planning whether or not we have time built in or allotted for working out. The number one thing you can do to make sure you have time to exercise is to build it in your schedule. There is no absolute best time of day to work out; the best time is what works for you. If you’re no currentlyt in the habit of regularly exercising (and you should be), the first thing you need to do is make it a regular part of your lifestyle.

Plan some time in your schedule every day for exercise. It really doesn’t matter whether it is first thing in the morning or later in the day. You may have to experiment with a few different times of day before you find what works best for you. I prefer to exercise right after I come home from work. By that time, I’m ready for a round of P90X or a good run to wring out the tensions of the day, give my muscles a chance to move, stretch and be pushed, – and sweat out some toxins. The most important thing is to make it part of your daily schedule – a part of your lifestyle.
You do this by doing it regularly – every day.

Putting it on your schedule you makes it a priority – makes it important enough that you have set time aside for it.   Don’t let other things crowd it out – it’s as important (maybe even more important) than the other things you do.  By placing it on your schedule, you won’t be faced with having to make a decision about whether or not you “have time” to work out.

Don’t’ stress too much if you have to miss a day once in a while because of illness or the occasional travel day. But you will find that if you make it a part of your regular schedule, you won’t want to miss it, your day will just go better when you get your exercise in, and your day will feel “off” if miss it.

This isn’t a bad thing; exercise should be something that you look forward to. If you hate what you do for your workout – try something else! There are so many options for staying fit and giving your body the activity it needs to stay healthy – more on that in another post.

Once you make your workout a part of your lifestyle – not only will you find that you do have time for it (even on your busy days) but you’ll also experience a few distinct benefits that come along with daily exercise – including an increased energy level.
More on that in my next post – You don’t have time to skip your workout Part 2; find out about the three distinct benefits you get on the same day that you do your exercise.

Questions, comments, or want to find out more?
Leave me a comment below – I’d love to hear from you!

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Juice or Juicing

There is a difference.

On the one hand, by juice I’m referring to the jars or cartons of grocery store juice; this stuff is usually clear, filtered, strained and sweetened – often with some added preservatives and flavors as well.  On the other hand, by juicing I’m referring to taking whole foods and using a Vitamix (my recommendation) or other powerful blender to make juice from whole foods.  Just to be clear – I’m referring to juice that still hs the pulp or fiber from the whole food included – not strained, filtered, or extracted juice.  Here are a few of the differences between the two and reasons you should be using a Vitamix.

Freshness

Juice in a jar has been made, distributed, bottled, stored, distributed yet again and then purchased from your store before finally reaching your home.  In extreme cases – for example in the case of orange juice –  the juice may have been stored a year or more before being “enhanced” and packaged and sent to your grocer.
There is no juice fresher than that consumed right after you make it.

 

Fiber

Clear juice in a jar or bottle has been strained and filtered to the point where virtually all of the fiber has been removed.  When you make your own juice from whole foods, they still retain all of the benefit that they did before being made into juice.  While it’s true that the fruit won’t crunch in your mouth like it did before being juiced in your Vitamix, you’ll still be ingesting all of the fiber and nutrition – just in pulverized form.

 

Nutrition

Fresh juice (namely juice made at home with a Vitamix) tends to have a higher antioxidant, enzyme and phytonutrient count as a result of being freshly juiced, and not strained, filtered, and pasteurized. In addition, many juices and especially juice drinks that are labeled as 100% juice or 100% natural contain additional apple or grape juice or juice concentrates as sweeteners.  Stick with fresh made juice – for the freshest and most nutrition, make your own.

 

Juice can be an important part of a healthy lifestyle, but you’re best off when it’s your own fresh made juice.  This way you control the ingredients, can certain of what is and isn’t in the juice, can avoid unnecessary sugar or artificial sweeteners, and can customize the juice to your tastes.   I recommend always including some vegetables in your fruit juice for balance and nutrition.

 

 

 

 

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Healthy sleep – part 2

This is the second part of a series on sleep, why it’s an important part of a healthy lifestyle, and things you can do to ensure that you’re getting good quality sleep so that your body can do it’s necessary repair and maintenance.
Make sure you check out Healthy Sleep part 1 if you haven’t already done so.

Try to avoid sleeping pills or medications designed to make you fall asleep.  These are not really promoting healthy sleep, carry unknown long-term risks, and have side effects and risks of their own.  It has also been observed that the sleep patterns and rem cycles are different when using medications to induce sleep.  When  you were a child and you could fall asleep anywhere, and sleep through just about anything and awoke rested and refreshed.   It wasn’t  generally because you had enough sleep medication in your system – and that same  thing is true now.  Sleep medication can “put you out” at night, but it’s not the same as regular sleep.

Do consider using melatonin as a sleep aid if you are at least 21 years of age or older and have difficulty regularly falling and staying asleep.  Melatonin is a substance that your body naturally produces (in the pineal gland in your brain) to help regulate the sleep/wake cycles.  It is inexpensive, readily available, and effective.  Start with a small dose and work up from there – you may not require much for it to be effective.  Some people also find that they can back down your dosage once you establish healthy sleep patterns.  Melatonin can also be helpful when traveling – taken at bedtime at your destination – to reinforce the signal to the brain that it’s time from sleep – and to help set and regulate the new sleep cycle, especially if you have changed time zones.

If possible, try to create a sleep environment that is quiet and has total darkness. This helps the eye/brain signals reinforce that it is sleep time.  Light (as in the sunrise) is a signal to the brain that it is time to be awake.  Even low level lights like nightlights or the lights from digital clocks can interfere with this process. Studies have shown that your body does detect these sources of light and it does affect sleep cycles.  Ideally, you should remove nightlights, cover the lights from digital clocks and cover and LEDs that may be on cellphone chargers or power switches.  Your goal is to sleep to have as dark a sleeping environment as possible. This may also involve using light blocking shades or drapes over the windows.  You will probably find that as a result you will have deeper, uninterrupted sleep.

What about the temperature?  Too hot or too cold is a problem, though most people find that a slightly cool environment is conducive to good sleep.  Your body will naturally heat you up in the morning when it’s time to get up, as this is a part of the natural sleep cycle.  Don’t be surprised if you’re ready to throw back the sheets or covers in the morning when you wake up, even if you do keep your bedroom on the cooler side.

Finally, try to avoid going to bed on a full stomach, or drinking very much alcohol right before bedtime.  Either of these can interfere with proper sleep cycles and make the difference between getting up in the morning feeling fully rested and refreshed, or having to drag yourself, feeling tired, out of bed in the morning.

Questions, comments, or want to find out more about this post or something else?
Leave a comment using the fields below.

I’d love to hear from you!

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Healthy Sleep

Have you ever stopped to consider the importance of sleep as a part of a healthy lifestyle?  It is important that you get good sleep on a regular basis; this is when your body does much of it’s necessary repair and maintenance.  Let’s look at a few important factors regarding sleep.

When you are getting enough sleep, you will generally wake up refreshed and energized – not having to drag yourself out of bed.  If you establish a pattern of consistently good sleep, you may find that you tend to wake up about the same time every day – even without an alarm clock (presuming that you go to bed at the same time every day and that you allow enough sleep time for your body to properly refresh). If you feel like you’re falling asleep while your having breakfast – you’re not there yet!!

 

Proper sleep will also give your immune system a boost and will put you in a better mood and state of mind.  Some people find that when they finally change their lifestyle to allow for a proper amount of sleep that chronic headaches go away.  It can also have a positive effect on weight loss, as lack of sleep is another factor that can raise certain hormones that will tend to cause weight gain or impede weight loss.

 

How long should you sleep?  This is different for everyone, but 8 hours is actually a pretty good target.  If you fall asleep quickly once you go to bed, you may find that it’s closer to 7½ hours than 8 since we tend to sleep in 1½ hour long sleep cycles, or multiples of 1½ hours.  Some people may find that 6 hours  works best.  You’ll know that you are getting the proper amount of sleep if you awaken refreshed, without having to drag yourself out of bed.  You will also find that in times of stress or illness your body will require more sleep – let it!  This is also true if you are pushing your exercise or fitness routines to a new level.  Getting enough sleep is a very important part of a healthy lifestyle.  This is when your body does much of it’s repair work – and in today’s world you need repairing and refreshing!  Think of it as a nightly overhaul and tuneup and you may start to think about sleep differently than you do now.  You can’t shortcut this and stay in optimal health.

 

Try to establish regular sleep patterns.  This means going to bed and getting up at the same time most every day; strive for this as your goal.  Hectic schedules and “the stuff of life” may force occasional exceptions, but try to make them just that.  If you can establish a pattern for the time that you typically go to bed and when you get up, you’ll have an easier time falling asleep; this will become part of your body’s’ natural daily rhythm (part of your healthy lifestyle).  You may also find that you don’t have the need or desire to “sleep in” on the weekends, because if you establish normal healthy sleep patterns, you’ll tend to wake up the same time every day, feeling rested and refreshed.

More information in Healthy Sleep part 2

Questions, comments, or want to find out more?  Leave me a comment below – I’d love to hear from you.

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Five more foods you should start eating

This is the second in a series on foods you really should eat regularly – foods should be part of your healthy lifestyle.  If you missed our first five, you’ll want to go back and review those as well.  I’ll go into more detail on each one of these foods in other posts.

Bison is a great source of protein.  If you like to eat red meat, then you should add bison to your list of must eat foods.   Bison offers several advantages over beef – including that lower in fat (and calories) and cholesterol.  Watch for an entire post dedicated to Bison coming soon.

 

Celery is another low calorie item that should be on your must eat list.
Low in calories, celery is a good source of naturally occurring vitamins C and K.  It also has been shown to have a beneficial effect on both cholesterol and blood pressure.
Tip:  if you don’t like the taste of celery, add a thin layer of almond butter, or throw a stalk in your smoothie.   With a good high powered juicer like a VItamix, you honestly probably won’t even know it’s in there.

Cherries a delicious addition to your must eat list.  Naturally high in antioxidants, sour or tart cherries are helpful for joint pain – especially sour or tart cherry juice.   They pack a an additional punch by helping reduce inflammation as well.  As an added benefit, they’re delicious!  Many people also report that they sleep better when they eat cherries, as they have a positive effect on your body’s levels of melatonin (a natural substance that is produced by your body that helps to regulate sleep/wake cycles).

 

Chocolate   – that’s right – chocolate!  While chocolate is toxic for dogs and other animals, it has been found to have a positive effect on people in several ways.  Dark chocolate especially is a good source of antioxidants, it also has been found to be heart-health friendly (as long as you don’t eat too much of it!); the flavonoids (antioxidants) seem to be especially beneficial to your heart in a protective way – and in moderation, it can help keep your blood pressure and cholesterol readings in healthy ranges   It can also help curb your appetite for other sweets.  Many people find that if they eat a couple squares of good quality dark chocolate that they feel like they’ve gotten your “chocolate fix” –  without as much fat and sugar as milk chocolate.

Coconut Oil is one of my favorite foods … ever.   I eat a spoonful of coconut oil every morning and every evening just for the benefits and healthy fats.  It’s good both in and on your body, as it makes a great moisturizer as well.  Coconut oil has been mentioned before in a posting on healthy oils, and has so many beneficial qualities that it will be featured soon in it’s own posting.

 

Questions, comments, or want to find out more?   Leave me a comment below – I’d love to hear from you.

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Five foods you should start eating now

So many websites focus on what NOT to eat, or what to stop eating.    We have that mental list of things that we’ve heard aren’t good for you, and those things we know aren’t good for you.   This is the first in a series on foods you really should eat regularly – that should be part of your healthy lifestyle.  I’ll go into more detail on each one of these in other posts.

Almonds are a great source of good fats (yes, you do need fat in your diet).  They also have protein, are a good source of magnesium, vitamin E, and calcium.  Have a handful or two a day (roughly 2 ounces) if you feel hunger coming on or the need for a snack.   By all means skip the salted and smoked almonds though.  For the maximum benefit, stick with raw, unsalted almonds.  Also think about almond butter as a healthy alternative to peanut butter.

Apples are beneficial in so many ways!
Here are a few reasons you should try to eat one or two apples every day.
Apples are a good source of fiber, and the fiber in apples has been shown to act as a natural statin.  They are also low calorie; at 100 calories or less for a typical apple, an apple is a great substitute for other sweet snacks.
Be sure to check out the post on an apple or two a day for more detail.

Blackberries are a great source of antioxidants and various vitamins and minerals, and are a great topping on a number of foods, or enjoyed whole as a healthy snack.  Throughout the summer months, fresh local blackberries are usually not that expensive either.  Consider them as a topping to your cereal, oatmeal, or throw  a handful in your smoothie.   Frozen blackberries make a great snack and also work really well in a smoothie – especially if you have a powerful blender or a Vitamix.

Blueberries are another powerhouse; they pack an amazing amount of antioxidants and phytonutrients.  They are also a good source of vitamins and minerals like manganese.   Like blackberries, blueberries are great fresh or frozen, and are a nice addition to a healthy smoothie.  By all means try to obtain organic blueberries if possible since blueberries are especially prone to pesticide contamination.

Chia seeds are an amazing food and have been used for their nutritional benefit for centuries –  long before they became a fad or used on “pets” sold during the holidays!  Chia seeds are a good source of omega 3 fatty acids and a number of other minerals, especially calcium and phosphorus.   Easily incorporated into your diet by sprinkling on salad, cereal, yogurt, or stirred into juices and drinks.

Questions, comments, or want to find out more?   Leave me a comment below – I’d love to hear from you.