Taking it Slow!

Ever feel the overwhelming pressures of life hit you suddenly?  You realize you haven't had a moment to stop in a long time.  You wonder where your days go, and what you miss by this hurry and get it done world! 


Winding down the pace of your life just a tad can make you happier and healthier. Here's how!


If you can learn to rush just a little bit less, studies show that you'll lower your risk for high blood pressure, have better relationships, and live longer!  Wouldn't it be great to feel the sweet rewards of downshifting — here are some simple ways to take it slow.


Slow down to lose weight!

One surprising source of stubborn extra pounds: eating on the fly. Gobbling your food doesn't give your stomach the 20 minutes it needs to signal your brain that it's full, making it easy to unknowingly cram in more calories than you need. What's more, postponing lunch or dinner to finish that one last thing slows calorie burn.  If your body can't predict the timing of its next meal, it's more likely to store calories as fat as protection against starvation.  Instead of wolfing down a meal mindlessly while you're watching TV or catching up on e-mail, turn off the technology and really chew each mouthful mindfully, paying close attention to the flavors and textures!

Slow down to be a better mom!

It's not easy to truly connect with your kids when there are toys to pick up, meals to prepare, and endless other chores to get done around the house. But the less time you spend doing things with your children when they're young, the greater the odds that you'll run into family conflict — quarreling frequently about curfews, smoking, alcohol use — when they hit adolescence!  For instance, instead of assembling lunchboxes at the kitchen counter while your children eat breakfast, sit at the table with them and chat for a few minutes while sipping your coffee. Or stop folding laundry for five minutes and help build a Lego castle. These short bursts of shared do-nothing time really count: They let children know they're valued and loved!

Slow down for a healthier heart!

If you fume in the face of any sort of delay, you may be putting your happiness and your heart health at risk. Those who hate to wait have an almost 50 percent higher risk of developing high blood pressure in the next 15 years compared with those who know how to Zen it!   Keep your cool by distracting yourself and tuning into your senses. Pay close attention to how beautiful someone looks or how pleasing the texture or color of some object is. Take a minute to just be in the moment rather than feeling like your life is on hold.

Slow down to boost your energy!

Living at a frenetic tempo leads you to breathe in shallow, stressed gulps, depriving your brain and body of sufficient oxygen, a key source of energy. The result: constant exhaustion and anxiety!

Here's a snapshot of how hyper our culture has become:

• The average workweek is 47 hours — up from 34 hours two decades ago.
• There's no time for home-cooked meals: Children consumed 300 percent more food from fast food restaurants in 1996 than in 1977. Not surprisingly, one-third fewer families report regularly eating together today compared with three decades ago.
• Most of us get 90 minutes less shut-eye per night than our great-grandparents did.
• Almost 28 percent fewer families take vacations now than two decades ago.
• 55 mph was the national speed limit from 1973 to 1995; now, it's 65 mph to 75 mph in most states.

Need help thinking of a few ways to stop and enjoy life?

Do less. It's hard to slow down when you are trying to do a million things.

Be present. It's not enough to just slow down

Disconnect

Focus on people

Appreciate nature

Eat slower

Drive slower

Find pleasure in anything

Muscle Atrophy! What Is It?

        

Muscle atrophy is the wasting or loss of muscle tissue.

                                          There are two types of muscle atrophy:

• Disuse atrophy occurs from a lack of physical activity. In most people, muscle atrophy is caused by not using the muscles enough. People with seated jobs, medical conditions that limit their movement, or decreased activity levels can lose muscle tone and develop atrophy. This type of atrophy can be reversed with exercise and better nutrition. Bedridden people can have significant muscle wasting. Astronauts who are away from the Earth's gravity can develop decreased muscle tone after just a few days of weightlessness.

• The most severe type of muscle atrophy is neurogenic atrophy. It occurs when there is an injury to, or disease of, a nerve that connects to the muscle. This type of muscle atrophy tends to occur more suddenly than disuse atrophy.

Strength training increases muscle strength by increasing muscle mass, and by improving the recruitment of motor units.  Consistent resistance training at all ages plays an important role in preventing slow muscle loss that occurs from aging beginning at 30 years old. An individual can lose between 3 to 8 percent of lean body muscle annually depending upon activity rates and nutrition status. Muscle Atrophy contributes to loss of strength, mobility issues. Resistance training at least twice a week and consuming an adequate amount of high-quality sources of protein may help to slow or partially reverse the effects of natural, gradual muscle loss.

Although resistance training strengthens and maintains the major muscle groups, it does not always equate to bulking up. Resistance training does not need to happen at the gym; in fact, it is easy to do anywhere. For best outcomes, the ACSM recommends strength training two to three times a week for at least 20 minutes. While some people may prefer weight machines, free weights are the most preferred method and can be used anywhere. When using weight machines, free weights or resistance bands, selecting the proper weight is crucial to improving strength and preventing injury. Set a target of eight to 12 repetitions and work up gradually to two to three sets.


If you prefer exercises that do not require weights, exercises that use your own body weight are also a good option. Pushups, squats, planks, hip lifts and dips are just some of the numerous equipment-free resistance training options. Yoga also builds muscle using body weight while improving flexibility and reducing stress.  Incorporating resistance training into a regular exercise routine is crucial for maintaining healthy muscles and bones while increased muscle mass can boost energy and metabolism.

Why is Muscle Necessary?

One of the most important functions of muscles in metabolic health is their ability to store glucose (carbohydrates) as glycogen. They then use this stored glycogen as fuel every time you need to move. Muscle mass essentially acts as a glycogen reserve that you top up by eating carbohydrates, and deplete when you exercise.


Strong muscles also help preserve and maintain healthy bone density. Especially for women and the elderly, bone density is important for preventing osteoporosis, a condition that occurs more frequently in post menopausal women as a result of the loss of estrogen!  It can also be exacerbated by lifestyle factors such as lack of exercise, excessive alcohol and smoking!

Another health benefit of muscles is their ability to create a “safety net” of protein that your body can draw on at times of increased need. Protein is one of the most important structural components in your entire body, and muscles play a key role in regulating protein availability. They absorb protein from the diet, store it, and distribute it to the heart, liver, and other organs as needed. In the absence of dietary protein, your body will break down your muscles to keep feeding your organs.

Did you ever really take a second to think about how important muscles can be to your body?  Its not just for looking good!!!

Make A Plan

So, here we are.  Day two of our new year!  I thought Id let a friend write out a little post on her goal for this year and give us a glimpse into her vision!






Here she is!






Hello!  I am excited to write for you!  I've started the new year with motivation to lose weight and change my lifestyle!  Of course, motivation leaves quickly, life takes over, the schedule gets packed and suddenly I find myself back into the old habits I wanted to get out of in the first place!  But, this year I feel a bit different.  I've had moments of serious fear about my health and well being.  I've had friends say a few shocking things that woke me up and made me realize if not for anyone, for my kids!!  My husband and I found pictures of ourselves from 12 years ago and we don't recognize ourselves!






We've been here before though.  Many times!  What will make this time different?  How do we stay motivated and not fall into our old ways again?  Before, we never really had a plan or a way to get started.  You can say we just went cold turkey.  Clearly that has never worked! 






So, this time, we have a plan.  We have seriously sat and written out our goals, recipes, grocery lists, likes and dislikes, wants and desires and are excited about our journey.






That's where my post comes in.  In the past, I've always known in my head how to lose weight and what to change.  I've just never made out a plan and executed it to stay focused and complete the mission though and have always failed!  Birthday parties, school events, work breakfasts, things start adding up and excuses pour on!  This time, we have to stick to our plan!!!






Having a plan this time around has already helped in just two days!  Our plan is plastered on our front door, in the car, on the fridge!  We are ready to get this done!


Here are our top tips for losing weight and changing our lifestyle!  I hope it helps someone else!!






#1  Be Prepared
Before you start Day 1, take a trip to the grocery store and stock up on fruits, veggies, meats, nuts, and eggs. Then, go home and chop up veggies for the week if you can. This makes it much easier to grab a snack when you’re hungry, without being tempted to cheat.






#2 Find Your Go To Favorite!
I have stocked up on all the things I know I like!  That way I always have something on hand and I am not tempted to fail!  Keep things in your purse, in your car, at work and even bring into restaurants! 






#3 Go Into Your Plan With the Mindset You Will Succeed
If you begin the plan whining that there’s no way you’ll make it through, you probably won’t. I decided at the beginning that I was just going to do this. If one day you mess up, pick up the next day and start again!  Find support and surround yourself with winners!!!






#4 Look for a Variety of Recipes

With the lovely WWW, there’s no reason you can’t find TONS of amazing recipes that fit in your plan. Seriously, just google it. Get on Pinterest. If you try to eat scrambled eggs with no-preservative sausage every single morning for 30 days, you will get bored and you’ll probably not finish.

#5 Don't Stop

Now that you have a plan, don't stop!  For me, its a constant reminder. Daily, every morning I have to tell myself today is going to be better.  After the first two or three weeks, your body will adjust and you will start to feel amazing!  It'll be terribly hard, but once the junk is out of your body, you will stop feeling like junk!  And your motivation will be to "keep going"!!!

A Better You!

Everyone has a mental list of habits they would like to change, and the New Year seems like a perfect time to start. “New Year, new you” is a phrase you will see repeated in print. But this is just singsong rhetoric. Just because it sounds right to your ear does not mean that it contains any meaningful truth. The year will certainly change, but you will likely be the same person on Jan. 1, 2016, that you were on Dec. 31, 2015.

The statistics are bleak: only 8% of people who make New Year’s resolutions stick to them, and those who don’t usually abandon them after just one week. Unrealistic resolutions are fated to fail. And it is unrealistic to think that you can immediately overcome a habit you have spent years establishing. But is this necessarily harmful? There’s a good chance that it is. If your New Year’s resolution is to eat less, but you have no plan in place — or even if you do have a plan and you fail — you will do damage to your sense of self-worth. If you already have a complicated relationship with food, your likely coping mechanism for failure is eating more food. Thus the New Year’s resolution to eat less can actually result in your eating more. Ditto drinking, drug use, smoking, finding a mate, exercising, etc.


With all of that said, you can be a BETTER version of you, and spend the year making that happen with smaller, more attainable goals!    Here are a few options to try out if you are determined to make some changes this coming year!!!

1. Break your bigger goals into smaller goals, this way you can see progress as you go and keep your motivation to reaching your resolution.


2. Write it down and post it anywhere and everywhere. Perhaps when you make your New Year's resolution you will write them down. Try to write it down again and again in big bold letters that you will see each day.  Repetition is the key to helping keep your resolve going.  Read these notes each and every day to remind yourself of your resolutions!


3.  Reward yourself!  Give yourself a pat on the back and buy something new or treat yourself to something!  That way you don't feel as if you are being deprived of whatever it is that youre trying to change!


4. Keep track how you are doing. In addition to re-writing your goals, tracking your progress is another way to stay constantly reminded of your resolution.


5.  If at first you don't succeed......keep on trying. Be the little engine that could and say "I think I can, I think I can.....I know I can, I know I can".  Keep trying until you know you can do it. If you make a mistake and lose some focus, don't lose faith.

6.  Don’t tie your list to any specific date, and don’t wait a year to start again when you slip up!


Take Small Steps!  You don't have to make these changes in the first two weeks of the New Year!  Take your time and focus on "why" you want to make these changes and it be easier to do! 


Good luck and Have a Very Merry Christmas!!!  See You Next Year!

'Tis the Season to Gain Weight

Here we go!  Let the turkey start cooking and the jingle bells start ringing!  Its Holiday Time!  That means majority of American's will toss out their health concerns and gobble up sugary treats and full of fat favorites! 

Did you know that the average weight gain between Thanksgiving and New Years, which is only 36 days this year, is ONE to TWO pounds!  While that may seem like a little, its actually a lot!  Take a look at the palm of your hand!  Now, imagine it full of fat!

Thanksgiving and Christmas make it extremely hard to stick with weight loss goals.  Its so much easier to get caught up in the festivities than it is to avoid all of the decadent food and drinks.  Exercise becomes a struggle as the weather gets colder and holiday travel makes it equally hard to eat healthy, sleep right and maintain stress levels!  All of these obstacles could affect weeks or even months of weight loss progress.  They make it vitally important for you to approach the holidays with a weight loss plan that you can manage long term.  If you don't,  the odds will be against you! 

Instead of stunting and confusing your bodies healthy lifestyle, try to maintain healthy eating habits during the holiday season!  In doing so, you will maintain and even blood sugar level, you will keep your blood pressure at a healthy level and keep your cholesterol at a healthy level!  Choose to eat every three to four hours.  Try not to indulge in salty snacks and make lower fat choices!  Find balance by consuming smaller portions!  Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and energized! 

Not only is keeping what goes into your body in check, its important the physical activity your body receives!  Get 30-60 minutes of cardio into your day first thing in the morning!  If you wait, you may be distracted later in the day!  Lower your stress!  Make realistic expectations and goals for this holiday season!  You don't have to do it all!!

What About the Holidays Causes Weight Gain?

This might seem like a no-brainer. Obviously, people gain weight over the holidays because they eat more. But that doesn’t answer the really important question: why are the holidays such a flurry of overeating?

• Social pressure: The holidays are a socially sanctioned time to relax, stop caring about health, and eat what you want. But people still feel a little guilty about this, so they’ll pressure you to join in so they can feel better about their own indulgences. This study also shows how people eating with a group tend to match their intake to the group “average,” so even if nobody’s pressuring you about it, there’s a constant psychological cue to overeat at every meal.

• Stress: Holiday commitments mean stress, stress means comfort eating, and nobody comfort-eats celery sticks. Cortisol (the stress hormone) also promotes weight gain, especially the dreaded “belly fat.”

• Broken routines: Traveling means you spend a lot of time sitting, you get thrown off your regular exercise routine, and you aren’t always in control of your food.

• Emotional associations. Maybe it’s no struggle for you to pass up any random candy on the street, but if Grandma made it just for you, it gets a lot harder, especially if you have fond memories of eating it in years past.

All of these facts about the holiday season represent cues to overeat. If you don’t deliberately try to respond in a different way, you’ll end up following the cues and overeating. But if you’re trying to stay healthy, you don’t want to just passively accept and follow these cues. Instead, you want to make smart choices, enjoying treats when they’re worth it and passing them up when they’re not. So your job for the holidays is to plan, prioritize, and act accordingly.

And finally!  Give a gift of health this season!  Do you have a friend or family member that would benefit from personal training?  Ask me about my refer a friend program!  I'd love to help!

Do Diet's Work? A Plain and Simple Answer!

Fad diets are marketed as quick ways to lose weight. The most popular fads tend to change from year to year, but the promises they make don’t. Diets such as low-carb diets, the master cleanse, the grapefruit diet, and even the cookie diet are all fads.

Do fad diets work?

Some people will lose weight while following a fad diet, but most fad diets are impossible to stick to for long. This means that once you stop following the diet, you’ll probably gain back the weight you lost. Some people actually gain back all the weight, plus more.


Fad diets don’t usually provide enough vitamins and minerals, such as iron, calcium and vitamin D. Iron is important for red cells in your blood and calcium and vitamin D are important for healthy bones.

How can you spot a fad diet?

You can spot a fad diet by asking yourself a few simple questions:

• Does this diet make some foods completely off-limits?
• Does this diet promise that I will lose an unrealistic amount of weight in a short amount of time? For example: “ten pounds in one week”.
• Does the diet refer to foods as “good” or “bad”?
• Do I have to buy certain foods for this diet at a special store?
• Does the diet claim I can lose weight without exercising?
• Is this plan temporary?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you’ve probably spotted a fad diet. Advertising that promotes these diets is often very convincing. These ads may draw you in and make you believe that it’s super easy to follow the diet and lose weight. Don’t be fooled. This type of weight loss plan is really just a quick fix and not a healthy way to lose weight.

Should I take diet pills or supplements that promise weight loss?

It’s not safe to take “diet pills.” Over the counter supplements are especially not safe for weight loss because they are not regulated by the FDA. The FDA is the government organization that makes sure that the food we eat and the medicine we take is safe. However, supplements are not regulated so they could be harmful.

Are there healthier ways to manage weight?

Yes. There are much healthier ways to manage weight rather than following a fad diet. We lose weight by eating fewer calories than our bodies burn. To lose weight, add calorie-burning activities into your day, and cut down on your portion sizes or the amount of food that you eat. Be sure not to restrict your calories too much, though.
You can make some easy changes to cut back on the calories you eat by:

• Choosing less sugary beverages. Drinks such as soda and juice are loaded with sugar and empty calories.
• Eating breakfast. Starting your day with a nutritious meal will prevent you from getting too hungry during the day and will give you energy to think at school.
• Packing fruit for a snack. Choosing fruit over chips or candy will provide your body with important nutrients.
• Eating more whole grains. Choose whole grain bread, whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, and high-fiber cereals. They are more filling than refined grains such as cookies and pastry.
• Choosing lean meats. Chicken and fish or vegetarian sources of protein such as beans and tofu are much healthier options than fatty meats.
• Eating more servings of fruit and/or vegetables. Aim to include one or both at most meals and for snacks.
• Watching your portion sizes. Choosing regular portions, not super-sized ones. Eat only until you feel satisfied.

Simple ways to fit exercise into your day include:

• Taking the stairs instead of the elevator
• Parking far away from entrance
• Going for a walk with your family or friends
• Joining a gym

Is there a way to tell if a diet is healthy?

The healthiest way to successfully lose weight is to make small changes that will fit into your lifestyle. An easy way to make sure that a weight loss program is healthy and right for you, is to see if it includes the following:

• A balance of healthy foods from all food groups (whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, low-fat dairy, and healthy dietary fats)
• Regular exercise or physical activity
• Regular portion sizes
• Consistent meals and snacks
• Some of your favorite foods
• Flexibility to fit your schedule
• Foods you can find in restaurants or at social events

If your weight loss plan includes all of the above, it’s most likely a healthy approach.

The January 1st Excuse

There is a common yearly weight-loss, weight-gain cycle!! Why is this, and how can you change and benefit by recognizing this cycle?
December is the month that people gain the most weight: for four weeks, you are faced with holidays, gatherings, office parties, excess food, drink, and too many sugary items. Meanwhile, you're thinking, "I'll wait until January."
In August the summer eating challenges have taken control, resolves are weakened, and many people overindulge in barbecues, vacations and picnics thinking "I'll just wait until September."

Let's take a look at the common cycle of yearly weight loss-weight gain:

January: You make a resolution, and a promise to yourself or to others, to eat better, exercise, lose weight, drink water, eat vegetables, stop drinking... etc., etc.
February: You realize you have not kept your promises, or that you have made too many promises and it is unrealistic, and you fall back into old habits.
March: You have the winter doldrums and you eat too many calorie-laden items waiting for the spring season to feel renewed again.
April: Changes in weather begin to happen, days are longer and more daylight is welcomed. Once again you make a promise to think about losing weight.
May: Spring is here bringing lighter clothing, and more outside activities. You want to lose weight, eat better, and exercise because you will be wearing less clothing in warmer weather. Your weight-loss resolve is back.
June: BBQ and picnic season are here, and although grilling meat is a healthier way to eat, BBQ's and picnics tend to offer salads loaded with mayo, chips and dips, carbohydrates, and fancy alcoholic drinks.
July: BBQ, beach, vacation and pool-side season is in full swing. Each offers an abundance of food, drink, and merriment. Your schedule is more relaxed, and your eating is more relaxed, too, leading to some overeating and drinking.
August: BBQ, beach, pool, and vacation season is still in full swing but as August days pass you think, "I'll wait until September to pay attention to my eating again. It's only a few more weeks." In those weeks, with a give-up attitude, you once again begin to gain weight.
September: Children and teachers are back in school, and you're into a routine. You begin to care about your eating and exercise level again, and are recommitted to your health and weight loss. September is a month of renewal.
October: Weather changes, there is less daylight, and the days get shorter. Every store you walk into has Halloween candy ready for impulse buying. The candy is eaten the entire month of October and this begins to weaken your resolve again.
November: You enter November having eaten too many sweets the weeks before. You start to plan for Thanksgiving, and by the time the holiday arrives you are busy with visiting family or family visiting, and Thanksgiving becomes an eating adventure.
December: By now you have been overeating for a several weeks and it continues throughout the month with the holidays, gatherings, shopping, visiting, and everything else that takes place in December, and you say, "I'll wait for January to care for my

     January: It begins again...

This is not everyone, but is it you? If you answer yes, no wonder you are not losing the weight. Let's change the cycle and start with the January resolution, today.

Making a resolution is a promise to yourself or others. Behind every resolution is a desire to achieve a goal. Address the desire! If your resolution is to eat better, exercise, or lose weight, ask yourself: What is my real desire? Your desire may be to become healthier, decrease medication, improve relationships, be happier, become more active and be more successful. Whatever it is, work on satisfying your desire, regardless of the time of year.  When you can acknowledge your desire it will take you throughout the year regardless of the month or events and holidays. Where you are and who you're with will become irrelevant, and your desire will stay strong.

Eating smart and exercising is the pathway to achieving your desire.  Being a healthier, happier, more active or successful person is not what you do. It's who you are, every month and every meal, starting now.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/margaret-marshall/stop-the-yearly-weight-lo_b_5623489.html