It' been quite a while since I've posted anything in this blog. In fact, I assumed that I might as well be done with it. That there's a certain point where going back doesn't make any sense. However, I realized that it's never too late. It's never too late to do anything.
So, I felt it only fitting to start my first entry back by focusing on getting back into exercise. This last year has been a rough year for me personally. Many events and situations have cause me to get off track with my fitness goals. I found myself thinking the same things as I did above. That it was too late to get back on the fitness track I was on. That maybe I just wasn't cut out to be as fit as I always wanted to be. However, after my birthday this last week I realized yet again that it was not too late. In fact, if there was any time for me to focus on my health and happiness, it needs to be now. And I think that these feelings are common within many of us. With think it's too late, too hard, too time consuming, too.....the reasons are endless. And we're right, it is all of those things. In the world we live in things always come up that make living a healthy life so hard to stick to and enjoy. That's upsetting and discouraging. Especially when it seems so effortless for other people. But there's a reason it seems so effortless for them. Not neccessarily because it is, but because they have simply made a healthy diet and exercise a part of their lives. And it really, truly is something we all can do. It's not easy or effortless, and it will always take time, but it is possible. And more important than ever as we live in age when we know exactly what will happen to us if we don't.
Coincidentally, I was reading the latest issue of Women's Health Magazine, when I stumbled across an article called , "You're Too Legit to Quit,"written by Araina Bond. For years we've all been told that yo-yo dieting never works, that we have to stick to a healthy diet. But I've never even asked myself if my habit of "yo-yo exercisng" could be bad for me as well. But apparently new studies have shown that yo-yo exericise can have a poor effect on your body as well. Apparently it can affect everything, from your heart and your lungs to exhausting you emotionally and psychologically. And it's true. How many times have you had a bad week - or couple of weeks - and think, "No problem, I'll just hit the gym extra hard for the next couple of weeks and this weight will just fall right off." But then we slip up for a day, or don't see the results we expect to see and decide it's not worth it and give up, falling right off the wagon again.
And I'm sure it's easier than we'd like to admit to fall off the wagon. But, there are a couple of things this article suggested doing that may help you stick to your workout schedule, in order to attain complete health and happiness.
1. Adjust Your Goals:
I know that I've always been told to pick specific goals whenever I start a new work out routine. And I still think specific goals are great, but Bond suggests that when you pick some specific goals like, "I want to lose 10 pounds," you get dejected when you don't start seeing the numbers dropping before you on the scale. Instead, focus on making working out a part of your lifestyle instead of only trying it in order to achieve a numerical goal. Or even focus on fitting into a certain size rather than a certain weight, suggests Bond, since weight doesn't always reflect muscle mass. And let's be honest, we're never happy with the number on the scale, so maybe finding a new goal to focus on wouldn't be such a bad thing to try.
2. Work on Changing Your Exercise Routine
We've all been there. It's Monday morning after a weekend spent gorging ourselves on food and drink, and we are starting a whole new work out routine. We're excited, pumped up, and ready to go. Monday goes GREAT, Tuesday is ok, Wednesday.....
Bond suggests when get really excited about only one type of work out routine (running, spinning, yoga) that we can get really bored really quickly doing the same thing everyday. Not to mention, your muscles themselves get bored. I usually try to vary my exercise every other day. So for example, M/W/F might be running and weight lifting. Then T/TH/Sat might be running lower miles and/or yoga. That way I'm always keeping my muscles on their toes, which keeps both my muscles and mind excited about what comes next.
3. Ease Yourself Into It
Again, we all hit our strides of getting really excited about our workouts. We want to jump right back where we left off, but after a few weeks, or even months of non-activity our bodies aren't in the same condition that we left them in. So be careful and ease back into things. You don't want to injure yourself and put yourself right out of commission again.
Moral of the story: It's never too late or been too long for you to get back into exercise. Instead of looking at diet and exercise as an occasional activity, we should be looking for ways to incorporate it into our everyday lives. It's hard, and you'll most likely fall off the wagon, but it will always be there for you to hop back on.
Bond, Araina. "You're Too Legit to Quit." Women's Health Nov. 2011: 66-68. Print.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Monday, November 8, 2010
"Happiness lies, first of all, in health." ~George William Curtis
So, we've all heard about them, read about them, or actually know someone who's done one. Detoxes...they are touted by celebrities everywhere as the best way to lose a lot of weight extremely quickly. We all look at the glow and glamor of these celebrities and think, if they can do it, so can I. However, the question we should be asking ourselves is whether or not any of these detoxes are actually safe. In fact, "doctors and dietitians, most of whom agree the habit can turn disordered and dangerous and may ultimately make you fatter", would NEVER recommend a detox to help someone lose weight.
For as much as people tout the great affects that a detox has on their body, many of them are unfounded or simply temporary. In fact, over time detoxes are going to do much more harm to your body than good. We think that by cutting food out of our diets we just speed up the process of losing the weight and once it's off it will stay off. When instead by cutting out nutrients our body needs we slow down our metabolism and our body conserves any energy we give it. So by the time you're ready to eat solid food again you gain all of the weight back that you've lost if not more, because your body doesn't know how to digest it properly.
Then there's the argument that detoxing at least cleanses our bodies of all of the harmful things that we put into it. The fact of the matter is, our bodies cleanse themselves just fine all on their own. According to Lona Sandon, R.D., assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, "We have a liver and kidneys, and they are quite efficient at processing out anything toxic." By putting our bodies through a detox we may "actually weaken immunity by killing good bacteria that fend off invading germs in the gut. And fasting can trigger arrhythmia and even cardiac arrest because of the rapid loss of key electrolytes."
It's very easy to see why the lure of the a detox is so tempting. Some of our favorite celebrites constantly talk about how great a detox makes them feel. When we look at the celebrities we admire, and see their "perfect" bodies we think they've given us a gift from the gods. "Of course! A detox is the answer I've been waiting for all along!" We have to be honest with ourselves though and realize that there really is no quick fix. If you want to lose weight and keep it off you have to work for it, just as all those celebrities do. The truth of the matter is, many of them, if not all of them, are in the gym working their butts off and eating right to keep their bodies looking the way they do. If they do a detox they are few and far between. The only way to truly keep ourselves healthy is reagular diet and exercise. If you ever find yourself questioning whether or not a new diet is safe for you, SELF magazine has listed six signs to look out for. And they are:
1. It touts superfast results. These are the diets we all reach for right away. We all want the fastest way possible to reach our goal weight and discover our dream bodies. Again though, it takes time. "A normal-weight woman should lose no more than 2 pounds of fat a week or risk shedding water and muscle, says SELF contributing expert Stephanie Clarke, R.D."
2. It ODs on vitamins. Even if something is healthy and good for you, you can still have too much of it. Willow Jarosh, R.D. says, "Too much retinyl palmitate (synthetic vitamin A) can damage the liver and might prevent vitamin D from helping our body absorb calcium."
3. It has fewer than 1200 calories. We should all know by now that in order to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you consume. However, you still need to consume calories, if you don't Jarosh warns, "this could slow down your metabolism and raise your risk for nutrient defeiciency."
4. It claims to speed your metabolism. Jarosh says, "If a low-cal plan says this, it probably contains a stimulant like caffeine or bitter orange,"....."when the diet with caffeine ends, you'll face withdrawal--and want to detox again to stop it."
5. It promises to clear out toxins. Again ,your body really doesn't need any help clearing out toxins from your itself. And these plans may very well contain laxatives to help you achieve the cleansing it promises. Instead, "dehydration could occur, making you sluggish and impeding natural filters: your kidneys, liver and skin."
6. It serves the same thing daily. Simply for the reason that your body needs a well balanced diet to stay as healthy as possible. Even if all you're eating are healthly foods, you can hurt your body by depriving it of other nutrients by eating the same thing everyday.
So as great as detoxes seem, they are really only a quick fix. If you want to lose weight you have to change your lifestyle by eating healthy and exercising. There really is no other way to do it.
Today's information was gathered from.
Torgovnick, Kate. "Detox Diets Debunked." SELF Nov. 2010: 113-15.
For as much as people tout the great affects that a detox has on their body, many of them are unfounded or simply temporary. In fact, over time detoxes are going to do much more harm to your body than good. We think that by cutting food out of our diets we just speed up the process of losing the weight and once it's off it will stay off. When instead by cutting out nutrients our body needs we slow down our metabolism and our body conserves any energy we give it. So by the time you're ready to eat solid food again you gain all of the weight back that you've lost if not more, because your body doesn't know how to digest it properly.
Then there's the argument that detoxing at least cleanses our bodies of all of the harmful things that we put into it. The fact of the matter is, our bodies cleanse themselves just fine all on their own. According to Lona Sandon, R.D., assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, "We have a liver and kidneys, and they are quite efficient at processing out anything toxic." By putting our bodies through a detox we may "actually weaken immunity by killing good bacteria that fend off invading germs in the gut. And fasting can trigger arrhythmia and even cardiac arrest because of the rapid loss of key electrolytes."
It's very easy to see why the lure of the a detox is so tempting. Some of our favorite celebrites constantly talk about how great a detox makes them feel. When we look at the celebrities we admire, and see their "perfect" bodies we think they've given us a gift from the gods. "Of course! A detox is the answer I've been waiting for all along!" We have to be honest with ourselves though and realize that there really is no quick fix. If you want to lose weight and keep it off you have to work for it, just as all those celebrities do. The truth of the matter is, many of them, if not all of them, are in the gym working their butts off and eating right to keep their bodies looking the way they do. If they do a detox they are few and far between. The only way to truly keep ourselves healthy is reagular diet and exercise. If you ever find yourself questioning whether or not a new diet is safe for you, SELF magazine has listed six signs to look out for. And they are:
1. It touts superfast results. These are the diets we all reach for right away. We all want the fastest way possible to reach our goal weight and discover our dream bodies. Again though, it takes time. "A normal-weight woman should lose no more than 2 pounds of fat a week or risk shedding water and muscle, says SELF contributing expert Stephanie Clarke, R.D."
2. It ODs on vitamins. Even if something is healthy and good for you, you can still have too much of it. Willow Jarosh, R.D. says, "Too much retinyl palmitate (synthetic vitamin A) can damage the liver and might prevent vitamin D from helping our body absorb calcium."
3. It has fewer than 1200 calories. We should all know by now that in order to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you consume. However, you still need to consume calories, if you don't Jarosh warns, "this could slow down your metabolism and raise your risk for nutrient defeiciency."
4. It claims to speed your metabolism. Jarosh says, "If a low-cal plan says this, it probably contains a stimulant like caffeine or bitter orange,"....."when the diet with caffeine ends, you'll face withdrawal--and want to detox again to stop it."
5. It promises to clear out toxins. Again ,your body really doesn't need any help clearing out toxins from your itself. And these plans may very well contain laxatives to help you achieve the cleansing it promises. Instead, "dehydration could occur, making you sluggish and impeding natural filters: your kidneys, liver and skin."
6. It serves the same thing daily. Simply for the reason that your body needs a well balanced diet to stay as healthy as possible. Even if all you're eating are healthly foods, you can hurt your body by depriving it of other nutrients by eating the same thing everyday.
So as great as detoxes seem, they are really only a quick fix. If you want to lose weight you have to change your lifestyle by eating healthy and exercising. There really is no other way to do it.
Today's information was gathered from.
Torgovnick, Kate. "Detox Diets Debunked." SELF Nov. 2010: 113-15.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
"I hated every minute of training, but I said, don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life a champion." ~Muhammad Ali
I know that for a lot of us who exercise we want to know the quickest way to burn the most calories. Almost all research now a days lends itself to say that running is one of the best/fastest ways to burn the most calories. And running is a great workout, and something that's easy enough for everyone to be able to do. However, we all have to be aware that running is not the only type of exercise we should be doing, even if it is the best way to burn the most calories in the shortest amount of time. Every workout plan needs to have some sort of strength training in it if you want to achieve your health and fitness goals, no matter what they might be. As long as you're performing strength training in a healthy way it will always help you acheive the goals you have set for yourself. Some of the benefits of strength training are: "Faster resting metabolic rate from increased muscle mass" (which means that you'll be burning more calories by doing absoulutely nothing, which is always awesome).
~"A boost in cardiovascular fitness; yes, intense strength training puts a strain on the cardiorespiratory system."
~"Faster reflexes and better balance."
~"Increased bone density and enhanced immune system."
There are of course many more benefits to strength training, however those listed above I believe can be motivating factors for everyone.
("For Extra Motivation, Check out All These Benefits of Strength Training." On Fitness Sept.-Oct. 2010: 12. Web.)
This next fact I found really surprised. If you're anyone that knows me well you'll know that I've had some problems with back pain for a while. Those problems used to be reason enough for me to stay away from the gym whenever I felt like I might be having any sort of back pain again. However, a recent study suggests that back machines at the gym may help improve back pain. A study conducted by Christian Lariviere, who is a professor at the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauve en sante et en securite du travail (IRSST), showed that subjects who were hooked up to "electromyography sensors that tracked muscle activity and fatigue...showed that using equipment designed for lower back exercises was beneficial."
There really isn't much else in the article that tells us exactly how much benefit using these machines gives us, but the most important thing is that they do not hurt. This of course is not proof that if you are in severe pain you should continue doing your normal workouts, but it does mean that slight pain or irriation doesn't neccesarily need to put you out of the gym for any amount of time.
("Study Shows Back Machine Workouts Remedy Low Back Pain." On Fitness Sept.-Oct. 2010: 14. Web.)
~"A boost in cardiovascular fitness; yes, intense strength training puts a strain on the cardiorespiratory system."
~"Faster reflexes and better balance."
~"Increased bone density and enhanced immune system."
There are of course many more benefits to strength training, however those listed above I believe can be motivating factors for everyone.
("For Extra Motivation, Check out All These Benefits of Strength Training." On Fitness Sept.-Oct. 2010: 12. Web.)
This next fact I found really surprised. If you're anyone that knows me well you'll know that I've had some problems with back pain for a while. Those problems used to be reason enough for me to stay away from the gym whenever I felt like I might be having any sort of back pain again. However, a recent study suggests that back machines at the gym may help improve back pain. A study conducted by Christian Lariviere, who is a professor at the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauve en sante et en securite du travail (IRSST), showed that subjects who were hooked up to "electromyography sensors that tracked muscle activity and fatigue...showed that using equipment designed for lower back exercises was beneficial."
There really isn't much else in the article that tells us exactly how much benefit using these machines gives us, but the most important thing is that they do not hurt. This of course is not proof that if you are in severe pain you should continue doing your normal workouts, but it does mean that slight pain or irriation doesn't neccesarily need to put you out of the gym for any amount of time.
("Study Shows Back Machine Workouts Remedy Low Back Pain." On Fitness Sept.-Oct. 2010: 14. Web.)
Monday, October 4, 2010
Good News for women...bad news for the rest of us.
Women, have you ever had a day in the gym where it feels like hitting your target heart rate seems impossible to reach? Well it turns out there might be a reason for that. According to a study in Circulation "women who used the conventional male-based heart rate formula (220 minus age) worked too hard. The new women's equation (206-minus 88 percent of age) shows our target heart rate should be lower than previously thought." So that's pretty great news right? Of course, that math does seem a little daunting if you're trying to figure that out while on the treadmill. If you don't feel like doing the harder math then the next time you're about to start a cardio session just know not to push yourself has hard to give your ticker a bit of a break.
("Fitness FLASH." SELF Oct. 2010: 90)
Now on to the bad news. If any of you out there are like my good friends then you love bacon with a fiery passion. Apparently, this is not good for us no matter what we would like to believe. According to another study in Circulation "eating processed meat daily is linked with a 42 percent higher risk for heart disease and a 19 percent uptick in diabetes risk." Sorry friends, looks like we'll have to put a limit on our bacon in take.
("Eat-Right FLASH." SELF Oct. 2010: 112. Print.)
So, this was my first attempt at real advice. I apologize that it was short, and both topics were from the same source, but hopefully soon I will have much more information to share with you. Thanks guys!
("Fitness FLASH." SELF Oct. 2010: 90)
Now on to the bad news. If any of you out there are like my good friends then you love bacon with a fiery passion. Apparently, this is not good for us no matter what we would like to believe. According to another study in Circulation "eating processed meat daily is linked with a 42 percent higher risk for heart disease and a 19 percent uptick in diabetes risk." Sorry friends, looks like we'll have to put a limit on our bacon in take.
("Eat-Right FLASH." SELF Oct. 2010: 112. Print.)
So, this was my first attempt at real advice. I apologize that it was short, and both topics were from the same source, but hopefully soon I will have much more information to share with you. Thanks guys!
Welcome!
Hello!
So this is my attempt at a fitness and nutrition blog. While studying to become a personal trainer I have had the pleasure of getting to read a lot about fitness and nutrition. In doing so I feel that I'm always making better choices for myself whether it comes to my diet or exercise. I want to share so much of this information, which is the great thing about now being a trainer. However, there is only so much I can share with someone in an hour time period. That is why I've decided to start a blog. What better way to share the information I'm learning with more people at once than to start a blog on the internet? Each day I'm going to try and update my blog with new information on fitness and nutrition and health. If you have any questions about what I post, or any questions at all, please feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer your questions. Please also feel free to post your own health and fitness tips, however if you do post something I ask that you please cite your source as a lot of our bad habits when it comes to health, fitness, and nutrition come from word of mouth information that is skewed or completely false. I hope you enjoy, thanks guys!
So this is my attempt at a fitness and nutrition blog. While studying to become a personal trainer I have had the pleasure of getting to read a lot about fitness and nutrition. In doing so I feel that I'm always making better choices for myself whether it comes to my diet or exercise. I want to share so much of this information, which is the great thing about now being a trainer. However, there is only so much I can share with someone in an hour time period. That is why I've decided to start a blog. What better way to share the information I'm learning with more people at once than to start a blog on the internet? Each day I'm going to try and update my blog with new information on fitness and nutrition and health. If you have any questions about what I post, or any questions at all, please feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer your questions. Please also feel free to post your own health and fitness tips, however if you do post something I ask that you please cite your source as a lot of our bad habits when it comes to health, fitness, and nutrition come from word of mouth information that is skewed or completely false. I hope you enjoy, thanks guys!
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