Archive for the 'Exercise, Movement & Activity' Category

Don’t Have Time For A Full Workout?

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Cathy
on December 14, 2007
in Exercise, Movement & Activity
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Are you finding it difficult to squeeze in your regular exercise routine?  When it comes to exercise, any bit of activity and movement counts!  Check out these different ways to combine holiday festivities and movement:

*Take a walk in the mall before shopping for holiday gifts.  After you’ve shopped and have bags that provide extra weight, walk another couple of mall laps.  Aerobic and weight resistance (depending on how much you’ve purchased!!) done with holiday shopping are a winning combination.  You could also go to the mall before it opens to walk 30 minutes before you start shopping.

*Dance at your holiday party.  You’ll have more fun while getting great aerobic benefits.

*Many find it difficult to keep from taste testing their holiday baking.   Try this - rather than indulging, touch your toes, do jumping jacks, or windmill stretch and twists during baking time.  Avoid the extra calories and include movement as a substitute - that’s a winning combo.

*Do jumping jacks while the cookies bake instead of just sitting around and waiting for them.

*Meet family and friends to walk the neighborhood to see the holiday lights and decorations.  You’ll enjoy the company of your family and friends, avoid the lines of cars, and have the fun of the close-up views of the displays along with a winter walk.

Remember…exercise, activity, and movement add up so the pounds don’t! 

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

Exercise Tip: Beat the Stress

Published
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Cathy
on December 9, 2007
in Exercise, Movement & Activity
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Feeling stressed?  Aerobic workouts are fantastic stress beaters.  

Exercise helps relieve stress through several different physical mechanisms:

Fifteen minutes of any activity that works the major muscle groups such as walking, running, cycling, swimming, and climbing stairs helps relax the muscles.

Exercise helps your body metabolize stress hormones more quickly.

Exercise releases endorphins, those naturally produced chemicals that relieve stress and promote an exercise “high” along with a sense of “feel good” hormones and well-being.

When you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, take the best reliever for stress:  Exercise!

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

Exercise - it is a “Get To”

Published
by
Cathy
on November 20, 2007
in Exercise, Movement & Activity
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Many of us will be enjoying the long holiday weekend off from work with family and friends.  Take advantage of this extra time to honor your health by getting in a little extra exercise instead of indulging in extra food!  On this long Thanksgiving holiday weekend, you’ll be thankful that you chose exercise over extra helpings.

One of the most important components of losing weight is regular aerobic exercise in your day.  For many of us, this can be challenging especially in the beginning.  Persistence is key because after a short time, exercise usually becomes enjoyable, fun, and an activity that you can look forward to.  Exercise has many benefits including our overall sense of wellbeing. 

Woman walking up stairsFirst, set aside regular time to exercise even when you are busy.  This regular exercise appointment you make with yourself brings order to your day and helps to assign priorities to our daily routine. 

Second, exercise boosts levels of endorphins, the “feel good” levels, making us feel happier for hours after our exercise session.

Third, it provides you with self confidence.  The majority of people that incorporate regular exercise into their lives report improved self-esteem.

Lastly, exercise is the best drug on the market with no side effects - but numerous benefits.

Remember especially this weekend (and every day) that getting enough exercise will improve numerous areas in our lives besides our physical fitness.  Rather than think of exercise as the dreaded “I have to”, change your mindset to exercise as a “I get to”.  It will boost your energy, provide a sense of wellbeing like nothing else will, and create a joyness of accomplishment to your day!  Exercise is a gift that keeps on giving
throughout your entire day.

Whenever your life feels chaotic or stressful, add exercise by, for example, going for a walk, rather than reaching for a Krispy Kreme donut!  It will give you the self confidence to take charge!  Try it….it works!

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

Getting Back To It

Published
by
Cathy
on November 20, 2007
in Exercise, Movement & Activity
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If you have been sick or returning to walking after an absence, here are some strategies for getting started again:

1.  Alternate time walking briskly with time at a slower pace.  If you’re fit enough to walk for 30 minutes, start off by alternating between two minutes of brisk walking and two minutes of slow walking for 30 minutes.  Over time, increase your brisk walking intervals by one minute at a time until you’re back to your pre-absence pace for the entire 3 minutes.  To increase the difficulty from that point, add your brisk walking time in five minute increments.

2.  Make sure to incorporate strength training into your exercise routine.

3.  Start slowly.  If you’re too winded to talk out loud to a walking partner (or yourself), you’re going too fast.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

How Walking Can Reduce Stress

Published
by
Cathy
on November 16, 2007
in Exercise, Movement & Activity
. 1 Comment

When you’re in a tense or anger-inducing situation, taking a walk can calm your mind – because it calms your body. Walking reduces stress in the body in several ways:

  • It helps to eliminate stress hormones (such as adrenaline) from your body.
  • It reduces tension in several large muscle groups – the glutes (buttocks), the quads (front of thighs) and hamstrings (back of thighs).
  • It increases the production of beta-endorphins, which are thought to calm the body and promote restful sleep.
  • It promotes an overall sense of wellbeing, inner and outer strength, confidence, and enhances self-esteem.

Walking can reduce stress

When you feel stressed, don’t take a pill or make an unhealthy food choice but walk away; walk toward a healthier life and coping strategy for dealing with stress.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

Yoga

Published
by
Cathy
on November 14, 2007
in Exercise, Movement & Activity
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An option to include in your exercise routine is yoga.  If you find you need to add some variety from your current program of movement, give yoga a try.  You can use yoga to enhance any aspect of your daily life.  Yoga is a great way to relax and can also aid in improving your ability to carry out your daily activities.  The regular practice of yoga will enhance agility, balance, and coordination along with core strength and flexibility.   Incorporating yoga into your life can also provide a sense of being grounded and centered that you carry all day long.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

 

Return to Strength Training

Published
by
Cathy
on November 12, 2007
in Exercise, Movement & Activity
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If you haven’t worked out with weights for awhile, get back to it.  Strength training is an important part of any exercise program.  Building muscle mass is an excellent way to keep your metabolism humming efficiently.  Here are a few basics to remember:

*Proper form and technique are important.  Doing exercises correctly will get you the results you want and minimize injury.  If you are returning to strength training after a period of time, work with a personal trainer for a refresher in proper and correct form.

*Slow and steady wins success in strength training.  Make sure all movements are smooth and consistent.  If you need to use jerking motions or speed to get through an exercise, reduce the amount of weight you’re lifting.

*Breathe.  It is easy to get into the habit of holding your breath during the muscle’s contraction phase in strength training.  Be aware of your breathing and as deliberate in breathing as in lifting the weight. 

Being fit and strong by strength training can be very rewarding and fun!

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

Get On Your Feet and Make It Happen!

Published
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Cathy
on October 31, 2007
in Exercise, Movement & Activity
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Have you ever heard the song by Gloria Estefan that includes the lyrics “Get on our feet…..You can make it happen”?  It is one of those songs when you hear it you want to get up and move.  So for our healthy lifestyle habits, let’s get off the couch or comfy chair, get on your feet and make it happen!!

Here’s five tips to get you moving:

1.  Get up.  The mere act of getting up from a stationary position can be the hardest but they are the most important.  Once you make the decision and get up, you’re more than halfway there.  We can come up with all sorts of excuses and reasons to avoid the act of getting up.  Once we’re up - we’re on our way to making it happen.  Also applies to working out in the morning - get up?  Get up out of this comfortable bed and get moving before my day has to start?  Yes!  Absolutely.  Again, once you’re up, you’re in the positive momentum to make it happen for yourself and your day.  Make up your mind that your health is as big of a priority as sleeping in or watching mindless television.  Instead of grabbing a bag of chips or cookie, grab the door handle!

2.  Start slow.  Fitness doesn’t happen overnight.  You don’t go from being inactive to becoming Lance Armstrong on a bicycle or running a marathon.  Start out with a short walk, add intensity and distance gradually.  You’ll enjoy it more, stay with it longer, and build a healthy foundation for a habit of fitness.

3.  Make it your daily routine.  Do you brush your teeth?  Do you have to think about it or is it just something you do?  Brushing your teeth is a given as part of your routine.  You can make exercise the same way.  Brushing your teeth makes your mouth feel great.  Think of exercise in the same way.  Exercise makes your body and mood feel great.

4.  Make activity fun and make a game of it.  Rather than have the family look for the closest parking space, cheer when they find the farthest parking space.  By taking the stairs rather than the elevator, get to the floor that you need and cheer at the top of the accomplished staircase.  Enjoy the outdoors by taking a nature walk and give family members a disposable camera to record things they see on their outing.  It is fun to review and relive what each family member found to be meaningful to capture by a photograph.  Children are more productive and are shown to do better in school when they are active.  Do you want to know what is going on in your spouse’s life or the lives of your children?  Get away from the distraction of television and video games by participating in an activity together.  Family members open up when spending time together in an activity. 

5.  Mix it up.  Go for a walk one day, go swimming the next, shoot hoops, play miniature golf, etc.  Variety keeps boredom away.  Participating in different activities is better for your body.  It will help you use different muscles in ways you wouldn’t in another activity.  Learn from your kids - if it isn’t fun, you’re not going to do it.  Kids love to play.  Adults need to learn the same love of play.

Do you remember what show you watched last month during the evening of the second Thursday?  What lasting benefit did you obtain from watching it?  As an alternative, if you’d spent that same time being active with your family, you’d receive the benefit of losing or maintaining weight plus good times shared with family.  The biggest step of all in being active is the first one in getting up and making it happen.  Once you’re up, you’ll be glad you did. 

All the best,
Cathy

Workout & Family Time=Winning Combination

Published
by
Cathy
on October 31, 2007
in Exercise, Movement & Activity
. 0 Comments

Life is busy.  When we get home from work, school, or an entire day with a full list of things to do, we are tired.  By the time we’re home, we need to eat dinner, homework, baths, laundry, dishes, and then a workout?  Who has the time for exercise?  All of us if we make our health a priority in our lives and for our families.  We lead busy lives so it is difficult to find the time to work out, however, it is a choice we make.  It can be challenging to motivate ourselves to drive to the park, or even get up from a comfortable chair to go outside.  Make activity a habit and it becomes just part of your daily routine.  It is hard to find the energy to work out, however, funny thing - working out increases your energy. 

Workouts don’t necessarily mean going to the gym and taking time away from your family.  Make it a family activity.  Take walks together, ride bikes, jump on the trampoline, go to the nearest community center and shoot hoops, or any activity and movement counts.  Not only are you improving your health and increasing your energy level, you are a role model for your children. 

Combine activity and family time for a win/win in all ways.  Make it fun.  Your body will get stronger and your family bonds will too.

All the best,
Cathy

What’s the big deal about exercise?

Published
by
Cathy
on October 24, 2007
in Exercise, Movement & Activity
. 0 Comments

Whether you call it exercise, movement, activity, or being physical, our bodies are meant to move and be active.  Our bodies are miraculous vehicles with high performance engines.  In addition to using high quality fuel (good nutrition), cars and bodies are meant to be used.  If you park your car in the garage, you may not chip the paint but the belts, internal equipment, and engine will break down by non-use.  If you park your body on the couch, you will feel tired, run down, and will internally break down by non-use as well. 

Okay, okay, we hear all the time how important exercise is.  Want proof of what you actually get when you exercise and what it does for you?  Check it out…………

1.  Lose weight.
2.  Maintain your weight.
3.  Tone and firm your body.
4.  Increase muscle mass.
5.  Burn more calories.
6.  Boost your metabolism.
7.  Increase your endurance.
8.  Strengthen your heart muscles.
9.  Reduce tension and enable you to handle stress better.
10. Lift your spirits.
11. Increase your self-esteem and sense of well-being.
12. Make you less susceptible to sickness and disease.
13. Improve your complexion.
14. Helps to prevent constipation.
15. Improve the quality of your sleep.
16. Clears your mind by increasing blood flow to your brain and make you more alert.
17. Assist in preventing depression.
18. Elevates beta endorphin levels in blood.
19. Causes your muscles to use oxygen more efficiently thus easing your heart’s workload.
20. Assists in relieving melopausal symptoms.
21. Relieves tension headaches.
22. Reduces back problems by strengthening core, stomach, and lower back muscles.
23. Reduces neck and shoulder pain.
24. Aids your digestive system.
25. Purifies and cleanses your blood.
26. Ease menstrual cramps.
27. Reduces varicose veins.
28. Decreases rate of premature aginging.
29. Increases your flexibility.
30. Reduces addictive cravings and urges.
31. Decrease LDL cholesterol and increases HDL cholesterol.
32. Allows you to feel more optimistic, positive, and overall strong physically and mentally.
33. Relieve hypertension.
34. Improves your posture and general appearance.
35. Decrease chronic fatigue.
36. Increase physical strength.
37. Improve circulation.
38. Stimulate processes of absorption and elimination.
39. To cause bone marrow to increase production of red and white blood cells and increase blood volume.
40. Assist in regulation of appetite.
41. Provides protection against injury.
42. Improves balance and coordination.
43. Increase bone mineral density to prevent osteoporosis.
44. Lower Body Mass Index (BMI), your fat to height ratio.
45. Increase sexual desire and performance.
46. Reduce risk of heart disease and stroke.
47. Reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer.
48. Increases insulin sensitivity, prevents Type 2 diabetes.
49. Reduce your level of anxiety.
50. Restores confidence, relaxation, and overall mood.

Think of exercise as your adult, grown-up time to play.  Children don’t need to be reminded to play.  They look forward to their play time.  Adopt the attitude of children and consider exercise as your time to play, to be with yourself.

For an investment of your time for 30 minutes per day, 3-5 days per week, look at all of the benefits you can obtain just by exercising.  With all of this to gain, exercise is an excellent investment into you, your long-term health and happiness! 

All the best,
Cathy