Summer Fun

Well -- summer is here, school is out in the south, still in session in the north, and it is hot and humid in MS.

Some simple tips for summer health and safety:

1. Hydrate throughout the day. Every time you drink coffee or alcohol, drink some more water.

2. Have some comfortable clothes in the car with you so you can change to be active or if you spill something.

3. Remember that when you eat fruits and veggies, you also get water along with vitamins and nutrients.

4. Be aware of your surroundings - look for poison ivy, look for critters, look for boats when in the water, watch your step.

5. Wear sunscreen -- the kind that protects you -- SPF 30+

6. Be active and enjoy nature, step outside of the gym, learn a new skill like kayaking, or take a walk in a park.

7. Have fun with family and friend!

Enjoy the summer!

Purifying Your Body

It is important to cleanse your purifiy and cleanse your body so that it can work optimally. I recommend the Standard Process Purification Program which helps to detoxify several systems of the human body while teaching you how to eat a whole foods and reduce chemicals. The result is a healthier liver and other organs, as well as giving you more energy. Research has shown that the SP Purification Program can reduce lipids -- cholesterol and triglycerides while also helping participants to loose weight.

To learn more about the program watch the following video




To read more about the program check out this description from Standard Process:

http://www.standardprocess.com/display/psppurification.spi

What ever you do it is never too late to eat better, move more, and feel better!

Spring into the Outdoors

It is becoming Spring time pretty quick which means people are moving more and going outside more often. Remember to properly warm up and do not do too much to soon so you do not injury yourself and feel too sore the next day.

Some simple tips include:

• Hydrate more often during the day
• Plan some simple activities outside each day, you do not have to do it all in one day
• Take frequent breaks and rest periods
• Stretch after you come back in from doing your activity
• If you recreate - do it for a short time and build up time each week and take time to practice the skills
• Wear sunscreen and appropriate clothing when outside
• Keep a bag with extra clothes and stuff in your auto
• Keep water and a snack in your auto

Get outside and enjoy the nature - kayak, bike, hike, or play some tennis, golf, or disc golf. Whatever your activity, have fun!!

Stress Management

In our crazy world of time challenges, too many tasks, and constant stimulation from the world, it is very apparent that people are stressed out. Stress comes in two forms -- good stress(eustress) and bad stress(distress). Eustress is a good stress that is healthy and helps up grown and develop in a positive manner. Whereas, distress is negative and destructive to our bodies and minds. For our bodies to adapt and grow, we need to maximize the eustress and minimize the distress.

Distress takes it toll on human physiology by stimulating more cortisol in the body which causes several cascades in the body.

We have let our lifestyle and social norms take control of our life instead of controlling it ourselves. We have let our children take over how we parent. When and why did this happen. Often times we forget that we control our own destiny. If we choose to be planful with our time, talents, and treasures and be responsible people we can do our part in society as a human, an employee, a parent and spouse. We can be the dog that wags the tail, not the dog that the tail wags.

Take back your control of your lifestyle, your health, and your well being. Choose to reduce the stressors in your life by standing up for what you believe, surround yourself with good friends, and parent your children. You can also choose how you respond to stress by being positive and not reactive. Letting people or situations get to you where you go out of control, let your face get red, and say something that you really do not mean is not the best way to react. Learn a new tactic on how to respond to someone in a positive way -- it will change you life and you will lean more about being a patient and responsible human -- I have learned this through much prayer and practice.

Put yourself in positive and successful situation that build eustress. This is what exercise can do for you help you feed good about accomplishing a goal of burning some calories or doing a recreation with someone. I enjoy hitting the tennis ball around with friends, taking time to play some disc golf, or kayaking on the water. All of these activities are helping me be more positive than negative. When I get stressed, I have learned to take some deep breaths, take a break and walk in a circle, or react in a positive way.

I challenge you to look at your life this week and identify some ways to reduce stressors in your life and find creative ways to react positively in a negative situation while also performing some activities that build your eustress. Keep an open mind and ask others what they do!

Do not forget to Warm-up and Cool-down!

The most common mistake I see at the gym or when people tell me about their workout is the lack of attention to including a warm-up and warm-down in their routine.

Workouts should follow a basic plan including a warm-up, the routine, and the warm-down. Many people fail to follow this simple strategy and either skips the warm-up and/or the warm-down due to perceived time constraints. These oversights increase the risk of injuries; reduce the performance potential of the body as well as lessoning the effect of the recovery process.
Let’s talk Warm-up: The warm-up prepares the body for the upcoming demands of the program. Activating the appropriate core musculature, getting the blood flow to increase to the muscles, and allowing the cardiovascular system to adjust to the increasing demand will allow the body to perform at a higher level and sustain that level for a longer period of time. Skipping this vital part of the workout can increase your risk of musculoskeletal injuries and cardiovascular events. The recommendation is to do some light level of activity for 5-10 minutes followed by some dynamic flexibility exercises followed by some static stretching if tightness is still present.

At last the Warm-down: The warm-down is a critical part of the workout and is required for safety and recovery reasons. Doing some easy activities such as light biking or walking will suffice to assist the body in slowing down and redistributing the blood from the working muscles to the internal organs. If you do not allow this process to occur, you put yourself at risk for fainting and a potential cardiovascular event. If you do not warm-down after filling your large muscle groups with blood, the heart must pump the blood back to its normal distribution which taxes the heart. Following the light level activity it is recommended to perform some static (slow) stretching to release the tension built up in the muscular system. This also allows for greater flexibility and improved recovery for the following day.
Performing a warm-up and warm-down will assist you in reaching goals faster, improve the quality and quantity of your workout, and assist in reducing your risk of injury. So -- make time for them both!

Tired of your old workout -- try this one!

Many of clients as me about having a new workout to change things up a bit. So, I recommend the following circuit routine to boost metabolism, burn some extra calories, and to make them tired and sore -- just kidding. Try this simple circuit to change things up. 

- Warm up on Cardio with easy to medium intensity for 5 minutes
- Activate the core -- spinal stability routine
- Resistance 1: Leg Press x 15, Low Rows x 15, Bicep Curls x 15 - repeat again  
- Cardio 1: medium to high intensity for 5 minutes
- Resistance 2: Leg curl x 15, Lat pulls x 15, Tricep Ext. x 15 - repeat again   
- Cardio 2: high intensity for 5 minutes
- Resistance 3: Heel Raises x 25, Shoulder raises x 20, Back ext x 15 - repeat again 
- Cardio 3: high intensity for 5 minutes
- Resistance 4: Lunges x 10 each leg, Chest press x 15, ab crunches x 15 - repeat again
- Cardio 4: medium to high intensityfor 5 minutes
- Warm down on cardio with easy intensity for 5 minutes
- Stretch holding for 20 seconds on each


Have fun!

Then and Now - a look at how our lifestyle has changed in a few generations

I have been working on a presentation to show the change in our actions and behaviors over the past few generations where I came across several interesting facts. Check this out:

in the 50's and 60's:

Mothers did most of the cooking and kids ate what was cooked
Whole foods were consumed more than processed foods
Portions were smaller
Work and play outside was common
Family time was important and ate meals together and talked

in the 70's and 80's:

       Parents started to buy tv diners, fast food and negotiated with kids on foods

       Whole foods were consumed less than before and about equal to processed foods

       Portions go bigger

       Work and play outside lessened and tv time increased with remotes

        Family meals begin to lessen in frequency and time

in the 90's and 2000's

         Parents cook less and do not know how to make things from scratch

         Kids tell parents what they want to eat - the high fat, salt, and sugar items

         Processed  make up 90% of food budgets, whereas whole foods are rare

         Eating out is more common and cooking is a lost art

         Super Size it - enough said

         Screen time is issue, very little outside activity and general movement

                                   Family meals are an oddity and only happen on Sunday afternoons with grandparents

Interesting stuff. My recommendation - learn to cook again, eat whole foods, reduce processed foods, understand portion size, reduce screen time, and make family meals an everyday event. 

Remember, it is time to rethink your lifestyle!

Cruciferous vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables are a great way to get your veggies into your diet and reduce your risk of cancers. These types of veggies have many health benefits.  Learning how to incorporate them into your diet is the biggest question that I get when talking to people about healthy eating.

I am a big fan of eating some veggies raw and there is much research promoting this method. Eating cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, radishes after you cut them up into smaller pieces are great snacks and side dishes at meals and even make a good stir fry. If you stir fry them, do not cook them very long, blanch them a little bit with water and finish with a little olive oil and some seasoning. Other veggies in this category, such as greens, kale, bok choy should be blanched and sauteed in olive or peanut oil along with some seasonings.

I try to get at least one cruciferous vegetable with every meal. Yes, even breakfast! I normally steam some broccoli or cauliflower in the morning to go with my breakfast which is normally an egg, a piece of fruit and the vegetable. Even on days that I have oatmeal, I eat some raisins and a veggie.

Think differently about your meals. I sometimes have a salad for breakfast and eat pancakes for dinner. Look for good recipes at cookinglight.com, fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov, and at myrecipes.com.

Yard work and weekend activity

Spring is getting close which means yard work and outdoor activity. It is this time of year that we need to be cautious, aware, and consider safety. Be sure to warm-up before doing too much, hydrate, and stretch when you come inside. It is just like working out -- you do not start where you left off, but start small and build.

So if you have lots of plans this weekend -- yard work, outdoor recreation, etc. -- you might need to hydrate more and stretch several times during the day. If you wake up sore the next day, take a nice walk to get the blood flowing and stretch a little more.

It should be nice this weekend, except for those in the NE part of the US, so get outside and be active!

Workout

I get asked many times about how, when, and why to workout. I give the similar explanation to most people on the general aspects and give more tailored information as I find out more about a persona's specific questions and goals. So here goes the general information.

The physical activity recommendations are pretty simple.

The first goal is to be physically active for 30 minutes a day. This can be in one bout and up to three bouts in a day where you can walk for 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes at lunch, and 10 minutes in the afternoon. This recommendation helps humans reduce health risks.

The second goal is to be active for 45 minutes a day including both cardiovascular activity and muscular strengthening activity. This recommendation helps humans develop more fitness with their body.

The third goal is to be active for 60 minutes a day for continued fitness and for weight loss. It is proven that for people to loose weight, they must be active for 60 - 90 minutes a day and to reduce the food intake to create an negative energy balance. The intensity of work should be low to medium for this aspect of the goal.

For those seeking fitness and performance improvement, varying intensities on alternating days is critical. The routine should go something like this -- day one 45 minutes, medium to high intensity; day two 30 minutes of high intensity; day three 60 minutes of low intensity. Repeat this cycle and take the seventh day off -- active rest as we call it. The human body has three major energy systems and this type of rotation trains each one and gives recovery to each one.

Visit this link to learn more about strength, aerobic activity, and flexibility by one of the trusted resources in the world - the American College of Sports Medicine.