I’m not talking about physically…I mean mentally. Where are your thoughts during most of your waking hours?
Well, if you’re like most of us your mind is off in a million different directions at any particular moment.
That’s because as women we all wear a number of “hats” (worker, mother, housekeeper, tutor, chauffeur, cook, psychotherapist, etc.) You’re running through: the shopping list, the tasks at work, that thing you have to do for your kid next week…and on and on. The to-do list is endless and more items just keep getting added to the bottom.
So, it is perfectly understandable that most of us spend our day either thinking about what happened in the past or worrying about what might happenin the future. And that is a major cause of stress — not “being” in your life as its happening.
Think about it. If you were really living in this moment right now, if that was all you were focused on — how stressed could you be? Stress is an internal dialog about what happened previously or what might happen down the line. In the present moment we are just BEING, not analyzing being.
An even more insidious aspect of not being present in the moment…is that these moments actually ARE our lives — and most of us aren’t even experiencing them as they are going on. That’s pretty tragic, actually. Life is happening right now — and where “are” we? We are 25-minutes ahead in our thoughts standing in the frozen food section buying peas. But if you’re like most of us it’s hard to keep your mind from operating like that. Isn’t it?
And that is why meditation is a good thing — especiallyfor women.
Sure, meditation has a lot of high falootin’ metaphysical connotations, but in its most basic form, is really just being present in the actual moment. It’s about just “being here now” — not thinking about where you’ve been or worrying about where you’re headed. Just taking some time, closing your eyes, sitting quietly and breathing…just a couple of minutes to simply exist without a lot of static running through your head.
Most of the women I know are open to the idea of meditating on a conceptual level, but it sounds complicated…and in some ways it is. But its also very simple. You don’t have to put on a turban, become a vegan, start wearing Birkenstocks — or stop shaving your underarms.
So, if you’re interested here are some cut-to-the-chase ideas for making meditation work in your life.
Make some time. Ideally, its best to try to do it first thing in the morning. But if you have small children this may not be practical. So just find a point in your day when you can grab some quiet time. At night before bed. In the middle of the afternoon — whenever it fits into your schedule.
Get quiet. This is a tough one in our culture. Between our TVs, I-pods, the internet — we’re all on sensory overload. But the idea is to disconnect from that for a little while (believe me, it will be waiting for you when you get back and try to find a few moments of peace and quiet.
Sit tall. You want to sit in a comfortable position, but not so comfortable that you’re in danger of falling asleep. You can lie down, if that’s more comfortable. But its a good idea to bend your knees and put your feet flat on the floor so you are less likely to doze off.
Close your eyes and breathe deeply. You can breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth or nose (whichever you prefer), but try not to breathe through your mouth only.
Clear your mind. Okay, I’ll grant you…this one is sometimes easier said than done. But there are a few ways to try to do just that. You can repeat a sound or mantra, such as “ah” or “om”, or a word that has special meaning for you, like “peace” or “calm”. Or you can just focus on your own breath coming in and out of your body.
Try to “watch your thoughts” from a distance. As thoughts come into your head, try to let them pass through without getting wrapped up in them — sort of like watching clouds drift past on a summer day.
Do what you can. A lot of women think they don’t have the time. But it really doesn’t take much. A little goes a long, long way towards reducing stress and teaching you what it means to be “present”. Time spent here can make all your other time that much better. Even 5-min. while you’re waiting in your car to pick up the kids can really help.
Don’t turn meditating into another source of stress. There are enough things in your life that you can obsess about, please don’t make meditation one of them. It’s great if you can set up a regular daily meditation practice, but if you can’t don’t beat yourself up about it. Do it when you can, do it as well as you can. Remember you are doing something good for yourself no matter what you do.
Besides, if you really need something to stress about you can always focus on whether or not you’ll forget those peas.
Visit 1800blogger to see all of our industry leading blogs.
Submitted by Fit and Female
You probably know that regular exercise does great things for your cardiovascular system, your muscles – even your brain. But did you know studies show that exercise is also good for your skin?
Exercise Can Speed Wound Healing. A 2006 study of the effect of exercise on wound-healing, found that the wounds of people who worked out healed 25% faster — or an average of 10 days sooner than people who didn’t workout out.
Exercise May Decrease The Risk Of Skin Cancer. In animal studies, mice exposed to cancer-causing UVB rays developed fewer tumors, took longer to develop them and had less deadly types of cancer when able to exercise a running wheel on a regular basis.
Exercise and Caffeine May REALLY Decrease The Risk Of Skin Cancer. (I’m really happy about this one!) In other animal studies, this protective effect of exercise relative to skin cancer was increased dramatically when combined with the ingestion of caffeine. The amount of caffeine these mice took in was the equivalent of a human being drinking 1-4 cups of coffee a day. Caffeine alone decreased the risk, exercise alone decreased the risk — but incredibly together they created more than merely an additive effect. In other words, the sum was even greater than its parts.
Exercise Improves Blood Flow To The Skin. This one’s not so surprising when you think about it, but cardiovascular exercise improves circulation all over the body — including the skin. In fact, the “microvessels” of the skin go through an age-related decrease in their ability to dilate. Regular exercise reduces and even reverses this process, keeping skin more glowing and younger looking longer.
But Doesn’t Exercise Make You Breakout? In a word…”no”. Contrary to popular belief there is very little evidence that exercise increases the tendency to have acne. In one interesting (if somewhat unsanitary study, young men where put into one of three groups. One group worked out and had to shower within an hour after exercising, one group worked out and had to wait to shower four hours after exercising (yuck!) and one group didn’t work out at all. Interestingly, there was no difference in the development of acne between the three groups. In other words, having sweat remain on the skin did not increase the tendency to breaking outs. (Although it might decrease the “tendency” of your friends to want to hang out with you)
That said, some things associated with exercise can promote the development of acne, including:
Certain types of clothing (the men in the study above all had to wear the same 100% cotton tees)
Equipment pressing against the skin (such as bike helmets) - this is called “acne mechanica”
Using oil-based make-up during exercise
Certain sunscreens which clog pores
Bottom line? Not so surprisingly, exercise is as good for the skin as it is for the rest of the body. So if a desire to lose weight (or have a flatter belly) doesn’t motivate you to get you to the gym, maybe wanting healthier, better-looking skin might.
Visit 1800blogger to see all of our industry leading blogs.
I was on The Today Show measuring people’s body fat in Joy Bauer’s segment about “skinny fat”…
Visit 1800blogger to see all of our industry leading blogs.
As women all too often we try to do a million things at once — and then we suddenly wake up to the unpleasant reality that this just isn’t possible. You’re only human — and capable as you may be, you can only take on so much. So in the spirit of digging out from under, here are some tips for dealing with overwhelm.
Identify: A big part of feeling overwhelmed is not knowing where to start. Try to pick three areas of your life: personal, relationship and career/professional and write down ALL the nagging things (both big and small) that are rippling under the surface and affecting your peace of mind. This “brain dump” alone can be useful in that it shows you what you really need to deal with so that it’s not as Getting Things Done author, David Allen so aptly terms it, “a nebulous mass of undo-ability“
Prioritize: Once you identify the items in each category, rank them on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 being very important, 5 being very trivial.
Decide: Of all the #1 items on your to-do list decide: 1) which are the ones that are the most important to you in terms of life goals, values, passions and 2) which tasks/projects once accomplished will give you the most bang for your proverbial buck.
Act: Break your top 3 most important tasks into 3 actionable subtasks and decide what is the next “actionable” step that you could take towards its attainment. Many times we feel overwhelmed because we see a mountain and think we are supposed to leap over it…we forget that it is a process and that it is made up of lots of smaller tasks which are victories in themselves. So “clean out attic” (something I just did a few weeks ago) becomes “call carting service to rent dumpster” and “buy plastic organizers“, etc.
Assign: Tim Ferris, in his worthwhile (if a wee bit optimistic) book, The Four-Hour Work Week talks a lot about the importance of farming out tasks that you do not need to do. He is a big proponent of leveraging high school and college students — even virtual assistants overseas to handle mundane tasks that can be real time-wasters
Just Say “No”: Too many people (women, in particular) are uncomfortable with saying “no”. I’m not always great at it myself….but I’m getting better. I think a reasonable way to avoid getting committed to projects you’d just as soon leave alone, is to buy yourself sometime and never answer on the fly, if possible. You can save yourself a great deal of kicking yourself afterward by going with something like, “I really can’t commit to that right now because I have a lot going on and always want to an excellent job on whatever I commit to. I’m going to look at my calendar and commitments and get back to you”. Then afterward do some soul searching and make sure that you are doing something that you want to do or feel is important to do.
6 A Day: The legend is that Charles Schwab paid a friend $25,000 for this idea because it radically improved the effectiveness of his organization. Pick 6 (no more, no less) of your high-priority, next actionable step tasks and do them each work day. Where will you get the most traction on the things that matter to you most? Whether it is having a better relationship with your kid — or getting that new client.
Let Go: Overwhelm is often a product of staying on the treadmill of success for a long time and not realizing that you need at least one (preferably two) days off per week. Stephen Covey author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Peoplecalls this “sharpening the saw”. The joke is that this guy is trying to saw this tree with a dull saw. He’s sweating, straining, not being very effective. So another guy says, “Hey, why not take a break and sharpen that saw?”. To which the first gentleman replies incredulously, “Can’t you see I’m trying to cut down this tree?!!“. In other words, if your mental “blades” are dull and rusty you can’t be very effective.
Just some thoughts to get this thing rolling in the spirit of “Hey, I’m doing the best I can. Doing pretty darn good — and trying to get a little better every day“. I hope you find some of these tips helpful in reducing your stress load.
Now if you’ll excuse me…I need to go and remind myself of what I just wrote ;-).
Submitted by Fit and Female Blog Success is going from failure to failure — without losing enthusiasm ~ Winston Churchill
Several years ago, there was a phenomenally successful book on dating, called “The Rules”. I thought it was kind of a silly book, actually. But I loved the pure simplicity of it. The whole idea of do these specific things and you’ll get the results you’re after.
In this age of information overload, with so many so-called experts giving so much advice,it is easy to find ourselves in a situation of paralysis by analysis. Its often hard to know what path to follow or how to put all the information together. Understandably, folks want a recipe to follow that will yield results every time.
I got to thinking about what some of “The Rules” would be for getting in shape and staying that way. So here are five tried and true methods to insure that you’ll always look and feel your best.
Rule 1: Only eat when you’re hungry. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is. Don’t eat just because its time to eat. Let your stomach tell you when its time to dig in by reconnecting with your body’s nature hunger mechanism.
It’s very easy to eat (or drink) hundreds of extra calories, that you didn’t even want in the first place. Before you eat always ask yourself…”am I actually hungry?”. If not, wait until you are ready…not ravenous, but ready.
Rule 2: Always try to make the healthiest food choice available. Play a mental game with yourself to try and identify the absolute best choice in terms of “nutrient density”. In other words, given the available choices at that moment what will give you the most health benefit in terms of providing:
the least amount of saturated fat
the least amount of processed white flour
the least amount of simple sugars
the least amount of artificial colors or flavors
the fewest chemical additives
the most fiber
the most anti-oxidants
foods that are closest to their natural form
Rule 3: Try to workout every single day. Yep…that’s what I said…every single day. The reason is that life being what it is, invariably there will be something that will come up and throw your exercise plans out the window. If you plan on working out 3 times a week and your workout gets derailed by some unforseen circumstance (which it probably will) you’ll be down to just twice a week. Which is not enough to meet your fitness goals.
Try to set aside some time (20-60 minutes each day) as your designated workout time. Realistically you’ll probably end up exercising 3-5 times per week, which is the recommended amount.
Rule 4: Find something that you really enjoy doing. I am always amused by people who say that they “hate” such and such time of exercise, but they know they should because someone told them that its “good” for them.
Here’s a tip — if you truly hate doing something — DON’T DO IT. It reminds me of that old “borsche belt” joke:
Patient to Doctor: Doctor, it hurts when I do this.
Doctor to Patient:Then don’t do that.
Human beings are only so masochistic, so if there is an activity that you totally loathe –it is unlikely that you will commit to doing it on a regular basis.
Fitness should be fun. You should look forward to your exercise as your private time and your play time. Try to find several things you really like and working out becomes a break from the daily grind, time to clear your head, challenge your body and do something that’s just for you.
Rule 5: When Your Fall “Off The Wagon”, Dust Yourself Off and Climb Right Back On. Always keep in mind that nobody is perfect — and fitness is not an all-or-nothing proposition. Too many people give up on their fitness programs because they have a few weeks where their choices (in diet and/or exercise) are less than stellar. Stuff happens. Stuff is gonna happen. That’s life. The trick is to not beat yourself up over it, or use it as an excuse to abandone your routine entirely. Just resolve to get back on track before a five pound weight gain becomes a 25 pound one or a month-long lapse in working out becomes a year.
I think far too many people begin a weight loss or fitness program with unrealistic expectations. Men often fool themselves into believing (on some subconscious level) that a few weeks of bench pressing is going to turn them into the guy on the cover of Men’s Health. Women, on the other hand, often think that a particular workout (such as yoga or Pilates) is going to make them “longer and leaner”.
Now I’m all for believing that great things are possible for all of us (both physical and otherwise). But on the other hand I am also a realist. Therefore, I always ask my clients to do an honest assessment of what fit might look like on them.
Unfortunately, the media (women’s magazines mostly) help perpetuate the notion that if you do this workout for a month you are going to look like a particular celebrity or model. But fitness doesn’t make people gorgeous (wise selection of parents usually does that), it makes people fit.
For example, 8 weeks of a fitness walking program is going to do amazing things for you by potentially decreasing: your risk of heart disease, your blood cholesterol, your blood pressure, your body fat percentage… on and on. It will not, however, turn you into a bathing suit model. Going into a program expecting to end up looking like Gisele by the end of it, is a sure-fire recipe for disappointment.
It is essential to remember to measure yourself by your own yardstick. For example, if you have short legs…nothing is going to make them longer (they’d need to replace your femur to do that — sounds painful
– and messy), but exercise sure can make them leaner(which actually can give the illusion of greater length). Likewise, if you have smaller breasts, exercise is not going give you massive cleavage (although having defined pecs actually can give the illusion of greater cleavage).
The point is that being healthy and fit turns you into the best version of yourself. Not somebody else. Understand this from the get-go — embrace it and get inspired by it. Remind yourself, you’re not aiming for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, you’re going for you looking better and feeling more comfortable in a bathing suit than you ever have before. And (far more importantly to my mind) you are going for you being the healthiest version of yourself that you’ve been in years (maybe ever).
By starting with goals that are based around what is and what realistically could be you are setting yourself up for success and tuning out the culturally reinforced notions of what you are “supposed” to look like. You’re supposed to look like you — only better ;-).
Well, it’s almost that time again of year again — New Year’s Eve. And with New Year’s comes the inevitable New Year’s resolutions
Most of us start out with the best of intentions to turn some things around in our lives. But more often than not, most of our resolutions end up falling by the wayside long before February 1st.
Which begs the question, “How do you set a New Year’s resolution — and actually KEEP it?“
Whether it’s losing weight, improving your relationships or excelling in your career…here are a few essential keys that I’ve learned (and am still learning!) that can really help you to go for it 100% in 2010 –and beyond:
Decide what you want. This sounds self-evident, but it’s really important. If you have no idea what the target is, it will be REALLY difficult to know if you’ve hit it. Spend some time thinking about what’s currently bugging you about your life. What is it that is holding you back? Not satisfying you? What areas do you want to see measurable improvement in by the end of 2010?
Want what you want. You have a right to want what you want. It doesn’t matter if anyone else understands it, or agrees with it. It doesn’t even matter if you fully understand why you want it. Unless you are infringing on the rights of another, you have a right (and some philosophers would argue a moral obligation) to go out and get it.
See what you want. Here’s the fun part…virtually all experts in the areas of self-improvement and human potential say the same thing. To have something in your life, you need to first see it in your mind. The poet, Carl Sandberg said, “nothing happens unless first a dream“. You need to use your imagination to see what the victory is. Imagine achieving your goal in all the detail you can muster. Who is around you as you celebrate that moment when you know you’ve made it? What do they say to you? What do you say to them? Where are you? Fill it in with enough rich detail as possible — and run that “movie” over and over in your mind. Not only will you have the joy of experiencing your dream in advance, but you will begin (on some level of your consciousness) to believe that this is real…and that it is coming to you. Hold on to that image long enough and you’ll be living it before you know it.
Take steps towards your goal every day. Commit to doing something, at least one thing, however small — EVERY DAY. A phone call, a 15-minute yoga break, 10-minutes of research on the net — whatever it is. Every small action takes you one step closer to your goal AND reminds you that you are keeping your promises to yourself.
Share Your Dream. Tell one person (better yet…a few people) whom you trust all about your dream…the big dream…the one you’re almost afraid to admit that you want to yourself. Are you sitting on Oprah’s couch (one of mine ;-)? Are you 25 lbs lighter and in the best shape of your life? Did you just finish your first marathon? Are you celebrating with all of your employees at your new company’s first Christmas party? Share it with someone you trust and have them tell you. There is something incredibly powerful about hearing yourself say what you REALLY want to another person — and knowing that they want it for you too! Better yet, if you really what to have some fun…have your friend(s) say what your dream is back to you…in the present tense as if it had already happened…It’s very exciting and it feels even more real!
Anthony Robbins says that human beings need to be constantly challenging themselves in order to be happy. That in life you are either growing or dying in terms of your development. Staying stagnant is a slower death, but its a death just the same. Goal achievement expert, Bob Proctor, says that we are either in a state of creation or a state of disintegration. The more I learn about this stuff the more that I agree with both of them.
So carpe diem, everybody…hey, how’s about we “carpe” the whole damn year? We’re about to kick off a whole 365 days of possibility — so let’s get out there and make it happen.
Sending you warm holiday wishes that ALL of your dreams come true…
This past Tuesday, the fitness chain that I work for was lucky enough to host a workshop for our trainers featuring three of the core educators from a new personal trainer certification/education company called, PTA Global.
For four hours Rodney Corn, Bobby Cappuccio and Scott Hopson presented 3 workshops back-to-back on topics ranging from myofascial slings to how to inspire change in our clients.
These guys are all engaging, intelligent and passionate about what they do. All three workshops were highly informative and enjoyable, but I found Scott Hopson’s workshop particularly powerful because of the underlying message.
Scott presented on how the fitness industry as sucked a lot of the joy out of movement– by compartmentalizing it and calling it “exercise”. And we don’t stop there…we further categorize the ”type” of exercise. Is it considered “cardio”, “resistance”, “flexibility”, “agility”, “core training” or what have you. But (like most things in life) these divisions are largely an artificial construct, a point he drove home by having us play a series of games.
We started with one game where we had to stand and try to brace ourselves so that we couldn’t be knocked over while our partner tried to hit our hands with their’s to unstabilize us — meanwhile we were trying to do the same, hitting their hands first before they hit ours.
It was a very silly game, but actually a very effective “core workout”. In future iterations it became “metabolic training”. It was also “reactive training” ….and probably a few dozen other exercise science things that we didn’t think of. But what we experienced was simply having fun.
Less than a minute into the drill everyone is the room was smiling and laughing. Nobody was thinking about “reps” or “sets”, “loads” or “periodization” we were just playing…and in the moment. But yes, in the strictest sense we were “exercising”. Except it wasn’t a dead boring chore to do so.
Scott contrasted this by having us do a series of standard planks, holding them for 30-60 seconds, repeating it for 3-5 times…just like any “good” fitness professional would do. The difference in our collective energy was startling. No more laughing, everyone looking rather board and uncomfortable and I’m sure (if the individual thought processes were something like mine) thinking, “Geez, this really sucks!!! How long before this is over?“
No wonder obesity is at an all time high and only about 30% of the population exercise on a regular basis. In our quest to make America healthier, we may have made it so unpleasant it would only appeal to a card-carrying masochist. (They are required to carry ID aren’t they?)
For about 30 minutes Scott took us through a series of more games that had us moving, sweating, burning calories, improving our mobility, etc..etc..but mostly LAUGHING.
Would you get fit if you played games like this on a regular basis? You betcha. Best of all you would WANT to keep playing them so “compliance” (something we fitness professional wrestle with) isn’t an issue.
When we were kids we didn’t think about making sure we had “a structured exercise program that addressed all the fundamentals of fitness”…we thought about running around and having a blast with out friends. Fitness was the bi-product, a happy side effect, but not the goal.
Imagine if people came to the gym with the notion that they were going to “play games” for an hour rather than being “tortured” or “bored to tears” for 60 minutes. Forget the physical health benefits of something like that for a second — just consider how much joy and stress reduction something like that would bring into people’s lives?
I was going to call this blog post “When Fitness Was Fun”, but then I realized exercise science geek that I am — I STILL have it backwards…really it’s about the idea that at one point in our development ”fun” was “fitness”.
(Special thanks to Scott, Rodney and Bobby for a fun-filled and thought-provoking day).
Depression has long been associated with a variety of physiological symptoms, including joint and muscle pain. Now a new study out of Hebrew University in Jerusalem has found having the blues is also bad for your bones.
Researchers looked at scientific data on over 20 thousand people and found that there is a clear association between depression and having lower bone density. Apparently, depression increases the activity of osteoclasts - specialized cells responsible for the breakdown of bone.
This is important because osteoporosis is the most widespread degenerative disease in the so-called “developed countries”.
One in three women will develop osteoporosis in her lifetime (and one in five men). Young women suffering from depression are actually at the greatest risk, because they are still in peak bone-building years.
So add this to the list of reasons that people who are (or think they maybe) suffering from depression should get medical help. Symptoms of depression, include:
Loss of interest in normal daily activities
Feeling sad or down
Feeling hopeless
Crying spells for no apparent reason
Problems sleeping
Trouble focusing or concentrating
Difficulty making decisions
Unintentional weight gain or loss
Irritability
Restlessness
Being easily annoyed
Feeling fatigued or weak
Feeling worthless
Loss of interest in sex
Thoughts of suicide or suicidal behavior
Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches
A good way to start to feel better about your own body is to “fake it til ya make it”. Or to act “as if”. In other words, to carry yourself as if you felt you were the hottest thing since slice bread — even if you don’t — yet. Pick someone you know is okay with herself and copy her attitudes, her behavior.
What would this self-confident woman say to herself?
What would she say to other people?
How would she move?
How would she treat her body?
I once read that it is “easier to act your way into thinking, then to think your way in to acting”. You may not feel it today, but just keep at it — and before too long you will. Better yet — once you feel good about who you are, you will inspire others to do the same just by your example.
Thou shouldst eat to live; not live to eat ~ Socrates
My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there were three other people ~ Orson Welles.
When I was a kid I had a plate with an angel’s face on it that said, “Be an angel, eat it all“. In fact, when I was growing up we were always told to “clean our plates” because there were, “children starving in Biafra“.
Now I was a sensitive kid, so it made me really sad to think about those hungry children in Biafra. I wasn’t even sure where Biafra was, but it sounded very far away. Moreover, I didn’t understand how my eating lima beans in New Jersey was helping them out.
I thought a more logical solution would be to put those beans in a box (along with that slab of liver that I also didn’t want) and simply sendthem to Biafra. But for reasons never made clear to me, my parents never went for that.
Now that I’m a mom, I take the opposite approach. I don’t ever force my 9 year old to clean his plate, because he has always had the innate ability to know when he’s full — and stop eating. And that’s an ability I don’t want to mess with.
It’s fascinating to me. It doesn’t matter how much he might be enjoying a particular food (even ice cream or cake) whenever he feels full — he just stops eating. He doesn’t feel the need to finish everything just because its there — or even because it tastes delicious. And that’s a powerful tool which will set him up for a lifetime of stress-free weight control.
If you watch babies eat and then push away the nipple or close their mouths to the spoon, it would appear that all of us are born with this innate ability to self-regulate our intake. But, unfortunately most of us lose it somewhere along the line. At some point in time (for most of us) food becomes more than fuel for our bodies and we start eating for other reasons. In this country we eat because:
It tastes good
It’s a social activity
We are bored
We are stressed or upset
It’s “time” to eat
I believe that women as a gender, tend to have a more dysfunctional relationship with food than men, because of the added societal pressures we face to stay slim.
For too many of us food is either something we love but feel totally out of control with. Or something we avoid as much as possible, because we fear we’ll gain weight. Very few of the women I know feel completely comfortable with food.
The fact is, we all need to develop a healthy relationship with food, because we need to eat several times every single day. Food isn’t something that you can avoid — like cigarettes or alcohol. It isn’t (or rather shouldn’t be) a vice. In a perfect world, all of us would view food for the fuel that it is, try to make good choices every day and occasionally enjoy the pure pleasures of taste –without going completely overboard.
This is one of my favorite holidays. Non-religious, based on celebrating, connecting with friends and family, giving thanks — and of course lots of eating. Maybe as a fitness professional, I should be telling you to stick to your “diet” at Thanksgiving…blah, blah, blah…get a life people — you can stay on the straight and narrow most of the other 365 days of the year.
That said, I do suggest getting out for a nice workout BEFORE stuffing your face or lapsing into a tryptophan-induced coma — but after that, I say GO FOR IT — ITS THANKSGIVING. Just don’t make Thanksgiving a 3-4 day affair.
But enough about eating…I’d rather blog about the real meaning of the holiday for me…specifically, the importance of giving thanks and feeling grateful for what you have.
It’s so easy in this culture where bright and shiny metal objects are constantly dangled in front of us to be ever longing for the next thing. More money, being thinner, having a “better” job, house, spouse or kids. We can easily be lulled into a “grass is greener” mentality that always has us looking at the lack in our lives, rather than focusing on the abundance.
Tony Robbins has a line that I think is brilliant. He says, “what could you be happy about in your life if you had to?” and he tries to force you into concentrating on everything that is RIGHT about your life, not everything that isn’t working quite as well as you’d like.
If you’ve read this blog for a while, you know that I’m a big believer in daily meditation. It’s a great way to reconnect with yourself, distress and remember what is most important in life (hint: it’s not our to-do lists). But since I started reading more about the importance of daily gratitude, I have added something to my daily meditation that sets up my day in the most wonderful way.
Now when I sit down to meditate, before I actually try to clear my mind and focus on my breath and being still and present — I spend a few minutes feeling overwhelming gratitude for all of the wonderful people, circumstances and things in my life. There are tons of them, but I always get to a few rings of my “inner circle”. I see the faces of all of the people that I love and who love me and I try (and this is corny, but true) to open up my heart and feel all the gratitude and love that I feel for each and every one of them.
It is an amazing feeling to feel, really feel how blessed you are. Sure, life is always changing and things aren’t completely perfect for anyone. I, certainly (like most people) I am always working towards bringing more and more good things into my life. But when I focus on how much in my life IS going right and all of the amazing people and events that have come my way — it literally takes my breath away and gives me a deep feeling of gratitude for the life that I’m living.
Besides the obvious, “feel good” benefits of this kind of a practice, there is also a whole other aspect to gratitude as well. A large number of self-help experts, spiritual teachers, scientists, you name it — are pointing to the growing body of evidence that suggests when you focus on the good things in your life, expect more of them in your life — voila– they “magically” appear.
I would encourage you to think about putting even 5 minutes of this type of “thankful thinking” into your own life and see what your experience is. I can pretty much guarantee you some positive dividends. One recommended way of doing this is to say, “I am so happy and grateful that…” and just run with it. Even giving thanks for things you WANT to happen that haven’t yet — because you know good things will continue to come to you.
Wishing you and yours a beautiful and joyous Thanksgiving,
What are shin splints? They are a pain, in the shins literally.Anyone who has experienced this pain in the lower leg knows that it can be nearly debilitating at times.There are many possible causes, but the prevention and treatment is very simple.A little pre-planning and proper warm-ups will go a long way toward preventing this nagging injury.
Shin splints are caused when the muscles of the lower leg are stressed, through overload or excessive stretch, and the tendons pull excessively on the bones of the tibia and fibula.This continuous stress on the bones causes pain, and some disability.The pain is generally worst right at the beginning of the exercise then subsides for the duration of the activity, only to return with force when the activity is stopped.This is one common sign that it is shin splints, not some other injury, causing the pain. Check out this link for a more comprehensive view of the anatomy of shin splints.
There are two major causes of shin splints; overload and biomechanical.Overload causes deal with starting out doing too much too quickly, as is the case with beginning runners, or runners who have come back after an extended lay-off.Running on hard or uneven surfaces can also cause overload.Biomechanical issues deal with flat feet, improper running form, or improper foot wear.
The best measure when talking about shin splints is prevention.As with any injury, not getting injured is the best bet.Prevention of shin splints starts with foot wear.The proper foot wear can make a world of difference.And, who doesn’t like shopping for more shoes.Shoes that are too small or those that don’t provide any arch support can be detrimental to foot, and shin, health.Some shoes that are designed for walking or standing for long periods of time, such as the traditional nursing shoe, provide little to no support for someone jogging or running.
Choosing a smooth, soft running surface and correcting any gait abnormalities will also help prevent shin splints.Starting any program slowly and gradually increasing distance or time is the best method of avoiding many injuries.This is often best accomplished by working out with a partner.If you are unable to share the latest gossip with your partner you are going too hard.A proper warm-up is essential and a quality stretching routine will go a long way toward preventing shin splints. Click here for more information on warming up and stretching to prevent shin splints.
Even with the best laid plans, shin splints may still occur.If they do, the R.I.C.E.R. protocol works well.Rest the legs, Ice the area of the injury, Compression on the area of the injury, and Elevate the injured area.Referral to a professional (sports medicine, physical therapist, athletic trainer, etc) will help ensure proper care is given.The rest, ice, compression, and elevation should be continued for the first 48 to 72 hours, then heat and massage may facilitate healing more rapidly.A day at the spa might be just the ticket for shin splint healing.
Gymnastics, dance, skiing, soccer, and other high impact activities that often require sudden direction changes or rotational forces on the knee, with a fixed foot position, can lead to ACL injuries.Ladies, we are not immune to knee injuries.As a matter of fact, ACL injuries are as common for females involved in high impact sports as for males.The ACL is not gender specific, and even though there are less full contact sports opportunities for females, the stress placed on the knee during high impact sports like those mentioned above doesn’t discriminate.
The ACL attaches the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone.)It helps support the knee against rotation and prevents excessive forward movement of the tibia.It, like other ligaments, is a tough fibrous band with limited elasticity.The musculature of the quadriceps, hamstrings, anterior tibialis, and gastroc complex (calves) support the knee and take stress off the ACL when properly conditioned with weight training activities.
When excessive force is applied to the ACL it will stretch or tear.The severity of the injury depends on the degree of stretching or tearing present.A complete rupture usually requires surgical intervention.A sudden stop or direction change (especially at high speeds), or a twisting motion of the knee (when the foot is in a fixed position) are common causes of an ACL sprain.Pain, which may be severe, in the knee joint is the most common symptom.Swelling and instability in the knee are also signs of a possible ACL injury.Click here for more information about the anatomy of the knee, and causes and symptoms of an ACL sprain.
Immediate treatment for an ACL injury should follow the R.I.C.E.R. formula, with the rest and immobilization being the first priority followed immediately by ice.These two steps will help prevent further injury, help reduce pain, and decrease inflammation.Follow this approach for the first 48 to 72 hours.Do not apply heat, in any form, for the first 72 hours.Massage, movement, and alcohol should also be avoided to reduce the bleeding and swelling in the injured area.A medical professional may determine the need for surgery in the ACL injury.The recovery time for a severe ACL injury requiring surgery could be as long as six to eight months for return to activity.
Because of the severity of the injury and the extended recovery time, prevention is the best course of action.There are steps that can be taken to help prevent ACL injuries.A proper warm up will help prepare the body for the demands of the activity to be undertaken, thereby reducing the chances for injury.Avoidance of activities that cause pain in the knee, or put undue stress on the ACL, will also help reduce the opportunity for injury.The body repairs the tissues when resting, so adequate rest between activities or workouts is also important.And, properly conditioning the muscles around the knee with quality strengthening and stretching exercises will provide the needed support.Click here for more details on the treatment and prevention of ACL injuries.
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has already been implicated in the dramatic rise in obesity over the last 20
years. Now research shows that HFCS is also associated with increased risk of high blood pressure — independent of other factors such as obesity.
A study released at this month’s annual meeting of The American Society of Nephrology found that adults who consumed more than 74 grams of HFCS per day (the equivalent of 2.5 sugary drinks) had a significantly increased risk for high blood pressure.
HFCS isn’t just in drinks such as soda, it is also found in fruit juices, bakery goods and candy. Americans today consume 30% more HFCS than they did just 20 years ago which parallels the dramatic increase in obesity in America. Currently more than 64% of the US population is currently overweight or obese. Over 73 million American (one out of every three people over 20) currently have high blood pressure.
Submitted by Fit and Female Blog
Want to say thanks to someone you don’t know currently on active duty in our military?
Xerox has a great program where you can send a free greeting to someone overseas. Whatever your political views (I personally lean to the left) hopefully ALL of us support those who would put themselves in harms way to defend us. http://www.letssaythanks.com .
Everyday I get “Joy’s Daily Plum” part of her amazing JoyBauer.com website….here was this AM’s pearl – particularly important for women who have a love-hate relationship with the scale.
Q: True or false: stepping on the scale every day helps you maintain weight loss.
A:
True — at least according to an 18-month study that found people who stepped on the scale daily were far less likely to regain weight than those who did not. According to the lead researcher, Dr. Rena Wing, daily weigh-ins help you catch little upticks in weight before they compound and become overwhelming. If you see an extra pound or two, it’s a signal that you’ve eased up on your diet and exercise regimen and need to take action pronto.
I agree with Dr. Wing for the most part, but I don’t think this approach is necessarily right for everyone. If you’re the type of person who uses a bad weigh-in as incentive to change your behavior in a positive manner, then I think the scale is a great tool. If, however, an extra pound or two infects your whole day and makes you throw up your hands in despair while opening wide for a big piece of pity-me pie, then every-day-weighing is not for you. You’re probably better off weighing yourself only once a week, or trashing the scale altogether and using a pair of tight jeans or a pencil skirt to gauge how you’re doing.
Much has been said and written about the report from the United States
Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), which was released on Monday.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure? continues to recommend annual
mammography beginning at age 40 for women of average risk and earlier
for women with known risks for breast cancer.
While there is some disagreement about when mammograms should begin
and on what schedule, all agree, including the USPSTF, that mammograms
save lives in women 40 to 49 as well as over 50. We would not want to
see a change in policy or reimbursement for screening mammography at
this time. We are also constantly evaluating our guidelines and would
not change them without serious consideration.
Furthermore we continue to recommend self-breast awareness and
physician examination. Many breast cancers are diagnosed and treated
in a timely fashion because women feel lumps or find other
abnormalities on self-examination, which lead them to seek medical
attention and evaluation. In our large nation of diverse cultures,
ethnicities and levels of education, it is very important that we
continue to inform women about and help to demystify issues around
breast health.
It is also very important to emphasize that the new guidelines are not
intended for women who have already been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Women with a family history of breast cancer or other significant
risk factors should also continue to have regular screening.
We must not lose sight of the critically important fact that one-third
of the women who qualify for screening under today’s guidelines
are not being screened due to lack of access, education or awareness.
That issue needs continued focus and attention: if we can make
progress with screening in vulnerable populations, we could make more
progress in the fight against breast cancer.
Mammograms aren’t perfect but they are our best tool for early
detection and risk assessment. More research is needed to identify
screening tools that will be more sensitive and specific than
mammography. It is possible that in the future guidelines for
screening will be tailored to the individual. But until then, we must
rely on our best screening tool: mammography. Komen strongly urges
women to continue breast self awareness, regular physician
examination, and screening mammography.
I hope this information is helpful to you. I am also enclosing the
following links that I think might be of interest to you on this
topic:
According to a new study out of Cornell University which analyzed over 300 students, 90% of normal weight college students thought they should be thinner. This figure is significantly higher than the estimated 70% of normal weight women in the general population with the same belief.
More disturbing, women who were classified as “underweight” wanted to either stay as they were believing their weight was “just about right” — while 10% of underweight women wanted to lose even more.
Then on the other end of the spectrum a study (released this week by the American Heart Association) found that about 10% of clinically obese people were satisfied with their weight, did not believe they needed to lose weight — or that their weight was a health issue.
However, the stats on these individuals told a different tale:
44% had not been to see a physician in the past year
35% had high blood pressure
27% were current smokers
15% had high cholesterol
14% had diabetes
Both studies point to a real need for better guidelines to help people understand what constitutes a healthy and appropriate body weight.
There have long been misconceptions…about training and conception.
Norwegian University just released a study which analyzed exercise and it’s impact on fertility over a ten year span. Researchers studied 3000 women and found that two factors were associated with increased likelihood of infertility:
Training every single day
Training to exhaustion (regardless of frequency and duration)
This turned out to hold true even after researchers adjusted for other infertility factors (body mass, smoking, previous pregnancies, etc.).
In fact, women who worked out every single day were a whopping 3.5 times more likely to have fertility problems. Those who exercised everyday to exhaustion had the HIGHEST risk of fertility problems.
The good news is that these factors were reversible, so once training was reduced to more moderate levels (of frequency and intensity) fertility levels rose as well.
Researchers believe that extreme energy expenditure of exhaustive exercise alters the body’s ability to maintain the normal hormone function essential to the fertility.
That said it’s important not to stop working out all together because good overall fitness is still important for general health, including fertility. In fact, very low levels of fitness (and obesity) are also associated with conception problems.
Moderate exercise 3-5 times per week is probably fine and beneficial for most women, but every woman is different. Women should be particularly concerned when their training is associated with missed periods, irregular periods or no periods at all. Menstrual irregularities are a powerful indicator that hormone function is being negatively impacted by training.
Last Thursday, I presented at The American Council on Exercise Fitness Symposium in San Diego. My topic was “Fundamentals of Female Fitness”.
My talk focused on the fundamental physiological differences between men and women, the ways that women’s needs change throughout the lifespan – and the role that a trainer plays in managing a woman’s expectations about what fitness does (and doesn’t) do.
Gum chewing isn’t allowed in school and is considered impolite in many situations, but given the obesity epidemic in this country, maybe that should change.
Research presented this week at the annual meeting of The Obesity Society, found that people who chew sugar-free gum may eat less and lose weight more easily.
In the study subjects chewed gum before consuming a breakfast shake and then twice more before lunch. The result? Those who chewed ate fewercalories and reported less hunger than those who did not. Best of all they did not compensate by overeating later on in the day. Men actually reported greater satiety than females.
The mechanism behind this potential weight loss tool is still unclear, but experts think that the very act of chewing might send satiety messages to the the brain which can curb hunger and reduce caloric intake.
However (as is typically the case) you can have too much of a good thing. Sugar-free gum usually contains sorbitol which can have a laxative effect in high doses so, compulsive chomping (approx. 18-20 pieces per day) can harm nutrient absorption and result in unhealthy weight loss.
Our research department goes to great lengths to discover bloggers who possess creative, informative and entertaining qualities and to then present these bloggers to you, with their respective links, on the 1800blogger platform. We encourage our readers to click on these links to learn more about the blogger and their writings.
Disclaimer:
Female Fitness Blog is owned by 1800blogger which is a (for) profit organization. We are not a charity. If you send any money through this button, please understand that the money is being used for working capital for Female Fitness Blog and 1800blogger. Please check with your accountant to see if this is a tax-deductible contribution.
and try to find a few moments of peace and quiet.
