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Give Me An “M”!

February 27, 2014
inBalance, Debra, Devices, Exercise, Fitness, Food, Health, Inspiration, Mood, Music
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How to Stay Motivated 

Day to day it becomes difficult to keep motivated toward your health and fitness goals. You are not alone. So, below is a list of suggestions that might just trigger that “ah-ha” factor. Remember, it’s an 80/20 rule. Keep on track 80% of the time and indulge a bit 20% of the time. Everything in moderation. It’s about a healthy lifestyle, not a diet.

  1. A friend of mine, and co-soccer coach, recently put his current weight and % body fat on the screen saver of his iPhotoddne. He realized it’s the thing he looks at most often every day. It’s his motivation to improve. FACT: People look at their phones, on average, 110 times a day.
  2. Schedule a regular workout routine…and don’t let anything get in the way. Often when you say “maybe I will do it later” without a committed time to exercise, it is very easy to get wrapped up in your day and run out of time. Schedule it on your calendar and make it happen.
  3. Set yourself a goal with a deadline. Whether it’s a wedding, an event or a reunion, set a goal on what you want to achieve by that date. It can be lose 10 pounds, go down a dress size or gain more definition in your arms. “The difference between a dream and a goal is a deadline.”
  4. Chart your progress. This can be lifting heavier weights week to week, longer mileage on the treadmill, extra workout or weight lost. Literally keep track of your accomplishments. Look at it as a daily reminder of how you are kicking ass.
  5. If weight loss is your goal…lift the weight you lost. Or want to lose. It’s a literal way to show yourself how much extra weight you were or are carrying.WW
  6. Put a motivational quote or picture on your mirror or desktop. Something that really resonates and keeps you on track. Note mine to the right ->
  7. Get a fitness device. Whether it’s the FuelBand, FitBit or a pedometer, set yourself a goal to hit and hit it every day. Then try to beat it. It’s like having a trainer in your pocket (or on your wrist). For more information on devices, check out our blog entry under “devices”.
  8. Only check the scale once a week (I think Fridays are a choice day). This keeps you in check throughout the week and gives you something to look forward to in seeing your progress.
  9. Think about how hard you pushed yourself in your workout – do you really want to give up all that hard work for a bag of chips? Don’t let the chips win.
  10. Track your monthly costs for your gym membership, trainers and classes you attend. Let the number be a reminder of how much you have put into your health. Seeing that investment is a really good motivator to not let that money go to waste.
  11. Make yourself accountable. Announce publically what your intentions are: I am going to run a 5K, I am going to fit into my skinny jeans by April, I am going to cut sugar out of my diet. If you participate in Lent – this is a great time to commit to something (starts March 5th). For me, it’s giving up the chips and night snacking. Damn. Now it’s out there.
  12. Think about how awesome it feels after a workout. Stress is relieved, you think more clearly, you feel accomplished, you feel strong and anything becomes possible.
  13. Momentum. It’s a scientific fact – something in motion tends to stay in motion. Momentum builds quickly and can lead to great results. Suddenly, you’re not only working for the goal, but also to keep your streak alive.
  14. The “wow” effect. Think how powerful you will feel when you run into someone you haven’t seen in a while and they gawk at how good you look. Or, hell, even a stranger.
  15. MUSIC. There is no doubt there is a song that will get you going. Or a playlist. Put it on…and let it psyche you up. Music changes everything.

Keep this list for reference and feel free to add more. We love to hear your thoughts.

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My Hangover Cure

February 25, 2014
inAlcohol, Balance, Exercise, Fitness, Hangovers, Health, Lisa, Workouts
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In case some of you were still wondering, our name, Heels to Laces, celebrates the fun of going out with our heels on, but always remembering to put our laces on the next day. We believe in finding the balance between fun and work.  And nothing addresses this theme better than today’s blog.14-hangover-140612

We have all been there – a few too many drinks the night before and you wake up with a hangover.  Your head is pounding and all you want to do is dive under the covers. Hangover symptoms are a product of dehydration, hypoglycemia, and the poisonous side effects from toxins in our drinks.  There are lots of suggested cures out there, but there is only one that I have ever found to work. Time and time again, I have resorted to exercise. Pure and simple – sweat it out!  Yes, some health experts may not believe it works, but if you find a healthy cure that can fix your ailment, why not go for it?

I had heard about using exercise to get through a hangover, but I never really had the motivation to give it a try when I was feeling lousy and tired.  However, on a skiing trip a couple years ago with my sisters, I had no choice.  The three of us were on vacation together for the first time, without kids and spouses/boyfriends, so we had an excuse for a little over-indulgence.

After a late night of too many drinks, we had to get up early to hike into the backcountry for some off-piste (outside the boundaries) skiing.  So there we were, at 8am, meeting our guide and completely hungover. He showed us how to use our transponders, pick axes and shovels in case there was an avalanche – very reassuring!  After riding the gondola to the top of the mountain, we strapped our skis onto our backs and started hiking.  At this point, all three of us weren’t sure we were going to make it – our heads were pounding and we were above 9000 feet in altitude, but we didn’t really have a choice, so we just got going.

After about 30 minutes of sweating, huffing and puffing, we reached our first peak and we realized that we felt great.  My headache was gone and so was my hangover.

Ever since then, I have used exercise as my weapon against the morning hangover.  Exercise raises your metabolic rate, which helps you clear toxins associated with metabolizing alcohol. Exercise also helps deliver oxygen to your cells, which can increase the speed at which you detoxify harmful compounds.

We are not condoning weekly hangovers, but it is human to overindulge sometimes. The next time you do, remember to drag yourself out of bed and run, hike or get to the gym – whatever it is you do – and sweat it out!  One other tip – drink lots of water, both before you go to bed and when you first wake up.  Too much alcohol leads to dehydration, so it is crucial to keep drinking.  Water will not only help hydrate your muscles and organs, but, like exercise, it will also aid in flushing out the toxins.

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The Power of Your Heart

February 13, 2014
inDebra, Exercise, Fitness, Health, Inspiration, Strength, Weight Training, Workouts
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There are many well-known health benefits associated with regular participation in physical activity including:

healthy-heart

  • Lower risk of heart disease
  • Weight gain prevention
  • Lower risk of type 2 diabetes
  • Lower risk of cancer
  • Reduced level of depression
  • Weight loss
  • Lower risk of high blood pressure
  • Lower risk of stroke

What you might not know is the remarkable capacity of the body to adapt to exercise.  Exercise creates physiological adaptations to the heart, helping it pump blood more efficiently therefore; allowing it to accomplish more, with less exertion. The more you exercise, the more efficient your heart becomes. This is called “adaptation”.

Facts about the heart:

  • At an average resting heart rate of 70 beats per minute, the heart can comfortably (average fitness level and no heart disease) perform at twice its resting value. The average adult can train between 122-181 beats per minute.
  • The amount of blood pumped by the heart can increase as much as 50-60% above resting values to meet the demands of exercise.
  • The average adult pumps about 5 liters of blood per minute. When exercising, the amount of blood your heart pumps can increase to almost eight times its resting value. A sedentary person will give a cardiac output of 20-22 liters per minute while an elite athlete will exhibit an output of 35-40 liters per minute.

Stroke Volume

Increased stroke volume (the amount of blood pumped through the heart) is a training effect of aerobic exercise and allows a fit individual to pump more blood per beat, resulting in a lower heart rate during a workout.

You may have experienced this when starting a training program. In the beginning, you might have been gasping for breath and not able to keep up with the intensity. As your program progresses, your breathing and stroke volume becomes more efficient, allowing you to breathe easier, hence maximize your performance.

This is why less fit individuals may have a harder time making it up a flight of stairs or walking across a parking lot while for a fit person – it’s just a way of life. For inactive people, their lungs and heart cannot handle the oxygen demands required for performing the exercise. They can’t get it to their organs fast enough.

CO2 Output

When you increase maximum blood flow to pump blood more efficiently it saturates your blood with oxygen and removes CO2 efficiently. Removing CO2 at a higher rate increases your performance and gives you greater aerobic power. As your body becomes more efficient with exercise, it is able to extract oxygen from the blood more quickly.

As much as 88% of your blood flow during exercise is directed to the muscles (active tissues)! The more you exercise, the higher the number of capillaries you build in your muscle fiber, which means more oxygen in your muscles (faster!) and increased fuel storage.

So what does this mean?

As your fitness level improves and your rate of breathing becomes more efficient, you are able to deliver more oxygen throughout your body more quickly. You can accomplish more, with less exertion, at a higher level of performance.

Be good to your heart and it will show you the love in return.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

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