Inspiration

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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.

A friend of mine, and co-soccer coach, recently put his current weight and % body fat on the screen saver of his iPhone. 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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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 ->
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”.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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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:

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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Getting Back On The Exercise Wagon And Staying On It!

January 28, 2014

inExercise, Fitness, Health, Inspiration, Lisa, Strength, Workouts

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It has happened to all of us – and often before we even realize it. One week you miss your workouts due to a busy schedule, and then the next week you skip because you don’t feel well. Before you know it, a month has passed by and your laces haven’t seen any action. Months may even turn into years. Once you stop fitting exercise into your life, it may seem hard to find time for it again. You may not remember how you ever found time for it in the first place. But don’t throw in the towel! You can start again and find the time. Here are some tips to get you going again:

1) Stop beating yourself up for quitting – Just Start! Forget about the lost days and months – you can’t get them back, but you can change the days to come. And you are not as far gone as you think. All that earlier work created a foundation that is waiting to be drawn out. Muscles do have memory.

2) Define and write down your WHY. There will be days when you are tired and not in the mood, so it helps to have something powerful to remind you why you started in the first place. It should be something motivating that stirs an emotional reaction, and probably needs to be more powerful than just fitting into those skinny jeans (although that can be part of the reason!). Think of your life long wellness and how exercise can lead to a healthy and longer life.

3) Write down your goals. Studies have shown that people who write down their goals are much more likely to obtain them. Just ensure that they are realistic and achievable. When you first set a goal, you’re full of energy and completely motivated, but over time those feelings can wane and your overzealousness can push you to do too much too soon. The fix is to define a progressive set of goals that build on one another to help propel you toward that big goal. Breaking a big goal into smaller, realistic goals can help you both mentally and physically. For example, start with weekly goals such as a certain number of visits to the gym or minutes of exercise a day, rather than a six month goal of losing 40 pounds.

4) Try something new. This is especially helpful if boredom was one of the reasons that you fell off the wagon in the first place. Today’s fitness options are varied and almost limitless. In most areas, you can choose among boot camps, CrossFit, Zumba, kick boxing, Bar Method, spinning, yoga and running groups, as well as many other options. If you want to start out at home, there is an excellent supply of home DVD videos. If you really need to be accountable to someone, consider hiring a personal trainer.

5) Join a challenge! These are not hard to find. Look for local 5K runs or short distance triathlons. You can check out your gym for contests and even workplaces are getting into the game as they see the benefits of healthy employees. These will require determination and hard work, but you will be surprised how much fun you have and how many people you meet.

6) Look beyond the scale. If weight loss is your main goal, don’t rely entirely on the numbers of the scale. It is common for exercisers to lose fat and gain muscle without a change in body weight, so it is important to look beyond the scale. Notice how your clothes fit and how your body feels stronger. You should also feel your increased energy level and overall better mood, as exercise has been proven to boost both of these.

Falling off the wagon happens to everyone. Stop worrying about what happened in the past and look forward. The first step back on is the hardest and requires motivation, but soon it will become habit and that will keep you going.

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