Tag Archives: Muscle

The Five W’s of Exercise for Busy People in a Busy World

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1. WHY: The why is the most important place to start. Dennis Waitley once said “if the why is big enough, the how is not a problem.” In other words, if you have a compelling reason why you should exercise and eat right, you can overcome any barrier. Write a list of all the reasons why you need to take care of yourself. Post that list somewhere where you can see it every day.

When making the decision to exercise, remind yourself how much better you feel after, how much more energy you  have, how exercise relieves stress.

2. HOW: Once you have a strong why, the how will be more manageable. Many people struggle to fit exercise in around all their other appointments and errands. The solution? Make exercise an appointment. To help me stay active, I asked my fantastic administrative assistant to block off 1 hour each day for a workout with my training partner. Block fitness into your schedule, book an appointment with a personal trainer or set up a meeting time with a workout partner to keep yourself accountable.

3. WHAT: You don’t need a lot of time to keep fit. Pick a type of exercise you enjoy doing and do it! A properly designed fitness program can be completed in 30 minutes or less, and deliver see-in-the-mirror results.  Add 5-10 minutes for stretching, and another 20 minutes to shower, you can be done in an hour or less.  If you don’t have the time for a full hour, get moving for 20, 10 or even 5 minutes.  Remember than anything is better than nothing

4. WHEN:  I know of fitness experts who swear that working out before breakfast allows the body to burn twice as much fat.  I know of fitness experts who say that working out in the evening burns twice as much fat.  Ideally, I’d workout in the morning and then go for a power walk in the afternoon- but it’s not realistic with my schedule.  Fit your workout in at the time that works best for you.

5. WHERE: Think comfort and convenience.  If you don’t feel comfortable going to the gym, don’t go to the gym.  If your gym is way across town and you have no set appointment time, you probably won’t go. Workout in a place you feel comfortable, and that is convenient (it may be your basement!).

Tanja Shaw is the owner of Ascend Fitness Coaching, a private training studio.  Tanja and her team of expert fitness professionals strive to inspire and educate residents to make positive and power changes in their lives through physical fitness and sound nutrition.  For more fitness tips go to   www.ascendfitnesscoaching.com

~Source: Newspaper Article.

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~Source: Pinterest Quote

I am happy that I am an early morning girl! I get myself to the gym in the morning and grab those feel good endorphins after my awesome workout. Like the article says,do what works for you and get some kind of fitness going on.

Wake Up and Be Grateful

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~Source: Facebook quote

It’s Friday! Another week of fitness done and I continue tomorrow. Actually only if it is not pouring rain as it has been this week. Gosh, a girl doesn’t mind running in the rain, although when it is ‘cold and pouring rain’, there is a limit. At least for me~

I said to my Hubby that there are times as I am driving to the gym in the early morning I ask myself, “What were you thinking?” 

It is dark, cold and raining hard. You get the picture. My Hubby said he thinks that too, ha ha. He did say, “You are amazing~and I am real proud of you.” 

What a nice thought to take to the gym with me this morning. My Man is my biggest supporter and I am grateful for him. Thanks so much~it means the world to me.

While at the gym I complimented a young girl on her weight loss. It turns out she has lost 50 pounds and she was so grateful that I had noticed as she is still has a ways to go. Nonetheless she looked fabulous to me. Sometimes we forget on how a ‘compliment’ can make a person feel really good.

Have you passed along a compliment to anyone lately? Has someone complimented you? I bet it felt good!

While I was cooling down after my workout,  a lady I didn’t know came up to me and says, “I have noticed that you are a very strong woman.” She asked me how long I had been at the gym and said it must pay off to be consistent.

Oh yes!

I cannot shout it enough times, fitness is not a ‘cure all’ for every ailment in the world, although it will help some. Start with baby steps if you have to. Just do something!! It does pay off and you will feel GOOD!

I thanked her very much. Yes, it does feel good to receive a compliment too!

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~Source:  Pinterest Quote

Can You Do This?

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Get Better Balance

Your equilibrium begins to decline as early as your mid-30s. If yours is less than optimal, doing the balance exercises below will help you almost immediately.

Test Your Balance: Okay this is so funny! When I first read this article I am about to share with you I thought I could do this no problem. After all I do have strong leg and thigh muscles from being a GYM Rat and my 4 mile power walks/Running. I stood in the kitchen trying this balancing act and was fine until I closed my eyes and then I laughed as I could only do this for a count of 5 or 6.  Too funny! I had to go outside to find my Hubby so I could try it again while he watched. I started to laugh and said I felt like a drunken sailor. My Hubby tried and he was not any better. We did have a good a chuckle.

Here is the rest of the article: Stand barefoot on a hard flat surface with one foot in front of the other, heel to toe, hands crossed on your chest. (Make sure you’re near something you can grab on to, if you feel tippy.) Close your eyes and start counting slowly. When and if you lose your balance, write down the number you reached. Repeat three times and take an average.

Rate Yourself: If you made it to 48 without teetering, you’re in a healthy balance zone. Anything less means that you could benefit from some balance training.

4 Balance Acts:

1. Stand on one leg while talking on the phone. Start with your eyes open, then see how long you can last with them closed.

2. Stand on an unstable surface– a rolled up exercise mat or towel, or a balance board–and do squats or arm curls while holding 3-pound dumbbells.

3. Strength-train your legs twice a week; stronger muscles will keep you from falling.

4. After you have done these exercises for six months, retest your balance to see how much improvement you’ve made.   ~Source: http://www.lhj.com

~Source: Google Image.

 

 

Healthy Aging

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High-protein diet crucial for healthy aging.

More than 700,000 times a month someone Googles the phrases “high protein” or “high protein diet”. It’s become accepted that slashing carbs and eating a lot of protein (from meat with fat included!) is a smart way to lose weight and get healthy.

That makes it difficult to discover the truth about the role of protein in a healthy diet. The basic facts are pretty straightforward:

* Protein is essential for your body to build hormones, enzymes, antibodies–and every cell.

* Protein is a great “I’m full and I’m not getting hungry anytime soon” nutrient. New research shows that when you eat protein-rich foods, you set off a chemical reaction that doubles back through the gut and nervous system to tell the brain you’re food-satisfied long after you eat.

*After age 40 your body has to work harder to maintain muscle mass, so it’s important to make sure you get enough muscle-building protein in a steady supply throughout the day. Our recommendation: Aim for a minimum of 46-56 grams of protein per day. Work out three days a week and weigh around 150? Go for 75 grams.

*And most important:

Protein doesn’t mean saturated fat!

Stay clear of all red meats. Opt for fish and lean poultry if you aren’t vegetarian. But everyone should rely on lean, protein-packing beans, humus, low-fat dairy, 100 per cent whole grains, soy foods and egg whites,

~Source: Drs.Oz & Roizen – Health Tips from Mehmet Oz. M.D. & Michael Roizen, M.D.

Pinterest Quote~

 

Strength Training After 40

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Strength training is an integral part of any fitness program but may even be more important for women in their 40′s.

 

 As women age, the way they carry their weight tends to change; they begin carrying more weight in the trunks of their bodies like men do, as opposed to in their hips and thighs, as younger women tend to.

Researchers believe that this shift, along with other factors such as the loss of heart-protecting estrogen, increases a woman’s likelihood of developing heart disease and diabetes.

 Strength training can help stabilize your weight and keep your body fat levels low to mitigate the negative effects of this natural redistribution of body fat.

 As a bonus, new research suggests that weight training may help older people sleep better.

~Source: www.womensfitness.lifetips.com

~Source: Images- Google.ca

Quote taken from Pinterest.

 

What You Can Do

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According to a 2008 World Health Organization report, Demystifying the myths of aging, the most common physical ailments related to aging are a decrease in muscle mass, strength, basal metabolic rate, aerobic ability, bone density and blood sugar tolerance, and an increase in body fat and blood pressure.

But they advise that simple self-care can mitigate many of the complaints of aging.

 

Just getting enough water can stave off dehydration leading to dizziness, weakness, poor cognition and falls.

 

 

 

 

Moderate exercise will improve muscle mass and fitness: One U.S. university study developed a weight-training program for seniors aged 87 to 96 and saw 300-per-cent gains in muscle strength in just eight weeks, as well as improvements in co-ordination and balance.

Seniors can also reduce their risk of hospitalization by getting their prescriptions checked. In Finland, the WHO found, up to 50 per cent of hospitalizations were due to improper use of medicines.

~Source: Article in theprovince.com

~Source: Google Images

I know I have proved it to myself over and over again every time I go to the GYM and leave in a sweat. Another Great Workout this morning!