April 27, 2024

Food for Thought by Lisa Wilcox

September 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Research shows the biological benefits of exercise (motion) and social connections (emotion) and how that helps slow the aging process.

The book Younger Next Year by Dr. Henry S. Lodge and Chris Crowley explains why the things you know you should do for example, get daily vigorous exercise, eat well and stay close to family and friends are mandated by laws of biology. You can ignore the rules, the authors say, but you can’t change them. To oversimplify their theory: Your body and brain have evolved so that behaviors that helped our ancestors survive, robust daily physical activity and close links to others, send positive signals to our most fundamental biological systems that say life is good: grow, heal, thrive. Being sedentary and isolated tells our body and brain to slow down.

Co-author Lodge, a Manhattan internist who is on the faculty of Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, draws on current work in evolutionary biology and human neurochemistry to make the case. Dr. Lodge covers three major topics:

The biology of aging. This focuses mainly on growth and decay as the predominant biological functions of both body and mind, which are directly controlled by how you live your life. Seventy percent of what we call aging is not biological aging at all. It may be lifestyle driven with true aging as a minor part of the process.
 
The value and benefits of exercise. Exercise is the most concrete, powerful way of transforming biology. Dr Lodge believes aerobic exercise six days a week and strength training at least three times a week can turn back the biological clock of both physical and mental aging.

Social/emotional biology. The impact of connecting with others is equal to that of exercise. The chemistry is, in fact, almost identical. The morbidity and mortality of loneliness, and the power of social connections have a lot more to do with how we age than we thought. There is a sharp focus on the recent data that proves you can change your body and brain by how you live your life resulting in the significant reduction of illness. For example, being connected with a church, walking club, bridge club, or having a great connection with your family can help slow the aging process.

Lisa Wilcox,  Posture Alignment Specialist
www.promotionfitness.net

Filed Under: Aging Gracefully Tagged With: ,

Leg Exercises Made Simple

September 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Try the following lower body exercises to shake up your routine. As always, pay attention to maintaining proper posture and holding abdominal muscles in tight. Control each movement. Start with body weight only and progress to holding dumbbells. 

Dynamic Side Squat. Begin by taking a step to your right side and forward 12 inches, arms extended shoulder-level, straight out in front of you. Bend your knees and hips and sit back into a squat. Push off with your right foot and return to the center. Repeat the same movement to the left side and forward 12 inches. Perform 12 repetitions alternating to each side.
Make it easier- perform as a stationary squat with your feet staggered 12 inches, eliminating the return to the center movement. (12 repetitions with the right foot forward, 12 repetitions with the left foot forward.)
Make it harder- perform a squat to the right side, bend forward from your waist and touch both hands to your right shoe. Push off with your right foot and return to center.  Repeat side squat to the left side, with a forward toe-touch to the left.

Chair Stationary Lunge. Stand about 3 feet in front of a sturdy chair. Balancing on right foot, place top of left foot on seat behind you. Bending both knees, drop your back knee toward the floor. Push through your front heel and return to your starting position.  Perform 12 repetitions with each leg.
Make it easier- only bend knees half-way down toward the floor.
Make it harder- lift your back foot up off the chair about one inch in between each repetition.

Cross-behind Lunge. Stand on your right leg. Step your left leg back about 2 feet, bend both knees and cross your left leg behind your right leg. Keep your weight on your right heel and pull your left leg up to center. Perform 12 repetitions with each leg.
Make it easier- Stand on your right leg, step your left leg back so it crosses behind your right leg.  Keep your right foot flat on the floor and the ball of your left foot on the floor. Bend both knees and lower your body toward the floor. Straighten both knees to complete one repetition. 12 repetitions with each leg.
Make it harder- stand on your right leg, step your left leg back so it crosses behind your right leg. Stand up by pulling your left leg to center and then forward by bending your left knee and lifting it in front of your body to be hip level.
 
Lunges are an example of a compound exercise. A compound exercise is that which uses many different muscle groups at the same time. For challenging exercises to improve lower body muscle strength or endurance squats and lunges are a great choice. Consult your doctor before beginning an exercise program, and enlist the assistance of a fitness professional to determine which form of squats and lunges are appropriate for you.

 By Nicole Clancy

Filed Under: Get Fit Quick Tagged With: , , ,

Overcome Self-Defeating Thoughts by Niels Johnson-Lameijer

September 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Getting rid of negative thoughts is a struggle for many people. In order to effectively eradicate these undesired thoughts it’s good to understand where they originate. The energy behind most negative thoughts is FEAR! Fear is at the root of all blocks and the number one reason for our negative self talk.
We have two main kinds of fears that prevent us from living our fullest potential, fear of failure and fear of rejection. Fear of failure usually comes from a time when our natural curiosity and urge to explore was being cut short. We notice this fear every time we think about of taking any kind of risk involving the danger of losing time, money or emotion. The fear of rejection mostly originates from conditional love which manifests in the fear of being criticized, and motivates us to focus on gaining other’s approval.
Be Aware and Shift. These are the two key ideas to balance thoughts, and to change your current reality into the reality of your choosing. The goal is to monitor thoughts and shift them when necessary. 
Strive for Balance. Try this exercise: grab a pencil and balance it between your fingers. Looking at your pencil imagine it representing the balance of your thoughts. When negative thoughts immerge your pencil will start tipping to the left side and be out of balance. You assignment is the counter it with a positive thought (for example, a 10K run you completed in a great time) to make sure the pencil gets back into the balanced position.
Three Successes. One hour after you get up, write down three things that already went right for you that day (good breakfast, returned phone calls, etc.) During lunch, review the list and replace your earlier successes with additional successes from later in the day. Repeat this at least two more times the same day.

Remember! Think about what makes you feel good and what changes your mood. For example, carry something in your pocket that reminds you of a memory. Load your favorite music on your iPod so you can play it anytime. Stick Post-It notes with personal messages in places you see frequently.
 
Niels is an internationally certified Executive Coach and Life Mastery Coach. He guides companies and passionate individuals toward raising productivity and realizing the life of their dreams. For more information visit www.nielsjl.com or contact Niels directly at niels@nielsjl.com or call 805.617.3513.

Filed Under: Your Fitness Tagged With: , ,

Encouraging Healthy Habits for Teenagers by Brett Klika

September 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

How to help teenagers exercise and eat well, without putting on the pressure of weight loss:

Getting kids of any age to exercise and eat well is a function of familiarity, exposure, and experience that transcend weight loss. If a child grows up in a household with a culture of wellness, it becomes a familiar way of life. If a child grows up in a household where exercise and eating well are seen as punishment for indulgences, this is exactly how they will view a healthy lifestyle: punishment. 

Expose children at a young age to fun physical activities that involve the entire family. Food works much the same way. Make sure kids see where real food comes from and how it is made. Grow a garden and cook with your kids if you are able. Physical activity and healthy eating then become a positive experience that will develop life-long behaviors

Focus on “now.” Telling kids of any age that food is fattening or unhealthy is not very effective. They do not have the cortical processing to base their current activity on future outcomes. They need to understand how things work in the now. By doing this, youngsters develop an awareness of what they are eating. It is independent of “fat” or “skinny.”  It becomes a decision of “do I want to eat a chemical that I have no idea what it is?” The younger they can begin the better. 

Creative positive experiences. Much of the above attitudes and behaviors are formed by the time kids are in their teens.  To continue to facilitate physical activity and healthy eating through the teenage years, continue to make these a positive experience. Find physical activities your children enjoy doing and facilitate those activities however possible. They don’t have to be sports!  Have healthy food around the house, go to high quality food sources for groceries, make restaurants a treat, and family dinners whenever possible. Teenagers are programmed to rebel as they go through the process of forming their own identity. Overall behavior is a collective of multiple decisions made throughout a day, week, month, year, etc. The more positive experiences you can create, the more favorable decisions they will make in regards to their health and wellness. Multiple favorable decisions form positive lifetime outcomes!         
Brett Klika
Brettklika.com
Want to Know the Truth About Fat Loss? Read The Dark Side of Fat Loss, available at www.brettklika.com.

Filed Under: Kids/Teen Corner Tagged With: , , ,

Get Positive by Juli Shulem

September 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

We can all find something to complain about rather easily, but where does the complaining lead us?  Stop and think about the amount of energy wasted on negative thinking. Break the negative pattern in two steps!

Step One. Complaining and negative thinking really depletes positive energy, leaving debilitating negative energy. In other words, that which you spend time thinking about is what you will tend to manifest. Therefore, constant complaining could mean you may be bringing depleting energy into your world.

Are you a constant complainer? Ask yourself:

What do I complain about the most?
What has the complaining or negative thinking brought into my life?
Has anything GOOD come from the complaining?
What BAD has come from the negative thoughts?
If I were to become more positive, how would that change things?

Now try this:
Catch yourself being negative!
Notice when you are complaining!

Here’s a quick visual: place a jar on the counter and put in a quarter every time you catch yourself complaining. (Remember the goal is to keep the jar empty!) However, if the jar becomes full, think about donating the proceeds at the end of the month, at least something positive will come from all that negative thinking!

Step Two. Do you have a certain person in your life that exists primarily to listen to your complaints? Release this individual from being subjected to your continued negative thinking. Make it a conscious daily goal to be positive.

Becoming aware of the negativity is the first step to improving your mindset. The second step is to get busy and do something positive!
Contributed by Juli Shulem (jshulem@gmail.com/805-964-2389), Professional Organizing Coach specializing in those with ADHD. www.julishulem.com, Organizing Expert since 1984, and author of the eBook, Order! A Logical Approach to an Organized Way of Life, www.getordernow.com

Filed Under: Big Picture of Health Tagged With: ,

Ask a Pro by Nicki Anderson

September 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Question: What is your number one trick to break through a mental barrier when working toward a goal? –Steve from San Diego
 

 

Answer: By Nicki Anderson

Make the Goal Your Own. All too often people set goals they feel they HAVE to achieve (pressure from family, friends, spouse, etc) vs. goals they WANT to achieve. Progress begins with looking at the goal and making sure it’s one that gets your heart pumping, in other words you have to be passionate about it. For example, if you repeatedly fall short of your goal, it is likely not one that is of enough value to you. So your goal HAS to be your own, one that ignites excitement.

Take Action. When you find the goal that inspires you, the next step is setting up an action plan. Keep in mind, if you’re setting up the action plan and feel your excitement is waning, one of two things is happening. Either the plan is too aggressive, or there is a part of the goal that doesn’t excite you enough to work that hard. This means it’s time to rethink your goal. If it’s too aggressive, slow down on your arrival date of the goal. For example, if you have a wedding to attend in 4 weeks and your goal is to lose 20 lbs, that’s pretty aggressive!

Be realistic. Once you start laying out the action plan and see the work that needs to be done, you might not want it that bad. So rather than abandon the goal entirely, simply be more realistic. For example, set 12 weeks for your 20 pound weight loss goal. You’ll still feel great by the wedding but you won’t feel like you failed because you didn’t reach such an aggressive goal.

Keeping these three steps in mind is the secret necessary to get you to your goal successfully!

Nicki Anderson
Columnist, Business Owner, and NASM Certified Trainer with over 25 years in the Health and Fitness Industry. She can be contacted at nicki@realityfitness.com or www.realityfitness.com.

Filed Under: Ask a Pro Tagged With: ,