May 16, 2024

How to Reduce Anxiety and Stress by Coach Juli

August 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Anxiety falls into two basic categories, that which is manageable and considered normal in our lives, and that which hinders normal daily functioning. How do you know which category your anxiety falls into?

Anxiety is a natural reaction to real stresses, as a normal level of it can propel you to prepare for things you need to deal with and spur your energy level to handle issues in the moment. That form of anxiety can be motivating.

If you find yourself crippled and unable to function, then you will most likely need professional help. Since I am not a doctor, I will provide some ideas on how to deal with the more common normal anxiety.

Here’s how you can manage anxiety in 3 steps:

Plan your week so you can be prepared. If you know what is coming up in the next few days and you have a good working plan of how you are going to accomplish those items which may be anxiety producing, you will be proactive versus reactive.

Strive to avoid negativity. Be positive in how you see things as much as you possibly can. Sure, some situations aren’t ideal, but you can change how you think about them and approach them by adopting a positive attitude.

Decompress. Being stressed out and letting anxiety get the best of you can make everything worse. Try something that is calming such as yoga, meditation, or simply breathing deeply for a few minutes. Some clients find going out for a fifteen minute workout helps them to relax and reduce anxiety. Find what works for you and keep that in your “decompression toolbox” for the next time anxiety strikes.
 

Contributed by Coach Juli, CPC: ADHD Productivity Coach. Efficiency Expert since 1984, and author of the eBook, Order! A Logical Approach to an Organized Way of Life, www.getordernow.com. Contact Coach Juli at jshulem@gmail.com, via phone 805-964-2389  or www.coachjuli.com.

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Motivating Teens by Maggie Ayre

July 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment

What Motivates Teen Girls to be Active and Eat Well?

The Top 4 Questions They Should Be Asking Themselves

The UK Government and NHS recommend that teenagers and kids should do a minimum 60 minutes exercise every day.  Nutritionists recommend a diet rich in fresh fruit, vegetables, poultry, meat, fish and plenty of water.  Some teenagers seem to manage this easily enjoying a healthy diet at home and limiting treats to an occasional indulgence. However, for some teen girls being active and eating well doesn’t come so easily.  This can be for a variety of different reasons:-

1.    They have decided that they’re too old to “play”
2.    They don’t feel confident in their ability
3.    They don’t feel comfortable with their (ever changing) body shape
4.    They prefer to do inside activities
5.    They don’t see the point of exercise and activity
6.    They like chocolate, sweets, crisps, pizza, chips etc
7.    It’s easier to eat fast food

We know the benefits of being active and eating well, but that’s often not enough for your teen.  Instead of telling them to do more exercise see if you can turn things around and get them thinking of all the benefits.

Encourage them to sit down with a pen and paper and answer the following questions:-

Q1.  What results would you like to see from exercise and healthy eating?
There’s no doubting that the ultimate cure for lack of motivation is results.  Most people will start to see the results from exercising and eating healthily in less than 2 weeks.  They then become excited by the changes they see and feel.  Having a happier, healthier life and watching the body you have always wanted develop right before your eyes is both motivating and empowering.  When your teen decides what results she wants to get from exercise and healthy eating encourage her to find a plan tailored to those results. A great way to reinforce this motivational tool is for them to put a picture of how they currently look and put it somewhere they will see it regularly.  Add a new picture every four weeks and celebrate the changes they are seeing – this can be used for muscle definition, an improvement in complexion etc just as well as for fat loss. Another way to reinforce the results is to track their progress daily in a journal including the exercises, weights used, and sets and repetitions. They will quickly see all the progress they are making and how fast it is happening.  Nothing gives you motivation to exercise like results and you will see them in your journal even before your picture looks any different.

Q2.  What would your ultimate goal be from exercise and healthy eating?
Setting a goal can be incredibly motivating.  It’s got to be a specific goal with a deadline, and it needs to be a reasonable target. The deadline will push them to get the most out of their exercise and nutrition program and as long as the goal is reasonable (neither too easy nor unobtainable) it will keep them motivated.  When they reach their goal it will be time for a mini-celebration before setting a new, specific goal to take them to the next level.

Q3.  What are your reasons for exercise and healthy eating?
Ask them to sit down and write a list of all the reasons they are exercising and eating well along with their specific, reasonable goal and time-frame.  They could place this list beside their ‘before’ picture and read it regularly.  This will provide reinforcement and motivation to exercise and eat healthily – keeping the reasons for the hard work at the forefront of their mind.  Reasons could be anything; look good for a holiday, fit a particular dress, get rid of teenage acne, have more energy etc. They could add to this a list of all the benefits; increased energy, increased mental focus, increased self-esteem, increased sense of control over their life, reduced chances of heart attack, osteoporosis, breast cancer, increased strength and stamina, reduction of stress, etc.

Q4.  How do you like to exercise?
If they like roller blading or swimming or tennis or swimming or…(you get the idea), include it as part of their exercise plan. Make it fun and it won’t seem like a chore, but encourage them to do something everyday.  Meeting and working out regularly with a coach, friend or a team, especially one who is at about the same stage will really help to motivate!  Help and encourage each other, celebrate and commiserate together and enjoy the company.

After spending her teenage years as an international athlete Maggie Ayre qualified as a Personal Trainer and Nutrition Adviser. For the last three years she has specialised in teenage girls working as a Fitness Coach for Teenage Girls. In 2012 Maggie will launched her Girls Nutrition Workshops and her 3G Program as well as continuing her work with individual girls and their mothers. She has just completed her third book; “Nutrition for Exam Success – A Parent’s Guide.”  She is available to speak at schools, women’s groups and community events. More information about Maggie’s work with teenagers can be found at www.maggieayre.com or www.femalefitnessrevolution.com.

 

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Post-Baby Sadness by Tatum Rebelle

July 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

5 ways to deal with post baby sadness:

Having a baby can be a beautiful and joyous experience for women, but it can come with many unpleasant side effects. Hormones are all over the place, and so is sleep. There is a tiny new person who relies on you for everything, and life as you knew it is completely different. It will inevitably be a tough transition for most, but there are things you can do to make this time a little easier. (Seek medical help if you have ongoing feelings of sadness or depression.)

Accept help: Chances are that you have friends and family who have offered to help in some way. If they have, accept it. If they haven’t yet, ask them! Let people bring you meals so you don’t have to cook, or babysit so you can nap, or anything else to help make this time a little less overwhelming.

Move: The typical recommendation is that you cannot workout for 6-8 weeks after delivery. But, that does not mean that you can’t go for a walk or stretch or begin doing light exercises to rehab your body from pregnancy and prepare it to handle a workout when you’re able to. Start by deep breathing and contracting your ab muscles to pull them in as you exhale. Rehab your pelvic muscles by doing kegels.

Hydrate: This is a simple, yet often overlooked trick to improving mood, increasing energy, decreasing hunger, helping you lose weight and more. If you are breastfeeding it is absolutely vital to being able to do so successfully. You need much more water post-baby than you did before or during pregnancy.

Sleep: This may seem like wishful thinking, but the more sleep you can squeeze in the better. Sleep is when your body recovers physically, mentally, and emotionally. If you are running on empty the feelings of sadness will only intensive. Try to get even 15 minutes of rest when you can. Just like with exercise, every little bit counts with sleep too.

Give yourself a pep talk: “This too shall pass.” “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”  “Fake it until you make it.” These became clichés for a reason. They’re true! Remind yourself of these or any others on a regular basis to help you make it through. When it feels all too much remind yourself that it’s temporary, and that it is all going to be ok.

Tatum Rebelle is a pregnancy and new mom fitness and nutrition expert. She founded of Total Mommy Fitness in 2005 after seeing an unnecessary trend of women opting out of exercise once they became pregnant and had young children. Learn more at www.TotalMommyFitness.com and www.FitPregnancyPlan.com.

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Second-Chance Summertime Shape-Up

July 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Second-Chance Summer time Shape Up
It’s not too late to get fit and get healthy. It’s never too late to take control of your fitness! Start TODAY- here’s how:

When: Monday’s 5pm(pacific)/ 8pm(eastern)
Where: Find us at #HealthyWayMag on Twitter

Wondering how to bust through a fitness plateau? Worried how to get your workout back on track after a setback? Not getting the exercise results you’d like? Find your Fitness Answers by participating in our Live Fitness Chat on Twitter!

Health Your Way Online proudly presents our Second-Chance Summertime Shape-Up Chat Series Sponsors:

Rock My Run. If you’ve hit workout motivation-slump, be sure to check out Rock My Run. Their music mixes are designed specifically with runners and fitness enthusiasts in mind. Their music is your motivation solution. You can even choose the style of music you prefer, along with beats per minute selection, along with your desired duration. Since 2012 Rock My Run has been insuring awesome workouts of all kinds through their creative, eclectic and motivating music mixes. For a list of their mixes, check out www.rockmyrun.com. Follow them on Twitter to learn about all their new and upcoming mixes, @RockMyRun. Whatever musical style moves you, you’ll find it with them.

Jessica Matthews. Health Your Way Online welcomes our chat co-host Jessica Matthews on July 15, 2013. Jessica is a fitness expert, @acefitness health coach, fitness blogger, yoga educator and college professor, just to name a few. Follow her @fitexpertjess and get inspired to get fit by checking out her blog Fit for Life. Jessica’s positive and upbeat energy will inspire and motivate you!

Shaping Her Esteem. Check out this unique non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the health and well-being of young women! They offer free programs through in-person StronGirls Fitness Classes, online nutrition tips, as well as via motivational videos. Contact them if you know a girl between 8-16 who loves to write about her experiences in sport/dance as they are currently looking for bloggers to share positive experiences in physical activity! Find more information on www.shapingheresteem.com. Follow them on Twitter, @ShapeHerEsteem. Encourage the young girls in your life to live healthy, balanced and well!

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Worst Weight Loss Advice by Danielle Prestejohn

July 3, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Admit it, at some point in time we’ve all fallen suspect to the lure of some fabulous new diet or weight loss tip. Maybe it was to stop snacking at night, eating mini meals, or swapping half of your grains for vegetables. Regardless of whether they’ve worked, you’ve likely tried or at least thought about it. Let’s be honest some of these tips actually work wonders, and others not so much.

Here is a collection of some of what I consider to be the world’s worst weight loss advice. Dieters Beware!  

Low fat diets. Luckily we are slowly moving away from this trend. Eat a diet low in fat and you will be hungry, cranky, and likely not absorbing key vitamins you need to thrive. Fat does not make us fat; instead it protects our major organs, absorbs certain vitamins, and helps our bodies to function. Worst of all are the “health” foods geared at dieters that are far from healthy. Beware of fat free cookies, candy, and snack foods. It’s not healthy and will not lead to weight loss, even if it’s low fat.

100 calorie packs. Limiting your food to 100 calories does not make it a weight loss food. Packaged, processed, and packed full of not so good for you ingredients, 100-calorie packs are simply a marketing gimmick for dieters. You will not lose weight snacking on these. Most are high in carbohydrates and devoid of fats and protein meaning you will burn them off quickly and be hungry again in 20 minutes. Eating 3-100 calorie packs does not equal a healthy snack.

No carb diets. I say no carb as opposed to low carb. Some people thrive on a lower carbohydrate diet that is still full of fruits and vegetables and that is fine. What are not okay are diets that promote an extremely low number of carbohydrates, we’re talking less than 60 grams. This is a quick way to lose energy fast, and put your body into ketosis, which can potentially do some serious damage to your kidneys. The only reason people see initial success with low carb diets is because they lose water weight. Carbohydrates store water in our bodies while fats and protein do not. This means the second you start eating carbohydrates again; your weight will come back.

Skipping meals. Skipping meals is not an effective way to lose weight. You will slow your metabolism and end up hungrier in the long run, likely eating more at your next meal.

Very low calorie diets. I’m not talking about Very Low Calorie Diets, which are considered to be diets consisting of 800 calories or less, are monitored by medical professionals and are designed for those who are obese with serious health problems. I’m talking about the diets that dip below 1200 calories a day. These diets are not only incredibly difficult to follow, but they are also unsafe. Follow a really low calorie diet and you can expect the not so pleasant side effects of low energy, fatigue, a slowed metabolism, potential heart problems, and dehydration.

This article is written by Danielle Prestejohn, M.S. applied nutrition. Sign up for Danielle’s free guide to ditching the diets and ditching the misery via http://danielleprestejohn.com/free-updates/.  For more information go to http://www.danielleprestejohn.com and http://www.Facebook.com/daniellegracep.

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Pushups and Pull-ups: Worthwhile Exercises? By Derek Peruo, CSCS.

June 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment

There are so many options when it comes to fitness. You can attend classes, lift weights, use resistance machines or go running, just to name a few. With all these choices, how do you pick the best, most beneficial exercise?

At times like this, it’s a good idea to return to the basics. And nothing is more basic than body weight exercises!

Body weight exercises are some of the most beneficial exercises you can do. Ask a gymnast if you don’t believe me. Gymnasts spend their entire workout pulling, pushing, and lifting their body weight against gravity, and they are some of the most fit athletes around.

Incorporating body weight exercises like pushups and pull-ups into your routine will help you get stronger, faster and leaner in a very short amount of time, regardless of your current fitness level.

Here are my top 3 reasons why pushups and pull-ups are so beneficial:

They’re Portable
Very little equipment is need to do pushups and pull-ups. All you need is the ground and a secure bar. This makes them amazingly portable. You can do them in the park, at your hotel, or anywhere else. Such portability means you never worry about missing a workout because you lack the proper equipment.

They’re Adjustable
With hundreds of variations, pushups and pull-ups can be made super easy or extremely hard depending on your needs. As you become stronger and more fit, you can adjust these exercises accordingly so you never plateau.

They’re Efficient
No one likes spending hours in the gym training each muscle individually. Pushups and pull-ups allow you to condense your workouts by hitting all the muscle groups simultaneously, reducing the time it takes for you to complete your workout.

Proper technique for pushups and pull-ups are very important to prevent injury, and I recommend consulting a certified fitness professional for guidance. But once you learn the techniques, you’ll know it for a lifetime and will feel empowered to exercise no matter where you are.

Derek Peruo, CSCS, is considered “one of the rising stars in the fitness industry,” and specializes in training high-stress clients. Derek writes and consults for magazines like Men’s Health and Men’s Fitness. For more information, check out  www.RenaissanceFitnessInc.com.

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Decrease Stress with Increased Organization by Coach Juli

June 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment

How many hours do you waste each week trying to find papers and information like manuals and receipts? Decrease your stress by implementing these expert must-do filing systems for keeping the home-office organized.

It is essential to have an organized way to keep the papers you must retain. Even with having much of what you need on your computer, there are invariably papers needed and they should be filed away properly. There are files that you should have for your personal papers as well as for your household, so here are my recommendations:

1.    Have a suitable filing cabinet. It makes little sense to have various crates and caddies holding your papers, which can tend to make it difficult to file and retrieve papers easily and quickly. Most filing cabinets have either two or four drawers, are vertical with about 25” deep drawers, and can hold a lot of papers.  Get what will allow you to put all your papers away with a little room to grow.

2.    Files should be put into hanging files with tabs that denote what each contains. If you simply shove your papers into manila folders and then put those into a drawer in alphabetical order, you haven’t made a logical system. This concept only ends up getting papers put away, but are not very accessible later on.

3.    Use categories. There are various categories of record-keeping that are standard, and many of these could end up being in your computer, versus hard-copy, but the same general rule of organization applies. Here is a list of the most common ones (for a complete description check out www.getordernow.com for my eBook on this):

Bookkeeping
Computer Info.
Data Entry
Insurance
Legal/License
Manuals
Memberships
Receipts
Resources
Seminars
Travel
Vehicle

Make categories that make sense for your needs and adjust accordingly as your business and life changes.

***Coach Juli is a Professional Certified Coach with a specialty in Productivity specifically those with ADHD. She works with individuals at any stage of life who find themselves stuck and wish assistance and skills to better organize their lives both in the workplace and at home. For more information and tips how to decrease stress and increase efficiency go to www.coachjuli.com

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Fresh Herbs: Great for the Body! By Lori Rosenthal, MS, RD, CDN

June 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Fresh Herbs: Great for the Body and the Taste Buds

Fresh herbs contribute mouth-watering flavor to dishes without adding salt. But their usefulness doesn’t stop in the kitchen. Since ancient times, herbal remedies have been used to treat all sorts of ailments. Herbs contain antioxidants, substances with disease fighting properties. Antioxidants protect our bodies from cell damage caused by free radicals, which contribute to heart disease and cancer. In addition, certain herbs may soothe muscle spasms, reduce inflammation and fight infections.

With so many potential benefits, why wouldn’t we want to incorporate them into our diet. Start by adding fresh herbs to your favorite recipes. From salads to entrees, adding fresh herbs can make an ordinary dish extraordinary. Experiment with fresh herbs in homemade marinades and rubs. Basic marinades are comprised of herbs, spices, condiments, oils and an acid such as citrus fruit juice, vinegar or wine. Rubs can either be wet or dry and are a great way to infuse meat, poultry or fish with flavor. Try various combos of fresh herbs. Create flavors that excite the taste buds, but don’t overpower the other ingredients. An added bonus, homemade marinades and rubs do not contain the high levels of sodium, sugar and preservatives found in packaged products.

Use fresh herbs when making dressings, dips and sauces as well. Pesto is one of my all time favorites. This is my personal pesto recipe, so feel free to adjust it to your taste. Combine the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until it reaches a paste consistency. Freeze some in an ice cube tray for later use (freezes better without the parmesan). Pop out a cube, heat it up and add it to any dish for a quick, preservative free meal.

Basic Pesto
2 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup parsley
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 handful of pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan

This Italian salsa verde recipe was a staple in my house growing up. It pairs well with meat, poultry, fish or vegetables. Use it as a dipping sauce or condiment. I suggest trying it with salmon.

Salsa Verde
(Adapted from Bon Apetite)
1 1/2  cups chopped parsley
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped scallion tops (AKA: The green part)
1/4 cup drained and rinsed capers
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbs minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp chopped fresh sage

Whether home grown or store bought, fresh herbs are not to be missed. Start taking your dining experience to the next level today. Your taste buds and body will thank you.

Lori Rosenthal, MS, RD, CDN
Bariatric Dietitian
Department of Surgery
Montefiore Medical Center
Follow Lori on Twitter via @LoRoRD

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Motivate YOUR Fitness

June 2, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Motivate YOUR Fitness with Health Your Way Online’s Motivational-Monday Live Fitness Chat on Twitter.

If you’re hitting the mid-year slump, if you’ve fallen off your fitness track, if you’re having trouble getting inspired to stick with it…your motivation-solution is HERE! Stick with your exercise this summer and find your fitness motivation by picking up tips from experts and fellow exercisers, staying up to date with what’s new and exciting in the exercise world, get answers to your exercise questions, even participate in virtual-events!

Fitness Chat Summer Series begins June 3rd!

When: Monday’s 5pm(pacific)/ 8pm(eastern)
Where: On Twitter at #HealthyWayMag

Health Your Way Online proudly presents our Summer Series Motivational-Monday Live Fitness Chat Sponsors. We have done the research for you; these products are credible, effective and worthwhile. Check them out to learn how they can help you live healthy!

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We are honored to announce that Brand Manager Jeff White will be joining us as Co-Host of this Chat!

RecoFit Compression Gear. Want to perform better and recover faster?  RecoFit Compression Gear can help!  Its unique gradient-compression design and carbon-based technical fabric will support your muscles and supply them with more oxygen to delay fatigue and speed up recovery, so you will be ready for your next day’s effort!  Visit www.recofit.co for more information. Check them out on Twitter @RecoFit to learn how they can help improve performance in your athletic endeavors.
 

Flip2BFit. Need summer activities for your kids? Flip2BeFit simply put is your Fitness in a Box solution for incorporating fun and fitness into your daily life! Flip2BFit is more than just a board game, its fitness, nutrition, education and eye opening self-esteem building all realized through the spin of a wheel and the flip of a card! Order yours today for hours of family fun time. http://flip2bfit.com and check them out on Twitter @Flip2BFit.

RunnerBox: A mini shoe box full of products for runners and triathletes shipped right to your door!  Choose a subscription or 1-time gift. Try out new products and stay motivated!  Gift yourself or favorite athlete at www.therunnerbox.com. There’s no better way to find YOUR perfect running, triathlon and fitness products. Follow them on Twitter @runnerbox for a preview of upcoming products, discounts and connect with fellow athletes as well.

Sockwa. Sockwa is the most versatile and lightweight brand of athletic footwear for sports and fitness activities on and off the beach. Say goodbye to the days of aching feet after every run and sore leg muscles after every hike! Sockwa is your ultra-light, high-performance, minimalist shoe solution. Check out all their products at www.sockwa.com. Follow them on Twitter @Sockwa for information how you can join the Sockwa-movement!

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Planks Explained by Gen Levrant

May 27, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Make your planks functional: 5 variations to try

I could go on for pages about why and how a standard plank will not give you a flat stomach. Holding your abdominal muscles isometrically for as long as you can is not functional. Fortunately, there are ways to tweak the plank to make it functional. For a muscle to produce a powerful contraction, it first needs to lengthen. This does not happen in the plank, so here are five variations to ensure it does. (Please consult with a fitness professional if you are pregnant, new to exercise or unsure of proper and safe technique. And as always, seek medical clearance from you doctor prior to beginning any exercises.)

Knee to chest: start in a standard plank position: elbows bent, forearms resting on the floor and abdominal muscles braced. Use your abs to pull one knee towards your chest, bending it at a right angle and exhaling. Repeat with other knee for 10-20 reps.

Tilting hips: start in a press up position. Keeping your feet together, tilt your right hip to the side as if trying to point it to the ceiling. The same side elbow will bend a little. Go back to the start and repeat with the other hip for a total of 10-20 reps

Reverse plank: start on all fours facing the ceiling with your elbows straight, knees bent and bottom off floor. Reach to  the ceiling with one hand, raising your pelvis to the ceiling and engaging your gluts. Dip your elbow and repeat for 10-15 reps before switching arms.

Up & under: start in a press up position, open one arm up as far as it goes. Bring it down under the body, reaching as far as you can before replacing it back at the start. Repeat with the other arm for 20 reps (10 each arm.)

Foot crossovers: start in standard plank. Cross one foot over the other to touch the floor outside of it, and bring back to the start. Repeat for 30 secs before switching legs.

Take a look at all moves demonstrated on YouTube.

These will hit your abdominals in three planes of motion, which is how we are designed to move. They can be added on to one of your existing workout routines or performed alone.

Gen Levrant is an Advanced Personal Trainer and fat-loss specialist operating out of a private functional training studio in Southampton UK. For fitness tips, updates and further info: http://www.fasterpt.com/personal-trainer-southampton/or email Gen via gen@fasterpt.com. Follow her on Twitter @PTGen, https://www.facebook.com/FasterPersonalTrainingSouthampton or via YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82Jii13lkNY

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