Healthy B.P.M.

In your busy, often stressful life, filled with deadlines and meetings, it’s hard to find time to get to the gym every day. I also know that you know, daily exercise will make you feel better, plus reduce stress. But are you aware of how much it helps? Aerobic exercise can reduce anxiety by up to 50%. Imagine half the stress gone, just because you took a morning run. While a workout is not a panacea for all your daily woes, it is a great coping mechanism. Here are a few of the many reasons exercise is great for lowering your stress level.Exercise improves your mood. Aerobic exercise increases blood flow to the brain and produces chemicals that make you feel happier. The better you feel about life, the less stress will weigh you down.

Most people have been conditioned by their previous attempts. If you want something to happen you have to make it happen, wishful thinking begets more of the same. Self-approval and self-acceptance works wonders when you’re changing your lifestyle. First, give yourself permission to be healthy, fit, satisfied or whatever you want to change. Always keep in mind that you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. The choices and changes are always up to you. Most New Years resolutions start with great intent and fade fast by the beginning of the next month. Be realistic about what you can and can’t achieve. Writing out your goals helps to commit them to memory. Revisiting them often helps to make sure you’re on the right track.If you don’t change when you want to it won’t work, or it won’t work for long. Also, don’t think of the changes as deprivation. Ex. take the pressure off and allow yourself to have your favorites in small portions to avoid binges. If you over indulge accept the consequences of your choices and don’t complain when your jeans don’t fit. Become accountable for what you choose. Deliberately anticipate and visualize the way you want to be or the change you want to make. Doing this overrides your present subconscious and allows you to reach your goals. New changes and behaviors aren’t comfortable and they take you out of that familiar comfort zone. See how you can do it, emphasis on the word see.

If Barbie were real her measurements would be 42-17-36. Most parents are aware of the signs and symptoms of eating disorders. Many even watch their child’s eating habits closely to make sure they aren’t developing a problem; however, they often overlook a problem that is just as serious and fairly common: obsessive exercise. When this occurs your teen feels they need to exercise hours a day to stay healthy and fit. Over exercising can cause problems ranging from short term fatigue, exhaustion, delay of puberty, to permanent physical injury. This is why it’s important to recognize the symptoms and how to prevent and treat this disorder.Compulsive exercise is caused by many of the same issues that can trigger an eating disorder. Generally, the teen feels unhappy with their body image and exercises to fix it. They may also have been exposed to an overweight friend or relative and exercise to avoid becoming overweight themselves. Compulsive exercisers have to be in control of all parts of their lives. They feel that not exercising would leave them without control which, for them, is not an option.

Most discussion and modalities concerning weight loss are generally centered around women. When we begin to discuss health risks there’s still a gender imbalance. Allow me to throw in a little balance adjustment and talk about some risks for men. SmokingThe most avoidable risk, simply don’t start. Most men begin smoking at an early age and mostly because they see others doing it. Some think its cool, giving them a “bad boy” image they think girls like. Unless they receive bad news from their doctor, are prodded by a loved one, or reality hits; they’ll remain smokers.

If you slipped off your healthy eating path today all is not lost. You have right now to get back on track. Holidays and special events are meant to be enjoyed and most of the time food is at the center of the festivities.

Put your focus on whole foods; lots of fresh fruits, veggies and whole grains.  If you posted up in front of the bar and downed one too many margaritas, make sure you get enough water. And I’m sure you guessed that increased activity is in order as well.

Add an extra 10-15 minutes of cardio for the rest of the week and a few more reps in your resistance training. Now these tips won’t negate those extra calories, but they will get you back on track and stoke that metabolic fire. Also I hope that somewhere during the festivities you took the time to say a prayer or sent a good vibe in the direction of our military. Wherever they are they would love to be home and have the chance to over indulge.  

I want to tell you a story. It’s a story about a heart. Listen up.Hi my name is Henrietta and I’m a heart. I’m over worked because Harriet, my owner is overweight and that puts more stress on me. Let me tell you a little bit about Harriet. She is a 32 year old African-American woman. Both parents are overweight. Her mom is diabetic and her father suffered a heart attack at the age of 43. Harriet is the oldest of six children. As a teenager she was active, playing volleyball and running track. The activity helped her to balance the hefty meals that were a staple in their household. Harriet was afraid of being overweight and started dieting her senior year of high school. She’d starve herself all day and then eat a meager supper.

WARNING… The Wu-Yi System Was Not Created For Those People Who Only Want To Lose A Few Measly Pounds. The Wu-Yi System was created to help you achieve the incredible body you have always wanted… USE WITH CAUTION!

That’s the caption from one of the cazillion weight loss products on the market. What is the Wu-Yi system you ask? It’s an ancient Chinese secret. Sounds like that commercial from years ago about spray starch. From what I gather this “Wu-Yi” is just another common product marketed as the next revolutionary weight loss wonder. The copy goes on for what seems endless pages, filled with all the reasons you should buy their product over the others. Naturally it cites that diets don’t work and gives comparisons to Atkins, South Beach and the like. And of course you should buy this product because they spend scores of money and time on research (wink-wink). The manufacturer also stresses that “this fast and effective weight loss solution was designed with you in mind”. Hmm, they don’t know me how can they design a product with moi in mind? Whatever. Of course it’s been featured on the CNN and AOL websites. Wow I guess that does it huh, any product featured on a popular site must be the real deal. The right amount of money can place an ad just about anywhere people, let’s get real.Then there are the testimonials, lots of them with before and after pictures. On page 1001 they even offer to pay you $1000.00 if you send a picture and a written testimonial. Don’t want to send a picture? A written testimonial alone will net you $250 bones if they use it.

Have you ever had a food high? Do you recall a time when you were eating something that was just so good you couldn’t stop even though you were way past full? The need to feed just wouldn’t go away. Food was so instantly gratifying you wanted the feeling to go on and on, so you continued to eat. Most overweight people have felt that loss of control. When you were finally lulled, back into reality what did you feel? Probably guilt and lots of it.Once again, you allowed yourself to go overboard; you relinquished your control and self-esteem to the goddess of goodies. We all have the ability to pull ourselves out of the food basket, we just don’t know it. In some cases, we don’t want to. We don’t want to because living in the food basket is comfortable, we know what to expect there. Even though we know the detriments of living there, of setting ourselves up for debilitating health conditions, we remain, hoping that the miracles of modern technology will provide us with a quick and easy way out. That is precisely where the $30 billion a year weight loss industry wants us to stay. Overweight and in search of a quick fix.Put it into context, say it aloud, ask this question as many times as you need to: DOES THE FOOD YOU OVEREAT TASTE THAT GOOD?? Does it taste better than feeling good, physically and emotionally? Some of us don’t have anything else to compare it to, because we’ve lived in the food basket all of our lives. Could it be that we are hiding inside the basket? We don’t know what it’s like to be healthy, we don’t know what will happen to use or we’re afraid of what might be expected of us should we be successful in our weight loss and fitness goals. There’s a part of us that is afraid to reach our goals and this doesn’t just apply to weight loss. How much better are we expected to perform in all areas of life if we succeed? That is part of the reason we sabotage our success. Take ownership of your fitness.

P.T. Barnum once said, “there’s a sucker born every minute’. Do you think he had any idea of how crazy the world of weight loss would become? The weight loss and fitness industry is bulging with unscrupulous salespeople and spoke persons waiting to pick your pockets. When tempted to go the quick and easy route, think long, hard, and let common sense prevail.

Day Two:Vegetables: Eat until you are stuffed will all fresh, raw or cooked vegetables of your choice. Try to eat leafy green vegetables and stay away from dry beans, peas and corn. (I guess dry beans would create a natural gas explosion) Eat all the vegetables you want along with your soup. At dinner, reward yourself with a big baked potato with butter. Do not eat fruit today. (Oh, darn)

Day Three:Mix Days One and Two: Eat all the soup, fruits and vegetables you want. NO BAKED POTATO.

Day Five:Beef And Tomatoes: Ten to twenty ounces of beef and up to six fresh tomatoes. Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water this day to wash the uric acid from your body. Eat your soup at least once this day. You may eat broiled or baked chicken instead of beef (but absolutely no skin-on chicken) ( you can eat up to 20 ounces of beef, but no skin on your chicken, go figure). If you prefer, you can substitute broiled fish for the beef one of the beef days (but not both).Day Six:Beef and Vegetables. Eat to your heart’s content of beef and vegetables this day. You can even have 2 or 3 steaks if you like, with leafy green vegetables. NO BAKED POTATO. Eat your soup at least once. (What harm will a lonely potato do, after all this?)

Day Seven:Brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices and vegetables: Again STUFF, STUFF, STUFF yourself. Be sure to eat your soup at least once this day. (Again, wrong, wrong, wrong)

How many times have we been advised to take the stairs instead of the elevator. It’s a quick way to add exercise into your day. It’s also great for creating lean legs and a tighter toosh. For some reason though most people ignore that simple piece of advice. Is simplicity the reason? Have we bought into the idea somewhere that you have to sweat like a pig to get a good workout. Taking the stairs won’t result in the body of your dreams in no time flat, but it’s a start. There is a way to take things to the next level, ha next level, get it?

Anyway, If you don’t feel like climbing the stairs at work or at home, invest in a stair stepper. Stair steppers or stair climbers became all the rage in the late 80’s. Because this workout is a weight bearing exercise as well as an aerobic one, you get more bang for your buck.

Speaking of Bucks
Research indicates that the top rated stair stepper is the Stair Master FreeClimber 4200 PT. Priced at $2500 it should be. This pricey machine has four built in programs, 20 levels of resistance, upper handlebars, a 300 lb capacity and a 15 year warranty. It runs on electricity so you’ll have to place your $2500 dynamo near a power outlet. Now for those of us without deep pockets there’s the Schwinn 305p coming in at $400. It doesn’t have any built in programs, has a small LED display and a mere 12 levels of resistance which by the way have to be hand set. No external power source required. $400 bones still too much? Mini-steppers range from $70-$100 and all you get is just what you need, independent steps that allow you to step up and down. It doesn’t get any more basic than that.

Dependent vs. Independent
Independent steps aren’t linked together so they move separately. This gives a better workout. It prevents you from cheating by allowing you to shift your weight from side to side. Dependent steps are linked so that when you push down on one step the other goes up; this tends to work one leg more than the other. Steppers are also available in motorized or manual versions. As the name indicates, motorized steppers have a motor that regulates movement of the steps. Impact on joints is kept to a minimum since movement of the steps is made by the machine. Manual steppers have pistons with air pressure to control the stepping motion. These machines are less expensive and quieter.

Another Good Reason
A workout on a stepper offers another good exercise to strengthen your back muscles. This happens as long as you don’t ruin your perfect posture by hunching over and supporting your upper body on your shoulders and wrists. Of all the cardio machines this one serves as the all time “Lounge O Matic”. As you have guessed by now, excessive leaning on handrails is the bane of my existence. Use the handrails only until you get your balance. I have to tell you again, “leaning on the handrails cuts the amount of calories you burn in half“. Swinging your arms may help with balance and posture.

Step Right Up
The correct depth for stepping is approximately 7”. This targets the large muscles of your thighs and buttocks and increases the calorie burn. Short, shallow tippy toe stepping works your calves. Incorporate a few minutes only at the end of your workout if you want to hone in on your calf muscles. Keep the whole foot on the pedal. Heels hanging off the back could result in injury, especially to the Achilles tendon. Stand tall and make an effort to keep your knees behind your toes.

Bear in mind fit buddies that this can be a high intensity workout. So if you’re new to cardiovascular activity this might not be the best piece of equipment to start on, but it’s a good one to work towards.

I’ve just about had it with weight loss commercials. Especially the ones that feature celebrities. Granted a few of them do use the products (at least I think they do). Valerie Bertinelli for instance, she looks great. She called Jenny, did what she had to do and made progress. On the other hand there’s Kirstie Alley. Jenny obviously didn’t answer when she called or girlfriend called the wrong number. Then she had the nerve to say she was starting her own weight loss line. Line of what, deep fried chocolate cake?

Testimonials like hers give way to serious concern about the validity of celebrity hawkings.I would guess that the celebs are paid to be mouthpieces for the companies. In cash and products. I wonder how much and do they “give it to charity”. Yeah right. Please don’t get me wrong I’m not saying Jenny doesn’t work, or Nutrisystem, whatever. Most plans will work, if you stick with them. To be sure there are some that are a crock of you know what and should be taken off the market, like most of the pills that are advertised. Kirstie had a company willing to pay and work with her to lose the weight and she still didn’t do it. Ms. O, bless her pea-pickin heart, has trainers, chefs and counselors at her beck and call and she still backslides. Oh I forgot she has a thyroid problem, my bad. It just goes to show you that it’s not about money, it’s about commitment. You can call whoever you want and buy tons of gadgets, pills and potions, but if you don’t commit for the long haul you’ll be yo-yoing for a long time. Next time call me.

Imagine this; you’ve decided to sign up for a weight loss program. You’ve done the research, talked to the counselor/trainer/coach and you like what you hear. The program seems to be sound, it doesn’t make outlandish claims or promises and you’re convinced that this is the one. With checkbook-oops debit card in hand you march into their office and prepare to sign on the dotted line. A healthy new you is on the way. Suddenly you hear the voice of the counselor/trainer/coach you’ve been speaking with and the excitement mounts, this could really be a turning point for you. Next thing you know you’re face to face with the person that’s about to take you to optimal wellness, and your heart sinks. Your Counselor/trainer/coach is obviously overweight. I’m not talking about 5-10 vanity pounds; I’m talking about a good 50-60 pounds overweight. What do you do?Do you now doubt the validity of the program? If it were so great why isn’t it working for counselor/trainer/coach, are they using it, does they have a medical condition that keeps them from using it? There are a ca-zillion questions coming to mind. Somewhere in the recesses of your confused psyche you’re telling yourself not to judge, but dang nabbit you can’t help it. Not wanting counselor/trainer/coach to see your obvious distress you try to make polite conversation as you fill out the required forms. Here’s the $60 million question: are you going to go through with it?

Monday, Monday the start day of most diets. Yes, I used the “D” word. Most people start a diet on a Monday. Is that supposed to be the official fresh new beginning day? It seems to me that if you’re really serious about healthy eating and losing weight you’d, a) not start a diet because you’ll probably stop it eventually and b) start now. Now there are some exceptions to point b. If it’s a day or two before Thanksgiving or Christmas you might as well wait, unless you’ve got resolves of steel. Or, if you’ve just checked into your cabin on a 7-day cruise you’ll feel like jumping overboard if you don’t partake in some of the goodies.This is the real world and timing is everything. I’m not advocating that you go into a feeding frenzy during vacations and holidays or event your own holidays to prolong your plans. Just be realistic and know your limitations. You know the old saying about cutting off your nose to spite your face? Once that healthy eating plan is well in place there will still be tempting times and occasions when you’ll backslide. Find the balance, indulge moderately and don’t like the backslide expand your backside. Take care and be well.

I’ve gotta fess up, I’m hooked on Dancing With the Stars. With every samba, quick step and jive I imagine me out there gliding across the floor. Can you imagine the workout those routines give you? Unless you’re seriously chowing down in your trailer during rest periods, how can you not drop some pounds? Then there’s the skimpy costumes. Most leave little to the imagination and you do want them to fit. Sashaying with a too tight waistband will cut your breath off and leave you at the mercy of crotchety old Len.The celebrities and the pros put in some serious time for our votes and the all mighty mirror ball trophy, a svelte body should be a given. You may not be ready to don the spandex and sprinkles, but you can still get your groove on and burn the fat.Dancing is great for breaking up the monotony; and there’s no need to worry about the judges scoring you on your technique. There’s nothing that gets your heart pumping like dancing and you don’t have to be good; you just have to move. Studies have shown that ballroom dancing is almost as effective at working your heart as running. And don’t get hung on all ballroom, it also doesn’t matter what kind of dancing you’re doing, the simple act of moving your arms and legs around is enough to get a great cardio workout.

I know I’m about to piss off some people but here goes anyway. Why is it that women will pencil into their budgets regular hair and nail appointments but balk at the idea of paying for a person trainer? Oh they will pay, but not what the going rate is. Now you may be inclined to think that the going rate is unreasonable, but who’s to say. Trainers charge by the hour, hair stylists and nail techs charge by the job. I guess it all depends on your priorities. And I’m certainly not bashing hair stylists and nail techs. My daughter is a stylist in Dallas and I want her to have all the business that she can handle. My point is that there should be balance (there’s that word again).Pampering is a good thing and I think everyone should do it, in whatever form pleases you and that you can afford. Pampering doesn’t always have to mean the girly kind of stuff either. It can be a walk in the park, reading your favorite book, music, meditation or just watching the game uninterrupted. Me time is preventive medicine. Too often we get caught up in the hurry up and do everything at one time game and forget or neglect to take care of ourselves. Forgive me, I digress.What good is a slammin hairdo if you can’t climb a flight of stairs without huffin and puffin? And those perfectly manicured nails will look really great while you’re clutching your chest because of the pains you’re having. Balance and self care, that’s all I’m saying.