What Are you Hungry For? Full Life's Healthy Lifestyle Blog

Get Moving! Count Your Steps!

About a week ago, I wrote about a new study that came out that links taking more steps a day to a lower risk of developing metabolic syndrome.  Today, I found some great, easy suggestions for adding more steps into your daily life (courtesy of USA Today):

• Take 100 steps around your home or office every hour.  Program your computer to remind you when it's time to take a break.
• At the office, don't email or call anyone within 400 feet of you.  Instead, walk to that person and give him/her the message.
• Take the long way to the restroom.
• Take a couple of quick laps around the mall before you start shopping.
• Walk one city block, around 200 steps.
• Take a brisk walk during your lunch break for about 20 minutes or so, about 2,000 steps.
• Walk four laps around a track; about 2,000 steps.
• Play basketball for 30 minutes; more than 4,300 steps.
• Do low-impact aerobic dancing for 20 minutes; more than 2,500 steps.
• Play soccer for 1 hour; 8,000 - 10,000 steps.
  

What do your steps per day indicate about your activity level now?

•  Fewer than 4,500 - you are very sedentary.
• 4,500 - 5,500 - you are sedentary.
• 5,500 - 7,500 - you are headed in the right direction but need to step it up!
• 8,500 and up - you are moderately active...keep it up and keep increasing those steps!

I encourage you to go out and invest in a pedometer today.  Track where you are now and make the changes necessary to increase your steps each and every day (to 10,000 or more!).

 

 

Get Moving! Ideas to Stay Motivated!

Welcome to Wednesday!  I hope you are all having a fantastic week.  Last week, I blogged about the importance of setting long-term and mini-goals when it comes to your physical activity.  Today, I'm going to share some ideas on how to stay motivated, even when you feel very unmotivated.

How many times do you wake up in the morning, the weather is not so great, you may feel a little tired, and you really don't feel like working out?  If you are like most, it can happen often!  Rather than let those feelings get the best of you, take charge, make a plan, and Get Moving!  I guarantee that once you start moving, you will feel 100% more energized and your motivation will return!  Here are some other tips to help you stay motivated:

• Get a buddy to work out with you!  Full Life's theme this month is to Buddy Up...with a friend, spouse, co-worker, or neighbor...for better health.  Download our March calendar for tips.
• Download some new music onto your iPod.  If you don't have an iPod, you should consider investing in one.  Music is a great motivator!
• Try something new.  If you always go to the gym and do the elliptical, try the treadmill or rowing machine.  If you always run, try swimming or cycling.  Changing things is good for your mind and your body.
• Check out workout ideas online.  You can find lots of great  ideas for exercises that you can incorporate into your routine.  If you like to exercise at home, check out Full Life's At Home Sample Workout.
• Practice positive self-talk.  Remind yourself of the reasons why physical activity is so important and remember how good you feel when you do it regularly.  Rather than feeling discouraged because you are unmotivated, turn that energy into something positive - be determined to get back on track.
• Reward yourself!  Celebrate your success...buy yourself a new outfit, pamper yourself with a well-deserved massage, invest in a heart-rate monitor, subscribe to a health & fitness magazine.

For more ideas or support, call us...we are here to help you build a healthier lifestyle!

Get Moving! Set a Goal for Yourself!

Happy Wednesday to all!  I hope that you have been scheduling in time for your physical activity this week.  Remember, it takes energy to make energy!  The more you put in, the more you will get out!

Today, I want to talk about the importance of setting goals for your physical activity and fitness, especially if you are new to exercise or have just become bored with your current routine.  There is no reason why physical activity should ever be boring - it's just too much fun!

Here at Full Life, we work with our clients to set realistic, measurable short and long-term goals to achieve a healthier lifestyle.  And, because we know how important it is to practice what we preach, we, too, set goals for ourselves.  Here are our fitness goals:

• Natalie DeAngelo is training for the 2010 Boston Marathon!
• Alicia Leeds Meyers is training for a 10K!
• And, I am training for my first sprint triathlon, as well as a 1/2 marathon! 

Whether or not you decide to train for an athletic event or if you just want to increase your physical activity and get more fit, the important thing is to have a goal.  Here are some tips to get started: 

• Establish your goal.  Be specific.
• Write down your ultimate goal.  Make it realistic and measurable.  
• Break down your ultimate goal into smaller, achievable mini-goals. 
• Determine how to achieve your mini-goals.  Make a plan.
• Monitor your progress.  Use a training diary or download Full life's Monthly Planning Calendar.
• Be flexible.  Life happens...it's important to be able to adjust your plans and goals as needed.
• Focus on the positives!  Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small they may seem!

If you want some extra support or accountability to get started or stay motivated, call us!  We are here to help you get healthier!

 

Get Moving! America's Move to Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids!

I was so happy to see the recent launch of Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign aimed at tackling childhood obesity.  To fully understand the magnitude of childhood obesity in our country, please take a moment to read these startling statistics:

• One in five preschoolers are obese.  Not just overweight, but obese!
• Blood pressure and diabetes drug prescriptions rose 15% and 23%, respectively, for children in just a 3-year period. 
• Elevated BMI in childhood associated with $14.1 billion in additional prescription drug, emergency room and outpatient visit costs annually.
• Children who are overweight lose arterial elasticity, putting them at risk for heart disease.
• A decline in fitness from childhood to adulthood is associated with obesity and insulin resistance in adulthood.
• One third of people born in the year 2000 or later will suffer from diabetes and others will face obesity-related problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer and asthma.

For the first time ever, this generation of children may not outlive their parents! 

Let's Move! is a community-oriented campaign that will include strategies to address the factors that lead to childhood obesity. Leaders in government, medicine & science, education, business, athletics, community organizations, etc. will come together to encourage and support healthy lifestyles.  Their focus will be on:

• Helping parents make healthy lifestyle choices.
• Serving healthier food in schools.
• Making healthy food more accessible and affordable.
• Increasing physical activity.
  

It is our responsibility to be good role models for our children, to provide them with nutritious food and plenty of opportunities to get regular physical activity.  As a parent, I know that this can be challenging at times.  But, I also know that it's time to stand up and help bring about a positive change for future generations.  Here are some ideas to help you get started:

• Eliminate junk food from the house.  If you don't want to eat it because it's not good for you, why should your children be eating it? 
• Take time to prepare meals with plenty of fruits and vegetables.  If you don't have time during the week, spend time on the weekends making and freezing healthy meals.
• Pack healthy snacks - cut up fruits, veggies, whole wheat wraps with natural almond or peanut butter, yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, low-fat cheese sticks.
• Eliminate soda and other sugary drinks.  Squeeze a lemon or lime into water for a refreshing drink!
• Make family time active - go outside and play catch, go to the park for a game of tag, take a walk after dinner, go for a family bike ride...the possibilities are endless!
• Limit screen time - computer, tv, video games.
• Visit the Let's Move! website and sign up for email updates.

Children are natural born movers - unfortunately, they learn not to move!  We have the opportunity and the responsibility to turn that around in our own families and our communities.  The future of our children and our children's children depends on it!

If you have great ideas or things that you have done to create a healthier lifestyle for yourself and your family, I would love to hear them!  The more information we can share with each other, the better off we will all be! 

Now, get out there and Get Moving!

 

Get Moving...It's Good for Your Body AND Your Brain!

Happy Wednesday to all!  As you may have read in my post last week, I spent the end of the week at the HMR training in Southern California.  It was a great opportunity to reconnect with so many others throughout the country who are helping their clients lose weight and live healthier lifestyles.  There was also some very powerful data presented that I want to share with you today regarding how a healthy, active lifestyle protects against mental decline. 

We have known the benefits for our bodies that result from regular physical activity - it helps to combat chronic diseases, improves mood, helps with weight loss & weight management, boosts energy level, promotes better sleep...

More and more research is now being conducted about how regular physical activity affects our brain.  Here are some highlights:

• Physical activity slows the process of myelin breakdow (myelin is the "insulation" around nerve fibers in the brain).
• Exercise stimulates the production of neurotransmitters and the formation of new synapses.
• Physical activity guards white blood cells from aging by preserving telomere length (telomeres are the tips of chromosomes that protect the cell from aging).
• Aerobic exercise immediately improves short term memory.
• In a study of over 3,000 twin pairs, fitness far outweighed genes in determining higher intelligence.
• Remaining physically, mentally, and socially active has a substantial impact on whether older adults experience declines in memory and cognition, which includes our ability to learn and solve problems...with the benefits of aerobic exercise being the most impressive.

For more information about the studies that produced these findings, please email me at HMRatHome@earthlink.net.

Do your body and your brain good...get out there and Get Moving!  Have a great week!

 

 

Get Moving! Stay Fit When You Travel!

I'm leaving today to go to Southern California for HMR's annual training.  I've got my bag packed and ready to go...

• Outfits, check!
• Shoes, check!
• Jacket & sweater, check! (it's always cold in hotel conference rooms!)
• Toothbrush, toiletries, check!
• Running shoes, check!
• Workout clothes, check!
• Resistance bands, jump rope, food journal and workout log, and IPod, check!

The first four items are things that everyone brings when traveling (or has to buy when they get there!).  The last three may not be the most common items to pack when traveling, but they are an easy way to keep up with your physical activity while away from home. 

Here are some other ideas:

• Do your research...choose a hotel with a fitness center and/or a hotel that offers exercise programs on the television.  If you go to the fitness center, I suggest arriving before 6:00 a.m. or after 7:00 a.m. - this hour seems to be prime time for many business travelers.
• Fit in exercise at the airport.  Don't just sit as you wait for your connecting flight.  Walk 10 - 15 minutes away from your gate and 10 - 15 minutes back (more or less, depending on when your flight leaves).  Use the stairs instead of the escalator - they are always a lot less crowded! 
• Walk, walk, walk, and walk some more.  Especially if you are in business meetings all day, you need to get up and get your body moving when you can.  Even if you can only fit in a 10 minute walk during the lunch break, do it!  And then try to fit in another at the end of the day.
• Stay active!  Don't just lounge by the pool...get in and splash around!  Rent a bike!  Go for a walk and sightsee! 
  
• And, finally, don't use your traveling as an excuse to "eat whatever you want".  Pack healthy snacks and water for the plane.  Bring your HMR meal replacements and hand-held blender with you (or call the hotel ahead of time to see if they will have a blender available for you).  HMR shakes, puddings, and entrees are portable and great for traveling.  Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables - at least 5 servings per day.  Make wise choices when you go out to eat, like grilled chicken or fish, steamed veggies, salad (without cheese & dressing), or a baked potato with salsa!

Remember, the next time you travel, make a plan for how you will fit in physical activity on your trip, go prepared, and keep moving!  It will be that much easier to resume your workout routine when you get back home!

Happy Travels!

Get Moving! There's No Such Thing as Not Enough Time

Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness. ~Edward Stanley

Last week, I read Laird Hamilton's book, Force of Nature.  For those of you who have never heard of Laird (as I hadn't until last week), he has been hailed as the world's greatest big-wave surfer.  I was interested in looking at his book because I wanted to find out about his circuit training workout which, as it turns out, is a great, challenging workout.  But, I was surprised to find so much more in his book, especially the chapter titled "There's No Such Thing as Not Enough Time".  

As I read this chapter, so much of what I always find myself saying to clients was right there in front of me.  As Laird writes, "it takes energy to make energy".  When people say they do not have time for exercise, he states, "how can you not have time for your health and sanity?"  So true...

Yes, you may not have 1 or 2 hours  to spend working out at the gym, but that doesn't mean that you should give up and call it a day.  How about 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes at lunch, and 10 minutes in the evening?  And then on those days that you can devote more time, do it!

The point is that physical activity should be a part of your life, your everyday life.  Plan it, schedule it, and make it happen.  Take advantage of opportunities that arise throughout the day...if you can take the stairs instead of the elevator, take the stairs (& go up and down a few more times). If you find yourself at the mall or the grocery store, make a couple of extra loops around.  Take your dog for a walk.  Play catch with your kids.  The possibilities are endless!

Remember, "it takes energy to make energy"...the more you move, the better!  

If you have great ideas about how you make the time to fit in physical activity, please email me at hmrathome@earthlink.net - I would love to hear them!

 

 

Get Moving! Boost Your Immune System and Ward off Disease

Happy Wednesday to all!  I hope you all are having a great, active, and healthy week.  Remember, fit in physical activity when and where you can...MORE is BETTER!

This week, I want to share some powerful information about the benefits of exercise.  But first, consider this: 

If there was a pill that would:

• Lower the risk of stroke by 27%
• Reduce diabetes by 50%
• Reduce mortality and the risk of recurrent breast cancer by 50%
• Lower the risk of colon cancer by over 60%
• Reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's by 40%
• Decrease depression as effectively as Prozac or behavioral therapy

Would you take it?

Let me ask another question...If you are thin, does that mean that you do not need to exercise?  

And finally...Is weight loss the only benefit of exercising on a regular basis?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions (or even if you answered no), I encourage you to take a few minutes and read The Hidden Benefits of Exercise published in the Wall Street Journal on January 5th. 

While you're there, check out the video about Joy Johnson, an 81- year old marathoner...If she can do it, can't we all??

 

 

Day 2 - My Dog on A Diet

Monroe, my six year old shih-tzu poodle ate something that didn't agree with her yesterday and kept me up all night licking her face and sneezing, panting heavily as she sat on my chest and stared into my eyes, hounding me. It was after 3am by the time she fell asleep and we were at the vet by 9, so I am tired today. I know I'm tired because I keep thinking that a muffin would help.

"Monroe has to lose weight", said Dr F, "she has put on 20% of her body weight in past year."

How can that be? We have not changed her diet. We exercise. (I find myself getting defensive, have I been a bad mom?) Yes, by all means, run the thyroid test, hypothryoid...mmm hmm...

"Little dogs are prone to weight gain as they age but the consequences are heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis..."

Her voice is trailing off. I know. I know. I know all this. Still..."her metabolism has probably slowed down..."

yes- that's it her metabolism...

"she should be taking in 290 calories per day..."

290?! that's it? well that's not enough, Monroe is active and she's big boned - and that's when I knew. Big boned? I am dog mom in denial face to face with the fact thatI feed her too much and give her too many treats. A treat when I leave for work, a treat when she gets out of the bath tub, a treat for dessert when she finishes all her dinner...

I can't say I didn't notice but I blamed it on her haircut - (does this fur make me look fat?)

I'm embarrassed. I coach weight management for a living and I have a pudgy pooch.

I call my sister. She says she just put a post on Twitter saying that if your dog is overweight, you are not exercising enough. Face to face with the truth - ugh! A muffin would really help.

Yep, this has been a tough winter and there have been many days Monroe and I have looked out from our cozy condo and decided not to go out there. (Yes she did help me decide!) I have to admit it.

Monroe and I come home and I take out the measuring cups. 1/2 cup of Purina for her and 1 cup of Kashi for me. Her bowl looks skimpy, mine does, too.

It's cold out, but we're going out for a second walk today, kid. Yep, both of us. If you can do it, I can do it. We've got a weigh in with Dr F next Monday.

Healthy Living Now! - Eat Well, Move More, Celebrate Today!

There's always a reason to celebrate and today is no exception.

Today is the official launch of our new website, a place we hope you will visit often to connect, learn and be inspired to live a healthy, Full Life!

Today is also the Chinese New Year! Traditions on this day include giving $8. in red envelopes and wearing red clothing. 2009 is the year of the Ox which is said to bring stability and growth to all endeavors.

What better time to start- or restart your commitment to a healthy lifestyle!

Yep, there's always tomorrow, always the day after the birthday, wedding, baby shower, anniversary...but why not make this year the year of NOW!

You can make healthier choices in the next 5 minutes...in the next hour... for the rest of today! And put an end to the distracting little voice that convinces you "it's the last cupcake, slice of pizza, cigarette..." or "tomorrow I'll find the time to exercise"...

Your healthier self will remain a fiction of the future unless you begin to seize the moment NOW!

Do one thing - eat an apple, cook the veggies in the fridge, get up from your desk and take a short walk, write down your weight management goals, make a plan for healthy meals today! So many things you can do NOW! Pick one...get started!

Making changes is hard, but you can do it. Just one step at a time, one decision at a time. At Full Life we believe that each day is a new opportunity to live a healthy lifestyle...seize it!

Join us on the path to a healthier lifestyle. Sign up for our email, follow our blogs, check in often for new recipes and tips and send us your questions, stories, thoughts. Put $8 in a red envelope and save it for your new sneakers, throw on a red top and find the strength of your inner Ox. Celebrate the possibilities that a healthier you will bring!

And, if nothing else...have a laugh on us...who said treadmills are boring?