ExciteHealth

Mentally drained equates to low energy

2009-10-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

So you're working hard, the sweat is streaming down your face burning your eyes as you squint into the midday sun. Even though your mind should be concentrating on the task at hand, you find yourself more tired than usual, and you can't seem to pull yourself out of the funk. Your mind is restless and yet exhausted from the daily onslaught it has experienced at work. Your finding it difficult to keep pushing on and finally you succumb to the mental fatigue that has been plaguing you during your entire workout.

This situation is not uncommon. Women's Health magazine sited an article by the Journal of Applied Physiology that reported, in general, you have less endurance when your mind has been working overtime. Fatigue plays a large role in your ability to maintain high intensity workouts, even if you are telling your mind to keep going. The lead study author mentioned that fatigue affects areas of the brain that are responsible for your sense of effort. If your brain is exhausted odds are you won't be able to generate a formidable amount of energy to complete intense workouts. If you can't go without a workout on a tough mental day be sure to allow enough warm-up and cool-down time. Keep the intensity at a low to medium and try not to over-exert. Your mind is in control of how you perform during your workouts and whatever your mind says your body will follow suit.

I always encourage you to be active at least 30 minutes everyday, but it is not a necessity to push yourself to the edge during every workout. Don't assume I am suggesting that you use this as a way to get out of exercise, just keep in mind that when you're mentally exhausted you will have difficulty maintaining your energy level. Don't be too hard on yourself if you can't find determination that is usually there. Give yourself a reprieve and your mind will return to you well rested and ready to go.

Source:

Women's Health

Journal of Applied Physiology

Community candy dish...friend or foe?

2009-10-14T15:48:00.000-07:00

Alright people listen up, the community candy dish staring at you seductively will only leave you heartbroken in the morning. If your work area is like most, there's probably a candy dish sitting out somewhere. Whether it's free or there to help fund a cause, it is not your friend. Most of us feel guilty indulging in the sweet treats sitting out at work, but rationalize it when it's being used to fund a cause such as cancer research. But here's the thing, it doesn't change the fact that you are stuffing empty calories into your face, not to mention your thighs. In fact, you're actually contributing to the healthcare crisis by becoming overweight, or at the very least contributing to what may be an already unhealthy diet. You may tell yourself "it's just this once, I am having a bad day". But it soon becomes easier to frequent the candy dish several times a day, which can eventually add up to hundreds of extra calories consumed. If you truely want to contribute to the cause just put your money in the envelope and walk away. If you want to take it a step further, advocate for replacing the candy with healthier snack options such as granola bars or 100 calorie packs.

Poor diet choices at work usually spill over into poor diet choices at home. Consistency is the key to maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle. It may be easy to enjoy that snickers bar for 5 minutes, but it's hard to carry it around on your hips and thighs 24 hours a day. Think about this way, on average it takes about 7-10 minutes to burn 100 calories running at 6.5-7.5 mph. So it will take you about 30 minutes to burn off one average size snickers bar, think about that when you are on your third one of the week. But if you enjoy looking at that overweight image of yourself in the mirror, then by all means keep gorging.

Vacation?!...Not so fast

2009-10-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

So you're going on vacation, good for you! But if you think slacking off on your workout for a week or two won't matter, think again! No matter what workout you choose, staying active is a must while away on your latest trip. Why? A little thing called "the principle of reversibility" or "you don't use it, you lose it!" But c'mon, how much could really happen in a week right? Well, just 1-2 weeks of detraining reduces both metabolic and exercise capacity. Don't believe me? Try it out! But if you're anything like me, you might not enjoy losing all your hard earned adaptations and basically feeling like crap for a week when you get back to your routine. So maybe you won't have access to your favorite gym or running trail but no matter where you are there's always something you can do! Check out that local hiking trail you spotted while reading the community board at the local coffee shop or take a jog on the beach.

While visiting family in New York this summer I had some amazing experiences hiking through gorges and waterfalls that I completely overlooked when I lived there. If nature isn’t your cup of tea, cruise the local shopping mall or antiques stores. Even if you are visiting family in an area without much local entertainment, you can always take a walk or run the local streets. But what about maintaining that buff bod? If you are trying to maintain strength, add in some push-ups or chair dips. If you're looking for more of a challenge, head to the nearest playground where you’re sure to find plenty to keep you busy. Those monkey bars, perfect for pull-ups or leg-lifts. Those benches, great for step-ups with knee raises. The point is, there's always something you can do no matter where you are. So don't let going on vacation make you feel like you have a pass on working out. Trust me, you'll come back feeling more refreshed and energized if you stay active while away.

Be smart about what you put in your mouth!

2009-10-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

Unless you have a supermetabolism, you are what you eat. Everyone has heard this saying at least once in their life, and unfortunately it's true. It's pretty rare to see someone whose diet is filled with pizza, burgers, and sweets be healthy and in great shape. The reality is, if you have a terrible diet, you will have a terrible body. Food should not be the enemy. It should be embraced and loved...but not smothered. One of my absolutely favorite books is Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin...read it. The authors strive to tell the reader that being healthy and maintaining a great body does not come from eating whatever you want. It comes from refraining from stuffing your face with guilty pleasures! The authors make an effort to point out that a great diet isn't about deprivation but about making smart choices. If you have the choice between an apple or a snickers bar which is the more sensible choice? This is not rocket science. But then there are still those individuals who don't know how they gained so much weight in the last six months after eating nothing but candy bars and cookies for lunch.

When making diet choices always keep in mind how you are going to feel after you indulge. I understand that being able to eat a treat now and then is the only thing keeping you sane, just remember that you can eat chocolate and cookies but in MODERATION. The world will not end if you don't have dessert and an appetizer when you go out for dinner. Make smart choices, if you want dessert skip the appetizer or vice versa.

Snacking also causes a problem with most individuals. Snacks are vices. There are some that are better than others...obviously. But the problem is that people tend to snack all day and then proceed to have gigantic meals three times a day. There is a time to say, "ok I am not hungry I am just bored, that is why I am eating constantly". The best advice I can give you is to refrain from emotional eating, maintaining your metabolism throughout the day by eating small snacks that are nutrient dense. And by small snacks I mean a cup of nuts or almonds, an apple, low-fat yogurt, or low-fat smoothie.

It's important to take a step back and analyze your diet. This exercise helps you to identify problem areas in your diet so you may develop ways to combat them. When you are able to accept that your diet is less than perfect, it gives you the confidence and motivation to make big changes that will pay off big time in the end. Your body is controlled by you not by the food you eat. Always strive to better yourself. Don't slack off because it is during that time you will relapse and have to start over. Keep yourself on track and nothing will be able to stop you...not even a chocolate bar.

Lifestyle change

2009-10-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

Lifestyle change is an evolutionary process. If a lifestyle was capable of being changed overnight, there would be no need for the self-help aisle in the bookstore. Everyone would be well-dressed, self-employed, driven, and the motivation to succeed would be endless. Unfortunately, change takes time and is often too overwhelming for most people to contemplate. It is essential for an individual to begin weaving healthy habits into their life in order to help facilitate lifestyle change. It’s not enough for an individual to think about changing problem behaviors they must take immediate action and incorporate behavior change in their daily lives. It is the “doing” that essentially jump starts lifestyle change.

Another key factor that helps to insure behavior change is motivation. The individual must feel motivated enough to begin examining their lifestyle tendencies in order for there to be behavioral change. In order to have a successful lifestyle change the individual needs to take responsibility and become self-reliant. If the individual relies on others for motivation or confidence they are essentially giving up responsibility and control. It is also important to note the difference between a “lifestyle change” and “dieting”. Some individuals come to believe they are being proactive and initiating a lifestyle change by crash dieting with 10 days of just water and grapefruit. This is not a lifestyle change. Being able to wake up in the morning and have a positive attitude all the while forgiving yourself for mistakes that you have made - that’s a lifestyle change.

5 Lifestyle Change Strategies

What will keep you motivated?

The key to lifestyle change is consistency. It is essential that you know where to look for your motivation and consistently refer back to your source if need be.

It’s ok to ask for help.

Adding just one person to your fitness and nutrition goals increases your motivation and offers additional assistance if a problem should ever arise. Group exercise has been proven to produce better results.

Know how to reward good behavior

You have been working hard to achieve your goals. Make sure you reward yourself by taking a trip, going to the movies, or going shopping! Never reward yourself with food.

You can overcome setbacks.

A lifestyle change doesn’t happen overnight and there is bound to be some setbacks. But it is important to know that you can overcome obstacles and it is not the end of the world when you fall short of a personal goal. It is ok you’ll make it up next time!

Refrain from emotional eating.

For many of us emotional eating is a heavy burden when we become depressed, sad, upset, bored, or stressed. It is important to maintain your confidence in yourself and if you feel overwhelmed take a yoga class, relax, and breathe.

It's important to always approach lifestyle change with excitement because it will increase your motivation to stay on track. Give yourself permission to be imperfect and don’t expect miracles in the beginning. Be prepared for constant change in you and your emotional state. Lifestyle change is all encompassing and will not only change you physically, but it will change your entire outlook on life. Allow yourself to reach your full potential and make sure to motivate yourself no matter how hard achieving your goals might seem. Stay confident and always believe in yourself.

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it. ~Plato

Why is it so hard to exercise?

2009-10-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

Ok folks here is the cold hard truth-exercise is suppose to be hard. If it were easy there would be a vast decrease in the amount of over-weight individuals. Unfortunately we are not seeing a decrease in over-weight individuals-why? Because we are lazy! It's natural to take the path of least resistance but that only makes you weaker. Exercise is not easy, but that is no excuse to throw in the towel and eat 5 cupcakes and a bag of chips while you flip on the boobtube. There are so many excuses that individuals use to get out of exercising. It's rare to hear someone say, "I love working out and I have so much time and energy to do it!" You know what? We all have lives, we all get tired and have a hard time finding the motivation to get off our butt and go for a run. There are millions of us who wish that we would never gain a pound no matter what we ate or how hard we exercised, but this is not reality. Gaining weight is extremely easy! And if you don't recognize that you will have to put forth some sort of effort weight gain will eventually find you.

You have to realize there are ways to make exercising easier-on your Psyche. It is extremely important that you find a mode of exercise that you ENJOY doing. If you don't like to run don't do it! If you enjoy hiking, walking (briskly of course), or tennis then I encourage you to use those modes as your way to exercise and to burn off steam. Your body needs some sort of activity to maintain it's vigor and youthfulness. If you sit like a bump on a log and watch every sitcom there is your body will eventually atrophy and disappear before your very eyes. You are in control of your own health and well-being. Make sure you understand what the consequences of leaving your body unattended are...it includes death.

Hello, lets talk fitness

2009-10-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this blog is to offer individuals free health and wellness support and guidance. The internet is a barrage of various fitness sites that offer the world to you-for a nominal price...but do they deliver? I am not saying that I am a miracle worker or that I will change your life in any way. I am simply offering you the chance to have nutrition, fitness and wellness information at your fingertips-without worrying about the price.

Some of you may be wondering what I would know about fitness and such, so I would like to offer my qualifications and let you decide from there. I have a bachelor of science degree in Exercise and Rehabilitative Science and I am a American College of Sports Medicine certified Health Fitness Specialist. I am an avid runner and enjoy weight-lifting, and I mean heavy weights I don't mean I lift once a week with 5 pound weights.

I am not at all interested in sparing your feelings. I say it like it is. I never understood why people are spoon-fed fitness and nutritional information. In order for you to learn and actively adopt a lifestyle change you must fall on your face at least once. You need to create a routine that works for you, not anyone else, just you. You need to understand that just walking around a track with your best gal-pal or buddy at a slower than desired pace just so you can chat it up is not doing anything for you or your weight problem. In fact your body is not feeling a thing. This also does not constitute a "cardio workout". I am here to discuss what works and what doesn't. I invite you to join me. If you think I am full of crap, then let me know and don't continue listening to me...lets begin.