Archive for Fit Tip
Biggest Mistake In Your Fitness Plan….It is NOT what you think
Biggest Mistake In Your Fitness Plan – Not Keeping A Fitness Journal
BARBARA BRENSEKE
By far the biggest mistake you can make in your fitness plan is not keeping a detailed fitness journal. Fitness journals are an effective way to monitor and manage your entire fitness program. The wealth of information you will gather by keeping a daily diet and exercise journal is extraordinary. You will be able to see specific areas which are beneficial as well as other areas which wreak havoc to your fitness plan. Your fitness journal will consist of three main components. You will keep a food journal, exercise journal and a personal journal. Keeping a food journal allows you to keep track of everything you eat.
That means EVERY food or liquid that enters your mouth. The key is being honest with yourself and really trying to be as detailed as possible recording your dietary intake. Food journals will display daily snapshots of your eating patterns, any cheating tendencies and all the empty calories which are hampering your progress. A food journal is an incredible tool to use to monitor and make adjustments to your dietary plan.
Your exercise journal allows you to keep track of your strength training and cardiovascular program. By keeping detailed records of your total number of sets, repetitions and weight used for each exercise, you can monitor specific changes in your strength levels. You can more accurately and effectively manage your strength training workouts to keep progressing week after week. Exercise journals are also important for keeping detailed records of your cardio workouts. Did you run 10 miles this week or did you ride the stationary bike for 30 minutes? How about the intensity level of your workouts? When you document your cardio exercises, you will be able to look back and see the correlation between your changes in your body weight and specific cardio exercises. This provides incredible feedback to gauge your plan and make adjustments. Your personal journals keep track of your thoughts, feelings and emotions. You will be able to record your energy levels, any motivational issues and your overall emotional state. Are you burned out on your current fitness plan and need a change?
Write down your feelings and think of different ways to improve your fitness plan. By making little changes in your cardio routine or diet plan, it will become more exciting and give you the extra push to keep going. Always remember, what gets measured gets managed.. If you write it down, you will have a much better chance to stick with your fitness plan, make adjustments and keep improving every week. Fitness journals are a significant part of your daily routine, providing the feedback you need to stay on track and reach your fitness goals.
Fit Tip: Tuning Out Is Healthy
Tuning Out Is Healthy
BARBARA BRENSEKE
Can’t miss your favorite TV shows, even for a day? Hide the remote.
Less time clutching your clicker could mean less risk of type 2 diabetes. Here’s how too much TV trashes your blood sugar levels.
Blood Sugar Booster
Seems that watching television affects the glucose in your blood — and not in a good way. More tube time may mean higher blood glucose levels, particularly for women.
Over time, that could set the stage for type 2 diabetes, where chronically high blood sugar levels can damage your eyes, heart, kidneys, and other organs.
Want An effective way to control blood sugar?
Get yourself off the couch and into the gym.
Keep training hard!
Fit Tip: TRAIN your BRAIN
10 Ways to Keep Your Memory Strong
Chances are, throughout your lifetime you have experienced your fare share of memory blunders. Forgetting things from time to
time may be common, but it also can be extremely frustrating.
It’s never fun to misplace your keys, draw a blank on a test, forget someone’s name or blow off a friend’s birthday. Being able to
retain and retrieve information helps to strengthen all realms of your life, both personally and professionally.
A good memory is one of the most powerful and valuable assets you own. There’s no reason you shouldn’t protect it. Recent
studies have found older adults who spent more time in leisure activities that required mental effort had less chance of developing
Alzheimer’s disease.
There are plenty of ways to fight forgetfulness and keep your brainpower strong. Just like you can’t expect to get a six-pack
stomach by sitting on the couch all day, don’t expect your memory to be at the top of its game without a proper workout. Your
brain needs to pump mental iron consistently to boost its memory muscle.
Check out these 10 ways to keep your brainwaves active and your memory strong.
1. Brain Food: Don’t let yourself run on empty. A balanced diet will help keep your mind functioning well all day long. Be sure to
include plenty of fruits and leafy green vegetables. They are loaded with essential antioxidants and nutrients to boost your
brainpower. Some of the best foods for thought include blueberries, blackberries, fish and fish oils, eggs, spinach, strawberries
and almonds.
2. Exercise: Get your body moving and your memory will soon follow. Exercise improves the heart’s blood flow. This, in turn, helps
the brain function better. Studies have also found that cardiovascular exercises done over a long period of time help reduce the
amount of brain tissue you lose as you age.
3. Brain Games: Unscramble your memory with Scrabble. Intellectually stimulating activities and games such as Scrabble, crossword puzzles and trivia games are great for sharpening your memory. Have fun and challenge your brain with these fun memory games.
4. Pick Up a Book: The key to keeping your memory sharp is to continue to challenge it. Try to always have a book in hand. After
you’re done reading a chapter or two, question and review the material you’ve read. Try to imagine what you’re reading. Discuss
what you’ve read, and talk about it with friends or join a book club
5. Take a Sip Down Memory Lane: Coffee is good for not only getting you out of bed in the morning, but also perking up your
memory. Researches found the stimulant effect of caffeine can help improve memory. Studies also show that key enzymes found
in green and black teas help improve memory functions.
6. Cultivate Interests: We tend to remember the things that we enjoy. Find ways to make a boring subject fun by associating it with something you already know. If you have to remember a list, try to make a fun sentence out of the first letters of each item or try categorizing things into a group. You can also use your imagination and create a fun story behind a subject to help make it easier
to remember.
7. Catch Some Zzzz’s: Sleep plays a critical role in your physiological function and is vital for your intellectual development.
Memory failure is a common occurrence for many sleep-deprived individuals. A study conducted at the University of Luebeck found
that creativity and problem solving appear to be directly linked to adequate sleep.
8. Repeat After Me: When learning new things, the more you repeat it, the more likely you will be able to recall that information.
Practice is the key to lasting memory. Practice is the key to lasting memory. Practice is the key to lasting memory.
9. Give It a Beat: Music not only helps trigger memories of past events, but also stimulates learning. Music has also been shown to
help people retain information, and it opens people up to multiple modes of information retrieval.
10. Pick Your Own Brain and Share It With Others:
Don’t store your knowledge. Teaching others is another great way to hone memory skills. You should also become your own teacher. Don’t be afraid of taking on new challenges. You might not be in school anymore but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t test yourself. After you learn something, it’s important to put the new information to use.
Fit Tip: Visualize Your Success
Visualize Your Success:
On days you find it hard to start your program, imagine how you look and/or feel on meeting your next goal.
Picture yourself having made that achievement and then get to work!
Alternatively visualize how you may look if you don’t keep up the good work.
4 WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS & STRENGTHEN YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM:
4 WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS & STRENGTHEN YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM:
Stress seems to have become a constant factor in today’s fast-paced society. If left unchecked, it can wreak havoc upon our health. Learning how to effectively manage stress can mean the difference between being robust and full of life, or becoming susceptible to illness and disease. Stress can weaken the immune system and accelerate the aging process. The ability to relax and rejuvenate promotes wellness, vitality and longevity. A healthy immune system regulates our body’s healing process and protects it against infections and diseases. When stress compromises our immune function, it can result in colds, flu, fatigue, cardiovascular disorders and premature aging. Stress increases heart rate, blood pressure, glucose levels, adrenaline, cortisol, free radicals and oxidative damage. This initiates the “fight or flight” response, places undue strain upon the heart, and can also increase the feelings of anxiety and depression. Protecting the immune system is a vital part of living longer, feeling younger and being healthy. Here are four of ten natural healthy ways to reduce stress, boost your immune system and slow down the hands of time.
1. Walking and Physical Activity. Regular exercise and physical activity strengthens your immune system, cardiovascular system, heart, muscles and bones. It also stimulates the release of endorphins, improves mental functioning, concentration/attention and cognitive performance, and lowers cholesterol, blood pressure, cortisol and other stress hormones.
2. Stretching/Dynamic Warm-up. The slow movements and controlled postures of the dynamic warm-up improves muscle strength, flexibility, range of motion, balance, breathing, blood circulation and promotes mental focus, clarity and calmness. Stretching also reduces mental and physical stress, tension and anxiety, promotes good sleep, lowers blood pressure and slows down your heart rate.
3. Hand Hygiene. The most effective measure in preventing the spread of microorganisms that cause infections is good hand hygiene. Washing your hands with soap and water as soon as you come home, and always before you eat, greatly reduces your exposure to bacterial and viral infections. In case you cannot wash with soap and water when you are away from home, carry some alcohol-based hand wipes with you to control microbial exposure and transmission.
4. Laughter and Humor. There is truth to the saying that laughter is the best medicine. Laughing reduces stress hormones like adrenaline (epinephrine) and cortisol. It also benefits your immune system by increasing the number and activity of Natural Killer T-cells. These cells act as the first line of defense against viral attacks and damaged cells. Find the humor in things and engage in activities that make you laugh to increase your immune function and disease resistance.