exercise Archives

Dragging Butt in the Morning? (It May be Worth the Drag)

Getting up early in the morning some days can be pretty rough (I was never a morning person)… today was one of those days. Hit the snooze button too many times, really had to push myself to get up as my whole body was feeling heavy and actually quite lazy.

Once I came downstairs and had a look at what workout was on the menu for today, I actually groaned. It was MMA power sculpt which is a really hard one and my least favorite of them all. Eugh!

I was close to saying “to heck with it, I will do it later”, when I realized that “later” likely won’t happen. Life gets busy in the day and time slips away! I took a deep breath and just made myself do it! It was grueling and difficult for me today. I got tired faster than usual and was sweating a LOT! Was very happy when it was over and felt a sense of real accomplishment that I was able to make myself do something I really didn’t want to do…because it was good for me.

I had to remind myself this morning, of the reasons that I started doing early morning workouts in the first place! The benefits of early morning workouts are incredible! Even if you are not a morning person, keep an open mind, because I felt it was impossible for me to become an early riser at one time, but once I felt the difference, I was hooked!!

The Benefits of Morning Exercise are so worth the drag…here is why…

ROAST THAT METABOLISM for the whole day!

By getting up and doing a workout first thing in the morning, the metabolism gets kicked up and makes you burn more calories and use the food you eat to replenish body and for energy instead of storing it as fat!

NO INTERRUPTIONS!

By getting up early in the morning before anyone else in the house is awake, it prevents the potential for interruptions and allows you to be more consistent with your workout schedule. When I used to do evening workouts, there was always something in “life” interfering with my schedule causing workouts to go way too late or being missed entirely!

IMPROVE NATURAL ENERGY

By getting up and doing an early morning workout, it jacks up our energy to start our day! Morning exercise improves focus and mental abilities the whole day! By working out in the morning, my mind is totally ready to take on whatever tasks are lined up for the day! Exercise has proven to give even more mental alertness and prolonged energy than caffeine!

SELF DISCIPLINE

I talked about self-discipline the other day and just like building on any other habit, success in achieving new habits totally build up your self-discipline “muscle” AHA!! Implementing a morning workout routine will help to increase self-discipline in many other areas of your life too then!

SLEEP BENEFITS

Morning workouts have been shown to improve sleep quality. By working out in the morning, our bodies will have the healthy tiredness that we are supposed to have at the right time (bedtime!). Evening exercise can potentially have the opposite effect because of adrenaline release during exercise and may interfere with sleep quality. Another AHA for me since my sleep used to be much worse with evening workouts!

BE SUCCESSFUL

By developing a healthy habit such as morning exercise that increases metabolism, allows you to be consistent with your workout plan, improves energy and focus through the day for other life activities, builds your self-discipline ‘muscle’ and improves your sleep….you can only IMAGINE how much easier it will be to reach your fitness and health goals!! By making yourself (yes, dragging your butt) get up in the mornings, and making the sacrifice to do so…makes it more likely that you will stick to a healthier eating plan through the day as well. ….Rather than eating too many calories and having the mindset of … “oh, i will just burn this food off later” (as in…with an evening workout…that may not happen)

HATE MORNINGS?

I used to hate mornings too! I had to really make a solid decision for change and use self-discipline and determination to keep it moving forward. I used a few rules for myself to help me to implement this new habit. 1. I put the alarm far away so that I would have to get up to turn it off; 2. I make myself get up right away before my mind can stop me 3. I would set my workout clothes the night before to be prepared to get moving; 4. I have 500 mL water as soon as I get up, then have a pre-workout energizer shot and GO 5. Found an exercise program that I enjoy so that it is not a ‘chore’ and is only 30-45 minutes. 6. Remind myself of all the benefits that I get from morning workouts on a regular basis

OK…so if you are not currently a morning exerciser, then I challenge you to consider it. Have a look at the benefits above and seriously ask yourself if you would like to have those benefits in your life? Is it worth dragging your BUTT out of bed each and every morning? Give it a try and pre-schedule some home workouts in for a full week, then decide if it is worth the drag. I believe you will be amazed and will do it again…and again…and again…

To learn about 7 ways to increase your self-discipline, be sure to enter your name and email for a free download. Having strong self-discipline can totally change your life in many ways!

Defend Your Health (How to make the Healthy Choice Easy)

As I was doing my defensive moves this morning, I had this sudden thought about how important it is to vigorously defend our health in today’s world.

If I think about all the things that potentially could interfere with our health, there are so many! There is life stress, food additives and chemicals, environmental pollution, lack of exercise, lack of proper nutrition and nutrients, past life experiences affecting our emotional health, very busy and demanding life (rush rush rush), and more…

So, I was thinking about how much dedication and focus it takes to be healthy. Because, if you think about it, what are the easy choices now days? Yes, the easy choice is reaching for processed food, the quick answer, the pre-made type foods (all bad stuff!). Then I was thinking about how it takes effort and intention to make the healthy choices in our life the easy choices… We may not be able to control the environment, but we can control what we put into our bodies!

So, how can we make this easy? …

Some ways to make the healthy choices the easy choices are to prepare some simple healthy food ahead of time especially before a busy week. I do not like cooking, so I needed to find a great and fast way to throw stuff together. For example, I cook up a tray of healthy proteins for the week on Sunday…takes me 5 minutes to throw frozen chicken breast on a wax paper covered cookie sheet, paint them with hummus and bake in the oven. I can get a lot of other work done while those suckers are cooking! These chicken breasts through the week make good fast meals either being cut up on top of a salad or heated hot with some frozen veggies that I toss together. I alternate the chicken with cod, other types of fish, boiled eggs and ground turkey recipes. It works great, is never boring, and you are always prepared for nutritious eating and it makes healthy the easy choice when it is ready to grab from the fridge!

A few other ideas I use to prepare for a healthy nutritious week…

I always have 0% greek yogurt and low fat cottage cheese in the fridge which makes good meals with raw unsalted nuts and fruit (and no cooking required!). I spend only 15 minutes every 2-3 weeks making up 15-20 ziplock baggies of 1/3 cup raw unsalted nuts and seeds so they are easy to grab and go. Fresh fruit always available (apples and oranges because they don’t go bad). What other ideas for healthy easy snacks can you come up with? Please COMMENT on this post with your ideas!

What about when I get the munchies? (yes, we all do!)

I have Ryvita Bread (Muesli crunch is my favorite) on hand for those times when I feel the munchies come on. I can put a little smear of peanut butter on one or two of those, and its a great healthy snack that satisfies my munchies. Better to have this kind of thing readily available than salty popcorn, chips, or other unhealthy chemical-filled snack foods around. Be sure you are well-fed before heading to the grocery store and you will be less likely to buy junk food! Avoid having crap in the house, otherwise it becomes an easy choice to eat junk food and we do not want that!

Some Research is worth the time…

Get to know what types of foods are actually healthy. Stick mostly to the perimeter of the store to do your shopping because thats where most of the real whole foods are. Peek at the labels and if there are more than a few ingredients or a bunch of chemical names, stay away from it. Join clean eating groups to learn which foods are and are not healthy. Learn some new simple recipes to keep your nutrition interesting and delicious.

Are you familiar with the value of superfood?

It is important to know that the nutritional value in our foods and veggies are NOT what they used to be. There are vital nutrients missing that help to fight against oxidative damage that can lead to disease including cancer. This is where the use of superfoods can make a HUGE difference in our health. The superfood shake contains phytonutrients, cellular nutrition, antioxidants, micronutrients, natural herbs (and ZERO artificial ingredients) that increase body efficiency (including hormones) and is our best defence against disease, promotes weight loss and kills cravings. Having superfoods in a shake form, is not only convenient for on-the-go, but contains a large number of superfoods in just the right mix and balance to optimize their benefit!

DEFEND YOUR HEALTH! By far, optimal nutrition and regular exercise is the best defence we have!

PAY ATTENTION to what you’re putting into your body because what we put into our body equals the health that we get out. You could be a healthy eater in general, but if you snack on or add in high fat, salt or chemical-filled garbage foods, this will totally zap your energy and take your body weeks to get rid of it! Remember, these chemicals interfere with our body’s fine signalling processes, interfere with hormone balance and interfere with our body’s ability to function efficiently to keep our arteries clean, fight infections, control fat deposits and have energy!

Don’t forget that daily exercise is critical to keep muscles healthy, heart strong, maintain balance and helps our body to use energy efficiently. Set aside a time each and every day where you can consistently get your exercises in…schedule it and make it a non-negotiable! I keep a blank printed out calendar handy beside my TV in the rec-room and every time I do a workout or exercise, I document it on the calendar. This is a great way to track activity and you can look back and see how much you have achieved and where you can improve. Its a great technique and increases motivation too!

Yup, it just hit me this morning as I was exercising about how it takes effort, focus and intention to maintain health and so important to have a simple sustainable plan and the easy choices readily available to grab and go. Taking the time to learn the simple ways to do this is worth it!

TO join the Athletic Grandma Community, enter your name and email HERE and receive a FREE download about how to be more self-disciplined in your life!

Essential Hydration Tips (and Why I Need Help With This One Today)

It took everything I had to get my dynamic strength workout done this morning.. My muscles kept powering out, had a nauseating sweat going, felt weak and slightly dizzy. After the workout, I did not have my usual energy, and had to lay on the cool floor afterwards totally spent. I was thinking to myself…what the HECK is wrong with me!?

I took a minute to think about it and realized something! During my whole clinic shift yesterday, I was quite cold, so instead of drinking water, I turned to hot drinks instead…and it was coffee! This created a problem in more than one way. Firstly, I normally only have one cup in the morning, so all of that extra caffeine affected my sleep, plus I most likely got dehydrated as well with the large amount of caffeine and not enough water! A double whammy! ?

I certainly felt the awful effects of the dehydration and lack of sleep this morning with the fatigue, muscle heaviness and no energy!

Time to remind myself (and you) of the critical importance of proper hydration and why our body needs it!

Our body is composed of 75% of water for good reason! Why is adequate water so important?

Water helps to convert our food to energy and helps body to absorb nutrients and carry the nutrients and oxygen to our body’s cells.

Every cell in our body is constantly producing waste products and toxins that need to be flushed out and without adequate water, buildup can occur. Water helps our body to get rid of waste. It also helps our digestive system to move properly

Water regulates our body temperature…even mild dehydration can affect this.

Water boosts energy, makes brain feel clearer and boosts productivity

Water reduces risk of cancer by getting rid of (flushing out) oxidizing materials and more.

Water can help us lose weight and promote better hormone signalling in the body and better transportation to various organs.

Dehydration can result in headaches, depression, memory loss, chronic fatigue and muscle weakness….and loss of energy to exercise!!

I have learned my lesson today. I need to stay hydrated!

OK, so how much water should we be drinking each day? Take your body weight in pounds and divide by 2. That number tells you how many ounces of water you need each day. So, for example, if you are 150 lb, you will need 75 oz of water daily which works out to 2.25 litres! BUT, if you drink coffee or take in other caffeine sources or alcohol, water intake needs to be even higher!

To be one of my health and fitness LIFERS, be sure to enter your name and email address to get a FREE download about how to improve your self-discpline!

Working Out for Beginners (and Grandmas), and the surprising way it will change your life.

...to be healthy and fit feels fabulous! — …to be healthy and fit feels great and is worth the work!

Thinking of working out, but you’re a little afraid?

Or maybe you’re afraid of getting bulging muscles. (Don’t worry ladies, that’s highly unlikely.)

Think you’re too weak or too old or too lazy, but you want to at least give it a try?

Good.

Then I want to quickly tell you how it’s going to change your life. I mean even in your everyday stuff. I’d also like to give you a bit of direction about how to start.

How Working Out Will Change Your Life

The first thing many want when they start on their fitness journey is to look different. Thinner, smaller, tougher, lean. And that may happen, but you need to know right at the start, you’ll get much more out of it than just looks.

Your energy will increase. Assuming you’re eating clean and getting enough calories, the adrenaline and other hormones released into your body by exercise will affect your energy.

Your body will work better. Exercise affects you even at a cellular level. When you’re active, the body will use food more efficiently, and many parts – like the thyroid, endocrine system, pancreas, digestive system – will all signal and function better as a result. It’s pretty amazing how movement (or non-movement) affects the body.

You’ll feel better. Client after client has reported feeling more positive, less depressed or lethargic, more motivated and a feeling of being more capable. Exercise improves mental and emotional health, not just physical.

You can do more normal stuff. I’ve noticed this in my own body. Since I began working out, I can do a lot more on my own. I can bring in all the bags of groceries by myself without huffing and puffing afterward. I can shovel snow without pulling a muscle. My joints are stronger. And, if I need to move the couch or fridge, I can do it easily on my own – all important things for a single grandma!

Working Out – Where to Start

It’s a bit tough to say where to start, because it really depends on where your body is at.

A person recovering from back surgery or a teenager will need a whole different routine than an overweight mid-forties woman who’s otherwise healthy.

It’s always best to get the personalized advice from a coach who can advise you based on your specific needs and fitness level. (I can help with that) So please take the following not as specific personal advice for you to follow, but more as a general guideline.

That said, it’s often best to start slow. For a few reasons. If you’ve been especially sedentary or have health issues, this is especially true. A good beginning for you might be to stretch daily or every other day, and go for a walk or bike ride. Keep it light to start – pushing too hard right off will only destroy your motivation and invite injuries.

The next stage would be to increase intensity by either lengthening the time of your walk or bike ride, or increasing the difficulty, perhaps by traveling uphill or going faster for portions of the workout. A person could also add a cardio workout routine or consider joining an accountability group! Click HERE to ask how!

The (Most Important) Thing Beginners Forget About

Most people stop there, forgetting to add the vital element of weight lifting (resistance training).

Wait ladies – before you envision giant barbells and bulging muscles – that’s not what I mean. Not at all.

Here’s the truth about muscles. If you don’t make them work, they weaken. They weaken a lot and actually shrink (atrophy), becoming nearly useless. A lack of exercise leads to atrophy of skeletal muscle, which essentially leads to a smaller number and size of the muscle cells!

Lifting is Easier Than You Think

Just so you know, lifting doesn’t have to be this big, demanding ordeal. I’ve been working out for years, and only lift 2-3 times a week. The rest is cardio. It doesn’t take huge amounts of time to get results.

It may suit you best to start out with smaller weights (3-5 lbs) even once a week, and work up to 10 or 15 as you gain strength.

The bottom line: if you don’t use your muscles, they’re going to leave you.
You need them. Work them. Even just a little at first. Starting small is okay.
The important thing is that you start.

To get tips about getting started on clean eating, click HERE.

To join the athletic grandma community, enter your email address HERE and get a free download about how to improve your self-discipline!

12 Reasons Women Think They’re Overweight (Which One Have You Used?)

It sometimes takes a little detective work to uncover the root cause... — It sometimes takes a little detective work to uncover the root cause…

The other day I asked my Facebook followers a very personal question. “For those of you who feel you are overweight, what do you honestly think the reason is for you being overweight? No judgment here, I’m just interested in the answers.”

The comments that came in were surprisingly varied and honest.

Of the many answers given, the following list of twelve reasons is a culmination of common themes and answers given.

See if any of them hit a nerve with you personally.

A lack of control and willpower. I make excuses for myself and lack balance when it comes to health.
I am stressed. Stressed with the kids, overwhelmed with life, and not getting enough sleep either.
I’m overly busy at work and home. Often that leads to not planning meals or packing healthy food for the day, or not eating enough. I’m pretty sure that’s affecting my weight.
I hate exercise (or can’t exercise due to medical issues)
Emotional eating and other bad eating habits have plagued me for years. Maybe since childhood. And I struggle to believe I can change it
I’m a sucker for junk food. Sweet, salty, bring it on. I can’t resist.
I just plain love food. Lots of it. Pass the potatoes. And the gravy too.
I think my biggest problem is laziness. It’s too much work to cook. Or exercise. And especially to be consistent with it. Sometimes I can do it well for a while, but then I fall off again, which makes me feel like giving up.
I don’t care. There are more important things than health and fitness. I’m fine the way I am.
My physical and mental limitations make me overweight. (depression, hypothyroidism, boredom, hormonal issues, PMS, digestive issues)
I’m going through a major lifestyle change – there’s not time!! (Just had a baby, changing jobs or schedules, new marriage, moving to a new home, death in family…)
I try and try, but keep falling off the wagon. Why BOTHER?! It’s depressing and embarrassing to fail at this all the time. Hard to get motivated with that going on…

That’s not all. Many women also said they didn’t like the feeling of being overweight. Which makes sense.

As these varied answers show, there is no one reason for why we’re overweight. It should be obvious then that there is also no one solution. Still, we think there is, don’t we? Exercise and eat right. That’s the magic fix for everyone. But that’s just behavior. Behavior is always driven by something deeper.

Ultimately, to fix the problem, to actually make a lasting change, we need to understand the root cause.

Once we glimpse what’s driving our behavior, we have a chance. Then we can change our beliefs or behavior to lead to transformative change.

Which of the 12 reasons did you most identify with? Mention them in the comments, or feel free to add your own reason.

CONTACT ME here, if you would like help to dig deeper, identify and resolve your own ROOT cause (many times, its not obvious and we are not even aware of it!) to make longer term success easier and more possible for you.

9 Ways to keep Weight Off Over the Holidays

How to resist indulging during the holiday feast?

The holiday season and gathering time is upon us! It is a great time for celebration with co-workers, family and friends. The down side is that it also tends to become a time for over-indulgence and weight gain!

Why is this important, you ask?

Some statistics show that people gain an average of 8-12 pounds the last 3 months of the year between Thanksgiving, Halloween and Christmas Celebrations. If something isn’t done about this, this can lead to a LOT of extra weight and health issues. Who wants that!?

Just because we are in the holiday season, doesn’t mean we have the open ticket to gorge ourselves! The holidays do not have to cause weight gain if you think differently about it, have a different focus than food and follow a few tips to stay healthy.

By implementing a few simple tips you can stay healthy through the holiday season and change your focus to the activities, the fun and the true meaning behind the holiday celebrations.

9 TIPS to Help you out:

Avoid Focusing on Food…

Take focus off the food part of the celebrations. Focus on the true reasons you are getting together with others you care about such as catching up with people you have not seen in awhile, focusing on the Christmas Season and its true meaning, and participating in some fun activities such as cards, skating, making decorations, walks to check out locally decorated homes or just to enjoy the fresh air.

Have Realistic Expectations…

Be realistic. Don’t make your main focus about losing weight during the holidays. Just focus on maintaining the best health possible while avoiding gains.

Exercise Daily…

Make time for exercise every day. Exercise reduces stress levels during holidays and certainly contributes to your efforts of preventing weight gains! Consider adding extra exercise to your regular routine due to the potential increase of calorie intake during this season. An example could be an extra 30 min cardio session or even a brisk walk each day.

Avoid Skipping Meals…

Avoiding skipping meals. Be sure to have healthy snacks such as fruits, veggies, raw unsalted nuts, and/or fat free plain yogurt prior to going to a celebration or party to avoid being too hungry! This way there will be far less temptations!

Watch those Unhealthy Fluids…

Be sure to be careful about the amount of unhealthy fluids you drink. Many beverages are packed with fat and sugar (especially some egg nog and cocktails). Alcohol is a dangerous one to be drinking if you want to stay healthy since it reduces our inhibitions generally, can lead to increase snacking and over-indulgence. Also, alcohol tends to be full of calories and sugar!

Scan for Healthy Options…

When you go to an event or party, have a look at what foods are there before you start filling your plate. Choose the foods you like in small amounts and try to balance your plate to be lighter on the calories with salad and vegetables (and avoid heavy sauces). If you know there will not be any healthy options available, consider bringing your own healthy food with you or bring a healthy meal to share with others!

Cook Healthier at Home…

When doing your own holiday cooking, try to cook with the healthier, lower fat, lower sugar and lower salt alternatives. For example, you can put the gravy in the fridge and skim the fat off the top once it hardens. Use more vegetables in your stuffing instead of breads and use low-sodium broth to cook with. Remove the skin off your meats and trim any visible fat. When you make mashed potatoes, try using skim milk, garlic, low sodium broth, and Parmesan cheese instead of whole milk and butter.

Eat Slow and Stop when Full…

Eat slowly and stop once you are satisfied. Don’t keep eating until you feel over stuffed. Enjoy your favourite foods in small portions. Take in the surroundings, enjoy the people you are with and have fun without over indulging on foods or drink. You will feel much better afterwards!

Enjoy and Find a Way to Burn off the Extra Calories…

If you happen to overeat at a celebration, don’t be down on yourself. Just exercise more and eat lighter the following few days. We can make up for the small indulgences by having a plan! So if you really want a butter tart, have one, but consciously have a way to make up for it.

In summary,

Be sure to enjoy all of the holiday festivities, plan to be healthy and focus on enjoying the real reasons for the holiday celebrations and avoid over-focusing on food.

Be sure to make time for physical activity and cook as healthy as possible for your holiday meals.

Don’t restrict yourself from enjoying your favorite holiday foods (find a good way to make up for the extra calories!).

Once the holiday season is over, your mind and body will thank you!

Please comment below with your thoughts on keeping weight off over the holidays! Any other tips you might suggest?

BONUSES FOR YOU

Learn how to eat Clean: To get a free PDF download about the basics to get started with a clean eating lifestyle, CLICK HERE

Have me as your Coach: To read more about me and why I would like to be your coach and help you get healthy and fit….see it here! To join my next fitness, fat burning and nutrition challenge, message me HERE.

My Patient’s Emotional Pain Nudged Me to Heal From My Own

Emotional eating can feel like the answer

I caught myself doing it again.

There I was in front of the opened fridge, searching for peace.

It had been the kind of long, frustrating day no commute could erase. Maybe it was the two patients I’d seen whose troubling stories broke my heart. Maybe their struggles with depression and emotional trauma had hit a little too close to home. Now, an unstoppable string of painful memories threaded its way through my mind.

“I thought I dealt with this already. Why am I rehashing this again?” I sighed and closed the fridge.

Nothing in there would fix this ache in my heart. And it certainly wouldn’t stop the rerun of disturbing images through my mind. I’d have to deal another way. Without snapping at people. Without rolling my eyes and sighing at them. Without withdrawing or stuffing my face.

It’s crazy, isn’t it, how things that happened decades ago can trigger negative behavior in the present. Even stuff we’ve dealt with. Forgiven. Accepted and learned from. Or thought we had.

Many coaches say that forgiveness (and, I’d add, dealing with trauma) is like peeling an onion: it has a lot of layers, and each one makes you cry. I’ve certainly found this to be true as I worked through each painful layer of my past.

The weird thing was that I couldn’t force it. I couldn’t hurry up and heal, or race to the next level. Each layer of healing seemed to come when I was ready, and it would always surprise me when it came.

Like this week. I never saw it coming. But suddenly something like a patient’s suffering can stir up a mess of memories I didn’t realize I still needed healing from.

When that happens, my behavior can get weird. I can suddenly find myself in the fridge, or any other number of bad habits I once had, to help me deal with the pain. Overeating (some kind of carb with peanut butter and jam), staring at TV, grumping at my family, and ignoring my friends.

Has that ever happened to you? Has something triggered old painful memories and sent you headlong back into rotten old habits you thought you’d kicked?

It’s not a bad thing.

I mean, we definitely need to find a way to avoid those negative behaviours. But here’s the thing. Once we become aware of what is triggering our behaviour – once we realize the connection between our past experiences and our current behaviour – we can short-circuit the effects of those old wounds.

We don’t have to continue to be hurt by our past.
We don’t have to let past pain hurt our present.

Practically, what this looks like for me (once I recognize what’s triggering my behaviour) is to close that fridge door and walk in the opposite direction of that loaf of bread. I’ll try to find a quiet place to sit down and let the memories come. I will, once again, (again!!) decide to forgive and let it go, just as I had before. Then I’ll fix my mind back on the present – on my current goals – and choose a behaviour that fits with that.

Instead of going to the fridge to feed my feelings, I resolutely choose to engage with my daughter and grandson. We’ll play a game, talk, go outside for a walk, read a book or sit and play with toys – whatever it takes to engage in healthy activities.

We can break free from our past, from hurt.  But it takes some self-awareness and the willingness to choose a new path, one scary, difficult layer at a time.

How to you shake free from past hurts when they come knocking?

Please comment on this post. I would love to hear your ideas!
Click Here to download FREE 6 tips to help Emotional Eating issues