Learn to do a Push Up Properly

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Becky

52 Ways to be Healthier in 2012, #4Why? Push ups are a true “multi-tasking” exercise. When we think of a push up we all think of our arms and chest since that’s where we feel it most immediately. But when you do them correctly, you also work your shoulders, abs (a lot), gluteus maximus, quadriceps,and several of the stabilizing muscles in your back.

So what is a proper push up? Follow this link to the American Council on Exercise’s exercise library for all the details. And remember, if you can’t do a full push up right now, start with your knees on the mat and work your way up to the real deal.

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Embrace “Meatless Mondays”

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Becky

Join the growing number of people who opt to go meatless at least one day per week. It’s a nice way to encourage yourself to eat more healthfully, which in turn lowers your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, as well as being friendly to your waistline. If you’re not motivated to do it for yourself, perhaps your inner environmentalist will be interested. By cutting out meat just one day per week you significantly reduce your carbon footprint and save water (animals sure drink a lot).

No idea what to make? Check out the official Meatless Monday website for recipe ideas, or buy yourself a nice vegetarian cookbook like one from the Moosewood Restaurant.

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Exercise (just a little bit)

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Becky

Every month I read at least one study about the benefits of even minimal amounts of exercise. Just yesterday I read about a Taiwanese study that reported a 14% reduction in all-cause mortality among its participants who exercised an average of just 15 minutes per day. It’s also been clearly shown that short bouts of exercise do wonders for your mood and self esteem. So don’t worry if you don’t have a full hour to spend at the gym. Get in 15 minutes anywhere and you’re doing something great for your body!

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Making Your Goals a Reality

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Becky

If you’re having trouble staying the course as you work toward what you really want, here are a few tricks to try:

  1. Tell someone. Enlisting friends or relatives as your personal cheering section can be very motivating. Lots of us do better when we’re accountable to someone other than ourselves. Just be sure that you pick people who are truly supportive of your goal.
  2. Set up a little reward system for yourself. Maybe you’re inspired by new shoes, new books, or an afternoon at the movies. Having something to look forward to as you reach certain milestones can help keep you going.
  3. Visualize having reached your goal. Spend a few minutes every day imagining how will you feel once you’ve gotten there. What will your life be like? How will it have changed for the better? Take note of all the positives you imagine so you can think back to them whenever the going gets a little tough.

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52 Ways To Be Healthier in 2012

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Becky

Happy 2012, all you Fit Girls (and Guys)!Happy New Year

After a slow end to last year, my New Year’s resolution is to get back to blogging on a regular basis. And with the new year comes a new theme:

52 Ways to be Healthier in 2012

I’ll give you one idea each week to help you live healthier and get fitter. Without further ado:

#1: Set Goals for Yourself

It’s a new year, many of you probably came up with a bunch of resolutions, so what better time to think about making your goals truly attainable. They can be about anything—health and fitness, career, family, money—but if you don’t explicitly state for yourself what you’re hoping to achieve then chances are good that you’ll never get there.

For the best shot at success, make your goals SMART. I’ll use my goal of blogging at least once per week to show you how it works:

Specific—I will post on my blog at least once each week during all of 2012. I’ve made a clear statement telling myself exactly what I’d like to achieve.

Measurable—Once each week. Very easy goal to measure; you’re all going to know whether I do or don’t.

Attainable—This is certainly a reasonable goal. I’ve got lots going on at home, but not so much that I can’t be organized enough to write a bit each week.

Relevant—I already have a blog, I’ve been writing it for a while and I really enjoy it, so this goal seems quite relevant to my life and interests.

Time-Bound—I have indeed given myself specific deadlines.

Good luck with your 2012 resolutions and goals—I hope you are able to attain them all!

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Holiday Party Survival Tips

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Becky

Happy December, everyone! I can’t believe I didn’t post during all of November, but my baby was finally born at the beginning of the month, and the time just got away from me. I hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving!

people at a partyIn the run-up to the rest of the holiday season I thought I’d share a few quick tips on how to avoid potential food-related disaster at a holiday party. Here goes:

  1. Don’t go on a totally empty stomach. If you arrive hungry then you’re going to dive right in to whatever food you see first. If you have a snack before you come, however, food won’t be such a high priority and you’ll be able to scope out the options (and pick the healthiest) before you start eating. Also, you’re always less likely to overeat if you’re not shoving food into your mouth hand over fist.
  2. Beware the mixed drinks. Even though we don’t often think about it, mixers and juices can have more calories than the alcohol itself. Put it all in a drink together and you’ve got weight-gain in a glass. Your best bet is always a simple glass of wine or a light beer. And really don’t even think about the egg nog.
  3. Leave your elastic waistbands at home. They are so forgiving that you will be able to overeat without noticing. Buttons and zippers are your friends at a party—they let you know when you’ve reached your limit.
  4. Be sure you enjoy what you’re eating and drinking. If you’ve tasted something that doesn’t make you happy then stop eating it and put it down immediately. There’s no reason to waste the calories when there is other, better food out there.

What’s your secret to getting through a party sanely? I’d love to hear your favorite tips and strategies! 

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Even a Fit Girl Needs Her Fix

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Becky

It’s Pop Quiz Time!

Candy Corn is:Candy Corn Smily Face

a. Totally gross

b. Completely devoid of nutritional value

c. My favorite Halloween candy

d. All of the above

If you guessed d, then you got it right. Most specifically, I am a fan of Indian Corn, the chocolatey variety “made with real cocoa,” but in a bind the regular stuff, or even those awful sickly sweet pumpkins, will do.

So I’m sitting here with my once-yearly bag of the stuff thinking deep thoughts about Halloween candy. Like, “Why do I find myself drawn to such a disgusting thing?” and “Is it so much worse for me than any other candy?”

I’m pretty sure I’ve got no answer for the first one. I’m not a big fan of sugar-based candy. In fact, candy corn is the only sugar-based candy that I do or would ever buy! But I like it. Period.

As for the second question, I suppose the answer depends on what you’re looking for in a Halloween candy. I’ve already mentioned that candy corn and all its variations are totally empty calories—each little triangle is packed full of zero nutritional value. However, when eaten in moderation, they can also be a very low-calorie treat. For example, my bag of Brach’s Indian Corn says that 22 pieces have 140 calories. Twenty-two pieces is well beyond what my stomach can handle in one sitting, so my snack probably nets me somewhere between 70 and 100 calories. Not so bad.

If you’re interested in making your candy really work for you—giving you a little bit of nutrition while you splurge—then you’ll probably want to go for something from the chocolate and nuts category. One of the better options is a fun-size Snickers Bar. It has 80 calories and 4 grams of fat (seems like a lot for such a small thing, no?!), but it’s also got protein, a tiny bit of fiber, some calcium and other minerals.

By now I’m sure you’re wondering if there’s a point to all my rambling. Here it is:

Candy is Candy.

Whether it’s completely worthless or just sort of worthless, it all falls into the category of “Things We Enjoy But Really Don’t Need to Put Into Our Bodies.” So read labels and think before you eat so you know exactly what you’re getting into. Otherwise it’s amazingly easy to overdo it without even realizing.

And enjoy it! Since you’re not going to have too much (you’re not going to, right?!), make sure you take the time to really, properly enjoy what goes in your mouth.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

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Five Great Reasons to Get Back to Exercising After Breast Cancer Treatment

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Becky
  1. Pink Breast Cancer Ribbon BorderExercise releases endorphins or feel-good chemicals in your brain. These can help counter feelings of depression, raise self-confidence, and generally make you happier.
  2. If your treatment involved surgery, exercise will help you regain both the mobility and strength in your arm(s).
  3. The repetitive movements involved in weight lifting can help pump fluid out of your arm(s), and thus reduce symptoms of lymphedema.
  4. Believe it or not, exercise can actually boost your energy while you’re undergoing radiation or chemotherapy.
  5. There is emerging evidence that exercise can reduce your risk of recurrence by up to 40%. Talk about motivation!!

Each person, and each case is different, so all breast cancer patients and survivors should consult with their doctors before starting an exercise program to get specific recommendations.

For more information, check out the following websites:

Macmillan Cancer Support

Physical Activity and the Cancer Patient (American Cancer Society)

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5 Quick Exercises to Prepare for Baby

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Becky

Your baby will be here soon, so why not get your body ready for all the things it will need to do once he arrives. I’m talking about all the lifting, bending, carrying, and feeding—things that can really cause aches and pains if you’re not careful. So here are five easy exercises that will go a long way to preparing your body for optimal functioning. Do 2-3 sets of 15-20 repetitions per exercise, 3 times a week for best results.

 

Horizontal Row with a Band Around One FootSeated Horizontal Row

Sit on a stability ball or a chair. Put the elastic band around one foot and extend your leg. Begin with your arms extended straight in front of you, and then pull them straight back until your elbows are just past your body. Gently squeeze your shoulder blades together as you pull.

What is this good for: Both carrying and feeding a baby frequently cause your shoulders and upper back to round forward. Strong back muscles can counteract this tendency helping you maintain proper posture and lessening your chances for back and shoulder pain.

 

Squats with Overhead Ball LiftSquat with Overhead Lift

Perform a regular squat while holding a stability ball or light weight in front of your body. As you straighten out of the squat, lift the ball/weight directly overhead. Bring your arms back in front of you as you begin the next squat.

What is this good for: Proper lower body lifting technique is really important so you don’t strain your back. Squatting trains your quadriceps and glutes and teaches you the basic motion you want to use when you lift something (a baby, a stroller, etc.) up. Raising the ball or weight overhead strengthens the upper body muscles that you use during a lift.

 

Biceps CurlsBiceps Curls with Elastic Band

You can do this exercise with either an elastic band under both feet, or using free weights.

What is this good for: Imagine you’ve got a baby cradled in your arm. That’s a lot of biceps work!

 

Diagonal Press Back with a Band Around One FootSeated Diagonal Press Back

Sit on a stability ball or a chair. Put the elastic band around one foot and extend your leg. Extend your arms diagonally in front of you and turn your palms to the rear. Keep your arms straight and press them back as far as you can without hunching your shoulders or losing proper posture.

What is this good for: This is another back exercise will counteract the forward pull of carrying and feeding your baby.

 

Triceps DipsTriceps Dips

You can do these on a couch, bed, sturdy chair, or step. Begin with your hands at the front edge of the couch, and walk your feet out until your knees are bent to a right angle. Bend your elbows until your upper arms are almost parallel to the floor, then push them straight. Don’t use your legs to help you push back up—that’s cheating! :)

What is this good for: You use your triceps for lifting, and they balance your biceps helping you avoid some shoulder and elbow problems.

Note: If you have shoulder problems, you may be more comfortable doing overhead triceps extensions instead of dips. 

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Exercise Your Way to Breast Health

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Becky

Pink Breast Cancer RibbonIt’s October—time for the pink ribbons, charity 5Ks, and heightened focus that come each year with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. And although much, much rarer, we shouldn’t forget that men are affected by the disease as well.

So why, other than to show my support, am I writing about breast cancer on my fitness blog? The answer is that studies have clearly shown that regular cardiovascular exercise reduces a woman’s risk of being diagnosed with the disease.

The jury is still out on how much exercise is needed. Some studies indicate that 30 minutes a day is sufficient, while others seem to point to a need for longer durations. Some show that only vigorous activities such as running or biking up hills do the trick, and still others have seen decreased risk with more moderate intensity activities. And be sure to encourage any teenaged girls you know to be as active as possible as well—there is evidence that physical activity during adolescence plays a key role in reducing breast cancer risk later in life.

Until researchers can reach a more definitive conclusion, the American Cancer Society recommends 45 – 60 minutes of moderate-to-intense cardiovascular exercise on at least 5 days per week. I should point out that this recommendation is essentially identical to that given by the American College of Sports Medicine for the general adult population, so there’s really no reason why we’re not all doing it anyway!Pink Breast Cancer Ribbon Border

 

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