Health and Fitness Routines

Having a routine is the best way to keep your life, health and nutrition well balanced. We all go off track sometimes, but doing daily things at the same time helps us live a healthier and happier lifestyle. Especially with your nutrition, knowing how to eat, what to eat and when to eat is the best way to help nurture your body with the healthy foods.

Not only nutrition routines are important, but workout routines are just as imperative to have in your lifestyle. But most of us find that sticking to a routine is quite hard and time consuming. We all have priorities that come above the “routines” and many things in our daily lives come up that cause us to forget that our health is just as important as our jobs and other priorities.

Here are some suggestions to help or start daily nutritional routines:

- Set a goal(s)

- control portion sizes

- Plan your meals ahead (pack lunches the night before)

- go to the gym classes and stick to those classes every week at the same time

- designate one to two days a week to just cardio, or set up a walk with a couple of friends 1-2 times a week on the same days

- stretch your body for at least 8 minutes every morning

- eat at the same time every day, and try not to drastically change what you’re eating

To help explain more about the importance of daily routines for your health and body, view the videos below for some insightful and helpful information.



Nutrition - "The Good & Bad!"

Nutrition plays an important factor in our every day-to-day life, whether it is a good or bad source of nutrition.  For effective weight loss, not only is exercise effective, but 75%, of weight loss, has said to deal with nutrition.

Good nutrition can lead to good health unlike bad nutrition, which can lead to bad health, which can cause many diseases.

Good Nutrition

When referring to good health, you want to make sure that your body intakes the recommended amount of calories, protein, carbohydrates, sugars and fats per day.  When making healthy food selections, such foods are mostly beneficial to your health:

·         All types of vegetables.  There is no recommended daily amount, although, it should be eaten in moderation.  Green vegetables have the most amount of iron which enhances energy. Bok-Choy, asparagus, beans and broccoli are great sources of iron.

·         All fruits.  Try to eat more of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, since they are high in antioxidants.

·         Wheat. If you want carbohydrates and bread seems to be your choice, try to select breads that are whole wheat, whole grains or multigrain. 

·         Meat.  Try to eat non-fatty and eat more of lean and high protein meats. Do not exceed the amount of 8oz per day. Chicken, lean beef and turkey are great sources of lean meats.

·         Fish.  Any source of fish should be eaten at least 3 times a week.  Stick to more of salmon and tilapia since both are high in protein.

·         Other types of healthy food or snack choices are: brown rice, nuts, soya beans and eggs.

Drinking 8 glasses a day will help reduce any toxins in your body and make you feel much lighter.

Bad Nutrition

            We all love the taste of fatty, greasy foods, but these foods are what causes bad health and may even cause diseases.  Eating these unhealthy foods will and can cause blocked arteries which can eventually lead to death.

            Unhealthy foods that we need to stay away from are foods such as:

·         Oily Foods.  These contain oily foods such as fries, chips and burgers.

·         Fried Foods. Don’t these certain foods taste delicious? STAY AWAY! Chicken fingers, wings and fried fish are bad for your diet.

·         Butter based foods. Desserts are my favourite, but all the butter that is put into baking foods is all fat that will go right to your butt! When the need to use butter, try to use margarine instead since it’s somewhat healthier than regular butter.

·         High Fat Foods.  When purchasing food items, check out the nutrition facts and what you should be most interested in, is the saturated and trans fat.  Both fats consumed are bad for the body.

When selecting you choice in consumption of food, it is important to look at the nutrition facts and ingredients.  Try to avoid packaged food items and processed foods and purchase more of fresh, lean foods.  They are better for your health as well as help to improve good health and proper weight loss.

Importance of Stretching

Stretching does more for your body than merely leaving you smooth, flexible and injury free. Stretching allows you to move better and ultimately gain better posture and can help in preventing things like arthritis.

A lot of people jump right into the gym or their exercises without stretching first and that can cause a lot of damage to your muscles. It is highly important that after a workout, even in the morning when you wake up to thoroughly stretch your muscles. A common mistake that many people make while doing their stretching exercises is the bouncing movement while in the stretch. This isn’t the proper way to effectively stretch your muscles because it's a sharp, abrupt movement which can cause damage to the muscles. Focusing more on the specific muscle that you are stretching and gradually push your limit without causing yourself pain is typically the more effective way of stretching.

Additionally, moving slowly and gently into the stretch is typically correct way. When practiced correctly, stretching is an essential part of any fitness regimen and can help you to avoid injury, increase flexibility and have better posture.

Some stretching exercises include:

-       Abdominal Lat Stretch

-       Abdominal Twists

-       Hurdles Stretch

-       Standing Hamstring Stretch

-       Chest and Bicep Flexibility Stretch

-       Forearm Stretch

-       Calf Stretch

-       Butt and Hamstring Stretch

-       Groin Stretch

-       Neck Rotations

-       Triceps and Lat Stretch

Stretching exercises help to relieve stress as they get the blood flowing - improving circulation while adding flexibility and relieving muscle tension. Working all day, no matter what your day consists of, our bodies become tense, and starting your stretch right from when you wake up enforces many benefits for our body’s muscles and bones.

Posted By: Nicole Spadafora

Learning To Manage Stress

     Stress plays a big part in peoples lives today, this is why we need to learn different techniques to manage stress.  People seem to have no time to relax and everyone is always on the go.  We need to think about taking care of our bodies and health before its to late.  Here are some ways we can learn to manage stress.

     Before learning on how to manage your stress, you first need to recognize that you feel stressed.  If your diagnostics is positive, here are some ways to manage stress and get back on your feet.
    
     We need to avoid stressful situations.  Try not to take on situations that add to your busy lifestyle.  Don't get involved with other peoples situations or business.  This will linger in your mind as another task that needs to be looked after, but not.

     Set realistic goals.  Don't set goals that are impossible to meet.  Your not superwomen or superman.  This will make you stressed out.

     Change how you see the situation.  If something doesn't go the way you planned, try not to stress.  If your having a bad day, its not the end of the world.  We tend to make such big deals out of nothing and we need to learn to control this by taking a deep breath and saying to yourself that "It's okay."  There are always alternatives to every situation.

     SLEEP! A lack of sleep just aggrevates stress!

     Set Priorities.  Don't overwhelm yourself by fretting your entire workload.  Deal with manners in some priority.  Handle each task as it comes.

     Discover new relaxation techniques.  Meditating and breathing are excellent relaxation techniques.  It calms the body and mind down allows you to think more openly and clearly.

     Exercise.  Exercise  is the bodies best medicine.  It allows you to feel less stressed and allows you to think more clearly.  Anytype of exercise such as cardio or strength training is excellent.

    

All these techniques are effective.  Managing stress with proper techniques along with sleep is most benefical to ones body!

    

Staying Committed To A Healthy Lifestyle

       I know we all have the challenge of sticking to any healthy and active lifestyle, and no doubt it is hard, but staying committed to a healthy lifestyle has so many benefits. We all have those lazy days, and those days we just feel like eating junk and that is totally okay, but what you must remember is to not over do it! Staying on track is very important and establishes balance in your life. Once a routine is started, it is good to keep it that way, and maintain that consistency. It is important to not beat yourself up if you do go off track, and just remember what your goals are and re-commit.

       Working out on a regular basis, about 3-4 times per week, for at least 30 minutes is a good consistent and healthy plan to stay on track with your life and health. Also, surrounding yourself with a very supportive people and community helps your motivation.

Some tips that are helpful to stay committed and consistent to your diet and lifestyle are:

-       Don’t make unrealistic goals

-       Do it with a friend

-       Make gradual changes

-       Don’t work out to hard too fast

-       Schedule your work outs as a priority

-       Record what you eat

-       Be practical

-       Don’t try to do too much at once

-       Know your limitations

-       Join a gym with a friend who has the same mind set

       All of these tips can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle, as well as get to where you want to be. Because “healthy lifestyles” is becoming more and more common to many people, it is very important for people to be willing to commit to a plan and be honest about their ability to change their lifestyle for the better.

Supplements and Weight Loss

       Whether you are a committed health and fitness addict or looking to lose weight,  supplements can be used for both purposes.  Their are many types of reliable name brand products such as: Gaspari Nutrition, Ultimate Nurtrition, Allmax Nutrition and MuscleTech to name a few.

        Most popular products that are purchased to enhance ones body weight include protein supplements, fat burners, pre/post workout supplements, energy drinks and CLA supplements, but the 2 most used to reduce ones body weight are: protein supplements and fat burners.

      
The best protein powder supplement used is "Iso-Sensation 93."  It comes in different flavours such as chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and cookies n' cream.  This protein supplies nutrients and other necessary biological elements and activates and regulates numerous immune, growth, and repair processes.  It comes in a 2 lb or 7lb container with 130 calories and 30g of protein.  The most effective time to use this protein would be directly within 45 minutes after a completed workout session.  This protein is used to build and maintain body muscle. Some good sources of protein include:

                                  1. Protein Powders

                                  2. Lean Meats

                                  3. Eggs

                                  4. Fish

                                  5. Soy

                                  6. Low-fat dairy

       An individual should eat 1-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you want to eat 150-300 grams of protein per day.

       Fat Burners help you lose weight a lot faster and are most effective with a proper fitness plan and diet.  Without a proper fitness plan or diet, it would be hard to reduce the amount of weight expected.  These fat burners increase your metabolism and convert the fat stored into energy, which is then burned off through proper daily exercise.

       Not all fat burners are harmful to your body.  Each individuals body is different in terms of health conditions (if any), therefore, when taking this supplement, be sure to analyze the power strength of the supplement.  The power strength ranges from mild - extra strength.  If your concerned about the effects of fat burners, you may also use an alternative such as natural green tea.  Green tea consists of caffeine and antioxidants that will help one shed off pounds just as fast as fat burners.

Confidence is KEY! Living a Healthier Lifestyle

Sometimes we women get carried away with constantly doing things for other people, we forget to treat ourselves. Especially when it comes to health and fitness, and living a healthy lifestyle, it is imperative that not only do we look good, but feel good as well. We all want to have that inner and outer confidence and that is why treating and pampering yourself is a good way to ease your stress and feel better about yourself.

Doing things like going on a vacation, getting a new hair cut, going to the spa & getting new clothes are all things that could reduce your stress and help you live a healthier lifestyle both mind and body. When we are constantly doing things for others we forget about our own needs, or we just ignore them and the stress bottles up, and we are left with an unhealthy level of confidence.

Here are some easy, inexpensive ways to pamper yourself (When your done making everyone else happ

1. Treat yourself to some fresh flowers

2. Go to the spa and splurge on the services they offer

3. Schedule a "me" day and get the things done you couldn't

reguarly do because of work

4. Get a free make over and the make up counter

5. Buy scented body washes, creams, and bubble baths and

take a nice hot bubble bath

6. Get a manicure and pedicure

Staying healthy and fit also means making pampering yourself a priority. When we are unhappy and don’t feel good, it reflects on how we look and carry ourselves in our everyday lifestyle. Being happy and being confident creates a more balanced feeling in your life and helps you project positive energy rather than negative. This does not mean you have to go out and spend all the money that is in your wallet, since you could easily do most of this pampering at home without spending a fortune. Ultimately, by doing this, you are just setting aside time for yourself, living a healthier lifestyle, and trying to prevent being at the bottom of the “To Do list”!

Post by Nicole Spadafora on Monday February 14, 2011 at 9:52 pm
Image credited to africa.

Advantages of Working Out In The Morning

Working out in the morning, can have many advantages as oppose to working out in the afternoon or evening.

Life has become so busy for most that it is hard to commit to a time of day where we choose to fit some exercise into our daily schedules. Ask Yourself:  What is the best time of day to workout? Morning? Afternon? Evening?

I do believe that their really isn’t a perfect time to workout.  Everyone’s body works best at different times of the day.  What you need to ask yourself is, “When do I feel most awake and energized out of the day?” “When do I feel I can make a contribution of 100% in my workout?”  Think about it.

Depending on what time of day you workout best, there are of course advantages, but morning workouts are proven to give more results.

The advantages of a person who workouts best in the morning are:

1.   Increase in your metabolism.  It has been found in some studies that by working out in the morning, you can increase your fat burn by 2 to 3 times compared with exercising at other times per day.   

2.   Increase Energy Levels and Alertness.  When you exercise in the morning, you will start to see an improvement in your energy level and alertness throughout the day.

3.   Less Likely to Have Your Routine Disrupted.    When you exercise during the day or in the evening, it is a lot easier to be distracted by other parts of your life as opposed to exercising in the morning.

4.   Better Sleep.  Morning exercise is proven to improve your quality of sleep.  This means that you will sleep soundly throughout the night.


Take the time to workout in the mornings as its advantages will be extremely benefical throughout the day!

How to Create Healthy Shopping Habits

Creating healthy shopping habits is a challenge for a lot of people and families. Sometimes you’re not just shopping for yourself but shopping for 4 or more people, especially when children might be in the picture. A lot of men and women forget that their health is affected too by poor shopping choices. And yes, we all know that buying packaged foods is the easier way to go and is more convenient & less time consuming but ultimately it is a bad shopping habit.

One of the first things that a person, couple or family should do before heading to the grocery is planning ahead. Before the week starts, try to brainstorm what kind of meals you will have or serve for the week and estimate how much of everything you will need. Another important part of creating healthy shopping habits is making a shopping list before going to the grocery store. This way you have a list to follow and not just grabbing items you think or may need, but only getting the necessary stuff written down on your list. Your list should be based on what foods your menu for the week calls for.  Also, when planning you meals and making your list it is important to remember to always include as many fruits and vegetables in your meals. Having fresh produce, as well as frozen vegetables is a good idea, as well as a quick way to get as many required servings of fruits & vegetables.

Now I know we all get the temptation to eat or snack on something while we are in the grocery store, so it might be a good idea to have a snack before you go shopping or shop on a full stomach.  

This is just a start to ultimately turning around those bad habits and pitfalls while shopping and turning them into healthier food choices leading to a healthier lifestyle for yourself (and your family).

The Most Effective Exercises That Target Certain Muscle Groups

  

  Depending on which body part you want to gain muscle, there are certain effective exercises that are performed to target those specific muscles groups. The most common muscle groups targeted in which individuals want to gain muscle are: abdominals, arms (biceps/ triceps), shoulders, buttocks and legs (quads and hamstrings).

    Known as the toughest place to lose that fat, especially in women, to gain tight abdominal muscles, the most effective exercise to perform is the “Bicycle Exercise”. The bicycle exercise is considered to be the most effective exercise. It targets both the rectus abdomen and the oblique’s (waist). To perform this exercise at its maximum, you must lie on the floor with your hands behind your head; bring your knees towards your chest without pulling your neck; straighten the left leg out while simultaneously turning the upper body to the right, taking the left elbow towards the right knee and continue this by switching sides.

    The most effective exercise for biceps is the “Concentration Curl.” This particular exercise concentrates all your energy into that bicep muscle. To perform this exercise at its maximum, sit on a steady seat holding a dumbbell in the left or right hand; bend forward engaging your abs with your left or right elbow on the inside of the left or right thigh; contract the bicep and curl towards your shoulder, then lowering the arm down keeping tension in the bicep. The most effective exercise for triceps is the“Close Grip Bench Press.” This exercise mainly works the triceps, but even works the chest and shoulders. To perform this exercise, lay your body on a firm bench with your feet flat on the floor; grip the bar close to your shoulder by keeping your elbows to your side; lower the bar until it touches your chest; push the bar back up without locking your elbows and repeat.

    Gaining muscle in your shoulders requires the most effective exercise of the “Bent over Lateral Raises.” This exercise targets the upper back, rear deltoids and traps. Stand with your legs width apart with your knees slightly bent to prevent strain. Bend slightly with your back straight and neck parallel with your back. Hold dumbbells in each hand with elbows slightly bent and raise the dumbbells to the back and upwards in a semicircular arc and repeat.

    Everyone wants that tight butt. Lunges seem to do the trick! There are many types of lunges, but the “Sliding Lunge” is most effective accomplishing that tight butt. It targets the hips, thighs and glutes. For proper performance, stand feet width apart with then stepping back with your right leg with the right and left knee slightly bent and hands on your waist. Bring the right leg back and repeat.

    There are two muscles that are mainly focused for the legs: hamstrings and quadriceps. The best exercise for these particular muscles is the “Dead Lifts.” It is mainly targeted on your hamstrings, but works your quads too. This exercise is performed by standing straight with a bar in your hands slightly bending your knees while bending down with your back straight and head down. Your core should be on. Keeping the bar close to your body while lowering down, bring it so that you feel it in your hamstrings. Slowly bring it back up and repeat.

    Remember with all exercises make sure that you keep you abs tight and not to lock any body parts (elbows and knees).