Vacation...

Everybody needs one. Yes, I said NEEDS one. I just returned from a week of no computer, spotty cell phone coverage and hardly any TV. You need that time to have a break from your normal routine, to rest, relax, unwind and recharge. The Europeans do it right--we have it wrong. Here, you are so afraid to take a break from work because of what you will return to. That is sad. Everyone needs a break. Your mind needs a break, your body needs a break, your soul needs a break. It doesn't have to be two weeks in Europe to qualify as a vacation. It could mean that you take a day off work and not do anything--no shopping, no errands, nothing, nada. Just relax. You will be amazed how much it will help. If you have paid vacations, you should certainly take advantage of that--even if you don't leave the house. A vacation doesn't mean you have to GO anywhere, just a vacation from your normal routine.

Take a vacation, get recharged. You will be glad you did!

Sometimes...

you just have to get out of your own way. For example, if you are having some sort of issue and your trainer, massage therapist and chiropractor tells you the same thing--uh, maybe you should listen... Duh. That was an example of one of my former clients regarding stretching. I know that there is a lot of info out there but...if several people are giving you the same advice, maybe you should listen--even if it isn't in "your plan". I see so many people doing things that are counter productive to what they want to achieve. That is why I said that you sometimes have to get out of your own way. It is good to have a plan but plans sometimes need to be adjusted. Pay attention to what is going on with your body, if something isn't working--change it coz what you are doing isn't working! Try something new, you might just be surprised. If the scales aren't moving in the direction you want them to--change up your routine. You body gets acclimated to something very fast and will adapt that as the new normal. That is why you need to change things up--your cardio type, length, speed, etc. That goes for food too--amount of calories, carbs, protein, fat. All of that comes into play when trying to reach your goals.

Maybe it is time to have a look at what you are doing and make some changes.

Change your body, change your life!

12 more reasons to drink water...

A Dozen Ways Soda Damages Your Health**

1) Weight gain. Soda is a significant contributor to obesity. Drinking a single can a day translates to more than a pound of weight gain every month. And diet soda is just as likely to cause weight gain as regular, if not more. It may sound counterintuitive, but drinking diet soft drinks actually will NOT help you lose weight. Artificial sweeteners induce a whole set of physiologic and hormonal responses that actually make you gain extra pounds. (Not to mention the fact that artificial sweeteners are more dangerous for your health than high fructose corn syrup in many other ways.)

2) Liver damage. Consumption of too many soft drinks puts you under increased risk for liver cirrhosis similar to the increased risk faced by chronic alcoholics.

3) Tooth decay. Soda dissolves tooth enamel and is thought to be responsible for doubling or tripling the incidence of tooth decay. Soda's acidity is even worse for teeth than the solid sugar found in candy.

4) Kidney stones and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Colas of all kinds are well known for their high phosphoric acid content, a substance that changes urine in a way that promotes kidney stone formation. Drinking one quart (less than three 12-ounce cans) of soda per week may increase your risk of developing kidney stones by 15 percent. Soda consumption may also be associated with kidney damage, according to a recent study in published in the journal PloS One.

5) Diabetes. Drinking soda stresses your body's ability to process sugar and increases your risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Some scientists now suspect this may explain why the number of Americans with type 2 diabetes has increased by 90 percent in the last 10 years.

6) Heartburn (acid reflux). Heavy consumption of soda is a strong predictor of heartburn.

7) Osteoporosis. Soft drinks containing phosphoric acid are definitely linked to osteoporosis (a weakening of your skeletal structure) because they lead to lower calcium levels and higher phosphate levels in your blood. When phosphate levels are high and calcium levels are low, calcium is pulled out of your bones.

8) Hypertension (high blood pressure). Experts have reasons to believe that overconsumption of soda leads to an increase in blood pressure. It doesn't matter if the soda is regular or diet.

9) Heart disease. Heavy soda drinkers are more likely to develop risk factors for heart disease. Research shows that drinking more than one soft drink a day is associated with an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome -- a group of symptoms such as central obesity, elevated blood pressure, elevated fasting blood sugar, elevated fasting triglycerides, and low levels of HDL or "good" cholesterol. Having three or more of the symptoms increases your risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

10) Impaired digestion (gastrointestinal distress). Drinking soda, especially on an empty stomach, can upset the fragile acid-alkaline balance of your stomach and other gastric lining, creating a continuously acidic environment. This prolonged acid environment can lead to inflammation of your stomach and duodenal lining.

11) Mental health problems. One Norwegian study found a clear association between soft drinks and hyperactivity, and additional links to other mental disorders.

12) Gout. Another recent study found that men who drink two or more sugary soft drinks a day have an 85 percent higher risk of gout than those who drink less than one a month. Gout causes painful, swollen joints, usually in your lower limbs, caused when uric acid crystallizes out of your blood into your joints. Fructose is known to inhibit the excretion of uric acid, which may help to explain the study’s findings.

**Copied from mercola.com. I highly recommend this website. Dr. Mercola is a MD but also practices natural medicine. GREAT website!!! Check it out and subscribe today!!

Listen...

Listen to your body. It talks to you all the time. You just have to listen--and pay attention. It will tell you when you are hungry, thirsty, tired, need to stretch.... Listen to it! Sometimes we get so caught up in our day to day lives that we don't pay attention to the signals we are getting. You need to eat (more than one time a day), you need to hydrate, you need sleep and you need down time. If you don't take care of your body, you are wasting one of God's greatest gifts--YOU. You have to take care of yourself so you can take care of everything else--your job, your children, your friends, your life.


Paying attention to your body is important, but paying attention to your soul is important too. You need time for nourishing your soul--read, write, paint, listen to music, take a walk with the dog, sit in nature and enjoy what you see. Some people feel that they need to "do" something all the time. It is necessary to NOT do something sometimes. The dishes can wait, the grass will still be there tomorrow, the laundry will too. Take a breath, take a walk, take a nap. Take care of you...

Reasons...

If you watch TV or read, you know what a terrible state of health we Americans are in. The sad thing about it is that it is almost totally self induced. Our fast food diet, sedentary lifestyles and Western philosophy of medicine (treat the symptoms--a pill for everything) just to name a few. What has to happen before we wake up?! Our body is supposed to be our temple and just look at how we treat it. We don't give it proper nutrition, don't exercise our body or our minds, don't get enough sleep, put drugs in it (Prescription drugs are at the top of the list!), drink too much alcohol, smoke... Need I say more? It is no wonder we are in the shape we are in! If we don't take care of bodies, they WILL fail us--health problems, disease, joint/body aches and pains... It is just a matter of time before it happens--WHEN not IF. Exercise is a component of good health, especially as we age.

Here are just a few more reasons to get started with an exercise program today. Exercise will help you:

-sleep better
-lose, gain, or maintain weight, depending on your needs
-improve your resistance to fight infections
-lower your risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes
-help your brain work better, making you smarter

The key is to find a program and stick to it. Change your body, change your life. Start today!

Consistency....

Consistency...steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc. After deciding what you want to do (your goal), it takes consistent work to achieve it. That applies to anything you want to do--learn to paint, hit a home run, lose 10 pounds, complete a marathon.... You have to set a goal and work toward it in a consistent way. You can't decide today that you want to run a marathon this weekend. You have to build up your distance and you have to work on it, consistently. Since this blog is mostly about fitness, consistency means that you have to work at it--changing your diet, actually GOING to the gym, doing cardio. It starts with today and you do it one day at a time...everyday. If you are consistent, you will achieve results but--you have to work at it one day at a time.

Start today. Change your body, change your life!

Write it down!

Whatever it is--write it down! Your goals, your workouts, your food intake (aka--food diary), cardio... You will be surprised what you will find when you write things down. For instance...you might just find that you have been eating way more calories than you thought. When you write it down--ALL of it. Those handful of nuts, a couple of Hershey's kisses here and there... You really don't realize what you are putting in your body until you write it down. And don't forget what you drink too. We drink a lot of calories that we don't even think about--tea, energy drinks, soft drinks, beer, wine, sports drinks. All of that adds up.


Your workouts. If you don't write it down, you don't know how you are progressing. You "think" you remember but you don't. You can keep up with the exercises, the weights, the reps and even make notes on how you feel on that particular day. I make notes about my wrist, elbow or whatever else is bothering me on that day. I also keep up with my cardio on my planner. I used to write down what type of cardio (walk, bike, elliptical) and the time. Now--I just circle the day when I do my cardio. Then I have a little contest with myself and note how many days this month I have done cardio. Just another little motivational tool I use myself.

The best way of documenting your progress is taking pictures. People say they don't want to have pics of them at their worst but...you will definitely be able to see the fruit of your labor if you take some pics. You should try to take them at the same place with the same outfit (bathing suit, shorts/shirt, etc.). If you keep them and date them, you can see the progress much better than just looking at yourself in the mirror. A picture gives you a different view. Looking at yourself in the mirror isn't really an objective view. Pictures really tell the story--good, bad and ugly.

So, now you have some new things to think about while charting your progress to a healthier you. I hope you will start doing some of these things and use them to make adjustments and progress toward your goal of a longer, healthier life.

Change your body, change your life!