FamilyInShape

Mental health

This week's focus is on exercising your mind.  Too many times we get caught up in the daily to-do's and when we do take time to rest we end up thinking about what we could be doing or what we plan to do later or what we could have done.  Instead of wasting your precious quiet time on those mindless worries, why not feed your mind by feeding it, nourishing your thoughts with mind games, reading, puzzles and the like.  Check out these ideas and maybe share some of your own ideas: 

Exercise your mind:  an article on CNN.com states that, "Just as physical activity keeps your body strong, mental activity keeps your mind sharp and agile. One way to do this is to continually challenge yourself by learning new skills. If you continue to learn and challenge yourself, your brain continues to grow, literally. An active brain produces new connections between nerve cells that allow cells to communicate with one another. This helps your brain store and retrieve information more easily, no matter what your age." With news like this, what have we got to loose, except our minds.

Read: Mike on livelife365 says, "Anything that occupies your mind differently, works another part of the old gray matter, is beneficial. Reading is great for you. Toss out that TV and read, every day. Fiction, non-fiction, magazines, newspapers, ahh, blogs? Yes, those too. Expand your knowledge, learn new things--you will enhance your life now, and really help yourself as you age."  Keep a book in the car to help you kill time while waiting for your kids at the baseball field (or wherever they may be), keep one by your bedside table, replace your remote with a book every now and then.  So pick up a book, keep it handy and read a page, read a chapter when you can and throw your mind into a story or a learning  activity that will take you away from your daily tasks.

Puzzles: Tarun from Paranoid Escapes suggests "A few ways to exercise your mind is to do some crossword puzzles, or play common games like solitaire or chess to keep your mind sharp." She also suggest Yoga for mind and body health. I think jigsaw puzzles are fun and progressive.  They take a little longer to complete, but the end result can be a beautiful landscape photo along with a feeling of accomplishment--that makes anyone feel pretty good on a bad day. The idea is to get your mind involved in something that will not only improve your memory and sharpen your mind, but also, take your mind off anything that might me causing stress.

Laugh: Chris from ThatsFit! points us to a study that "examines the total body connection; an understanding that the mind, the body, and the spirit work in conjunction to regulate our psychophysiology."  It's seems clear to me--we all need to start laughing a whole lot more.  Read the Sunday comics, these can be sent to your inbox via email, find humor in life.    Improve your mood and reduce stress watching stand up comedy or funny movies.  Don't miss the opportunity to laugh.

Sleep: Need I say more!  We all want to sleep more, well why not get a cat nap during that scheduled relaxation time.  Colleen from 3DayMom says, "Just snoozing for 20 to 30 minutes can work wonders for a stressed out, tired old body."  She adds that "... you’ll feel better, you’ll have more energy, and your productivity in the afternoon will go through the roof."  I will have to agree with that, even though I am guilty of denying myself a nap in place of doing chores or catching up on emails, homework or other activity.  On days when I listen to my internal mechanism and let myself take a nap, I do feel better the rest of the day.  Granted, when I first get up from a nap I feel groggy, I just drink a tall glass of cold water, iced tea or hot tea and the groggy feelings are replaced by a superb energy.

Music:  I love listening to all types of music.  It can be therapeutic, calming, entertaining and energizing. Whether I'm listening to oldies, classic rock, country or Latin music--it all just boils down to me and my not-so-great singing voice.  In the end, a very happy heart evolves.

Time will pass, the chores will always be there, and the callers and emailers can leave a message.  Don't miss the opportunity to play, read, laugh, and sleep.  Now go play some mind games and stay sharp!

Stay Well,

"It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop."--Confucius

Nutrition- week 3

photo by IDcross

Many of us have weak moments throughout the day when we feel like we must eat something.  These moments of weakness never amount to anything good.  I admit it, I have a weakness right around 3:00 PM everyday (Oreo cookies and milk or nachos beware!).  If I don't plan my day in advance I will likely fail and eat something I shouldn't.  Now, I don't mean we can't indulge in some goodies every once in a while, but not everyday and certainly not every time our little hearts desire.   

First of all, if we eat balanced, nutritious meals, starting with breakfast, we are less likely to have these crazy cravings.  Second, we must first recognize what it is our bodies crave.  Many times I've been able to escape the claws of my cookies and milk by simply drinking a glass of cold water or herbal tea, hot or cold.  I personally wouldn't recommend ignoring a craving or ignoring a grumbling stomach because chances are you will devour something before or during dinner and then you'll feel worse.  It is best to recognize what your body is telling you and give it hydration and nutrition, it really doesn't have to be bad.

Second, it is also important that you prepare for your week, in advanced.  Make a list of recipes, snacks, drinks, anything you can anticipate you might want to eat that week.  Have a plan, a list, and a full stomach when you go shopping and you'll be less likely to buy foods you wouldn't normally buy. 

Not long ago I went to my local Farm Fresh on the way home from the gym.  I stopped in to get milk, cereal and fruit.  I was starving after a hard workout and needless to say I picked up a bag of "healthy chips" to tie me over.  The bag comes with 4 servings of what is supposed to be vegetable chips, however, I finished the bag before I arriving at the checkout.  Yes I felt guilty, I drank lots of water on the way.  I guess I was trying to undo the damage, but of course, it was too late. 

With that in mind, here are some snack ideas to help get you started:

Fruits, nuts, vegetables, granola, yogurt, cottage cheese, peanut butter, low fat yogurt, dried fruit, herbal tea, water...the list goes on. 

Freeze your fruits for a sweet summer treat:  Grapes- wash them and place them on a plate or cookie sheet and put them in the freezer.  Once they freeze, place them in plastic bags or containers and back in the freezer.  This will allow them to freeze individually. 

Do the same with papaya, mango, berries- same thing except these you can toss in your fruit smoothies.

Chopped fruit with cottage cheese

Sliced Granny Smith apples and Peanut Butter or cottage cheese

Chick Peas--make some humus and eat it with home made pita chips.  Nancy from CR8 Health and Fitness has some yummy recipes you'll want to try.

Trail mix-- Easy stuff here, just toss together your leftover cereal which I'm sure its pretty healthy right? Also, add in dried fruits such as raisins, craisins, cherries, dates, nuts.  For a sweet treat try yogurt chips or mini chocolate or peanut butter chips--keep these limited.  Keep a jar ready to go or make up little snack bags in advance so that they are ready for you to enjoy or take along.

Veggies--cooked or raw, in salads, meat dishes, in a wrap or in your glass.  Yes, I said your glass because you can juice just about anything these days.  Mike at livelife365 says this about carrots:

Besides being an excellent source of fiber and low in calories (one cup of chopped raw carrots has only 50 calories), carrots are loaded with good stuff for you. Like potassium, antioxidants and pro-vitamin A carotene.

Now imagine adding an apple, cucumber, celery sticks and whatever else suits you in this juicing process.  Very delicious and nutritious.  If juicing is not your thing, then eat them raw don't over dip or you might miss the whole point of healthy snacking.

As you can see, there are plenty of food items for you to choose before you give in to the cookies and milk craving.   From grabbing an easy "to-go" fruit such as apples or bananas to getting real fancy and making a smoothie or trail mix, you really can't go wrong if you select the most natural, raw foods available everywhere.

Stay tuned for the mind-body connection coming up in the next post.  In the mean time, remember to stay in tune with your body and do what's right to keep it running smoothly! It's your health, make it great!

Stay well,

Quote from Ms Fit's Corner: "To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art."
~ La Rochefoucauld

(Trailmix photo by Elena's Pantry)

Fitness- Week 3

This week we will focus on Core training, snacks, and exercising your mind.  This first post is only the Fitness Section--the rest will come later.

Most people, at some point in their life, will experience the energy behind the 'after-midnight' infomercials that promise to provide a solution to eliminate excess fat.  In fact, they will even tell you that in just 20 minutes a day, three days a week you will achieve a very specific fitness goal, such as a six pack or the tightest buns on the market.  That is your first clue to change the channel or better yet, go to sleep and get some well needed rest.  There is no such thing as spot training, you cannot do only crunches and expect to get a visible six pack. 

There are six major muscles that make up the spine and torso: rectus abdominis, external and internal obliques, transverse abdominis, erector spinae, multifidus, and quadratus lumborum. Confused?  Yeah,  me too! You just want to know how to work them and why right? OK, well these muscles make up your power house.  They assist in spinal flexion and extention, stabilization, rotation, and compression as in exhale/inhale.  So basically, your power house will help you stand, get out of bed, bend, jump, breath, run, walk, push, pull, lift, eat, talk....etc...etc....etc.... you get the picture right.  Strong core muscles will help you do everything you already do, better.

First you need to understand that in order for you to see your nicely trimmed abdominal muscles you have to get rid of the layer of fat that covers the muscles and the only way to burn fat is with high intensity cardiovascular exercises, strength training and proper nutrition.  These are familiar words, I'm sure!

Pilates and Yoga will train your core like you wouldn't believe.  Most bookstores carry an assortment of  videos, books and many come with a mat and other equipment to help you get a better workout.  The last one I bought cost $20 for the video, an illustrated book and a Magic Circle.  Go to your library and borrow some videos or if you belong to a gym, ask about these classes.  Many gyms already offer them and all you have to do is sign up and go.  One of the best resources I have found online and its free comes from Marguerite Ogle from About.com.  Marguerite has an article titled A guide to Pilates Information and Movement for the Beginner in which she gives detailed information on the language so we understand the terms, the exercises and how to modify them as well as how to progress through the first 10 exercises, all of which are done on a mat or on your living room floor.

Pilates or Yoga not your thing?  That's OK because you can do abdominal crunches on a stability ball or with the assistance of weights or a medicine ball for added resistance.  Unlike other muscles, you can work your abs everyday as part of your regular exercise routine.  Jeff at Instant Feel Good has a few exercises in his series on how to loose the muffin top.  He also agrees that keeping a "high intensity cardio" routine is an important part that will only help to speed up and improve your weight loss progress.  One fast way to burn fat is to spend 20-30 minutes doing intense cardio, not walking around the block chasing the toddler or the dog.  Running and the elliptical trainer are two great ways to get started.  Finish your cardio training with either some of the Pilates moves such as the hundred and the plank, or sit on a resistance ball supporting your lower back, then lift and lower your shoulders to engage your abdominal muscles.  Here's a cool video with three excellent Ab exercises from ShapeFit.com:

I will post the nutrition and relaxation separately--don't want to overwhelm the masses.

Stay well,

Crazy week: stay focused, challenge yourself, come back strong!

This has been one of those crazy weeks for me.  My goal was to post the third week of the Fitness, Nutrition, and Relaxation program, however, that will have to wait another couple of days until I get my bearings.

For the past two weeks I have been diligently working on all three elements as I have suggested in weeks one and two. However, for the past three days I have had to deal with the good old "baby sickness" which means less sleep, diminished mental capacity, plus focus and concentration go out the window, as does the ability to judge good from bad--food choice, that is. 

I am the first to admit when my life takes  a turn because there is an element of humanity in all of this.  Everyone, I think generally moms, have weeks like mine.  So on top of the baby puking (on me, the floor, the carpet and a nearby chair), we still have the Conductor who needs clothes brought to the school because he forgot he had to dress up for some major event I did not know about.  Evidently, he was inducted into the National Honor Society this year--hooray for him, very proud momma here!  The Artist is my teen girl--need I say more.  Having a teen girl with raging hormones, like mine, means stress all in its own.  She doesn't ever roll her eyes at me, that would be too easy.  But she she talks back, gets moody, slams doors and then a few minutes later she's acting like nothing happened, what the heck.  Even I stay mad longer than just a few minutes.  We had to have the "fix your attitude or you'll be loosing lots of things" talk, to include her bedroom door- that WILL come down next time I hear it slam. 

Then there's the soon to be 6 year old little girl who would rather I didn't call her my "baby girl" any more as she is not a baby and I need to "realize that I'm all grown up now mom."  OKAY then, forgive my rudeness.  Of course, if I play with the baby and say something like "you're such a cute little thing..." she will be the first to say "what about me, I thought I was your cute little baby." Excuse me, but, you are too young to be switching moods already.  That's your sister's job, and mine too.

Finally there's Mr. Toolman who has been avoiding everyone for fear of getting one of his infamous "man-colds" or any other illness floating in my house.  He already experienced the stomach virus a few weeks ago and even though we were all puking our guts out, his was of course "the worst" of all.  No one was as sick--according to him. Please, go sleep it off or start doing laundry but don't whine about being sick OR tired while I'm doing laundry, changing bed sheets, shampooing puked-on rugs, and bathing kids...many, many times, all while feeling queesie myself. UGH! Por favor---no me hagas que te tire a la calle, Dios mio este hombre es demaciado! 

This week I have to work on staying focused with the baby being a little sick, a little temperature, nothing else, he's better now.  But I haven't slept much, started my summer semester with lots of reading to do, the Conductor has work, rehearsals, auditions; the artist has her 8th grade dance (I'm in charge of the decorations and the food for that too), baby girl or Peanut as she prefers to be called these days has a field day and end of year party at school, OMG when will I fit all this into my own busy schedule.

Needless to say, I need to get over this week and I catch up on some well needed sleep before I can focus on writing anything of value.  In the mean time I will be joining my friend Nancy from CR8Health and Fitness on a 30 day challenge which begins Monday, June 9th. Accountability helps so I hope you'll join the challenge!!

The next Fitness, Nutrition, Relaxation report will focus on Core Training, Healthy Snacking and Exercising Your Mind.  Stay tuned and spin back soon for more fitness fun.

Stay Well,

Quote:   Jacob Bronowski - "The world can only be grasped by action, not by contemplation."