Unfulfilled Resolutions Not To Be Forgotten

A friend recently posted on Facebook that it has been one year since her last cigarette.  This short, incidental posting made a huge impression on me.  I felt great pride in her accomplishment;    that someone could commit to quit an addiction and could stick with it for a full year is a testament to her strength and endurance. (Way to go Glenda!)

It also occurred to me that she must have made a New Year’s resolution last year to quit smoking.  And she succeeded.  For some reason, to succeed at a New Year's resolution seemed even more impressive to me.  After all, today is only January 6^th, and I would be more than willing to bet that more than half of the resolutions made were broken already.  Or may, some have not even been started yet.

So here's my message for today:  if you have not started to fulfill your resolutions yet do not give up.  If you chose to eat healthier this year and have not even begun it’s not too late.  Don’t wait until next year or put it off any longer.  As the poet Horace once wrote “Seize the day”.   Don't give up.

Mmake a plan… Or just delve in... Just do whatever you have to do to get it done.  Whatever works best for you. But don't give up.

For me, I know I must take small steps to fulfill my goal.  My first step, which I am working on now, is to clean out the house of any unhealthy foods. Certain chocolaty delicious foods have mysteriously wormed their way into my house and exist just to tempt me.  They must be eliminated.  Preferably not by me eating them…

My plan is to try Isagenix 9 day cleansing system to cleanse out the holiday eating and hopefully lose all of the holiday weight that has to pleasantly joined me.    My plan is to try the nine system and stick with it exactly by the book.  I’ll let you know how I do…   If all goes well with my nine days and I am at my pre holiday weight (or less, please) I will adjust my future plans accordingly.  My plan will evolve and change.    

What about you?  What are you planning?  What have you done so far?  Are you taking baby steps like me, or are you jumping in and attempting it all?  Is it working, or should you be rethinking your plan?  Whatever you chose, just don’t quit…

If you would like more health and fitness tips you can follow us on Facebook or read the tips on our website.

Before and After Resolutions for the New Year

This weeks’ blogging was mostly about the upcoming holiday tonight.  Maybe some of these will help us?  With thoughts of excessive partying and eating tonight and resolutions for tomorrow we all have a lot on our minds…

Let’s start with the excessive partying tonight (always a fun place to start).  I have to admit, I don't have these ingredients in my house, so if your planning to indulge you may want to prepare:

New Year's Eve: Top Chef Masters share hangover cures http://ow.ly/3uUYs

I like Chef Domenica.  She gives us some good solid rules to think about…

Chef Domenica: The Resolution Before the Resolution http://dlvr.it/CGQsF

Have you made your resolutions yet?  Here are some common, but reasonable ones to work on:

Top ten healthy new year’s resolutions: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20452233,00.html

And finally, after all of your endulging, here is some great advice to help you begin a better life tomorrow:

Everyday Fitness: Here’s How to Regroup after Holiday Overeating http://dlvr.it/CGDWq

Have a great New  Year everyone.  May you all be healthy and happy.


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Exercise to Prevent a Cold; Exercise Caution With A Cold

Welcome to cold season.   Are you prepared?  Sure, you take your vitamins every day, but what else are you doing to prevent getting a cold?

More and more studies are beginning to show the link between moderate exercise and fewer colds.  We already know that exercise helps ward off heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and cancer.  Regular exercise improves your overall fitness, but it seems to be able to jump start the immune system by fighting off colds and flu.

The American Journal of Medicine reported that in one study women who walked for 30 minutes every day for one year had half the number of colds as women who did not walk.  In another 12 – 15 week study woman who walked 35 – 45 minutes a day five days a week experienced about half the days sick as the control group that was not walking. It is now believed exercise is a key factor in prevention of colds.

But if you get a cold, should you still exercise?  There appear to be a great deal of debate on this topic, but little official testing.  The general rule of thumb appears to be moderate exercise with a cold is safe for most people, maybe even helpful.  But be careful that what you are experiencing is a cold and not the flu.  And always listen to what your body is telling you.

Consider exercising with a cold if:

• You are fever and flu free
• You have a lot of energy
• Your symptoms are mild
• You are not feeling dehydrated

Exercise does not appear to lengthen your cold and it will not shorten or reduce the length of your cold.  It could, however, possibly break up your congestion temporarily. 

There is an old belief that you can sweat out a cold but that is not actually true.  The best way to get over a cold is to build your immune system back up.  Sometimes exercise can help, but so can resting and staying hydrated. 

If you are taking a decongestant while exercising it could cause your heart rate to pump harder and you may become short of breath or have difficulty breathing.  Listen to your body.

If you have asthma and get a cold your breathing could be compromised.  You will have an increased risk of coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath.  You may need more medication than usual which may cause your heart rate to increase.  Listen to your body.

Consider skipping exercise with a cold if:

• You have a fever
• You feel weak and lack energy
• You are feeling dehydrated
• Congestion is below the neck
• You have flu symptoms, such as vomiting, fever, rash or diarrhea
• You have pre existing conditions, such as heart disease or asthma

Testing has shown that hard training athletes tend to choose continuing exercise when they have a cold.  They will not give up a chance to train.  They tend to train at their normal intensity and not give their body the rest needed afterward making it harder for their systems to fighter immunities such as colds and flu.  High performance athletes traditionally push their physical limits and actually end up with an increased number of respiratory tract infections.

Moderate exercisers will be more hesitant to train with a cold.  They will usually lower the intensity of their workout.  Unfortunately for some people a cold can be an excuse that leads to the “beginning of the end”.  They may slowly allow themselves to back off of their workout program altogether. 

Gym etiquette should be followed at all times but even more so when you have a cold.  It is important not to spread your germs all over the gym. 

Watch your etiquette:

• Wash your hands before and after your work out
• Wipe off any equipment you use
• Throw any facial tissue you use in the trash
• Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough.  Cough into a tissue or your shoulder, never your hands.

If you are exercising with a cold and experience sudden chest pain, tightness or pressure it may be time to call your physician.  It is up to you to follow your body’s signs and react before anything becomes serious.  If you have excessive shortness of breath or dizziness stop what you are doing immediately.  If you are coughing and wheezing it is a sign that it is time to stop.  You must be flexible with your exercise routine and adjust it to your needs at any given moment.

Listen to your body.  Boost your immune system with moderate exercise, and then give it time to recuperate with rest and hydration.  Your body will thank you for it.

For more health and fitness tips fan us on Facebook or read tips on our website.

Health and Fitness Tips for the Holidays

Here is a wrap up of tips for the holidays:

Daphne Oz has a blog called The Dorm Diet.  Her post encourages college students to enjoy going home and to remember to stay in shape for the holidays.  She encourages others to enjoy their food, enjoy their bed, and prepare for those big meals so they can be enjoyed also.  Great advice for everyone!  And Daphne, your advice brings back memories...

https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:40172.8897100816/rid:f43d832b3dfe8a88b6844c6a361ce481

Research show that drinking in moderation can be good for your health, but holiday binge drinking is not.

http://healthland.time.com/2010/12/20/even-small-amounts-of-holiday-drinking-boosts-cancer-risk/

Travelling for the holiday?  Here are some tips to keep the family healthy during travel:

http://blogs.webmd.com/health-ehome/2010/12/healthy-holiday-travel-checklist.html?ecd=soc_twitter_webmd_blogs_http://feeds.feedburner.com/

Wine is a great gift for someone on your “OMG, I don’t know what to get and the holiday is tomorrow list”.  Here are 10 Great holiday wines under $15

http://huff.to/ftGwHv

Office Gossip

Hey, did you hear about Lauren?  It’s office gossip time!  Meet me over by the water cooler in five minutes…  Later, sipping water, in a soft whisper…

Ok, this is not an actual scene, but it is a true story about Lauren, our office administrator.  Do you know her?  She’s quite pretty (and blushing right now),   but for some reason she wanted to lose some weight for her Halloween costume.  She decided to try the Isagenix weight loss plan, and… well… you should see her now!

Lauren bought a 9 day accelerated weight loss program, but she found that it lasted her 15 days.  She stuck with it for the full fifteen days, and lost 15 pounds in 15 days.  All I could say was…WOW.   According to Lauren, it wasn’t that hard to stick to the diet, but it was hard to give up the coffee.  Seems like a small price to pay to lose 15 pounds in 15 days.

I am just a little jealous of Lauren’s success.  I guess it’s time for me to investigate this accelerated weight loss program.  On the Valley Boot Camp website it says:

Accelerate healthy weight loss!

Get weight loss and cleansing off to a fast start with the 9-day supply of the Cleansing and Fat Burning System. Seven pounds is the average weight loss for people using the Cleanse and Fat Burning System for nine days.* The five nutritional components of the system help you cleanse while infusing your body with premium nutrients for optimum health and safe weight loss. Stimulant free*.

You may experience

• Greater energy
• Weight loss boost
• Improved muscle tone
• Balanced digestion
• Reduced cravings

Lauren apparently did better than average.  Way to go Lauren!  Intrigued and need to find out more about this program?  There is more info on the Valley Boot camp website (http://valleybootcamp.isagenix.com/us/en/nineday.dhtml).  Check it out and let me know what you think.  Or give Lauren a call at the Valley Boot Camp office.  She can tell you how easy it was for her to lose 15 pounds in 15 days. 

PS.  Lauren just agreed to post her story on our website.  You can read about it here: http://www.valleybootcamp.com/lauren.php

For more information about health and fitness tips check out our website or become a fan on Facebook.

Holiday stories- week in review

The holidays are coming… The holidays are coming.  Perhaps a wrap up of holiday stories this week is a little premature.  After all, Christmas is more than one week away; what will next week’s wrap up include?  I don’t know.  But  this week holiday stories seemed to be everywhere.

Just a simple recipe turns into a holiday suggestion:  

http://blogs.webmd.com/healthy-recipe-doctor/2010/12/last-minute-holiday-appetizer.html?ecd=soc_twitter_webmd_blogs_http://feeds.feedb

Holiday drinks selections get really stretched to cover the holiday theme.  I mean really, fruitcake flavored cocktails?

http://www.thedailymeal.com/liquid-fruitcake-12-fruitcake-flavored-cocktails

22 Holiday Gift Collection to make/bake.  Recipes always seem good to repeat.

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-holiday-baking-pictures,0,998505.photogallery

Get some sunshine.  Be happy.  Try to Avoid Stress, and get your D’s. The need for D’s—how much vitamin D do we really need and what is the best way to get it.

http://blogs.webmd.com/pamela-peeke-md/2010/12/vitamin-d-licious-new-news-you-need-to-know.html?ecd=soc_twitter_webmd_blogs_http://feeds.feedburner.com/EverydayFitness

Which leads to the final reminder.  If anyone you know suffers from depression remember that this time of year can be extra difficult.  Try to get help or be extra sensitive to others that may have this issue.

Stress And the Holidays

Tis the season to be…. Stressful?  Sure, we don’t plan on stress, but it seems to happen anyway.  There is so much built in pressure with the holiday season.  Extra shopping, cleaning, and cooking that add to the responsibilities  of our already chaotic lives.

Stress is an emotional and physical response to the pressures from the outside world.  We all experience stress on a daily basis.  In small quantities stress can be good.  It can motivate you and help you become productive, however,  too much stress can be harmful.  The interesting thing about stress is that it can be managed- even during the holiday season.  You can handle your holiday stress better once you understand and believe that you are in charge and that you can control it.

The easiest way to control your stress is to identify the stressor and then alter it so that it is not so stressful.  If your stress is cooking a big family dinner, you might alter your menu and include more precooked meals.  Or if cleaning is an issue, you might allow your company in fewer rooms so that you have less cleaning to do.  Or, you might require others to help you with the cleaning. 

Here are some simple tips to help you AVOID stress:

Learn to say no.  Too many times we accept things that we know in advance are going to cause stress.  Sometimes it is ok not to have everyone over for dinner.

Accept that you can’t do everything.  Sometimes it is ok to ask for help, or to just not do it.  If you are having everyone over for dinner you don’t have to use your special serving pieces that need to be dug out of the basement.  They might not even care if you served on some nice paper plates. 

People can be stressors.  You may not be able to avoid your in-laws, but you don’t have to sit next to them at the dinner table.  Try to avoid people that stress you out.

Knowing that you are taking control and changing your stressors will give you a sense of accomplishment.  You will feel better as soon as you take control.

Of course, many stressors are things that we can’t change. For these stressors it is good to know and understand some stress relievers.  Some tried and true relievers are

• Exercise-Stretching, walking, breathing exercise
• Relax- Light or aromatherapy, get a massage, take a long bath, listen to music, read a good book
• Meditation, Relaxation Techniques, or Self Hypnosis
• Release- Crying can help relieve stress!

Living a healthier life in general will combat stress.  Eat a healthy diet, avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs, get enough sleep, reduce caffeine and sugar, and exercise regularly.  Studies show that exercising 30 minutes a day three times a week is enough time to have an effect on your stress relief.

Here are some great stretching that helps relieve stress http://www.active.com/women/Articles/Stress_Busters.htm

According to the Mayo Clinic, one way to take control of the stress in your life is through physical activity. Being active can boost your feel-good endorphins and distract you from daily worries. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise-and-stress/SR00036 .  A 30 minute high energy aerobic class will do wonders during this stressful season!

Good Luck and Best Wishes for a Stress Free Holiday Season.  If you would like more information on health and nutrition you can read our tips at www.valleybootcamp.com, or you can friend us on Facebook.