As a wellness coach and personal trainer, I’m asked a lot of health and exercise questions like: “How do I get rid of this spare tire around my middle?” Or, “Which diet is best---Atkins or South Beach?”
But the most popular question of all is, “What kind of exercise should I do?”
I’m about to give you the best fitness advice you will ever get. Are you ready?
The best exercise for your health is……THE ONE YOU WILL DO CONSISTENTLY!
We can talk about calorie-burning potentials, aerobic versus anaerobic training, isokinetic versus dynamic constant resistance training until we’re blue in the face, but none of it means anything unless you’re willing to do the exercise.
The trick to making exercise have a significant impact on your health (and waistline) is to do it consistently. The only way to do that is to find something you enjoy!
Here are some ideas you may not have thought of. Remember, lots of activities are actually exercise in disguise…..
• Salsa Dancing
• Country Line Dancing
• Gardening (especially if you carry your own bags of soil and fertilizer)
• Vigorous sex (should last for at least 30 minutes)
• Playing softball
• Surfing
• Long walks on the beach
• Hiking
• Chasing your child or grandchild through the park
• Tai Chi
• Bowling
• Snowboarding
• Rock Climbing, and the list goes on…..
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
What IS Healthy?
A leading medical text once defined health as the absence of disease. By that definition, your pet rock is in great shape. In the real world, being in good health is a lot more complicated.
We all know that exercise is important to our health. Cardiovascular exercise like brisk walking, jogging, bicycling, swimming, etc. strengthens the heart and lungs, lowers cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of many diseases. Strength training increases muscle mass, aids in fat loss and fortifies our bones for protection against Osteoporosis. But exercise is only one component to being healthy.
Being healthy is a balance between physical, emotional and spiritual health. If one of these is out of harmony the entire system is thrown out of balance, which can cause sickness and disease. Finding healthy ways to control stress (such as meditation or listening to soothing music) can be just as important as exercise and good nutrition to our overall health. High stress levels have been clinically proven to increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and other potentially fatal health occurrences. Find something that helps you push stress away and makes you feel more relaxed and centered (alcohol and drugs do not qualify).
Exercising and lowering your stress levels can only go so far. If lunch and dinner are the number five combo at your favorite fast food drive-thru most days, you’re still in trouble. Try to get five to eight servings of fresh fruits and vegetables each day and make a conscious effort to keep portion sizes smaller. Try to eat lean protein and complex carbohydrates. The rule is, if you need two hands to hold it, or if it leaves a neon-orange residue on your fingers, don’t eat it!
And last, don’t neglect your spiritual health! Take time to connect with your higher power through prayer, long meditative walks, enjoying the beauty of nature or attending the church of your choice. These are all great ways to help bring your self to a place of harmony. Paying attention to your new role as a healthy, spiritual, whole being will help you understand how each part of your life affects the other. Spending a little time today bringing balance to your life can pay big dividends to your health tomorrow.
Listen to my "What IS Healthy?" radio chat with Lisa Osborne at Lisa.FM
We all know that exercise is important to our health. Cardiovascular exercise like brisk walking, jogging, bicycling, swimming, etc. strengthens the heart and lungs, lowers cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of many diseases. Strength training increases muscle mass, aids in fat loss and fortifies our bones for protection against Osteoporosis. But exercise is only one component to being healthy.
Being healthy is a balance between physical, emotional and spiritual health. If one of these is out of harmony the entire system is thrown out of balance, which can cause sickness and disease. Finding healthy ways to control stress (such as meditation or listening to soothing music) can be just as important as exercise and good nutrition to our overall health. High stress levels have been clinically proven to increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and other potentially fatal health occurrences. Find something that helps you push stress away and makes you feel more relaxed and centered (alcohol and drugs do not qualify).
Exercising and lowering your stress levels can only go so far. If lunch and dinner are the number five combo at your favorite fast food drive-thru most days, you’re still in trouble. Try to get five to eight servings of fresh fruits and vegetables each day and make a conscious effort to keep portion sizes smaller. Try to eat lean protein and complex carbohydrates. The rule is, if you need two hands to hold it, or if it leaves a neon-orange residue on your fingers, don’t eat it!
And last, don’t neglect your spiritual health! Take time to connect with your higher power through prayer, long meditative walks, enjoying the beauty of nature or attending the church of your choice. These are all great ways to help bring your self to a place of harmony. Paying attention to your new role as a healthy, spiritual, whole being will help you understand how each part of your life affects the other. Spending a little time today bringing balance to your life can pay big dividends to your health tomorrow.
Listen to my "What IS Healthy?" radio chat with Lisa Osborne at Lisa.FM
Medicine in Your Spice Rack - Garlic
For thousands of years spices have been used to preserve food and enhance its flavor. These same spices were also said to have medicinal properties, though science downplayed these claims as “old wives tales”… it turns out those old wives were right. Today’s research is finding that spices can help you fight off some very serious diseases like cancer, heart disease, & diabetes. You probably have most of them in your kitchen right now, so lets get cooking. Here’s Kent Burden with Medicine in your spice rack… on Lisa.fm
Garlic (Allium Sativum) is native to central Asia and is the one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. It has been used for millennia and Sanskrit records mention garlic remedies as commonplace as early as five thousand years ago. The Egyptians, Greeks and Chinese all used garlic extensively in their medicinal practices. Science is now proving they had good reason. The “stinking rose” as it is sometimes known, has been part of the natural medicine chest since the dawn of time.
The active ingredients in garlic are believed to be allicin, diallyl disulfide, diallyl trisulfide and other sulfur-rich compounds. Garlic is also high in selenium and germanium. Studies show garlic can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. It may provide protection against atherosclerosis and heart disease; it may decrease total serum cholesterol levels and raises HDL (“good cholesterol”) levels. Raw garlic is a potent antibiotic and infection-fighter. It has been called the “Russian Penicillin. Garlic may also reduce the clotting tendencies of the blood, which may reduce the risk of stroke. The allicin in garlic can be effective against common colds, flu and stomach viruses.
According to several European studies, consuming garlic on a regular basis also seems to offer protection against several forms of cancer including breast and ovarian. When cooking, use fresh garlic whenever possible and expose it to as little heat as possible. The medicinal properties of garlic are very fragile and break down easily the more they are processed or heated. Garlic can be added to almost any savory dish. It is a staple in Italian cuisine such as lasagna, marinara sauce, pesto sauce and others. It is great on all meats, can be added to stews, soups, vegetable dishes, and stir-fry dishes. Slice a clove or two and sauté gently in olive oil with fresh mustard greens or collard greens, onions and cayenne pepper for a great-tasting antioxidant and antibacterial blast. Garlic can be added to almost anything. In fact, if you stop by the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California, you can even try garlic ice cream! Bon Appetit!
Listen to my Medicine in Your Spice Rack radio feature at Lisa.fm
Garlic (Allium Sativum) is native to central Asia and is the one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. It has been used for millennia and Sanskrit records mention garlic remedies as commonplace as early as five thousand years ago. The Egyptians, Greeks and Chinese all used garlic extensively in their medicinal practices. Science is now proving they had good reason. The “stinking rose” as it is sometimes known, has been part of the natural medicine chest since the dawn of time.
The active ingredients in garlic are believed to be allicin, diallyl disulfide, diallyl trisulfide and other sulfur-rich compounds. Garlic is also high in selenium and germanium. Studies show garlic can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. It may provide protection against atherosclerosis and heart disease; it may decrease total serum cholesterol levels and raises HDL (“good cholesterol”) levels. Raw garlic is a potent antibiotic and infection-fighter. It has been called the “Russian Penicillin. Garlic may also reduce the clotting tendencies of the blood, which may reduce the risk of stroke. The allicin in garlic can be effective against common colds, flu and stomach viruses.
According to several European studies, consuming garlic on a regular basis also seems to offer protection against several forms of cancer including breast and ovarian. When cooking, use fresh garlic whenever possible and expose it to as little heat as possible. The medicinal properties of garlic are very fragile and break down easily the more they are processed or heated. Garlic can be added to almost any savory dish. It is a staple in Italian cuisine such as lasagna, marinara sauce, pesto sauce and others. It is great on all meats, can be added to stews, soups, vegetable dishes, and stir-fry dishes. Slice a clove or two and sauté gently in olive oil with fresh mustard greens or collard greens, onions and cayenne pepper for a great-tasting antioxidant and antibacterial blast. Garlic can be added to almost anything. In fact, if you stop by the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California, you can even try garlic ice cream! Bon Appetit!
Listen to my Medicine in Your Spice Rack radio feature at Lisa.fm
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