Aside from keeping your body fueled with healthy calories, there are a few other things you can do to make your workouts better.
Stay Hydrated.
The ACSM recommends that you drink around 16 or so oz of water 2 hours before your workout for optimum performance and then sip water throughout your exercise program (and after!). Water should be your first choice for fluid replacement unless you’re working out for longer than an hour, at which point you can switch to a sports drink.
Avoid exercising on an empty stomach.
Eating before exercise means you’ll have far greater stamina and endurance when you run on fuel, not fumes.
Figure out what works for you.
Every person has a different digestive system and different needs when it comes to nutrition and exercise. Experimant until you find the right balance of eating and exercise. Some people can get up and exercise without eating while others need a full breakfast to keep going. There’s no right way to do it.
Get plenty of rest.
That means sleeping for at least 8 hours a night as well as giving yourself recovery days during the week. Working out too much can cause fatigue and possibly, overtraining symptoms.
Keep things interesting.
Changing your workouts regularly will not only keep you from getting bored, it will also help you avoid weight loss plateaus.
Be comfortable.
Wear workout clothes that help regulate your body temperature so you don’t get too hot or too cold. The most important tip for having a great workout is to do what you enjoy!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Do You Drink Enough Water?
We live in Arizona so most of us are already aware of the importance of staying hydrated. Dehydration not only hampers performance but also slows down your metabolism. Some obvious signs that you are not drinking enough are: thirst and dark urine. If you’re thirsty, you’re dehydrated. Drink up! You’ve probably also heard that if your urine is dark, you’re not drinking enough water which is true especially when it occurs first thing in the morning. But another urine indicator is volume: how much. Lots of sweat could mean less urine is produced, even when you’re drinking enough. This makes your first urination of the day the telltale sign – low volume and dark color could mean you are dehydrated. So how much water should you be drinking? Experts suggest to shoot for at least half your body weight in ounces of water per day. That’s 70 ounces for a 140-pound woman. Water is going to be your best choice for a refreshing beverage but if water is not your favorite there are other healthy alternatives. Crystal light now offers individual bottles for only 5 calories. You could also opt for a flavored water bottle but read the labels on those. They can be tricky. Bottom line - Don’t forget the water bottles campers!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Yes I Can!!!! It's all about the 'tude.
Achieve weight-loss success, one positive thought at a time.
So you're wondering, what is the right attitude and how can it help you lose weight? Having the right attitude is so important because thought is behavior your mind is your strongest tool, and the way you think of yourself manifests as your reality. We all know how easily negative thoughts about ourselves can lead to poor self-image, lack of confidence, hopelessness, and depression. You've heard about self-fulfilling prophecy, right? Well, if you tell yourself that you'll always be fat or that you'll never find happiness, chances are you will always be fat and you won't ever be happy. But imagine what could be possible if you harnessed your mental power with positive thoughts.
A key element of changing your attitude is changing your self-talk your internal monologue, the chattering conversation you have with yourself constantly all day long, whether you are aware of it or not. It's the voice in your head that says, "I can't exercise because I'm fat and lazy" or, "I'm worthless because I have no self-control and will always be this way." It's this kind of useless negativity that is holding you back, keeping you from being the best you that you can be. Now is the time to turn it around once and for all.
Imagine what would happen if you changed the dialogue so that it sounded more like this: "I can lose weight and be healthy" or "I am going to eat well today, and I will feel good about myself as a result." Your self-talk can make the difference between self-assurance and self-doubt, happiness and despair, success and failure. If you start making your self-talk more positive and affirming, and less defeatist and self-deprecating, your whole life will change for the better.
NOW...you can wake up tomorrow morning pat yourself on the back, tell yourself that you CAN make real life changes and start with one simple yet incredibly important step. EAT BREAKFAST! When you wake up, whether you're hungry or not, and even if you are suffering from eater's remorse from the night before, have breakfast. Research shows that people who eat breakfast are up to half as likely to be obese or have heart disease as those who don't. A study in the journal Lancet tracked 2,900 men and women, ages 18 to 30, for a decade, and found that breakfast eaters wind up consuming fewer calories overall and less saturated fat and cholesterol throughout the day than breakfast skippers. "Breakfast helps regulate blood sugar and insulin—which reduces the likelihood of overeating," says study coauthor Linda Van Horn, Ph.D. Strategy for success For maximum energy, shoot for a high-fiber, calcium-rich meal of protein, fruit and whole grains. "Oatmeal with skim milk and berries hits high marks on the nutrient front, without adding saturated fat, cholesterol or salt," Van Horn says. Or try a peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole-grain bread with skim milk, or scrambled egg whites on whole-grain toast with an orange.
So you're wondering, what is the right attitude and how can it help you lose weight? Having the right attitude is so important because thought is behavior your mind is your strongest tool, and the way you think of yourself manifests as your reality. We all know how easily negative thoughts about ourselves can lead to poor self-image, lack of confidence, hopelessness, and depression. You've heard about self-fulfilling prophecy, right? Well, if you tell yourself that you'll always be fat or that you'll never find happiness, chances are you will always be fat and you won't ever be happy. But imagine what could be possible if you harnessed your mental power with positive thoughts.
A key element of changing your attitude is changing your self-talk your internal monologue, the chattering conversation you have with yourself constantly all day long, whether you are aware of it or not. It's the voice in your head that says, "I can't exercise because I'm fat and lazy" or, "I'm worthless because I have no self-control and will always be this way." It's this kind of useless negativity that is holding you back, keeping you from being the best you that you can be. Now is the time to turn it around once and for all.
Imagine what would happen if you changed the dialogue so that it sounded more like this: "I can lose weight and be healthy" or "I am going to eat well today, and I will feel good about myself as a result." Your self-talk can make the difference between self-assurance and self-doubt, happiness and despair, success and failure. If you start making your self-talk more positive and affirming, and less defeatist and self-deprecating, your whole life will change for the better.
NOW...you can wake up tomorrow morning pat yourself on the back, tell yourself that you CAN make real life changes and start with one simple yet incredibly important step. EAT BREAKFAST! When you wake up, whether you're hungry or not, and even if you are suffering from eater's remorse from the night before, have breakfast. Research shows that people who eat breakfast are up to half as likely to be obese or have heart disease as those who don't. A study in the journal Lancet tracked 2,900 men and women, ages 18 to 30, for a decade, and found that breakfast eaters wind up consuming fewer calories overall and less saturated fat and cholesterol throughout the day than breakfast skippers. "Breakfast helps regulate blood sugar and insulin—which reduces the likelihood of overeating," says study coauthor Linda Van Horn, Ph.D. Strategy for success For maximum energy, shoot for a high-fiber, calcium-rich meal of protein, fruit and whole grains. "Oatmeal with skim milk and berries hits high marks on the nutrient front, without adding saturated fat, cholesterol or salt," Van Horn says. Or try a peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole-grain bread with skim milk, or scrambled egg whites on whole-grain toast with an orange.
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