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Check It Out, I Made The News

Thinking I was on TV or maybe under investigation for bootcamps workouts that are too tough? :-)

Nope but I was featured in the article below on forming good fitness habits. What are your tips? Please leave a comment below.

Beat the post-holiday blahs
Renew, revitalize, refocus, and bid bad habits adieu
By SUSAN JURGELSKI, Staff Writer

Intelligencer Journal
Lancaster New Era
Jan 18, 2010

You've shopped till you dropped, sated yourself with sweets and treats, temporarily given exercise the boot and indulged, indulged, indulged.

Ah, the joys of the holidays.

"We put our minds and bodies into a 'go, go, go' state and simply wear ourselves thin during (this) time of year," said Julie Elrod, a local health counselor and nutrition educator.

Once the holiday hype fizzles, she said, people find themselves fatigued, sluggish, depressed and stressed over weight gain.

But to take healthy steps forward, forgive yourself for the "sins" of the season, and embrace a fresh new year.

What can help you revitalize, reenergize and refocus so you can start 2010 with a bang, and not a whimper, and keep the love alive with your self-improvement efforts?

Here are some tips from area health and wellness professionals to help beat the post-holiday blahs and bid adieu to bad habits.

REDEFINING RESOLUTIONS

When it comes to resolutions (FranklinCovey, a time-management company, found that improving financial situations and losing weight topped those for 2010), many people bite off more than they can chew.

Small bites can be more realistic.

"I believe New Year's resolutions become successful only when they are reasonable and manageable," said Herb Landis, a therapist at Samaritan Counseling Center. "A small goal like sharing a latte with a friend or making sure you laugh every day is equally significant to exercising every day or quitting smoking."

Co-worker Linda Crockett, a certified life and wellness coach at the center, will kick off a mind-body coaching group Jan. 28.

"I think it helps to get people focused on their intention — 'what is it you really want?' — this is what gives people the energy to reach whatever measurable goal they set," Crockett said.

For example, "I want to lose 20 pounds by March 30" is a good enough goal, and it can be achieved with carefully constructed smaller "action steps" and accountability check-ins with a peer or coach, she said.

Rather than setting a specific weight loss number, focus instead on the intent and reasons behind the goal, she said.

"It might be, 'I want to feel healthy and vibrant' or 'I want to experience the joy of having a trim, fit and healthy body.' "

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

Start by "cleansing" your body from the sugar overload of the holidays, which sets up a cycle for cravings for more sweets.

"A wonderful way to break this 'sugar cycle' is to eat dark green, leafy vegetables," said herbalist Sarah Campbell, of Herbs from the Labyrinth.

Alcohol, which stresses your liver, is another holiday indulgence.

Herbs that support the liver in its work of cleaning toxins from the blood are the woody dandelion root, burdock root, birch bark and ginger, said Campbell, who simmers them for tea-making. Campbell has even created a "Love Your Liver Tea" which also includes cinnamon, sarsaparilla and orange peel.

In the long term, proper nutrition — including attention to appropriate portion sizes — is the blueprint for wellness, said Mickey Glick, owner of Body & Soul Fitness Studio.

Exercise is great, but you can't "out-train" a bad diet, she said.

But change takes time. Think lifestyle makeover, not a diet that ends when goal weight is met.

"No infomercial ab gadget or quick-fix diet will get you where you ultimately want to be," Glick said.

Elrod offers tips to remember: Try to avoid refined or processed sugars; beef up intake of complex carbohydrates such as whole grains and veggies; drink plenty of water; minimize alcohol consumption and eliminate empty liquid calories (soda, fruit drinks); eat five to seven servings of fresh vegetables and fruits every day; cut back on fast foods.

"Treat your body more like your car," Glick said. "If we tried to run our cars on the same quality of fuel that most of us put in our bodies, they wouldn't perform at all."

If you haven't exercised in years, set small goals and dump the "all-or-nothing" mentality, Glick said.

"You can even start out with 10 minutes a day but do not allow yourself to crawl into bed until you have completed your daily exercise."

Small, consistent changes are much more productive than big, sporadic ones. Seek instruction and support at fitness facilities or with an at-home fitness coach, she said.

And, most of all, believe in yourself.

"Do you truly believe you can improve your health and discard excess body fat?" Glick said.

"If not, you need to change that mindset."

JUST RELAX

Don't forget to rest and reconnect.

"Talking with friends prevents the isolation that creeps in over the cold winter months," Landis said. "Plan time with friends or someone you would like to know better."

Self-care will lift your mood.

"After all of the rushing around, we need to slow down, and get back to a routine that nurtures us," Campbell said.

Take a walk or hot bath, get a massage, listen to music, sip camomile tea before bed or read your favorite book.

"When you are feeling down, stressed out, overly tired or sick … take ten long, deep breaths and fill the abdomen with oxygen," Elrod said.

In the evening, Campbell likes to make a pot of herbal tea (usually some combination of camomile, oatstraw, motherwort, lemon balm, catnip, linden flower and passion flower). She pours one cup in her mug, and the rest goes in her bath water.

"This way I inhale the healing vapors of the herbs and take in their soothing properties through my skin."

SOOTHE YOUR SOUL

Renew your faith and outlook.

"Stop throughout the day and ask 'Where have I seen love or where have I experienced love today?' " said Mary Etta King, executive director of Kairos: School of Spiritual Formation.

"Other questions could be, 'What has given me life?' And, 'What has taken life out of me?' "

Be on the lookout for spiritual renewal workshops, retreats and services, she said.

"Simply paying attention to our breathing renews our souls. Taking time for silence each day helps us to focus too."

Absorb the colors and sounds of nature.

"Spirituality is connecting to nature, a simple walk in a snow-covered hay field and observing and being mindful of the present and then to imagine the aroma of the first fresh cut of alfalfa … " Landis said.

Keep it simple.

"Spirituality for me is connection with people," Landis said. "As we can look inward we can look outward and it becomes a complimentary dance then that allows us to fully participate in life beyond ourselves."

sjurgelski@lnpnews.com

How Are Those New Year's Resolutions Coming?

We are now 8 weeks into 2009. How are you resolutions coming? Are you on target or have you given up on them? Spring is right around the corner. Are you going to be in better shape than last year? Will you be enjoying outdoor activities or will you still be complaining about your winter weight gain?

If you've fallen off the exercise wagon, now is the time to get back on.

If your workout routine is feeling stale, get a new one.

Set some reasonable goals for regular exercise and reward yourself when you meet them with a massage, facial, CD, DVD box set, a concert or a play, etc. Or, take the opposite approach and penalize yourself for missed workouts. Pledge not to watch your favorite TV show unless you've worked out a minimum of twice within the last 7 days or fine yourself $5 or $10 for each missed workout. To keep you honest and accountable, give the money to a friend, co-worker or your spouse for safe keeping. When you reach a certain dollar amount, let them decide where to donate the money.

Happy New Year!

Realize that the perspectives you adopt, such as hope and promise, are choices.  Realize that the actions you take in the days and weeks to come are the determinants of the quality of life you’ll enjoy in 2009.  Realize that the decisions you make today will contribute to the intensity of the adventure you're about to experience over the course of the four seasons to come.  Realize that the greater importance you place upon your own ability to function and perform at your best, the greater joy you bring to those who rely upon you as well as those you love. 

2009 is yours to create.  This goes far beyond another resolution.  You can chart the course, and love every minute of it.  You can choose your emotions.  You can choose your health.  You can choose your body.  There isn't any need, nor is there any value, in emotions such as envy and regret.  There isn't any value in self-criticism and desperate resolution.  Don’t resolve.  Commit.  Really commit.  That doesn't mean be perfect.  We are prone to human fallibility and perfection is a quest that only leads to a sense of failure. 

Don't be perfect.  Be your best.  

~Phil Kaplan

Keeping Your Resolutions

Love her or hate her, Jillian Michaels (one of the trainers on The Biggest Loser), spent time on both her 12-23 and 12-30-07 radio shows talking about setting and achieving resolutions/goals and she had some excellent suggestions. You can listen online or download the audio free to your computer (and burn it to a CD if you want to listen in the car, etc.).

On 12-23, she launches immediately into forming and defining good resolutions and creating an action plan. The segment is about 10 minutes long.

On the 12-30 show, the audio is about 70 minutes long; the first 7 minutes contain Jillian's comments regarding The Biggest Loser finale, the goal/resolution part takes up about the next 38 minutes and the remainder is Jillian answering questions from callers.

Make sure you look for the 12-23 and 12-30-07 shows.

Jillian Michaels podcasts

The 4 Lies You'll Tell Yourself On New Year's Eve

If you're serious about making changes this year, here's a free report written by Dax Moy with 6 simple steps for turning wishful thinking into achieved goals.

You do not need to subscribe to anything to download or read this information. Here's a direct link to the PDF report.

4 Lies Report

Don't just do it, do it right.

One of my many cousins e-mailed me the other day with questions about cardio interval training. She knows I’m a big proponent of that type of exercise and wondered if something she had seen on The Biggest Loser was interval training. My opinions about that show will have to wait for another blog but what she described to me sounded like circuit training. So, I explained how interval training works.

Anyway, my cousin has been unhappy with her weight for a while now and at the end of her e-mail she wrote that The Biggest Loser contestants make her think that if they can succeed, so can she. (One of the good things about the show.) And, of course, she can and so can anyone else.

So, with the new year fast approaching and resolutions being considered, I want to address the right way to get started if you’re interested in dropping pounds. Bottom line - the first and most important element is proper nutrition. I can go on and on and on (believe me :-) ) about the many mental, physical and emotional benefits of regular physical activity but if you are interested in dumping fat, the most knowledgeable fitness professionals will tell you that you can’t out train a bad diet.

I realize that every overweight person wants to thinner yesterday but most people set themselves up for failure by making massive changes to their nutrition (often eating too little) or exercise (often doing too much). If you are serious about discarding excess fat and then maintaining a healthy weight, you need to accept the fact that the process will take time. You must commit to a lifestyle makeover- not a “diet” that ends when you meet your goal weight. If you truly want to see a lower number on the scale, you must decide that your lifestyle will include good quality nutrition and regular physical activity. No infomercial ab gadget or quick fix diet will get you where you ultimately want to be.

Start small. If you eat fast food five times a week, resolve to cut back to two or three; then do it. If you haven’t exercised in years, do not start working out for an hour every day. Pick a reasonable amount of time based on your current fitness level and lifestyle and commit to it. You can even start out with 10 minutes a day but do not allow yourself to crawl into bed until you have completed your daily exercise. There is no one who can’t find 10 minutes in their day to improve their health. Dump the “all or nothing” mentality - ten minutes a day is actually better than 70 minutes in one day. Small, consistent changes are much more productive than big, sporadic ones. Once you have created new, healthy habits and had success with some small changes, start making bigger ones.

Here is a great blog post on this subject from Alwyn Cosgrove, creator of Afterburn, called The Goal Snowball. http://alwyncosgrove.blogspot.com/2007/11/goal-snowball.html