WINNING AT LOSING

Investor’s Business Daily has compiled a 10-point list of traits of successful people in all walks of life. Here they are with a little tweaking to fit your goal to be healthier.
1. How you think is everything. Be positive you will achieve your positively stated goals. Surround yourself with supportive, positive people.
2. Decide upon your goals. Write down your specific weight loss and fitness goals and a detailed plan to achieve them.
3. Do it now. Goals are worthless without action. You’ll never finish the ½ marathon unless you put on the shoes and walk out the door.
4. Learn something. How many calories are in a bagel? What should my training heart rate be? What is down dog?
5. Persist. Never give up. Get back in the gym today, tomorrow and the day after…and do it again.
6. Analyze details. Look back at your food logs and find out which foods make you feel best, keep you full and help you lose weight.
7. Focus. Don’t let the donuts in the break room or the rain or the couch prevent you from losing the next five pounds.
8. Don’t follow the leader. Don’t let the looks from your spouse, your mom or your lunch date stop you from ordering broiled chicken and steamed broccoli.
9. Communicate. No one achieves success without others. Ask for advice. Provide support to others. Say thank you for the help you receive.
10. Take responsibility for your actions. Accept responsibility for where you are now. Be honest in everything you do.

CHOOSING SHOES

Choosing shoes (say that five times fast) is an important factor in avoiding muscular and even structural injuries, which may occur when you are involved in any exercise program. Use these guidelines to find the right pair of shoes for you.
1. Don’t bargain shop. If you want to run comfortably and injury free, the right and, sometimes, more expensive shoes are the right ones.
2. Visit a specialty running store. Work with a knowledgeable associate to choose the right shoes. They should ask you questions about your running experience, how far you are going to run, your running goals and may ask to see your last pair of shoes to determine if you over or underpronate.
3. Shop in the afternoon. Your feet expand as the day goes along, just as they do as you run.
4. Bring your old shoes. A sales person who knows what she is doing will be able to help you choose the right shoe based upon the wear on your sole.
5. Wear running socks or buy a pair to try shoes on at the store.
6. Bring orthotics if you wear them.
7. Don’t buy the “hot” shoe. Buy the right one for your feet and your goals.

PREVENT KNEE PAIN

If you are active, and almost certainly if you’re not, you’ve probably experienced knee pain. Congenital challenges and past knee trauma aside, here are some tips on preventing knee pain while staying active.
1. Warm up before any exercise. This may include moderate aerobic activity, dynamic warm-ups and sports specific drills.
2. Stretch your hamstrings, calf, quadriceps and IT band daily. Tight muscles can affect the tracking and alignment of the patella (knee cap).
3. Try a sports massage for to relax and loosen tight muscles in the lower body.
4. If you run, try to find alternatives to concrete and pavement runs. Running on grass, a treadmill or sand reduces the stress placed on the knee.
5. Strengthen the quadriceps. These muscles, in particular the vastus medialis (the big one just inside of your knee) helps control patella tracking.
6. Have your posture and gait analyzed. Knee pain is often the result of abnormal foot biomechanics, a high Q angle (especially in women) and rotation of the femur.
7. Strengthen your glutes and hips to help prevent internal thigh rotation and the knee falling inwards.
8. Avoid sudden increases in training. As a rule, never increase your weekly mileage by more than 10%. Doing so increases fatigue and your chance for injury.
9. Add variety to your training regimen. This not only keeps you fresher for your favorite aerobic exercise, but also prevents overuse injuries.
10. Rest is often the most undervalued, but most important thing you can do to treat and prevent knee pain.

THE GLUTEN-FREE BLOG

Do you notice mysterious allergic symptoms after eating wheat products? Watery eyes, shortness of breath, a skin rash and even digestive track problems are often signs of a sensitivity to wheat, or more specifically, gluten. Gluten is a generic name for certain types of proteins found in cereal grains, mainly wheat, but also barley, rye, spelt, kamut (a version of wheat) and triticale (a cross between wheat and rye).
Current estimates suggest 1 in every 133 Americans react to ingesting gluten, which is in many products you may not suspect. Candy, some soups, oats, herbal supplements, dried fruit, soy sauce, tempeh, yogurt, many vegan products, prescription drugs and cheese sauces are some of the foods to which gluten is added. The list is extensive and the label may not indicate the presence of gluten. If you have gluten sensitivity, or think you do, visit http://gluten.net for more information and a complete list of foods to avoid and those foods (beans, eggs, milk, millet, etc.), which are gluten-free.

TIME AND CONSISTENCY

If you’ve worked out for more than a few weeks, you’ve come to understand (if not accept) the fact change can take time. Maybe your clothes fit differently or your arms are more defined, but the thought of working out seems as exciting as being a bat guano collector. Often dietary changes are a challenge, especially if those around you haven’t foresworn the donuts and pizza. Take heart! You did not develop the body you have right now overnight, but rather through years of choices. Now you are making different choices, which are improving the way you look and feel and building the foundation for your future vitality.

HAPPY! HAPPY! HAPPY!

A recent three-month study centered in the British town of Slough employed 50 residents for a happiness quest. These volunteers were given the task of making others happy and were asked to record the best ways to do so (short of giving away large sums of cash, cars and supermodels). Based upon their findings, here are the top 10 ways to be happier:
1. Plant something and nurture it.
2. Count your blessings every day.
3. Talk – have an hour-long conversation with a loved one every week.
4. Phone a friend.
5. Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to enjoy it.
Trainer Note: NO CHOCOLATE PLEASE!!!!!
6. Have a good laugh at least once a day.
7. Exercise for half an hour at least three times a week.
8. Smile and say hello to strangers.
9. Cut your television viewing in half.
10. Do something good for someone else every day.

THE BIGGEST LOSER LOSSES

Another season of “The Biggest Loser” has begun and with it come astonishing weight loss numbers. Twenty five and 30 or more pounds lost in a week is not uncommon in the early weeks of the show as the show’s morbidly obese competitors compete for the title of biggest loser.
How do they do it? Is this possible for me? These are two questions many viewers ask themselves as they watch the (endless!) weigh in portion of the show. The answer is no. Honestly, the radical lifestyle changes many of the contestants undergo in the first weeks of the show are enough to illicit great weight loss numbers. In short, they are in a controlled environment where they are expected (forced?) to exercise for hours a day and no longer have 24/7 access to the quantity of food necessary to maintain their body mass.

YOUR MONEY OR YOUR HEALTH?

If you’ve tightened your budget over the past year, you may have cut back on buying healthy food. I’m not just referring to the free-range, grain-fed or organic options touted by certain “natural” grocery stores. If you’ve switched to less expensive packaged or processed foods, are you really making the right choice? The sacrifice in nutrition may cost more in the long run, not monetarily, but to your health.
Here are several healthy, inexpensive foods to add to your grocery list:

1. Beans have 10 to 19 grams of fiber per cup, are loaded with protein and can be cooked and frozen for later use. Go online and find recipes you like, but watch how much salt and meat you add.
2. Eggs are a complete protein, which cost only pennies each. They are also packed with antioxidants, such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which may ward off age-related vision problems.
3. Oats are high in fiber and complex carbohydrates. Add some fruit to a bowl of oatmeal in the morning and it will keep your hunger at bay for hours.
4. Potatoes are not a “bad” carb. As long as you don’t cover them in cheese, sour crème and butter, they are a low-fat food high in vitamin C and potassium. Try them with salsa or black beans on top.
5. Peanut butter is often maligned for its fat content, but the fat is of the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated variety (the good stuff). Besides, it is a good source of protein, vitamin E and niacin, and it is yummy! Simply remember to watch your portions.

GOAL SETTING WORKSHEET

What is the habit or behavior, which is not working and you have decided to change?

My old habit is _______________________________________________________.

1. The reasons I keep doing this are

 

1. The reasons I want to quit, stop or change this are

 

1. My fears or concerns about changing this behavior are

 

1. What will I lose or what will happen if I don’t change?

 

1. The benefits of changing this habit are

 

Solutions

 

1. Are you really ready and willing to change this habit? If you are, then…

 

1. Plan A.

Write out your plan in small steps, beginning with one thing you can do today. Be specific and positive. Will your plan involve support from others? Again, be specific.

3.  What positive habits can I replace my old habit with in case I am tempted to repeat it?

1. Plan B.

What if Plan A fails? What is your specific backup plan if you slip into your old habit?

When you have completed writing your plan, place it somewhere you will see it every day.

GET FOCUSED 10

FOCUS
Everything I’ve told you is wrong. If it doesn’t work for you, that is. Continue to find the answers to your questions about health, working out and nutrition by reading and trying out the information for yourself.

EAT THIS
Eat whatever you want once or twice a week. After working hard and exercising each day, allow yourself to indulge in the ice cream, the nachos or the beer you’ve said no to earlier. Food is nourishment to be enjoyed and giving in to your cravings can take the edge off, so sticking to your diet is easier the rest of the week.

MOVING FORWARD
Make exercise a priority. Put it into your schedule every day and make this appointment for yourself just as important as every other commitment in your day. This is how you will maintain the tremendous progress you’ve made!