Posts Tagged ‘exercise’

Today I’d like to share with you an article by one of my favorite health and fitness experts, Lori Shemek.  Enjoy!

Your 5 Quick No-Fail Action Steps to Exercise Success – The SMART Program

By Lori L. Shemek, Ph.D.

Most of us start an exercise program and soon give-up. Why? When we first begin we are all pumped-up ready to follow our goal(s) without fail. One problem is that initially we may have too much exuberance. This leads to over-training resulting in injury. But most commonly, it is our inability to stick with the program due to injury, external/internal events and more. If I told you there was a blue-print, a map, that told you everything you must do in order to be successful in your exercise endeavors, would you want to learn about it? Well, look no further. Here I have put together a simple list of necessary elements that are vital to your successful health goals. The program I’ve created is called the S.M.A.R.T Program. These five actions will literally create fitness success in your life.

The S.M.A.R.T Program

S – Schedule

Schedule your exercise. There is much research showing that by writing down the date and time you will be exercising will ensure success. By scheduling your work-outs, you are creating neuronal pathways in the brain that set-up this expectation that you will be exercising on a certain day and at a certain time. After roughly three weeks, you will have literally created a habit! The act of scheduling also conquers the objection to “I don’t have enough time to exercise” Treat your scheduled exercise with the same regard as you would a doctor or dentist appointment.

M – Motivation

Motivation can be hard to come by when we are faced with all of the external and internal pullings of our lives. This is why, if you are to remain motivated – you must always remember the reason why you wanted to exercise in the first place. Go back to that place when you were first energized and ready to conquer the world! Keep the reasons “why” imprinted in your brain and habitually go to it when motivation wanes.

A – Action

Just Do It! I know it can be difficult to get moving at times, but just remember this..energy creates energy. The more you move your body, the more energy you have – even while exercising. By moving your body you will profoundly change your life. You will have the leg strength to move your body easily through life, you will have a heart that will not have to work as hard, and you will have powerful lungs. So, from now on, do not think about whether or not you’ll exercise – put your shoes on and Just Do It! Let me repeat: Just Do It!

R – Rest

Do you know why most people quit their exercise programs? Injury and fatigue. These people are so energized in the beginning, that they go to the gym twice a day, they run way to many miles, they pump way too much iron etc, and then they get injured, discouraged and quit. Rest is vital to a well-rounded exercise program. By over-doing your fitness, you are depleting your energy stores rather than building them up. This has an overall effect that targets your motivation and action. Important: Start out slow and easy, then gradually build-up your endurance.

T – Tenacity

Did you know that some of the most successful people in the world share a common characteristic? They are tenacious. They persist until they have achieved their goal, even when they feel like quitting. You must believe that you hold the power to do anything that you set your mind to. When you feel like giving up – ask yourself if there isn’t something else you can do. Can I put more effort into making my fitness goals a reality? Have I tried another strategy? Will quitting help me accomplish my goals? Remember that trials will come, difficulties will arise and you will want to quit. Reject all thoughts of failure. Tomorrow is another day and as long as you get back on the horse, you will succeed..because you are tenacious.

Your health and your quality of life depend upon your actions. As long as you follow the S.M.A.R.T. Program tenets – you will achieve success!

“Our decisions – not the condition of our lives – determine our destiny.” ~Tony Robbins

Living a healthy life is easy once you have the knowledge. If you would like to learn more about how to easily integrate the S.M.A.R.T Program into your life or any other area of health and nutrition, please visit us here: http://www.dlsHealthWorks.com/ and while you are visiting, please sign-up for your FREE Health Tips. Here you will find everything you need to create optimum health in your life.

Lori L. Shemek, PhD, CNC, CLC, is Founder and President of DLS HealthWorks. Lori has devoted the past 20 years practicing and teaching others how to easily CREATE OPTIMUM HEALTH in their lives. Lori is the Co-Author of “A Practical Guide On Aging Parents And Nutrition.

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No matter what your age, you can’t take a healthy heart for granted.

Heart disease is the leading killer of women in the U.S.  Don’t become a statistic!  Make sure to keep your heart healthy for a lifetime by following these 4 healthy heart tips!

1. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day.  Exercise helps control your weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and stress, which are all contributors to heart disease.  As a bonus, it also improves your mood!
2. Maintain a healthy weight. Do not consume more calories than you use up in a day.  If you’re trying to lose weight, make sure that you’re eating fewer calories than you burn.  Hint: it’s easier to control what you eat if you eat at home rather than eating out.
3. Choose the right foods. Avoid processed foods in favor of natural, whole foods.  Aim for a healthy balance of lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, veggies, and healthy fats such as olive oil.
4. Avoid excess sodium. Read labels carefully because you can’t always tell by the taste how much sodium something contains.  You should limit yourself to a maximum of 2400 mg of sodium per day.

If you enjoyed reading these 4 healthy heart tips, please retweet!  Thanks!

So you can’t lose weight even though you’ve been following your weight loss plan faithfully.

It’s so frustrating!  Let’s take a look at your weight loss plan and see where you can tweak it to get the results you want.

1. Are you dieting but not exercising?

Steady, permanent weight loss requires a combination of decreasing the number of calories you take in and increasing the number of calories you expend.  Exercise revs up your metabolism to keep your body burning calories efficiently.

2. Are you exercising but not dieting?

Exercise is great for your fitness but will not help you lose weight if you continue to overeat between workouts.  It takes a lot of exercise to burn just one pound of fat so, if you want to see results, you need to reduce the amount of fuel coming in so your exercise efforts can work on burning fat that is already in storage.

3. Is your diet too restrictive?

Your body requires a healthy balance of carbs (50% of your daily intake), protein (15%) and fats (35%) in order to keep working like it should.  If you give it the wrong fuel, it will become sluggish and unable to do it’s work of burning calories.  And if you limit yourself to too few calories, your body will go into starvation mode and cling to every single fat cell.  You will feel weak and miserable, plus your weight loss will stop.

4. Are you doing the wrong exercise?

For optimum weight loss, you have to include a combination of cardio and strength training in your exercise plan.  If you are using cardio alone, you are missing out on the calorie burning benefits that building muscle provides.

If your weight loss program hasn’t been as effective as you had hoped it would be, try one of these easy fixes!  And don’t forget to share these ideas with anyone else you know who might need them!

Starting a regular exercise program might just be the most important thing you can do for your overall health.

Einstein is famous for saying, “Nothing happens until something moves.”  This is especially true when talking about your body.  But what are some specific reasons that starting an exercise program is so good for you?

1. Building muscles.     Once we reach our 30’s, we begin to lose muscle tissue.  The main indicator of an aging body is loss of muscle mass.  You lose your strength and, related to that, you lose your ability to avoid falls.  And, because muscle tissue is the biggest calorie-burning tissue in the body, you burn calories more slowly, greatly raising your risk of becoming overweight or even obese.

2. Keeping your heart and brain healthy. Your heart is also a muscle and needs regular workouts to stay healthy and strong.  A fit heart is able to more efficiently pump essential oxygen and other nutrients throughout your body, including to your brain.  As long as it’s properly nourished, your brain can maintain its ability to manage the mental, physical, and emotional components of your life.

3. Keeping your bones strong. Your bones also must be worked out to keep from becoming fragile and prone to osteoporosis.  Because your muscles are attached to your bones, when you work out your muscles, you are also working out your bones.

Don’t let yourself become weak and decrepit!  If you want to have a good quality of life as you grow older, don’t just sit there hoping for the best!  Whatever age you are, start an exercise program today – all it takes is 3 times per week.  It’s the best investment in your future that you can possibly make!

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Being able to easily design your own circuit training routine is a helpful skill to have.  You don’t need a huge amount of space or lots of equipment.  You can come up with the most perfect routine for you and you can change  it whenever you get bored or need a greater challenge. Here are some easy steps to follow in order to easily design your own daily circuit training routine.

First, choose the time of day when you have the best chance of success. I go through my routine as soon as my alarm goes off, before anything can come up to derail me.

Next, choose exercises that will work all parts of your body. You might choose bending and stretching for flexibility, crunches, push-ups, lunges, biceps curls, etc.

Now, using all of the exercises you have decided to incorporate into your circuit, figure out how many repetitions of each one you are able to do without becoming discouraged. For instance, you might not be able to do 60 curls all at once, but you could do 15 curls, 20 crunches, 10 lunges, etc.  Keep adding activities until you come up with around 10 minutes of exercise.

Go completely through your routine, then repeat the entire circuit twice more. Now you’ve done your thirty minute exercise routine!  Add more repetitions to increase your workout as you become stronger. It’s addictive!

*A stability ball is a great addition to your circuit.

*Try exercising while playing music or turning on the TV.  But don’t stop to watch something – keep moving!

*As they always say, you should check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program.

Monday Motivation

I think this video says it all when it comes to looking for a reason to get up off the couch and get active!

Don’t end up like this guy.  If you haven’t already, start your fitness program today!