Speaking of workout clothes ...

So, the other day I put up a picture that said that you are more likely to workout if you've already got your workout clothes on. I'm not sure that works for me! If I go to sleep with my workout clothes on, in hopes that it will make me want to get up and go for an early morning walk, I am still just going to hit the snooze button and tell myself, "Tomorrow... Zzzz." That's just me though. I've heard it really does work for other people. But me, not so much.

For me, the process of getting the workout clothes on is what really motivates me. It could be because I have to get up and get moving to do so. So, after I just get done putting them on, I am much less likely to just go lay back in bed or go back to sitting in front of the computer. I also have a nerdy tendency to imagine I'm part of some epic movie montage and I'm getting geared up for my big moment where I conquer my workout! ... But again, that's just me. And you should do whatever works! So whether that is going to sleep in your workout gear (or putting them on ahead of time) or imagining yourself in a movie, use what works!

As far as types of workout clothes, I am very much not into shorts. I don't really feel confident enough to show my thighs just yet. Plus, the types of workout that I do usually involve some kind of plyo action, and there is just too much jiggle for me to feel like that epic conqueror.  

So, I typically wear tights and a tank top for my indoor workouts and throw on a hoodie if I take it outside. I can't say I have tried many different brands, but I really love the Danskin brand. I just think that their clothes are comfortable, they're stylish, they fit well (hate when I buy something and it feels like it was made for one specific body type, which is usually not mine), they are affordable (they've always got their clothes on sale at WalMart) and they come in many fun different colors! They've got tops, bottoms, jackets, bras, leggings, and even bags! So, what's not to love?

If anyone has another brand that they really love or would like to recommend, I'd love to hear about it!

Jumping Back In

Hi guys,

I decided to take a bit of a break from writing due to some personal reasons. The calendar says it is Spring, but Mother Nature still has me feeling like it is winter and I have been having a bit of trouble battling the "winter blues". I thought it best to wait until I was a little more chipper, and a little less stressed, before getting back to writing regularly.

So, what are the winter blues? The "winter blues", also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), is defined by the National Library of Medicine as:
"... a kind of depression that occurs at a certain time of the year, usually in the winter."

It is typical for it to happen in the winter, which is the reason it is called "winter blues" instead of "seasonal blues", I guess. But there are cases of people becoming depressed during the summer months as well. This happens routinely at the same time each year, usually starting around the Fall months.

Symptoms according to the Mayo Clinic:

 Fall and winter seasonal affective disorder (winter depression)

• Depression
• Hopelessness
• Anxiety
• Loss of energy
• Heavy, "leaden" feeling in the arms or legs
• Social withdrawal
• Oversleeping
• Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
• Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates
• Weight gain
• Difficulty concentrating

Spring and summer seasonal affective disorder (summer depression)

• Anxiety
• Trouble sleeping (insomnia)
• Irritability
• Agitation
• Weight loss
• Poor appetite
• Increased sex drive

 Causes:

 The Mayo Clinic states that the exact cause is still not known, but here are some likely causes:

• Your biological clock (circadian rhythm). The reduced level of sunlight in fall and winter may disrupt your body's internal clock, which lets you know when you should sleep or be awake. This disruption of your circadian rhythm may lead to feelings of depression.
• Serotonin levels. A drop in serotonin, a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that affects mood, might play a role in seasonal affective disorder. Reduced sunlight can cause a drop in serotonin that may trigger depression.
• Melatonin levels. The change in season can disrupt the balance of the natural hormone melatonin, which plays a role in sleep patterns and mood.

 They also say that being female, living far from the equator, and having a history or family history of depression may increase the risk of suffering from seasonal affective disorder.

Treatments:

Light Therapy - you sit a few feet from a specialized light therapy box so that you're exposed to bright light. Light therapy mimics outdoor light and appears to cause a change in brain chemicals linked to mood.

Psychotherapy & Medications - These are used after light therapy has been attempted unsuccessfully.

There are other things that you can do on your own to reduce the likelihood of suffering from SAD. This includes opening up the curtains/blinds to let in as much sunlight as possible during the day. Also, sitting near a window while you work, read, draw, etc. can help. Getting outside and getting regular exercise are also great ways to help and make sure to get enough sleep each night.

If you are into supplements, they recommend St. John's Wort, SAMe, Melatonin, and Omega-3 fatty acids. And other therapy includes yoga, meditation, and acupuncture.

Always, before trying any kind of treatment, talk to your doctor about your symptoms to see what they suggest. Also, seek help if you are having suicidal thoughts or turn to alcohol or other substances for relief.

The Mayo Clinic is a great resource for causes, treatments, and symptoms: Click Here to read the original page.

How Much Should I Exercise?

One of the main questions that people ask when considering fitness is how often should they work out. That answer varies greatly depending on not only who you ask, but also your fitness level and what you're hoping to achieve. Ask Men's website states that you should strive to make working out of your routine 6 days each week. They say to aim high, because if "life happens", you're still likely to get in at least 3 - 4 days each week.

They also claim that working out 6 days a week makes it habit, which makes it a part of who you are and becomes as ordinary as brushing your teeth or showering every day. You eat and sleep each day, and feel better when you do so appropriately, so it makes sense that you feel more energized and healthier when you also workout regularly. In fact, most people notice other areas in their life improving as well, like positive attitude and healthier skin, when they exercise consistently. They say that people that don't workout consistently are less likely to see progress and then are less likely to stick to working out at all.

Of course, you need to take into consideration your fitness level when determining how often to exercise each week and also what you'd like to achieve. If you are a beginner, most experts recommend 20 minutes three times a week, which can be broken up into ten minute sessions throughout the day or all at once. And of course, any exercise is better than no exercise.

Beginners are likely to need more recovery time than seasoned athletes too. Answer Fitness says:

"As a general rule of thumb, a good training frequency for someone who is new to the gym, or returning after a lengthy break, is three resistance workouts a week lasting between 45 and 60 minutes. This will allow you to work each major muscle group with at least one exercise and give yourself 48 hours for recovery between workouts."

As for the US government, when asked the question, they released a report called Dietary Guidelines for Americans which said:

"To help manage body weight and prevent gradual, unhealthy body weight gain in adulthood: Engage in approximately 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity activity on most days of the week while not exceeding caloric intake requirements."

We Be Fit's website goes on to explain that you should consider cardio workouts four to six times a week between 20 and 60 minutes each session for optimum fat loss. Exceeding an hour of this can be harmful to your body though, as it begins to eat muscle that is used to fuel your body. To maintain muscle mass, they recommend resistance/strength training three days a week for about 30 - 60 minutes.

Those recommendations are similar for people of ages up to even 70 and 80 years old.

The recommendations for how often to exercise each week may vary, but what all the websites have in common is that you should start out slowly, so as not to injure yourself, pace yourself, start with lighter weights, shorter sessions, and gradually work your way up. They all also recommend on day of rest minimum each week. You will burn yourself out if you never give your body a chance to rest, especially when engaging in vigorous workouts. I think my personal rule of thumb is always to listen to your body. Each body is different and you know when you are pushing too hard or when you aren't pushing enough. So listen to your body, lace up your shoes, and get sweaty!!

Sources:
answerfitness.com
webefit.com
askmen.com

Fighting childhood obesity!

In 2010, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese. (CDC) It has even gotten to the point that it is affecting infants. It's no wonder because "more than two-thirds (68.8 percent) of adults are considered to be overweight or obese." (WIN).






Overweight and obese children are more likely to have:

• Higher risk for cardiovascular disease
• Prediabetes
• Bone and joint problems
• Sleep apnea
• Social and psychological problems

 It is also shown that children who are overweight or obese will grow up to be overweight or obese as adults. This puts them at risk for:

• Heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Stroke
• Severe types of cancer ( including cancer of the breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, gall bladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate, as well as multiple myeloma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma)
• Osteoartheritis

 So what can we do to help the kids? 

There are several ways to help our kids get healthy. The most important thing that you can ever do, as a parent, friend, or family member, for a child is to lead by example! I can't stress this enough. Kids mimic the habits and behaviors that they learn at home. If you are overweight yourself, there is a great chance that your children will be too. As much as you think you can do what you want and tell them to do something else, "Do as I say, not as I do" rarely works. You also don't want to sit down and talk to your child about how they are overweight and you're concerned and they are going to be put on a diet and fitness regime. You never want to single out your child and make them feel bad or guilty about their weight; this only increases the chances of decreased self-esteem and may even push them into eating more and being less active.

Here are a few ways to help your child, without making them feel bad about it:

• Get active WITH THEM. Play outside with them, take them to a park, go for bike rides together. If they are into technology, get them into playing Wii Sports with you or have them show you how to shake your groove thang with one of the many different Wii dance games. It's active, it's fun, and you're not singling them out. It's great for the adults too because they will increase their fitness level by doing this as well. And it's a great way to interact and bond with your child.
• Pack them lunch for school. I cannot emphasize enough how much I do not agree with what has become acceptable to serve to kids at school. I believe they have even tried to pass off french fries as vegetables because they are made from potatoes. So pack your kids a lunch. Make it fun and make it delicious, but leave out all the processed junk that their little, growing bodies do not need. 
• Prepare healthy meals for EVERYONE at home. Creating a meal of pasta for the family, but giving one child a salad and chicken is NOT going to help their self esteem at all, and will only create resentment. If you want your child to be healthy, make sure you focus on the whole family getting healthy together, rather than trying to make little Julie lose weight. 
• Help them find an activity at school that they can be active in whether that is track, softball, football, or even the marching band. Don't force them into it and don't make it seem that they need to join to lose weight. Just get them involved in something physical where they can make friends and have fun. 
• Make sure they are getting enough good quality sleep each night. It's a bad idea for them to have TV's or computers in their room because they often stay up until very late and too much stimulation before bed time makes it hard to fall asleep.
• Try to reduce stress. Stress has been proven over and over to cause weight gain and difficulty losing weight. So talk to your kids, find out what is going on and try to reduce any stress that they may be dealing with. 
• Drink water, lots of water. Juices and pops are loaded with sugar. Instead of setting your kids up for a crash, a blood sugar crash, have them drink lots of water throughout the day. It will give them energy and is exactly what their bodies need. 

If you have talked to your child about how they have a weight problem and they responded poorly, as is expected if it is addressed as their problem,  Jillian Michaels recommends talking to them and being honest. Explain to them that it isn't their fault and you aren't unhappy with them and that you will love them no matter what, but that you are feeling like you have let them down by not showing them healthy behaviors and that the whole family is going to focus on getting healthy together from now on.

I hope my tips have been helpful. Have a happy Wednesday!

The Importance of Sleep

It may not be what comes to mind first when you think of weight loss, but sleep is actually a very important piece of the puzzle when it comes to losing weight. Livestrong.com reports, "studies have shown that people who get an adequate amount of sleep each night (6 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep) generally weigh less".  Have you ever noticed that when you get a poor night's sleep, or maybe just not enough sleep, you feel tired and groggy the next day? Big surprise, huh? Well, do you also notice that you are more likely to grab the potato chips or candy bar on those days too? I never really put the two together until I heard about it on a podcast, Dishing Up Nutrition. But now that I know, it's pretty obvious.

I have a hard time getting to bed when I should most nights. That means that I don't usually get enough sleep. And on those nights when I don't get enough sleep, I notice that I am not only grumpy the next day, but I suffer from horrible cravings too. Why is that? Livestrong explains that "Grehlin is a hormone in the body that enhances appetite and can lead to weight gain. Leptin is a hormone in the body that represses appetite and can support weight loss. A lack of sleep disturbs the hormonal balance and the body suffers; the result of insufficient sleep leads to an increase in Grehlin and a decrease in Leptin levels, which inevitably leads to weight gain." WebMD goes on to say that, "... if you aresleep-deprived, meaning that you are not getting enough minutes of sleep orgood quality sleep, your metabolism will not function properly".

It is reported that each person should get 7.5 hours of sleep or more of sleep each night. That is not just sleep, but good sleep. Waking up several times in the middle doesn't count because your body won't be fooled.

Tips to get a good night's sleep:

• Avoid caffeine after 2 PM. It's effects can linger long into the evening and disrupt your sleep.
• Exercise regularly to achieve healthy sleep. 
• Avoid heavy meals before bed. Also avoid spicy foods which may provoke heartburn and keep you awake.
• Start and stick to a pattern of going to bed at the same time each night; your body will get used to it and adjust to be ready for it.
• Start and stick to a pattern of eating healthy at certain times each day. If you plan ahead, you are more likely to stick to eating healthy, which will help you sleep better too.
• Hydrate well during the day, but avoid excessive liquids before bedtime, which will keep you from getting up multiple times to make trips to the bathroom. 
• Avoid the computer and television before bed as these tend to stimulate the brain, making it harder to relax. Instead, read a book or write in a journal. These are actives which relax the brain and prepare it for sleep. 

"Adequate sleep is essential for the metabolism and hormones to remain balanced and function properly. Sleep deprivation produces fatigue and stress, and can also lead to other serious health concerns. If you balance your day with sufficient sleep, a healthy diet and moderate exercise, you can retain a healthy weight and feeling of wellness that is beneficial to your overall health." (WebMD)

If you are getting enough sleep each night and still are feeling tired the next day, it is recommended that you speak to your doctor about visiting a sleep specialist.