An often neglected, but very important part of a workout is the exercise warm up. An exercise warm up prepares your heart, lungs, muscles, bones, and joints for exercise. It also prepares you mentally for what you are about to do. Starting out with vigorous intensity exercise when your muscles are still cold can set you up for injury.
Some light stretching can be done towards the END of your warm up. Save any deep stretching for the end of your workout.
An often neglected, but very important part of a workout is the warm up. A warm up prepares your heart, lungs, muscles, bones, and joints for exercise. It also prepares you mentally for what you are about to do. Starting out with vigorous intensity exercise when your muscles are still cold can set you up for injury.
Tips for Warming up:
Some light stretching can be done towards the END of your warm up. Save any deep stretching for the end of your workout.
Are you getting enough exercise? The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) provides a minimum weekly exercise recommendation. While more is ideal, strive to get at least the recommended time.
For more specific guidelines, go to http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/factsheetprof.aspxit
Does your workplace encourage a healthy lifestyle? More and more employers are recognizing the need for healthy employees and encouraging their staffs to exercise, eat right, and manage stress levels.
It makes sense for companies to invest in the health of their workers:
If your employer does not have a wellness program in place, volunteer to start one or find a company that specializes in corporate wellness. Workplace challenges can be fun and increase morale.
Resistance training can be done at slow, medium, or explosive speeds. We sometimes get stuck in a rut with the same routine, but mixing up the tempo of our lifting can be beneficial. New research shows that the mechanoreceptors that sense stimuli in joints, muscles, and ligaments are more efficient when the tempo is changed. This will make injury less likely, and help us move better.
Try lifting at a new tempo, such as:
When you have mastered this tempo, increase the speed to:
After two weeks, change it up to a higher, more explosive speed tempo:
Muscles become adapted to the workload placed on them, and by changing it every couple of weeks, plateaus can be avoided.
Getting together with friends and family to watch the big game can be enjoyable and exciting without ruining your healthy eating plans. For a protein-packed snack/appetizer, try this recipe:
Peel the eggs and cut in half, removing the yolk. Combine yolk with avocados, juice from the limes, and garlic salt. Pipe mixture into the center of the eggs. Top with fresh dill, salt and pepper. Enjoy!
You may have heard the term “gut health,” but do you know what it means? The gut, or gastrointestinal tract is full of bacteria that assist in digestion. Foods rich in prebiotics and probiotics are necessary for microflora in the gut to keep you healthy.
So what foods have these prebiotics and probiotics?
Prebiotics are a dietary fiber that feeds healthy gut bacteria and can be found in these foods and others:
Probiotics are live and active bacteria (good bacteria) and are found in:
Eating a variety of foods rich in prebiotics and probiotics may promote weight loss, reduce cholesterol, and improve your mood.
Have you made your new year’s resolutions? Is a diet on the list? This year try taking a fresh new approach to nutrition. Instead of counting calories, focus on the quality of the foods you eat.
Consider one or more of these strategies:
Simple changes like these can make a big difference to your waistline and your overall health. Don’t forget to motivate yourself with a non-food reward for meeting your goals.
Try this yummy fall recipe as a post-workout meal or a healthy treat:
Ingredients:
Add all ingredients to the blender and mix until smooth. 2 servings.
