Exercise: Better Than Any Pill

I know, you’re busy. I’m busy, too. Everyone is. Busy, stressed and tired.

For most, their exercise routine is just another cause of stress- one more thing you have to fit into your schedule, one more thing fighting for your time, one more thing you are too exhausted to do, and one more thing that makes you feel guilty when you push it off in favor of some downtime.

These would all seem like good excuses to skip exercise, if any of them were true. Poor exercise, it gets such a bad rap. If this sounds like you, you need to switch your thinking. Exercise is your CURE for stress. A good workout stimulates your beta-endorphins (which are 30 times more powerful than morphine) giving you more energy and helps you burn off that extra tension and anxiety- the perfect mix to nix stress.

The best workouts for eliminating stress?

Boxing. Sure, you get to beat the crap out of something, but you also get a great cardio, upper body and core workout. Punch away.

Aerobic Exercise. Working in repetitive motion, clearing your mind while pushing your body as hard as it will go is better for lowering stress than any prescription out there.

Sports. Playing basketball or volleyball with a few friends is not only a great workout, it’s a great stress reliever. Fresh air, blasting fat and fun with friends- it doesn’t get much better than that.

Yoga. For a slower, calming (yet, still effective) mind clearing workout, give your body and mind a good stretch with a long yoga session.

Don’t stress about stress- use it to your advantage. Use your anxiety and pent up energy to push yourself further than you thought you ever could, and end up feeling better than ever afterward.

3 Tips to Not Stress the Scale

Most people own a bathroom scale, and if you are trying to lose weight, you are probably pretty familiar with yours.  It’s the fastest and easiest way to measure your weight loss progress, and while it may not be 100% accurate all the time, it’s a good gague of how you are doing.

All too often, however, people let the scale rule their lives.  They let it dictate how they are going to feel about themselves that day, their motivation level and their mood.  If this sounds like you, here are 3 ways to break the scale’s hold over you, without throwing it out the window.

1. Remember what the number on the scale really means.  The scale will tell you how much weigh at that exact moment, but it doesn’t tell you how hard you’ve been working, what kind of person you are or how you should feel about yourself.  If the number on your scale means all those things to you, you need to reevaluate your expectations- because no amount of weight gained or lost should decide how much you are worth. 
2. Make it work for you.  Is that number not what you expected?  That’s your clue that you did something different and it’s not working for you.  More often than not, you’ll know what did it (pizza after work yesterday, or skipping the gym a few too many times last week) but a change on the scale is a clear sign of what your change of routine wasn’t a good idea.  Next time you are faced with the same scale changing temptation, you know what will happen next weigh in, and hopefully decide to pass.
3. Remember that you are in charge of the scale, not the other way around.  You can through that scale right out the window if you want.  You choose when to weigh in and how often.  It’s not your judge, it’s a hunk of plastic and metal.  If you had a splurge last night, and your belly is still full the next morning, you know your weight is probably not going to be what you want it to be.  If you know seeing that number is going to bring you down, skip your weigh in that day, and vow to see a number the next morning that you can be proud of. This will motivate you to make better choices more than a guilt-enducing number ever could.

The Easy Meal Plan Anyone Can Use

Sure, I could tell you exactly what to eat, but how realistic is that?  Give a man a fish, he eats for a day, but teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.  Teach that man how to eat healthy, and that lifetime will be much longer.

So here is your meal plan.  Some easy to follow rules that will teach you to make the best decisions for your body, and fuel you up right.

Calories are, by definition, energy.  Calories fuel your body for everything you do: run, jump, walk, sleep, digest, blink, breathe.  Everything.

But just like the type of gasoline you put in your car, the type of food you use to fuel your body is important to make sure your body runs at top performance.

When your body is running at it’s best, your metabolism is faster, your energy levels are higher (no need for that 3:00 pm sugar craving to keep you going) your workouts are easier and you sleep better. This means your body is under less stress, which in turn means you get sick less often and are less likely to develop life threatening diseases.

Sounds good, right?  It all starts with your nutrition.  Here is the meal plan everyone can, and should, follow:

• Eat every 3-4 hours.  A steady supply of food gives your body long lasting fuel to keep you energized and your metabolism revved.  Small meals are key to not consume too many calories through out the day.
• Always eat breakfast. It jump starts your metabolism and evens out your blood sugar, stopping cravings before they start.
• Eat as many whole, raw foods as you can. Fresh raw fruits and vegetables are key to getting vital nutrients for very few calories- cooking them causes them to lose some of their nutrients and water- but either way, they are a great choice.  The more colorful, the better.
• Get protein from a variety of sources. A little bit of meat is fine, but animal products contain high levels of saturated fat, which can be hard on your heart.  Getting protein from sources like non-fat dairy, tofu, nuts and nut butters will give you the same protein, but with healthy, unsaturated fats that are actually good for your heart.
• Choose only whole grains. You gotta have carbs, you need them, but processed carbs aren’t even close to cutting it.  Processed carbs are literally processed to take out the good stuff: fiber, vitamins and minerals.  Choose whole wheat or whole grain breads and pastas and brown rice instead of white.
• Ditch the sugar. Sugar is your body’s worst enemy.  It spikes your blood sugar, causing energy crashes and cravings, and gunks up your organs.  Skip it, and opt for natural sugars, like those in fruits.
• Don’t forget the liquids. Drink plenty of water all day long to flush out fat, improve energy and stay hydrated.

That’s it.  Simple, huh?  There’s your meal plan.  Follow that bad boy, and your body will run better than you could ever imagine.

MRBC Owner Brian Wehner Gets Interviewed!

Brian Wehner, your fearless boot camp leader, was recently interviewed by PhysiqueSpeak.com.  Brian talked about what makes fitness boot camps so effective for getting better, faster results, why he decided to start My Revolution and more.

Read the interview here!

I Always Knew I Liked Her…

Usually celebrities are linked to wacky and weird diets secrets, like eating baby food, or only drinking tea made from exotic plants from counties no one has ever heard of, but not Miss Jennifer Aniston. In fact, I think she has given the best celeb diet advice of all time:

“I eat really well and I work out, but I also indulge when I want to. I don’t starve myself in an extremist way. You’re not taking away my coffee or my dairy or my glass of wine because I’d be devastated. My advice: just stop eating sh*t every day.” -Jennifer Aniston

Still Think You Can Out Exercise Your Splurges?

Think again!

Check out this battle between a typical morning Starbucks run and kettlebell swings, one of the best fat burning exercises around.

Place your bets, people, then click play.

Feeling Left Out?

Sometimes, being healthy sucks. It sucks when you go out with your friends, and they are swilling beer and cramming pizza down their throats and you are eating a salad. It sucks when everyone wants to go out and stay up late but you have to call it an early night because you have boot camp in the morning.

It seems like living a healthy lifestyle, or working towards your goals, is keeping you from doing the things you love. It’s always hard to be different.

You know what? You are different. To lose weight, or stay healthy, you have to live differently than most people. Most people are over weight, sedentary, and suffer from, or are at a very high risk of, developing diseases that will keep them from enjoying life to the fullest, and will in a lot of cases kill them prematurely. Most people can’t climb a flight of stairs without getting winded, dread bathing suit season because they hate they way they look and can’t play with their kids and grand kids.

I get poked fun at constantly for my choices. My friends tell me to relax and just eat a cheeseburger everyone in a while, and to let loose for once and stay out a few more hours on the weekends. People push food on me and groan when I say I’m on my way to the gym.  “Have fun every once in a while” they say.

You know why?

Because we make them uncomfortable.  If a real life person, like you and me, can make healthy decisions on a daily basis toward losing weight and staying healthy, it means it’s possible. It means they can can do it, too- they just choose not to.

To them, indulging in unhealthy foods and treating their body poorly is fun.  That’s not my idea of fun.  Sometimes, yes, but not always.  You can make yourself feel good and have fun without the aid of cheese and alcohol.

It’s not your responsibility to police others, but it is vital that you don’t let food pushers and workout distracters sway you from your goals.

My strategy? Don’t apologize: teach and motivate. If someone makes a comment about my overly complicated, healthified order at a restaurant, I explain why I made the choices I did, and when it arrives, I offer them a bite. If someone makes fun of me for heading to the gym, again, I let them know all the positive health benefits exercise has on one’s health and body, and I invite them to come along. 99% of the time, they will decline, but even if they say no, they learned something, and will gain a little appreciation for you working so hard to take care of yourself.

It’s National Women’s Checkup Day!

 

www.marriedtothesea.com

May 10th is National Women’s Checkup Day (which probably has something to do with the fact that Mother’s Day was yesterday) where women everywhere are encouraged to head their doctor and get a thurough check up. 

Many women don’t go to the doctor, or ignore nagging symptoms, until it is too late, and the consequences can be dire.

Many women are intimidated to go to the doctor, scared of what they may hear about their weight, their health, or their lifestyle, but you have to do it.  Make an appointment to get your physical soon.  Working out is an important part of staying healthy, but check ups are vital to spot health concerns before they potentially ruin your life.  You only get one body, one life, and you have to take care of it.  Do it for your family, do it for your friends, but most importantly, do it for you.

Some Food For Thought….

In case you need a little motivation today, here are some words to think over:

“We do not stop exercising because we grow old, we grow old because we stop exercising.” -Dr. Kenneth Cooper

It’s never too late. Don’t use your age as an excuse for those aches and pains. Age is just a number. Start your revolution today.

Your Happy Hour Survival Guide

It’s been a long day at work, and all you want to do is kick back with girls and hit up your favorite spot for happy hour to unwind.  This in-between meal of drinks and appetizers, however, can put a major dent in your effort to drop the pounds  if you aren’t careful.

Don’t fret: you can still unwind with your friends without undoing all your hard work, if you are smart about it.

• Be upfront with your friends.  Let them know that you are trying to watch your intake, and ask them to support you in that.  People tend to copy what their fellow diner’s behaviors, so saying it out loud will not only motivate you to keep your word, but might actually motivate your friends to follow your example.
• Skip your usual.  Chalk it up to one of those weird things, but research shows you are more likely to order a second round if you are drinking your favorite drink, so mix it up.  If you usually drink beer, order wine.  You don’t have to order something you don’t like, just something different, which will make it easier to resist ordering more.
• Avoid sharing.  A pitcher may be cheaper than ordering by the pint, but it’s harder to gauge how much you are actually drinking if your glass keeps getting topped off.
• Stand up to your bartender.  If you are a frequent happy hour patron, chances are the staff knows it.  The more comfortable they are with you, the more likely they are to pressure you into having another drink.  Some will even bring you another round before you are finished with your first without asking- a trick a server friend of mine let me in on to rack up the bill.  Just remember:  bartenders are working.  The higher your bill, the higher you will tip.  Politely refuse, even if it’s already poured.
• Nix the mixed drinks. They can contain upwards of 700 calories, with all the sugary juices, calorie filled soda and multiple shots.  Stick with wine or light beer, or if you really want a drink, get your favorite liquor with diet soda and wedge of lime for all the flavor and none of the calories.
• Skip the appetizers. Drinking dehydrates your body, which triggers your munchie reflex.  It may be tempting to order cheap appetizers or happy hour specials to share, but rarely are they healthy or low-calorie.  Even if you vow to only have a bite or two, alcohol lowers your inhibitions making your more likely to eat more than you intended, so it is best to wait for your healthy dinner at home.  If your friends decide to buy a bunch and share, suggest the healthiest choice on the menu, and eat only off the ‘safe plate.’  Look for hummus plates, margherita pizzas, shrimp cocktail and broth based soups. It probably goes without saying, stay away from anything deep-fried, cheese coated and wrapped in bacon.

Living a healthy lifestyle isn’t about giving up the things you enjoy- especially spending time with your friends.  A few small tweaks will have you saving calories without sacrificing fun.  Now that’s something to be happy about.