Webinar - Stay Well This Season

Stay Well This Season

Food and lifestyle tips to boost immunity and prevent illness

It's officially cold season, but that doesn't mean you have to get sick! Did you know that some foods can help boost your immunity and prevent illness? Check out this month's webinar for some of nature's best illness fighters - all of which can be found at your local grocery store. In addition to sharing the superfoods, we'll talk about how they actually help boost immunity and will share some simple, delicious recipe tips for you to try out at home

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Race Season... a Mandate to MOVE!

In my profession I encounter people everyday struggling to find the motivation for making positive changes in life. As a nutritionist and personal trainer these positive changes typically involve healthy eating and regular exercise. It seems simple from an outsider’s perspective… such habits promote a healthy body weight, a fit physique, prolonged health and disease prevention. An apple a day and all that nonsense, right? Well if we all know it to be true, which we ALL do, why is it so tough to act on it? Why isn’t that enough motivation?

Let’s evaluate this for a minute. What’s your motivation to pick your kid up from sports practice? Or to be at that emergency meeting your boss called for 8:00 am tomorrow morning? The universal answer, of course, is the threat of immediate consequence. You can’t just leave your kid at the soccer field! But with healthy lifestyle habits like diet and exercise, the consequences come on much more gradually. Maybe it’s a few pounds of weight gain per year, or development of heart disease or diabetes 20 years from now. The human body is amazing at adapting to whatever habits you throw its way. That is, you get so accustomed to being out of shape and eating fast food everyday you don’t even realize how much better you could feel by making better choices.

Helping people to find and connect with their personal internal motivations, and then to act on them (maybe a consistent morning workout or simply skipping the weekly office birthday cake), is easily the most challenging part of my job! Staying motivated when the consequences of your actions sit miles down the road can be a truly daunting task, even for the most dedicated health nuts! So why not take a tip from all the things in your day that regularly push exercise to the bottom of the list? Why not create some more immediate motivation and consequence for your healthy lifestyle habits? We’ll call it a “mandate to move!”

Turns out this time of year presents one of the simplest and most universal motivators to exercise… race season! The fall season is primetime for all sorts of outdoor athletic races and events, from marathons, to breast cancer walks to small local events. Walking, running, cycling, mountain biking, triathlon… there is undoubtedly something for everyone. Sign yourself up for one today and figure out how to train for it tomorrow! Ask a family member or friend to join you and make it a team effort. It will get you off the couch and offer an opportunity for a significant sense of accomplishment. And accomplishment is often the greatest motivator of all!

Use the activity finder at www.Active.com or runningintheusa.com to find an event in your area.

The Higher Purpose of Spring Fever

Spring has sprung …on paper anyway. This past Sunday marked the official first day of spring. And while many of us are still enduring winter storms, or forecasting them, most of us have had at least one or two days of sun and warmth to whet our appetites for spring. Inevitably the longer, warmer, sunlit days stir something within us. We feel a heightened sense of energy and vigor, commonly accompanied by a playfully positive mood and overwhelming desire to be OUTSIDE. This concept of “spring fever” is not without purpose. This is nature’s way of luring us out of our winter hibernation, spurning us to get active and start moving more while igniting the natural process of shedding those extra winter layers (pounds), also known as getting bathing-suit ready! (Alternative evolutionary interpretations involving sexual activity will not be discussed here.) This time of year feels like a celebration because it IS a celebration. After the long months of winter we can finally go outside and enjoy the beauty of nature as nature intended.

Connect with your body and mind this season and let yourself follow those sun-born desires to be outside and active! Whether you’ve been exercising indoors all winter, or waiting for the weather to turn to get going (as I know many of you have), get outside this week and set the foundation for a long season of outdoor fitness and optimal health!

Here are some fun suggestions to get you started:

• Take a walk at dusk. The coolness of early evening and low sunlight make this a perfect time to share with your significant other, or man’s best friend. Keep a brisk pace, aim for at least 30 minutes or 2+ miles.
• Go for a hike or trail-run. The excitement and beauty of a nature trail keeps the brain occupied and allows most individuals to exercise longer with less perceived effort. Try a new one in your area each weekend!
• Ride a bike. Any bike! Whether you’re “cycling” or just taking a leisurely ride on the old banana seat, choose a destination or map a route for yourself ahead of time. Perhaps ride to a local park or city-center and take in the sites. Or even better (if possible), bike to work!
• Sign up for a walk or race. Setting an intention and a goal for your exercise program can be a great motivator and will provide ample gratification upon completion.
• Organize a pick-up game. You’re not the only one feeling the pull of the sunshine. Organize some family and friends for a pick-up game of your favorite team sport: basketball, football, softball, tennis, badminton, Ultimate Frisbee or whatever you like!
• Take yoga outdoors. Barefoot in the grass may be the way that yoga was meant to be done. In the studio we are missing that one crucial aspect of the ancient practice, physical connection with the earth. New research suggests that “grounding” ourselves to the earth more regularly may provide a myriad of health benefits.
• Have a catch! Yes, for many, spring means baseball in the backyard. But this is not limited to being a father-son activity any more. There are a variety of ball games available for people of all ages and abilities. Stop by your local sporting goods store and pick one out!
• Hit the links… and WALK the course! Golf can be an expensive sport, so hurry up to catch some gorgeous spring weather at a winter rate.