Bringing Health To Life

Posted on December 31, 2011 by

1st Annual San Diego, CA Event

Friday January 6th & Saturday January7th, 2012

 

The World Health Organization has identified lack of physical activity as the fourth highest preventable cause of death in the world.

Our team saw an opportunity to help prevent illness and premature loss of life in communities from coast to coast and we took it! We are an international grass roots campaign made up of volunteers from core health and fitness groups including doctors, nurses, PhDs, psychologists, nutritionists, fitness professionals, fitness competitors, business leaders and community activists!  We are honored that you have joined us in campaign to change the future by motivating and empowering others to better their health and fitness habits.

Campaign Overview & Significance

You may know that our nation as every nation on this planet is in the midst of an ever increasing catastrophe of preventable premature death, preventable illnesses and preventable health conditions directly attributed to inactivity and poor nutritional habits.

Many well-intentioned programs with significant financial backing were designed with the notion that if health education programming was made available, people will achieve a healthier lifestyle. Evidence shows otherwise. It’s time to create an approach that actually works effectively for the long term.

So here’s the question we have been asked:

How can one unfunded international team possibly be deemed credible when their model is so distinctly different than what “experts” have endorsed for years?

The answer is simple. The Weekly Fitness Challenge is based in human behavioral modeling. This dynamic program designed by professionals from around the world which engages real counter-measures based in education, motivation, leadership and mentorship designed to work in the real world with the psychology of real people.

The Weekly Fitness Challenge team originally promoted the campaign via social media. and successfully launched our first local event in Knoxville, TN. Now we are into our life changing 24-month national series of coast to coast events. Thank you for joining us!

 

1st Annual San Diego, CA Event – January 6th & 7th, 2012

The Weekly Fitness Challenge: (865) 687-8554


Special thanks to San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders for the special letter of welcome to The Weekly Fitness Challenge 1st annual San Diego healthy living event!

Find out more  here and here

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A Dozen Tips For A Stress Free Christmas

Posted on December 19, 2011 by

If you ask a group of adults the question “Who is looking forward to Christmas”? A number of hands would go up. If you then ask “Who is looking forward to Christmas being…over?” A second set of hands goes up.

Ask a group of year one school children the same questions all hands would go up the first time. The reason that some people look forward to Christmas being over is of course stress.

How does it get to this? At what point does Christmas cease to be fun and become a chore?

It is a slightly sad reflection on society that so many people see Christmas as a stressful time. Yet as I have said before “stress is not about events themselves but what we make of them.”

There are a number of ways of looking at Christmas. At one level it is a day of the year like any other. At another it is a day of celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. At a third level it is a secular celebration with gifts and get togethers. Finally there is the “festive season” which starts in mid November involving a series of events at which we eat, drink and make merry.

The biggest stress issues around Christmas are, weight gain from overindulging, bank balance loss from overspending and anxiety from interacting with those who you would prefer not too.

So this year rather than Survive Christmas why not enjoy Christmas.

Here are 12 tips to take the stress out and put the fun back into Christmas.

1      Each day spend 30 seconds to take 3 slow deep breaths in, do this at least 4 times a day. This will reduce stress.

2      Drink water. Before you go to a function have a glass or two of water. Keep yourself hydrated. If at a party alternate water with alcoholic drinks.

3      Finger food is notoriously high in calories. Eat a carrot or other piece of vegetable before you go out. This way you will not be as hungry and hence you will eat less.

4      Keep active. Do some walking or other exercise everyday (or at least 3 times a week).

5      Don’t be the last to leave. You need your sleep.

6      Realize you have choices about whom you see and what you buy. Your stress levels will be a function of your choices not the “world out there.” Be honest with yourself and others about what you can and can’t reasonably do.

7      Buy your Christmas presents with cash. That way you know you can afford them and you won’t stress about the credit card bill in January. Only buy gifts for people you really want to give one to.

8     Christmas is a time for goodwill to all, but if you really don’t like spending time with certain people (even if they are your family) then it may still be better not to. Be polite but firm in declining invitations. Make sure you spend time with those you really care about. If there is “no way out” then say to yourself “this too will pass” as often as needed.  It will pass and by adopting this approach you will not stress.

9     Christmas day lunch is a meal. If you are having people around you do     not need more food than if they were coming any other day. If it’s a big gathering have everyone contribute a plate. You don’t have to eat till you feel like you will “explode”.

10    For some the preferred option is to “cancel” Christmas and just go to  ground and emerge again on December 27.  Getting away from it all is a reasonable approach.

11     Have fun. Children enjoy Christmas. There is no reason adults can’t    do the same. Allow yourself to be a child again. Pop crackers, enjoy unwrapping presents and playing with the wrapping paper.

12     Consider having some “purpose” around Christmas. Maybe do some  volunteer work? Perhaps reflect on what you can do to be a better person or how you can contribute to your community.

For virtually everyone there was a time when Christmas meant fun. Somewhere along the line this has been lost for some of us. This year ask yourself what needs to happen for me to enjoy Christmas as much as when I was six years old? Then go and have fun. After all it is Christmas.

 

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Everyday Easy Ways to Burn More Calories

Posted on December 6, 2011 by

By Tanya Stroh

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 days per week. If you are new to exercise that may seem like a lot; but here is the good thing, even if you divide that time up into smaller chunks or segments you will still get the same benefit. Also, the AHA defines physical activity as anything that makes you move your body and burn calories. One of my favorite sayings is “The more you move – the more calories you will burn – the better you will feel!” Here are four easy ways to burn more calories throughout your day!

STAND UP
Studies show that when you are standing up you are burning 50% more calories than you are when you are sitting down! Stand up when you’re on the phone, reading the mail or newspaper, waiting for meetings or appointments, preparing dinner; you get the idea – it is that simple.

WALK MORE
We are becoming a sedentary population, walk as much as possible. Invest in a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps or 5 miles per day. Use these tips to add steps into your day!

  • When running errands park in 1 central location and walk to each different store
  • Go for a brisk walk on your lunch break
  • At the office, use the rest rooms on a different floor
  • Park in the back of the parking lot
  • Volunteer to walk dogs at your local SPCA or animal shelter

TAKE THE STEPS
Another easy way to burn more calories is to always take the steps instead of an elevator or escalator! If you can go up & down a flight of steps 10 extra times in one day you can burn approximately 50 more calories.

MOVE DURING TV COMMERCIALS
This is one of my favorite ways to burn more calories; when you are watching television instead of getting a snack during TV commercials do jumping jacks, squats, crunches, lunges or even just march in place. You will be amazed at how many more calories you can burn!

Be Fit, Be Healthy, Be Happy! ~ Tanya

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

Posted on November 28, 2011 by

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 blueprint, a map, that told you everything you must do in order to be successful in your exercise endeavours, 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 workouts, 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

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The Top Ten Insider Secrets to Fitness Success

Posted on November 24, 2011 by

In today’s fast paced world, it seems that new innovations in health and fitness permeate the marketplace. And yet, despite the proliferation of so many fitness products, fitness centers and fitness programs…more people than ever before are getting less fit.

What if you had the insider secrets to getting fit fast? Many of these secrets may seem so simply to you that you may think, “How can they really be a secret?” Well, the truth is, many of these “secrets” were common at one time. And many top fitness experts know these, though not all. Just watch out, when you put these to use, you’ll get results that may be unexpected because of the simplicity of it.

Now, let’s get on to these secrets so you can start to put them into action.

1. Thoughts and beliefs affect actions and behavior. This is the first, because the way you think will affect your behavior and the actions you take in life. This is true of fitness and exercise as well. What we tend to focus on the most will usually happen. That includes what you don’t want. So, always think and focus on what you do want.

2. Being consistent is important. Doing a little each day is more important than doing a huge workout once or twice a week. Consistency also helps keep one’s metabolic rate up.

3. A high Intensity shorter workout trumps long aerobic type of exercises in burning fat as well as overall fitness. For example, doing 5-10 minutes of wind sprints, with a short rest period between sprints, will kick booty on 45 minutes of a bicycle machine.

4. A breakfast of oatmeal and eggs will sustain you for longer periods. Additionally, this will also provide good energy for a workout just before lunch. Eating a good breakfast of high quality protein and whole grains as well as some fruit is a key to increasing one’s metabolism.

5. Birds of a feather flock together. Basically, this means that who you associate with the most affects your thoughts, which will affect your actions (as mentioned in the first secret). So, hang with those that are fitness-oriented so you stay that way or want to get that way. We are the sum average of the five people we associate with the most.

6. Distress causes fat to accumulate, eustress helps to shed it. Stress can either help or hurt your efforts to burn off fat. Hans Selye, the guy who first coined the word “stress” stated that it is distress (the emotional kind) that leads to unhealthy conditions in the body. It also leads to an increase in cortisol, the stress hormone that is directly related to the build-fat during stress, particularly around the midsection. Working out helps to create eustress. This is one example of good stress.

7. Change out your fitness routines every few weeks. Your body continually adapts and then once that happens, it becomes more efficient. Challenging it with new workouts helps to ramp up your metabolism that leads to burning fat. It always keeps your body guessing as to what you are going to put it through.

8. Don’t do machines! Instead, go for the free weights as well as body-weight exercises. Machines are set in place and don’t do well in emulating human movement. Plus, it doesn’t engage the core. Free weights do as do body-weight exercises.

9. Inside outside workouts. Getting a good workout can be done anywhere. You simply adapt to what your environment holds for you and use it. Our ancestors always trained in the environment they were in. And used the tools that nature provided. You can too. For example, I’ll do explosive training by running to the top of a small boulder, jump off exploding up into the air….sprint to a smaller boulder…pick it up and toss it like a shot-put.

10. Make exercise fun for you. Each of us is different in what we consider fun. Find out what works for you and do it. Heck, getting out and playing with your children (if you have any) can be challenging and fun. And for those that are grandparents, play with your grand kids outdoors. Engaging in fun sports is another way to enjoy fitness. There are no limits, except in your mind. Just do it.

Here’s a bonus tip just for you. Get a journal (a composition book can be used) and start writing in it. Keep track of your physical activities as well as what you eat. Also, write down your emotional state before and after each activity. That way you’ll get an idea of the triggers involved that led you to do what you do. At the end of the day, write down all the positive things you accomplished during the day. This will help you to change your thinking about health and fitness.

I wish you much success as you apply these tips into your daily life. And from there, have you living a healthy and fit life for the rest of your life.

 

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Four Simple Tips To Avoid Adult Onset Diabetes

Posted on November 14, 2011 by

Hardly a day goes by without some new warning about the surging numbers of people with diabetes and the effect this will have on the health budget. Predictions of over 2 million Australians by 2020 and 44 million Americans by 2034 have been made. The Journal of Diabetes Care predicted annual costs in the USA to rise from $113 billion today to $336 billion in 2034. Much of the cost to the health system comes form complications of diabetes and kidney disease in particular.

These predictions and warnings are usually accompanied by calls for greater funding for research or more dollars to be pumped into treatment programs or for more spending on pharmaceuticals. There is an air of inevitability about this inexorable increase in diabetics.

Let us step back one minute and ask the questions that never get raised. Why is there an increase in diabetes? Why has this condition become so prevalent over the last decade or so? Firstly lets separate the two forms of diabetes. Type 1 (sometimes called insulin dependent) starts early in life and comes about from the pancreas not producing enough insulin. This is the hormone that the body releases after meals to get glucose (sugar) out of the bloodstream and onto the cells of the body. Glucose is the bodies’ energy source. Our cells burn glucose like a car burns petrol (gasoline). Type 1 Diabetes appears to be a genetic condition and is far less common than Type 2.

The increase in numbers is almost entirely due to type 2 Diabetes. This comes about from the bodies cells becoming “resistant” to the effects of insulin due to what cane best be described as over exposure.  Every time we eat and food gets absorbed, as described above, insulin is released to lower the glucose level in the blood stream and get glucose into the cells.

Our bodies have over thousands of years adapted to foods being absorbed at a slow rate. Foods like vegetables, fruits seeds and nuts need to be broken down and the sugars are liberated at a slow rate that the body can handle.  In contrast to this processed foods with refined carbohydrates release sugars easily and more quickly.  This “floods” the blood stream with sugar. Sugary drinks are the worst for this. The body then pumps out insulin to lower the sugar levels. When this pattern is repeated over and over again, the cells become resistant to insulin, which is the first step to type 2 Diabetes. This does not happen after a day or a week but after many years.

It was estimated by The University of California that consumption of sugar sweetened beverages between 1990 and 2000 contributed to 130,000 new cases of Diabetes. This is a staggering figure. Even if they are out by 50,000 it is still staggering.

So the obvious question becomes, can diabetes be avoided? The answer is a resounding yes. Here are four simple ways to avoid getting type 2 Diabetes

1)   Eat mainly whole foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and berries. Minimize processed and packaged foods. Some animal protein is fine.

2)   Drink water and not sodas or even fruit juices. It is better to eat an apple and have a glass of water that to drink a glass of apple juice

3)   Do regular exercise. Can be as simple as a regular walk.

4)   Have a body weight, which is appropriate for your height. Ideally a BMI between 20 and the mid to upper 20’s

None of this is difficult or beyond the reach of anyone. It is cheaper and easier than taking drugs, has no side effects and has other health spin offs too.

My suggestion is to start making changes today.

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How to Create a Mindset for Fitness

Posted on November 7, 2011 by

So many people tend to make excuses as to why they can’t get fit or even be consistent in their exercise program. You may have heard things like, “I don’t have enough time,” or “the gym is too far away,” or “my children take up too much of my time.” Those are all excuses. The reality is that we all can exercise. The problem is that the great majority of people don’t really want to. They look for some magic pill solution to getting fit. Folks, let me tell you, there are none.

In order to get fit, you’ve got to want to get fit. Changing how you look at fitness is a big part of the real solution. It’s a mindset change.

How you think about fitness starts with your attitude towards it. That may stem from your childhood, the people you hang around the most, and so forth. Those that have been lifelong athletes tend to keep that mindset. Fitness has always been a part of their daily activities. The average people, and especially in today’s world, tend to be couch potatoes. Many are not engaged with their bodies.

In order to develop a mindset for fitness, you’ve got to take action. The reason for this is the development of habits. Now you may be thinking, “If I’m gonna have a mindset for fitness, you mean I gotta get fit?” Well, sort of. You see, athletes have that natural desire to work-out because they’ve been doing it most of their life. It’s a habit for them.

What I’m telling you to do is to start taking some sort of action based on a goal and a plan. Baby steps at first and then increase it. I will give you some techniques that will help you achieve this mindset faster.

One of the ways that has helped many is to use visualization. Imagine that you are already an athlete and doing the kind of workouts that they engage in. Make sure this takes place in the future in your mind. What you want to do is to work towards that goal. And speaking of that, having a goal is important. Working towards some purpose will help engage you longer into working out.

In fact, any physical activity that you shoot for will help create the desire necessary to achieve it. Consistent and increasing challenges will help keep you motivated. Hanging out with athletes also will help you develop that mindset. It’s been said that we are the sum average of the 5 people we associate with the most. So, if you associate with really fit people, you’ll start to be more like them. You should be able to find fitness-oriented people within your own community as well as on social media sites, like Facebook.

One tool that will help keep you on track is a journal. Get one and start using it. What you want to is to keep track each day of your activities. Write down all that you did in terms of physical activity and what you ate to feed and fuel your body for performance. The simple process of writing this down will help to install into your subconscious mind that you are fitness-minded. And if you have any challenges that you met and exceeded, write that down too. This adds to what you already did within your own mindset.

BTW, any activity that challenges you physically counts. You don’t have to do to the gym to get a good work-out. Having a fitness mindset, you will learn that anywhere is your gym. I recently used what I had in a hotel room to work-out. For my back I simply held on to the top edge of the desk and let my body hang below and did body weight rows. I also was able to do body weight squats and push-ups. There was no excuse from me as to why I could not work-out. I just did it. It’s my mindset that led me to figure out how.

I wish you the best in your efforts to develop that mindset. Again, keep on track with your journal. Make sure it matches with you personal goals. And take consistent action with ever-increasing challenges. That’s even if you’re simply starting a walking program, like 10,000+ steps a day. Just do it.

 

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