Exercise Goals Outside Weight Loss

I recently read an article by Joy Keller, senior editor of IDEA Fitness Journal, on women who use weight loss as their sole reason to exercise. The article supports what I’ve said all along-if you are exercising simply for weight loss, you are more likely to struggle to stick with it long-term. This is why many people yo-yo or have trouble losing weight and keeping it off.

The article mentions a study out of the University of Michigan with women who exercise simply for their bodies (i.e. weight loss or tone). They spend about 40% less time exercising than those women who exercise for non-aesthetic goals like reducing stress or simply enjoying the activity. If they are exercising less, they aren’t maximizing the positive impact exercise can have on their overall health-combatting diseases, improving muscle mass and bone density, etc.

Everyone wants long-term results and I’m certain most of us who exercise do it to some degree to look good. For those of you who focus on aesthetic goals, have additional goals and you may be more likely to look good your entire life vs. just now! And for those of you who already have non-aesthetic goals-BRAVO! This is a huge step to experiencing long-term health and wellness.

Yours in Health,

Alana

Take Time to Be Thankful!

It’s easy to get caught up in the holiday hustle and bustle. This Thanksgiving, I decided the first thing I was going to do is share 5 things I’m thankful for…short but sweet!

1. God-always my rock.
2. Friends and family who allow and encourage me to be myself, and love me anyway!
3. Our military, who puts themselves on the line daily to ensure our freedom.
4. My clients who entrust me to assist them in their fitness/health journeys.
5. My health so I’m better able to help others.

Always be grateful for what you have and don’t take anything for granted.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Alana

10 Minute Tips to Avoid Weight Gain!

Too busy to exercise over the holidays? Then say no to the extra glass of wine or piece of chocolate fudge…not likely for many of us, so instead work it off in 10-minute increments during the day. Here are calories burned on average for a 150-pound person. (You can find calorie counters/estimates on various websites. I used ExRx. net.)

Casual-Moderate Dancing-66-71 calories
Walking at 3-4 mph-50-67 calories
Moderate Strength Training-59 calories
Running at 5mph-91 calories
Slow Jump Rope-93 calories
Cycling at 10mph-75 calories

I’m a big believer in everything in moderation. We all must find balance in eating/living healthfully and having occasional indulgences. You do not have to gain weight over the holidays! You do have to find balance and get your exercise in, even if it means sneaking it in during X-Factor…yes, I danced during last week’s episode with my 22-month old son. Hey-every little bit counts!

Yours in Health,
Alana

5 Quick Recipe Ideas

I’ve tried to keep my latest blogs with quick and easy suggestions that I implement myself. So here are ideas I use with my own family-me running my own company and eating meals on the road, a full-time soccer coach for a husband, and an active 20-month old.

1. Make meals in bulk to “recreate” for a 2nd meal. Example: I made a rotisserie chicken and served it with roasted veggies for dinner. The next night, I simply took all of the ingredients and combined them with chicken stock, canned tomatoes, and spices for a delicious chicken vegetable soup.

2. Make a casserole! For those of us in Oklahoma, casseroles are a common meal that are often laden with cheese, creamed soups, and other questionable additions. All casseroles aren’t unhealthy though! Example: I made an egg casserole with tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, onion, zucchini, and green peppers. I used 8 eggs, about 1/2 carton of egg whites, basil, salt, and pepper. Lastly, I added 1/2 cup of organic colby cheese. I simply mixed everything together and baked the casserole at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Delicious! And we’ll have leftovers for 3 days.

3. Make a smoothie! I can’t support smoothies enough-they are so good and easy to make, especially if you have a Magic Bullet! (No, I’m not an official endorser, but what a great machine!) Example: My typical smoothie that the entire family loves includes a handful of any mix of berries, a banana, handful of spinach, 1/2-1 cup apple or any type of organic juice, a tbsp of flaxseed oil, 1 cup non-fat organic yogurt, Greek yogurt, or Kefir. Mix 30 seconds, drink and enjoy!

4. Pick 1 day as a “prep” day. I typically use Sunday afternoons to chop veggies to have handy for the week. I may use those veggies to snack on or may use them to throw into a stir-fry or soup. I also usually boil a few eggs to have handy to take with me on the road.

5. Plan your meals and post them somewhere you can see them. I receive my co-op bags every Saturday from Natural Farms. After asking my husband his coaching schedule, I write down our dinners for the week and post them near our scheduling calendar. Sometimes we veer off the schedule and eat leftovers or eat out. But the planning helps me avoid the “Oh no; what’s for dinner?” syndrome and we eat at home an average of 6 dinners/week. Consequently, my family eats better and we save money.

Lastly, if you’re busy like we are (and like most people are), buy quick easy items at the store. We nearly always have cartons of organic yogurt, string mozzarella cheese, fresh fruit, packets of salmon or tuna, oatmeal, and nuts on hand.

With planning, cooking and eating well is not nearly as hard as it seems. Good luck, and as always, please feel free to share your ideas!

Yours in Health,

Alana

5 Ways to Move and Improve Health!

For those of you who aren’t exercising, here are a few easy tips to get moving. For those of you who are already exercising, these tips are good to review!

1. Just move! You could start with some of the alignment work or tubing exercises I’ve mentioned in this blog, or even simply walk. Your body craves movement which is why many people wake up with stiff joints and eventually lose function. We sit too much! Walking is the easiest to do. Add in walking by parking further away from a store or take the stairs instead of the elevator.

2. Join a class, but listen to your body! I love group fitness as there are some good classes out there, but as a former group fitness instructor I know how hard it is to teach and monitor a big group. So self-monitor. If you haven’t exercised in 10+ years, it may not be the best idea to do 50 of the class’ most advanced push ups. Be smart and start slow.

3. Be smart and start slow. Worth repeating. Don’t try and change your entire lifestyle at once. Pick one thing each week and commit. If you need to start exercising, you may start with walking 15-20 minutes 2-3x/week. The next week you may add a little more time. Once you’re achieving a set amount of time-say 30 minutes-maybe you can add in strength training or a yoga or Pilates class. Change one thing each week and you’re likely to be more successful with maintaining those changes long-term.

4. Nutrition is at least 70% of the weight loss equation. Many people start exercising and then believe they can eat more and still lose weight. You don’t burn as many calories exercising as you think you do. Walking a mile burns on average only 100 calories. Walking builds cardiovascular endurance and offers other benefits, but you aren’t burning enough calories to have an extra dessert per night. In fact, many beginning exercisers actually gain weight. Keep your nutrition the same to produce a caloric deficit (i.e. lose weight).

5. Commit for 8 weeks. Research has shown it takes about that long to maintain a long-term change with something like nutrition or exercise. Once those 8 weeks are up, commit to another 8 weeks if it helps your mind stay on track. Maybe even set a goal like walking or running a 5K.

The key to exercise is you want to establish long-term movement-function for life. As I’ve said it before, think of fitness and every aspect of your health being a journey vs. a destination. Pick exercise that is more functional and preferably, enjoyable. If you enjoy walking or playing on the playground with your kids or grandkids, do that as exercise. It does count-any movement counts!

Yours in Health,
Alana

Power with Plyos!

Check out my latest article in Oklahoma Sports and Fitness:

For those of you like me who prefer outdoor training, there are some great tips on using playgrounds and benches at your local parks. Don’t forget to do a proper alignment-based warm-up and cool-down and get out there and play!

Yours in Health,
Alana

Proper Posture Prevents Poor Performance-5 Tips!

Okay, the old adage of “Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance” is still in effect, but proper posture and alignment is also key. If your body is out of whack, how will you even prepare it for higher levels of activity?

As an ex-college soccer coach and player, I love high intensity training. I enjoy, at age 36, still playing soccer and performing plyometric exercises-jumping, leaping, bounding, sprinting, etc. Yet there is no way I could do all of that after suffering from multiple car accidents and old soccer injuries if I didn’t focus on how my body lines up.

Life unfortunately doesn’t help us be properly aligned. For instance, as a mom, I carry my son more on my left hip so I can do things with my right hand. That has led my left hip to start rotating and has brought back an old IT band tightness that I had a few years ago. I’ve also experienced some low back pain due to poor positioning of my pelvis.

So what do you do about it? Here are 5 quick tips:

1. When you are standing in line at a store, focus on loading both feet evenly. Bring your awareness to it, and chances are, you likely load one side better than the other. That is bound to lead to muscular imbalances that lead to pain and eventual injury.

2. Men-don’t carry your wallet in your back pocket! It offsets your hips and you load heavier one side than the other. This can cause back pain, particularly when you spend 8-10 hours/day sitting with your wallet.

3. Women-don’t cross your legs! This is for the same reason as above and has been linked to low back pain.

4. Test your balance. Can you balance on your left leg as well as your right? Many people can’t. Work on balancing when you brush your teeth-it’s a quick way to train balance and you have to brush your teeth (or should!) at least twice per day anyway.

5. Stand at the wall with feet 6 inches apart and facing straight ahead. For many people, this position feels pigeon-toed. Keep shoulders and butt back into the wall and hold, if possible, for 3 minutes. Over time, this can help retrain the body-remind it of the ideal posture and get muscles fired at least a bit better than they have been in a relaxed (typically hunched over) position.

There’s so much more you can do posturally to be more efficient in life and in sport. Stay posted and I’ll provide more tips in my next blog. Good luck!

Yours in Health,
Alana