Tag Archive for: Long Beach Nutritional Coach

Tips For Staying Fit While Working From Home

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Despite what many may think, working from home takes a lot of time and a lot of work. I’m sure you’ve heard someone say, “They don’t really have a job, they just work from home.” That statement couldn’t be farther from the truth! Running a home business takes almost all of your time. Therefore, many other things drop down on your priority list. Probably one of the first ones to drop is fitness.
When you have a never-ending to-do list, a house that never seems to get clean and family and/or friends who demand attention, it’s understandable that exercise can take a back seat. But, it shouldn’t.

Exercise offers so many important benefits that it should always be part of your weekly routine. Of course, we all know that exercise can help you stay slim and fit. But, do you also know about all the other great results of exercising? Daily physical activity reduces stress and can help you sleep better – two things that are especially beneficial to busy at-home workers and business owners. Fitness helps keep you healthy and has been linked to reducing the risk of some diseases and to warding off depression. Researchers also believe that strength training can help prevent osteoporosis. If that still doesn’t convince you to get moving, then keep in mind that exercise also improves self-esteem, increases stamina and ultimately helps you be able to do continuous work for longer. What more could you ask for?

working from home

It all sounds great, right? But you still don’t think that you can find any time in your hectic schedule for staying in shape. Don’t worry. There are a lot of creative ways to fit it in. Below are some tips to help you get started.

Schedule time for working out. When you work at home it’s so easy to work around the clock. To help avoid this think of yourself as having a traditional “office job”. In most “office jobs” when you go home for the night you leave work behind and concentrate on personal things. Even though going home for you may simply be walking down the hall, you need to set boundaries in order to find time for you.

During working hours, take several 5-10 minute breaks and run up and down the stairs (or even just walk). This will also help rejuvenate your mind.

Sitting in front of a computer can be hard on your body, especially your posture. So, find a comfortable place where you can occasionally stand to do your computer work.

It’s not necessary for you to find 30 continuous minutes for working out. You’ll get just as much benefit if you break your exercise into small chunks. Try 10 minutes before you start work, 10 minutes at lunch and 10 minutes after work (re-read # 1 above if you just said you have no “after work” time).

If you don’t won’t to spend a lot of time in the kitchen but still want to eat healthy, cook large portion meals on the weekend that you can freeze. Then simply defrost and warm for dinners during the week. This saves you the time of having to make dinner and you don’t have to compromise calories as you would if you instead opted for take-out.

One great advantage of working at home is that you can workout over your lunch hour while never leaving your office plus you don’t have to pack your workout clothes and toiletries to take with you to work. This saves you travel time, which you can instead spend on grabbing a healthy bite to eat. And, if you don’t have any face-to-face meetings scheduled, then you don’t have to worry about looking perfect after your workout.

If you haven’t already done so, invest in a good hands-free headset for your phone. This is a great way to multi-task because your hands are free to do other things while you concentrate on your conference call. You can even do some simple (but worthwhile) exercise moves. Some good choices are squats, triceps dips, lunges, wall push-ups, etc.

Keep healthy snacks available for when you need an energy boost or simply just need something to chew on to help you get through some tough work. Don’t forget to keep water on hand and sip some all throughout your day.

Purchase an exercise stability ball. While there are dozens of great toning exercises you can do with the ball, it’s also beneficial to simply sit on it. Try sitting on it instead of a chair for even short periods throughout your day. This will help build your core strength (your trunk area).

Don’t forget the importance of stretching. Take a couple of minutes every hour to stand up and stretch your entire body.

As you can see, exercise offers huge benefits even with just a small amount of effort. And if you have kids, by exercising you also set a great example. So, to help you, your business, and your family it’s time to stop making excuses and just start moving!

 

4 Secrets to A Flat Stomach

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Do you want a flat stomach? I don’t know a person who doesn’t!

People spend millions, if not billions of dollars, each year in the quest for a flat stomach. Right now there are about 200 or more ab exercise devices out there. There’s the ab do-it, the ab rock-it, the ab roller, the ab dolly, and so many more. You would think that with all of these amazing new products that most people would be walking around with that nice, lean mid-section they’ve always wanted. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

Most, if not all of these products, will do little or nothing to flatten your stomach. And that’s because these exercise contraptions cannot eliminate the layer of fat that lies on top of your abs.

stomach

In order to be successful at thinning your waistline you must have a basic under standing of how the ab muscles function and how your body burns fat. The first thing that needs to be understood is the difference between fat and muscle. Fat is excess calories and is primarily stored in layers on top of muscle tissue. Muscle is made up of fibers that contract or shorten to produce movement. Fat cannot turn into muscle and muscle cannot turn into fat! However, you can lose muscle and you can gain fat. That’s what happens to most people.

So if your goal is to thin your waist line and have a nice flat stomach, the first thing you need to do is decrease / eliminate the layers of fat that are on top of your abs. We all have a flat stomach; it’s just some of oar’s are covered by excess fat.

The most effective way of flattening your stomach is a combination of strength training (with a extra focus on mid-section), cardiovascular exercise (short, hard workouts), and stable blood sugar (keeps you from adding additional fat and makes it easier for the body to use body fat for fuel).

1. You must do some form of progressive strength training

The primary function of the ab muscle is to flex your torso forward. However, there are also muscles that flex your torso to the side and muscles that rotate your torso. Often times you see people on their ab roller every day doing hundreds of crunches or sit-ups.
If you want to effectively strengthen your stomach you need to incorporate the following types of exercises:
•1-2 forward flexion exercises (crunch, sit-up, etc.)
•1-2 side flexion exercises (side bends, side crunches, etc.)
•1-2 rotational exercises (trunk rotations, standing twists, etc.)

The abs, are muscles just like any other and should be worked at most 3 times per week. You also want to make sure you are training them progressively, working them harder each time.

2. Use short, hard cardio workouts to increase metabolism

Cardio workouts are important because they CAN, if done correctly, increase your metabolism for 4-24 hours or more! This means you are less likely to store any excess calories as body fat because they are more likely to be used by your elevated metabolism. Plus, you are more likely to burn off some excess body fat.

Below is a sample interval workout that can be done with just about any activity (walking, bicycling, swimming, stair climbing, etc.).

Warm up at easy pace 2-5 minutes, Perform 30 seconds of hard work (almost as hard as possible)  perform 1 minute of moderate work (recovery time-catch breath) Repeat this process 6-10 times Cool down at an easy pace for 2-5 minutes

3. Stable blood sugar is the key

And most importantly, you must stabilize your blood sugar! This is by far the most important factor when it comes to burning away that excess body fat and keeping it off! To effectively stabilize your blood sugar you must feed your body frequently; like every 2-3 hours. The key is to give your body only what it needs at that time. Your body burns calories 24 hours a day, so, why would you only feed it once or twice a day? Give your body the fuel it needs: vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, whole grains, and lean proteins (chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs, etc.).

Many people are too hung up on how much fat is in food, or how healthy of a choice it is. Calories are calories and it doesn’t matter where they come from. If there’s extra… where’s it going? Yup, you guessed it… body fat!

This is not to say that what you eat is not important because it is, it just doesn’t have that much of an affect when it comes to fat loss. Try to make healthy choices whenever possible, but don’t feel like if you eat a cheeseburger it is guaranteed to be stored as fat.

4. Get the help of a professional

Unfortunately, most people don’t know enough about the human body, nutrition, or effective exercise to meet their health and fitness goals. Ask yourself this one question, “Am I happy with my current progress or condition?” If you’re not, you should consider getting the help of a qualified personal fitness professional. Don’t depend on the information you get from magazines or from your local gym/ health club. A qualified fitness professional can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, and in less time than you would imagine.

If you are serious about your health and fitness goals, and you are ready for that flat stomach, I recommend you start implementing the 4 strategies listed in this article. These 4 strategies can help you take control of your metabolism and burn off that excess body fat and having you looking and feeling great!

 

16 Tips to Looking and Feeling Better!!

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Do you want to improve the quality of your life? Do you want to look and feel better than you have in years – maybe better than you ever have before? Do you want to protect yourself from disease and injury? And do you want to live a longer, more vital life?

I’m confident that you answered YES! to each of those questions, just as the hundreds of individuals I’ve counseled, coached, and trained in my career as a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer and Nutritional Coach.

better

I’m now going to reveal to you the 16 essential strategies that have enabled my clients to achieve the health and fitness goals they always wanted!

16 Essential Weight Loss and Fitness Strategies

  1. In the beginning, your fitness program should not be overly aggressive. One of the biggest problems people encounter when starting a fitness program is rapidly depleted motivation after only a few weeks due to an overly ambitious fitness program. Attempting to do too much too fast is worse than doing nothing at all! Because then you feel like exercise is too hard and it’s just not for you. Start out slow, maybe just shooting for 1 or 2 workouts a week. Once you have successfully added that to your normal routine, then attempt to slowly add to your fitness program. Plus, most people don’t need to exercise more than 3-4 times a week. That doesn’t mean you can’t exercise more; it’s just not necessary.

  2. Always have a detailed plan! In order to reach your health and fitness goals, you must have a road map to follow. I can’t stress this enough. If you are unsure of how to put together a fitness plan, or if you’re uncertain of the effectiveness of the one you have, I highly recommend you consult a professional fitness trainer. With a well thought out plan you are much more likely to be successful!

  3. Set realistic, attainable goals. You must have tangible, quantifiable, short and long-term goals so you can measure and assess your progress. Too many people have totally unrealistic expectations of what to expect from an exercise and nutrition program. The best way for you to understand what is realistic and attainable is to talk with a fitness professional – not to buy into the “hype” of infomercials and diet and fitness products that are blatantly misleading.

  4. Keep a journal! This is one of the most important things you can do. If you’re not tracking what you’re doing, how will you know what worked? There are quite a few great exercise and nutrition logs I’ve come across. You should keep track of all your exercise and also each day’s food intake.

  5. You must be accountable! Set exercise appointments with yourself if you’re not working with a personal fitness trainer. Use your appointment book to set aside times for exercise, just like you do for meetings or events. Don’t let things get in the way. Nothing is more important than your health! If you don’t have your health you can’t effectively do anything. I often have mothers tell me that they can’t find time to exercise because they have to take care of their children. I have 4 daughters myself, and a baby on the way, so I know exactly how hard it is. Whatever your situation is, making the commitment to exercise and your health IS possible, and very important. Plus, it sets a great example for the children!

  6. Remember the benefits of exercise. Being physically fit affects every aspect of your life: you sleep better, eat better, love better, overcome stress better, work better, communicate better, and live better! Remember how good it feels to finish a workout, and how great it feels to meet your goals!

  7. Exercise safely and correctly. So much time is wasted doing, at best, unproductive exercise, or at worst, dangerous exercise. Educate yourself on how to exercise correctly. The best way to do that is to hire a personal fitness trainer. It could be for just a few sessions to learn the basics, or it could be for a few months to learn everything. It’s completely up to you. But statistics prove that those who understand how to exercise correctly get better, faster results. And that’s what you want, right?

  8. Enjoy your exercise! For example, if you hate doing strength training, try to find ways to make it more enjoyable. Circuit training might be a more fun and exciting way to fit this important part of fitness into your program. The key is you should enjoy it, and if you don’t you need to look for other exercises or activities to replace whatever it is you don’t enjoy. If you don’t enjoy it, how do you expect to stick with it?

  9. Make time to stretch! It has so much benefit and takes very little time. So many people suffer from various aches and pains of which most can be eliminated by basic stretches! Try to spend at least 5 minutes after each workout stretching.

  10. Don’t think you need to exercise 5 days a week! I touched on this earlier. Many people feel they’re getting fat because they’re not exercising. Totally not the case! Exercise is not the answer! It’s all in your eating habits. However, exercise can aid in burning body fat, plus there are numerous health benefits. Think of exercise as a bonus. How many people do you know who exercise 3-5 times per week, but still fail to meet their weight loss and fitness goals? I’ve met hundreds! First look at your eating habits, such as: when you eat, what you eat, how much you eat, where you eat, and how often you eat.

  11. Never skip breakfast, or any meal! If you want to maximize your fitness or fat-loss efforts you’ve got to eat breakfast! So many people skip breakfast, and it’s the worst thing you could ever do when it comes to fat-loss. Skipping meals throws your blood sugar all out of whack and it sets you up to store your next meal as fat, almost guaranteed!

  12. Eat fat to lose fat. Healthy fats are necessary to your body for numerous reasons: regulating hormonal production, improving immune function, lowering total cholesterol, and providing the basics for healthy hair, nails, and skin. The key is to eat the right types of fats. The “good’ fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats like olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, and avocados, to name a few. The “bad” fats are partially hydrogenated oils, and trans fats. Most processed foods contain large amounts of these bad fats.

  13. Drink plenty of fresh, clean water. Yes, I know that you have probably heard this one over and over again. But there’s a reason for that – it’s that important! The recommended daily intake of water is 8 glasses, or 64 oz. You should even be drinking even more if you are active or exercise regularly. And no, soda, juice, coffee, and tea DON’T count! Nearly every chemical process place in your body, takes place in water! Proper blood flow and digestion are both affected by how much water you drink, and poor blood flow and digestion can be linked to numerous health conditions.

  14. Stabilize your blood sugar! If you want to burn fat and prevent your body from putting it back on, you must stabilize your blood sugar. In order to do this you need to eat small, balanced meals or snacks every 2-3 hours. Fasting, skipping meals, and overly restrictive diets will enable you to lose weight – in the short run. The weight you lose is primarily water weight and muscle tissue, and in the long run has opposite effect of what you want. When you restrict your diet, your body instinctively thinks it’s being starved and shifts into a protective mode by slowing down the metabolism and storing nearly all calories as body fat. Plus, losing muscle tissue is the last thing you want to do. Muscle burns calories, even while you sleep. You should be focused on increasing, or at least maintaining muscle tissue.

  15. Focus on increasing muscle tissue. As I mentioned previously, muscle burns calories, so if you want to increase your metabolism, you have to increase your muscle. The best way to do that is with progressive strength training. That doesn’t mean you have to join a gym, buy expensive fitness equipment, or follow some bodybuilding workout program; it simply means you need to challenge your muscles! You can do that at home in just 15-20 minutes, 2-3 times a week.

  16. Get the help of an expert! Obviously, meeting your health and fitness goals is important to you, so why not eliminate the guesswork and start seeing the results you have always wanted? With the help of a qualified professional you can!

If your car breaks down, where do you take it? Mechanic, right? How about if you have a cavity? Dentist. So why is it that so many people attempt to solve their health and fitness problems without consulting an expert? I don’t know exactly, but I encourage you to make the investment in yourself- in your life- by hiring a professional to educate you and help you meet your goals.

So there you have it. The 16 essential strategies for an effective weight loss and fitness program that will have you looking and feeling great!

 

29 Off-The-Wall Reasons To Get In Better Shape

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Establishing clear expectations while working out to get in better shape,  often can be the difference between success and failure. Too many people try to do too much and get frustrated. Instead of “lasering” in on a few great strategies, they try to do as many things as possible. As they say, “Jack of all trades, master of none” applies here.

To help renew your spirits of why proper diet and exercise is important for the New Year, I’ve compiled a somewhat comical list. See how many apply to you:

shape

• Because it costs you (or your loved ones) over 5 million pennies in future health care if you aren’t

• Because feeling better tomorrow starts today

• Because torture is a bad persuasion technique

• Because studies show that fit people make more money

• Because if you don’t, you suck

• Because movie stars do it

• Because performers do it

• Because everyone that is cool in your life, does it

• Because you CAN commit 1.5 hrs/wk out of 176

• Because avoiding a wheelchair is a good thing

• Because hugs are better when you can actually wrap your arms around someone

• Because your kids really don’t want to put you in a rest home

• Because no matter what you keep telling yourself, thick is not sexy

• Because feeling grandpa’s muscles at Thanksgiving can be a yearly ritual

• Because cottage cheese is for fruit

• Because squeezing into a size 6 means you’re not a size 6

• Because love making is much more fun without the extra rolls

• Because being able to see your toes……hmmmm

• Because bigger clothes cost more money

• Because shopping for smaller clothes raises spirits

• Because hitting the State Fair and observing everyone shouldn’t be the only thing that puts a smile on your face

• Because having the woman in your life open a stuck jar of pickles for you is embarrassing

• Because no matter what anyone says, women are always in competition with each other. You do want to win, right?

• Because you had to ask your 10 year old son to take out the trash…..after all you couldn’t lift it

• Because beer makes everyone else look better while making you look worse

• Because weight training makes you look better while making everyone else look worse (see competition in women)

• Because yelling at the gym is a lot better than yelling at work (unless you are a cheerleader)

• Because “Shut your mouth or I’ll kick your ___,” now actually has meaning

• Because being told you look 40 when you are actually 60 does something strange to self confidence

Again, make sure to renew your sense of self worth this holiday season and strive to become a healthier you. Great information is always key but watch out for the dreaded “information overload.” Get equipped and make ’06 the best year of your life.

 

Exercise And Stress

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Even though exercise may not be the most exciting word in your vocabulary, it sure is a word with a
lot of benefits. Participating in daily exercise will not only make you healthier in general, but it can also diminish the effects of stress on your body as well.

Think about all the times you have heard someone say “the doctor says it’s stress related”. Normally
people will laugh it off, concluding that doctors say that when they don’t know the real answers or
diagnosis. The truth of the matter is that too much stress will play a role in many diseases.

exercise

To help increase your immune system and decrease your stress level as well, try exercise, as movement is the key word here. Bending, stretching, reaching and walking. There’s really no need to buy any expensive equipment either, as you can implement more movement into your daily routine and reap the benefits.

If you like aerobic exercise, you should grab a partner and have a blast with one of the basic aerobic videos. Or, you can simply go out for a walk and enjoy spending time together. As you may have heard, walking really is the best overall exercise you can do for your health. As long as you have a pair of walking shoes, you’ll be fine.

As you go through your daily activities, make it a point to walk a little farther, bend down and pick something up without using a pick up stick or moving the item towards you with your foot. While you are sitting, you should also do some simple and quick stretches for your neck and shoulders.

If you enjoy sitting around watching television, you should consider buying a jogging board. These padded boards will make running, jumping, or walking in place less stressful on your knees and joints. They are easy to store as well and also very portable.

In many people’s opinions, jogging boards are the best pieces of equipment you can buy. They are also far cheaper than bulky treadmills and stationary bikes.

There are several different exercises that you can do to help you eliminate the stress in your life. Walking is by far the best, as you can easily lose yourself and your troubles by walking. Even if it is just around the block, walking can do wonders for your health as well as stress.

If you have a lot of stress in your life, you may want to consider a gym. Working out then sitting in the sauna is also a good way to relieve tension. If your gym has a pool, you may find swimming to be very beneficial as well, as it helps you to relax.

 

 

 

Treatment and Medications for Binge Eating Disorder

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If you are suffering with binge eating disorder, there are many outlets available offering help. Know that you are not alone, and you are worth the fight to end your struggle with binge eating. It is time to take control of your life, and be happy and healthy. The different methods of how you can seek help for binge eating will be explained.

What are My Options?

In order to get your binge eating under control and start losing weight, there are steps you must take in order to identify the factors that are causing such behavior. Seeking out a therapist has been proven effective for binge eaters. Therapy will allow you to discuss your concerns with a therapist and possibly learn about the underlying factors contributing to your binge eating. Ultimately, therapy will focus on your relationships and what they mean to your binge eating. You are likely to find that some of your relationships or past relationships are harming your psychological health, and are contributing to your binge eating. Through therapy, you will also learn to change certain thoughts and behaviors that may be preventing you from overcoming binge eating disorder.

binge eating

In addition to therapy, you may be prescribed medications designed to help you lose weight or control moods associated with binge eating disorder. These medications should not be taken without supervision from a therapist. The reason you should not use these medications without supervision from a therapist is because you may suffer from side effects that may put you at an increased risk of suicide. However, the combination of psychotherapy and prescription medication has been proven effective, and you will likely see your binge eating episodes greatly diminish.

Another strategy to use in ending your struggle with binge eating is to schedule your eating times and avoid foods you would normally binge on. Staying on a schedule will regulate your body on when to start feeling hungry and when to feel full. Also, do not under eat. Under eating is not a healthy approach. You need a daily amount of calories and nutrients in order to live healthily. You may even wish to ask your doctor if you are receiving proper nutrients as many with binge eating disorder take in an excess of fat and calories, but not enough of other needed nutrients. Moreover, under eating will cause you to feel hungrier and may cause you to sway off your schedule. You can lose weight without under eating.

Of course, another great approach to losing weight is through exercise. Exercising has also been proven effective in reducing stress, which is often a contributing factor to binge eating episodes. Finally, a method to avoid is taking dietary supplements without first consulting your doctor. Those with binge eating disorder very often abuse dietary supplements, so it is vital to ask a professional before going on any diet plans.

Conclusion

Although fighting your battle with binge eating may seem overwhelming, you are not alone. There are many outlets available that will allow you to get the help you need in order to be happy and healthy. It is highly recommended that you seek out professional help from a therapist. If you are prescribed medication, you should not neglect your therapy sessions as the medication may have side effects that are dangerous without proper supervision from a professional. Remember that you are worth the fight against binge eating disorder.

 

 

 

4 Crazy Things You Must Do To Lose Weight

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Start Eating a Lot More

That’s right, you read it correctly…YOU MUST EAT MORE—A whole lot more than you’re eating right now. You have to eat 5-7 meals a day to fire up your metabolism to lose weight.

Your body needs a constant supply of energy to burn fat, and if you don’t eat a meal every two or three hours…Your metabolism will become so slow that you’ll gain weight just by looking at food.
The sooner you start eating more…the sooner you’ll be able to eat the foods you like without worrying about gaining weight.

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Now I don’t mean for you to eat 5 large dinner sized meals everyday. You should try to eat 5-7 smaller 250 – 400 calorie meals every 2-3 hours.

Start Playing Golf

Before you say “what the heck does golf have to do with me losing weight”…Let me explain.
People always tell me that they don’t have time to exercise, their too tired to exercise, or they don’t feel like exercising.

But they always find time to have fun. Look, you don’t have to get on a treadmill everyday, take aerobics, or swim laps to lose weight….…you can lose weight playing golf, playing with your kids, and you can even go to the mall shopping.

What do all those things have in common? They’re all things that involve you moving around just enough to burn fat. Notice that TV, reading, and sleeping weren’t one of the things I mentioned.
Think about it…If you went shopping at your local mall everyday you could easily lose 1-2 lbs. a week just by walking around the mall a couple of times (That’s of course if you don’t make too many trips to the food court).

What about playing golf (without the cart), racquetball, or going out dancing everyday? That’s an easy (fun) weight loss of about 2 lbs a week right there.

Try to find something that you like to do that gets you up off you’re butt and do it everyday for at least 30 minutes (The longer the more fat you’ll burn).

Stop Losing Weight and Start Burning Fat

If you want to lose weight… just go on a diet, sit in a steam room for a couple of hours, or take some side-effect infested weight loss pill. If you want to look better as you lose weight…then you need to focus on burning fat.

Diets, steam rooms, and pills cause you to lose muscle and water weight. Losing muscle not only makes you look worse but it also lowers your metabolism making it easier for you to gain weight.
Have you ever noticed the people who lose weight on these “lose 30lbs in 8 days” programs still have flabby arms, a saggy butt, and pot belly? The reason why is that these programs tend to help people lose more good-looking muscle than ugly body fat.

Steam rooms cause you to lose water weight which you’ll gain back after you drink a couple glasses of water.

The best way to focus on burning fat is to lose no more than 2lbs a week. If you lose more than 2lbs a week you will only start to lose muscle and water.

A basic beginner’s fat loss plan would be to eat more and play golf everyday (please see the first two things you must do to lose weight).

Just Keep on Saying SO THAT

First, ask yourself Why you want to lose weight and after you come up with a reason why just keep on saying SO THAT.

For example—Why Do you want to lose weight
* I want to lose weight to look better SO THAT…
* I can feel more confident about myself SO THAT…
* I can be the best looking person at my high school reunion SO THAT…
* I can see the surprised looks on the faces of my classmates SO THAT …
* I may be able to go on a date with the person I had a crush on in high school

Can you see what’s happening here? The more times you say SO THAT the more and more motivated you’ll become to lose weight. I don’t know about you but if you can come up with at least three SO THATS nothing will stop you from losing weight.

 

 

Exercise And Sleeping Better

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The amount of physical exercise that you exert during the day is one of the key ingredients to helping you get a good sleep at night. The more active your body is during the day, the more likely you are to relax at night and fall asleep faster.

With regular exercise you’ll notice that your quality of sleep is improved and the transition between the cycles and phases of sleep will become smoother and more regular. By keeping up your physical activity during the day, you may find it easier to deal with the stress and worries of your life.

exercise

Research and studies indicate that there is a direct correlation between how much we exercise and how we feel afterwards.

You should try and increase your physical activity during the day. The goal here is to give your body
enough stimulation during the day so that you aren’t full of energy at night.

Your body requires a certain amount of physical activity in order to keep functioning in a healthy
manner. It is also important to note that you should not be exercising three or four hours before you go to bed.

The ideal exercise time is in the late afternoon or early evening. You want to make sure you expend
your physical energy long before it is time for your body to rest and ready itself for sleep.

You should attempt to exercise at least three or four times a week for a period of 30 minutes or so.
You can include walking or something simple. If you prefer, you can include strenuous activities
such as running as well.

The goal here is to increase your heart rate and strengthen the capacity of your lungs. By adding a regular exercise activity to your daily schedule will help you to improve your overall health and help you emotionally as well.

Along with running and walking there are several other physical activities that you can add to your
daily life to increase your level of physical activity. If you are battling not sleeping, you’ll find aerobic exercise to be the best.

Your goal with exercise is to increase the amount of oxygen that reaches your blood stream. Overall,
there are many types of aerobic exercise for you to choose from. The activities include running,
biking, using a treadmill, dancing, and jumping rope.

There are some non aerobic exercises that you may find beneficial to help you solve your amnesia
problem.

Yoga

Yoga is an exercise that has a stimulatory effect on your nervous system, especially the brain. Yoga
utilizes breathing techniques and yoga postures to increase the blood circulation to the brain, promoting regular and restful sleeping patterns. The regular practice of yoga will help you to relax as well as relieve tension and stress.

Tai Chi

Tai Chi is an ancient art of breathing and movement that was developed by the Chinese monks. The
movements involved are slow and precise, which is ideal if you have joint pains or you are unable
to participate in high aerobic exercises. Research has shown that Tai Chi can help with insomnia by
promoting relaxation.

If you discover that you don’t have any time to exercise on a regular basis, you should try to sneak moments of activity into your schedule. Whenever possible, you should take the stairs instead of the elevator, as little things like that will do wonders for your body.

You should also park your car around the corner and walk that extra block or two to get to your
destination. As you may know, there are many small things you can add to increase the activity in
your life. Your overall goal here is to have a healthy and well balanced life – with plenty of sleep.

 

 

 

How to Prevent Getting Binge Eating Disorder.

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For some, eating can be of serious concern, especially for binge eaters. Binge eating is the excessive consumption of food in short intervals of time. After binge eating, you will usually experiences feelings of shame and regret. However, there is likely an underlying factor contributing to your binge eating. It will be explained how you can prevent binge eating before it starts.

How Can I Prevent Myself from Binge Eating?

One way to prevent binge eating is to follow an eating schedule. You should not under eat. Under eating will only make you feel hungrier, and is not at all healthy. Scheduling your eating times and eating healthily is a good plan if you wish to end your struggle with binge eating. Do not be overly concerned with your weight, as this will only cause you further stress. Instead, you should focus on eating healthily and staying on schedule with your eating times. After all, worrying will not help you lose weight.

binge eating

You should also recognize what triggers your binge eating or if you are binge eating due to past trauma. Many with binge eating disorder seek out professional help to identify the underlying causes of their eating disorder. You should not be ashamed of seeking professional help as many are in your same situation and need similar help. You deserve to start living a happy, healthy life. Professional help will allow you to change your thoughts and finally be free of what is causing you to binge eat.

Another strategy to preventing yourself from binge eating is to not be around foods you are likely to binge on. Also, many suggest that you find something other than food to give you happiness. Perhaps you enjoy some other activity that can replace eating, such as exercise or painting. Participating in relaxing activities may also allow you to prevent binge eating. Deep breathing, music, or conversing with friends can be a perfect way to calm you. Once you feel the urge to binge eat, you should begin participating in some relaxing activity so as to prevent binging.

If you find yourself beginning to binge eat, try to control your thoughts. You are not a hopeless cause if you begin to binge eat, and can stop midway through. All you must do is learn to relax and control your thoughts in these stressful situations. For this reason, it is vital to seek professional help to learn how to control these urges.

Conclusion

There is much you can do to prevent binge eating. Replacing food with something that will bring you equal or greater pleasure is a great strategy, but of course, do not abuse what you replace food with. Also, seeking professional help will allow you to identify and be free from the factors that are causing you to binge eat. Finding methods of relaxation and changing your thoughts are all part of the process of finding happiness. If you struggle with binge eating, there is no reason to simply accept the situation. Know that you are not alone, and there is plenty of help available to you. You are worth overcoming binge eating.

 

 

3 Simple Steps To A More Restful Sleep Tonight

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Picture this: It’s 5:27 PM. You’re hungry after a busy day at work, itching to get home to see your family, and now you’re stuck in traffic. Frustration sets in, thoughts of just going home and straight to sleep comes to mind. But you’re used to it since this is an every day occurrence.

So you finally stroll into your house at 6:04 PM, your 2 young children are clamoring for your attention, and they’re hungry too. You pop some frozen dinners in the microwave knowing full well they’re not healthy, but also knowing that you just don’t have time to think, much less cook. After a quick dinner consisting of Salisbury Steak you’re day’s not even close to over.

sleep

Now it’s time to do laundry, read with the kids, and of course a day’s work left over from the office. When do you have time to rest? At night you keep telling yourself.

But every night it’s the same old story. You flop into bed past 1 AM and close your eyes. Your mind is still racing from the day that just passed and the busy day ahead. So you toss and turn, hoping that you’ll be able to get at least a little shut-eye before your 6:00 AM wake up call (an annoyingly loud alarm clock
you’ve had for 15 years).

And the next day it starts all over again. You’re tired at work, you don’t have time to eat, you’re stressed, and you can’t get out of the vicious cycle.

So what do you do?

First thing’s first: take a deep breath. You’re probably stressed out just reading this far.

To get a more restful sleep tonight do the following:

1) Get a notebook and take 5 minutes right before laying down to free write. What you want to do is get every thought from the past, present, and future out of your head and on paper where it’s safe and secure. This will free the clutter from your head and allow you to rest easier.

2) Get a new alarm clock that wakes you up gradually with classical music. This will do absolute wonders for your morning routine. What you want to do is set the alarm to go off 15-20 minutes earlier than you usually wake up. It will turn on very quietly and slowly bring you out of your slumber.

3) Add a few very healthy snacks to your daily routine. One of my favorites is a 2 oz pre-packaged bag of baby carrots. They taste good, they’re good for you, and they take no prep-time. When you’re hungry at work or on the way home, munch on these. Another great snack is raw almonds. Eating healthier works
amazingly well to help you sleep better.

Please use these 3 simple tips to enjoy a more restful sleep tonight.