Many of my clients tell me that they can’t find time to exercise and eat healthy while working the nine to five grind. I agree the hectic modern-day schedule leaves us with little time for a movement that makes us feel better and is good for our health.

A few years back, when I was suffering from perfectionism- yes, I’m a recovering perfectionist, my healthy-to-do list was a mile long; cut down carbs, count my macros, lose weight, build muscle, build mileage, turn off devices before bed, blackout the room at night, and on and on it went.

Honestly, just sticking to the list started stressing me out more than anything else. I wanted to have time to check all these things. I’m glad I walked away from that approach and have started keeping things simple, like eating whole foods, going slow with my running mileage, and including recovery days in my training cycle.

The good news is, that you don’t have to be deadlifting 300 pounds, counting carbs, and working out 60 minutes a day to live a healthy and non-sedentary life. Research suggests that small bouts of exercise are as effective as continuous exercise over a period.

A little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing.

How Much Exercise is Good Enough?

A meta-analysis of research studies shows that 75 minutes of exercise per week, which could be just a 15-minute walk or jog every day, resulted in a 14 percent lower risk of heart disease (1).

If you consider the intensity of the exercise, then just five minutes a day of physically strenuous exercise provides many benefits. A study conducted on runners found that participants who ran 10 minutes a day weren’t different than those who ran 150 minutes a week (2). This means as little as 10 minutes of vigorous exercise can give the same health benefits as a longer exercise duration.

The bottom line is to work out as much as you can. If you don’t work out at all, start moving a few minutes a day. If you walk 10 to 15 minutes a day, then do more.

How to Fit Exercise in the Busy Workday?

High-Intensity Interval Training-

HIIT or High-intensity interval training, is an easy solution for getting your workouts in a short amount of time.

A research study shows that low volume, high-intensity workouts of only 28 minutes per week- two 14-minute workouts per week led to significant improvement in VO2max scores, blood pressure, and waist circumference (3).

Workouts don’t have to be high impact if you are worried about joint pain. There are many options of high-intensity exercises to choose from.

Get a Healthy Dose of Nature-

It’s not all about high intensity, though. Low-intensity exercise is equally good for you. Nature is medicine, especially when combined with movement. The use of outdoor natural environments for physical activity and health is not new. We are born to move in the outdoor environment, and we still share the innate affiliation with the great outdoors (4).

Get some green exercise every day for 10 to 15 minutes. You will get your daily movement and an enhanced mood because of the elevated serotonin levels.

We are born to move in the outdoor environment, and we still share the innate affiliation with the great outdoors

Don’t Underestimate Household Chores-

Although following a regular exercise plan is good for consistency and health benefits, don’t underestimate the daily movement you get from household chores. Research shows that the incidental exercise you get from walking in a grocery store, going up and down the stairs, gardening, landscaping, and cleaning the house account for movement for better health too.

Conclusion

It might sound like a new exercise trend, but research strongly suggests that you can enjoy the health benefits of exercise by moving as little as 10 to 15 minutes a day. Try the three exercise modes to get more movement in your busy workdays.

References –

1-      https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.110.010710

2-      https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2014.04.058

3-      3-https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-020-02592-6

4-      doi: 10.1186/2046-7648-2-3

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Trail running is more technical than road running. It would help if you had different gear and metrics to measure your performance on trails. It involves more stress on your body and mind because you always pay attention to the terrain with all the twigs and turns.

Some of the tips for transitioning to trail running are:

Go Easy with Mileage – We all want to get the same mileage as the road on the trails. I am learning that’s the mistake I’ve been making. Build the mileage slowly on trails to avoid injuries. Running on the trails requires more effort and energy.

Change Your Shoes – Road running shoes are lightweight and keep you fast on paved surfaces. On trails, you’ll need stability, traction, and durability to protect you from uneven surfaces. Visit your running shoe store to get fitted for a good trail running pair. You can check out some trail running shoe recommendations here.

Go Hybrid – You don’t have to ditch road running altogether. A hybrid approach where you alternate trail running days with road running can be great for your body. The softer trails will give your joints the cushioning they need. You will be able to work different muscle groups on the trails and paved roads, leading to a better running economy on the road.

Strength Train – While strength training is essential for all runners, it’s crucial for trail runners. Try glute activation exercises with bands and plyometric exercises to build glute strength. Strengthening the lumbopelvic hip complex, especially the lower back, with exercises such as dead bugs and planks will pay you a high dividend in the form of better performance. Add agility drills for better reaction time.

Performance Metrics – Trail running calls for different metrics. Your pace will be much slower than your road runs, and it won’t be as steady either. Monitoring power and heart rate will give you a better measure of the running workload on trails.

You might be surprised that trail running doesn’t feel as natural as road running initially. Don’t be discouraged; your muscles will get stronger, making your trail runs much more pleasant with a little bit of practice and time.

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While you may not change the weather, you can take some steps to feel better during the winter months. The best cure for winter depression is to exercise your way through the winters. Not only will you keep the blues away, but you’ll be keeping fit simultaneously. Read on to find more tips for fighting off winter blues.

Embrace Outdoors

Wrap-up in some warm clothes and brave the weather. Wear layers that you can easily strip off as your body temperature rises. Make a playlist of your favorite music to stay motivated. Embrace the wind, rain, and snow. Find your inner child by running, cycling, and jumping over the puddles and icy patches. You will have so much fun doing it. Sign-up for skiing, snowboarding, or ice-skating lessons for a more structured approach to staying active. Taking classes will give you a result-driven structured approach, a sure confidence booster.

Join a Training Group

The best way to start the day is with some exercise. Can’t bring yourself to get out there on your own? Book an exercise class with your friends. You will wake up on those cold winter mornings because your friends rely on your support. Do you want even more out of your mornings and want to make new friends? Why not join a running club? Joining an early morning running club is a sociable way to move with others. You’ll feel superb at the end of your running session.

Join a Virtual Fitness Class

This tip is simple to execute, and you can stay active in your pj’s. Pj’s are just fine if that’s how you like it during winters. You can join many virtual fitness classes offered by virtual gyms. Plus, you’ll connect with like-minded people who will sweat with you. You don’t need fancy equipment or tons of space. It would be best to have a small workout space, yoga mat, and weights to move around. Try Tone and Strengthens virtual fitness classes where you will get structured workout classes led by certified trainers.

Get Enough ZZZ’s

The easiest way to boost your mood is to rest up. Sleep is a massive component of elevating your mood. One of SAD’s infamous symptoms is insomnia, which starts in fall and winter due to a lack of natural sunlight. According to endocrinologists, our circadian rhythm can get disrupted without a regular sleep cycle, disrupting hormone production. If you are going to get in an early morning workout, I recommend that you catch up with your sleep at the other end of the day. Rest and recovery are essential parts of working out. Getting enough sleep and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule can help you combat the winter blues.

Eat Right

Nutrition is as important as staying active to combat the winter lows. Winter season calls for an extra supply of vitamin D and serotonin-rich foods. Vitamin D levels are low during the winter months due to sunshine. Try eating vitamin D-rich foods and supplementing vitamin D during the winter months. Foods high in vitamin D like fatty fish, fish oil, tuna, and mushrooms can improve mood. Serotonin is a vital hormone that regulates our mood, feelings, and focus. Foods that boost serotonin-like spinach, eggs, hazelnuts can help fight winter blues. 

Try taking these steps to help minimize the effects of feeling down during the cold and dark winter days.

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Ready to get started? Here are a few ideas to get you on the path to a healthier lifestyle:

• Reduce Stress
• Clock in More Sleep
• Eat Home Cooked Meals

Reduce Stress- Ohhh! Stress. It seems to creep up so often. Doesn’t it? Stress can significantly impact your ability to maintain a healthy weight and your exercise routine. Stress produces the hormone cortisol. Research shows that cortisol triggers food cravings and increases insulin levels, which affects the ability to burn off those comfort foods (1). There are many ways to control stress in your life. Some examples are writing one affirmation about yourself every day, starting your day with a five-minute meditation, and writing a journal entry every day.

Clock in Enough Sleep- Most people need between 7 and 9 hours each night. This year putting more sleep on your new year’s resolution list will set you on a healthy path. Sleep deprivation sets up your brain to make not-so-smart decisions. Research shows lack of sleep slows activity in the brain’s frontal lobe, the decision-making hub. Plus, your brain’s reward centers rev up when you are tired and sleep-deprived. So, you reach for those late-night treats. This year take easy steps to improve your sleep hygiene, and you will be on your way to a healthier you. Some of the easy ways to clock more sleep are; setting a reminder to go to bed early, stopping electronic usage thirty minutes before bed, and stopping caffeine consumption after 4 p.m.

Cooking at Home- Put some cooking classes and meal planning on your new year’s resolutions list. You can learn to shop for and prepare healthy meals. Cooking at home will save you time, money, and all those extra calories. When you cook at home, you know exactly how much salt, fat, or sugar is going into your dish, and you can replace the ingredients to cater to your nutrition needs. Some of the easy steps to start cooking at home are planning dinners for the week, making a list of the ingredients, and buying your groceries on Friday. 

You can choose these resolutions that focus on improving your health. At the end of the following year, you might be surprised at how much weight you lost without putting weight loss on your resolutions list.

References:

1-DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-102936

The post Why Weight Loss Shouldn’t be On Your New Year’s Resolutions List? 0 (0) first appeared on Tone & Strengthen.

In my experience, New Years’ goal setting isn’t for a complete 360 on your life. It is an opportunity to reflect on the past year’s behavior and make positive behavior changes in the coming year. This year, I am focusing on making small behavior changes towards a big goal in a particular area of my life. According to Psychology Today, this approach will make the resolutions more realistic and easier to sprinkle throughout the year. Here are a few tips to keep your new year’s resolutions.

Dream Big- Big audacious goals are motivating. Don’t shy away from big goals. The key is to focus on one or two big goals in a year and particular areas of your life. For example, set a big goal for your health like training for a marathon or triathlon and a big goal for your financial future to have a certain amount of savings by year-end. Both these goals are specific and aim at two significant areas in your life. Ambitious goals are not only good for you, but they will inspire others around you. You might end up building a big support group of people who want to see you win.

Think Small- Now think small. The big dream will have to be broken down into small steps. Small steps will keep the big dream manageable without overwhelming you. Start with foolproof measures like for marathon running it could be just walking 10 minutes every day, buying a pair of running shoes, and creating a playlist for running. I love making lists of steps to do. Lists of steps, starting with the most doable ones, will give you the confidence to continue. 

Commit Yourself – Accountability is the single most crucial incentive for action. I like to keep myself accountable by entering a contract with myself and sticking the signed contract on my vanity’s mirror. You can get a family member involved to hold you responsible for your goal. There are many ways to create a commitment device. Stickk is one such platform. You can create your goal, assign it a timeline and a penalty. Another way is to pledge your resolution on social media and share your journey throughout the year.

One Step at a Time- Trying to conquer all the steps on your checklist simultaneously is going to be daunting. Soon you will lose motivation and fall back on old habitual patterns. An easy way to get to the big dream is to focus on one small step at a time. A small habit change will lead to a bigger change over time. 

Celebrate Small Wins- Don’t wait to celebrate till you’ve crossed the finish line. Behavior changes are progressive.  Encourage yourself to keep at it by observing a win each time you complete a step. Every small step in this long journey counts. For example, schedule some ME time or get a manicure for logging in 5 miles the first time.

Team Effort Counts- Share your goals with friends and family members. Ask them for support and make them part of your team. Often, we fail because our environment, which our family and friends dictate, isn’t conducive to keeping our resolutions. When you ask your circle of people for help, you make them part of the goal. Tell them precisely what help looks like to achieve your goal. If you can’t get help from your immediate circle, consider seeking professional help. Psychologists understand the connection between the mind and body and can recommend helpful strategies to achieve your goals. 

Offer Thanks- Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good. Any amount of progress is better than none. Sometimes you might even go backward. It’s okay! Please don’t beat yourself up for it. If your goal is a 40-minute workout, but you only squeezed in 10-minutes, be grateful for the 10 minutes. You showed up, and that counts. Practicing gratitude will acknowledge that you are giving it your best. In the long run, that’s what matters.

Dream big, think small, take one step at a time, and practicing gratitude will help you keep your new year’s resolutions way past the first few weeks of January.

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This past year has been an eye opener for me when it comes to recovery. I started scheduling a full day off in my week. My workouts have been more effective, and I feel better on the days I work out. I have realized that rest and recovery are vital for optimal performance, injury prevention, and progress in your fitness goals.

I am a fitness trainer and coach; my work requires teaching and training daily. I love what I do, but it’s physically demanding work. When I was training for Marathons this year, I started adding miles but kept the same workload. I have high-stress levels with the responsibilities of virtual fitness business expansion, including teaching many fitness classes. On top of that, I added the extreme amount of physical stress with twice-daily workouts.  I love running too and participating in races, but my physical stress balance was totally off. Believe it or not, mental stress and physical stress both, must be accounted for while training.

Why Recover?

According to research, exercising too much without resting enough in between can lead to low testosterone levels and high cortisol levels, the stress hormone. These hormonal changes can cause loss of muscle tissue, weight gain, and excess belly fat.

If you don’t let your muscles recover between workouts and give them at least a day off, you put yourself at risk of overtraining and getting injured. Repeated stress from exercise causes small tears that can strain muscles. Plus, the cumulative workout time and intensity can increase the cortisol level in your blood and lead to hormonal issues, muscle imbalances, and injuries.

Like me, many athletes understand the importance of training but don’t understand that rest and recovery are a part of training. Rest allows the body time to repair and strengthen itself in between workouts. Recovery is where your body adapts to that stress of exercise.

This year I learned that if I pushed hard a few days a week and added enough recovery days to bounce back, I could be a better athlete and a better coach. It turns out I love rest days now.

Three R’s of Fitness Training

Here are the three Rs of training that should be part of any balanced training program.

Relief- It’s normal to feel tired after exercise; however, feeling fatigued and constantly being tired and sore isn’t normal. It happens when your body repeatedly doesn’t fully recover after the workout. You can feel excessively drained all day. Make sure you just put your feet up on your rest days and keep it to light activities like taking your dog for a walk. Your body needs relief from constant physical stress.

Rest- Let’s talk about the zzzzs. Sleeping is vital for recovery. Make it a priority. To overcome the physical and mental demands of hard training days log-in at least eight hours of sleep. It is also one of the easiest ways to repair muscle damage. Our body’s reaction to lack of sleep includes a slower metabolism, higher heart rate, mood fluctuations, a weakened immune system, and less control over what we eat.

Recovery- In the exercise physiology text, recovery includes physiological functions returning to homeostasis, refueling energy stores, and refilling cellular energy enzymes.

Food is a major component of recovery. Eat a well-balanced meal with good protein and carbohydrates sources on your rest days. Protein is especially important to rebuild your muscles. 

Another way to restore balance to your body is by massage. Massage from a therapist or self-massage with foam rollers is an excellent way to break adhesions and get the blood and oxygen flow back to muscles.

Try taking the time to make rest and recovery a priority in your training regimen. Your body and mind will thank you, and your training will benefit from it.

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This year, I have decided to focus on three big goals and then divide them into smaller chunks. My big goals are to improve my Marathon race time, scale my business by networking with other wellness professionals, and organize my home. These goals involve many smaller resolutions like better nutrition, meal planning, better sleep, decluttering the home, donating items I don’t use, scheduling time for weekly networking, and growing Tone and Strengthens team of coaches and instructors, to name a few.

You can fill your resolution list with easy, good-for-you goals. Keep them simple and focused on a particular area of your life. These help you destress, organize the crazy in your life, and be more productive at the same time. So, try to put these easy ‘new year new you’ goals on your list this year.

Cook at Home- Cooking at home can even take less time than eating out. There are plenty of quick, simple, and less time-consuming recipes. When you prepare your meals, you have more control over the ingredients. You can ensure that you and your family eat fresh, wholesome meals by cooking for yourself. 

Feed the Bookworm in You- Try to get more reading done this year. Books are knowledge, and who knows where that knowledge will take you. Try Goodreads App to keep track of the books you have read. Don’t discount the audiobooks. I love listening to books while working out. You can get two things done at once, and you’ll look forward to your workouts.

Delegate Chores- Delegate the chores that have been on your to-do list for a while to another person. You can hire someone to do the chores. If money is tight, try exchanging chores for those you enjoy doing with a close friend.

Use Your Lunch Break- You can get a lot done in 60 minutes. Take a lunch break and use it for a hobby or workout. You will return fresh to your desk and be more productive. Need any ideas for things you can do while on lunch? Read Gone for Lunch by Laura Archer.

Write to Yourself- Reflecting on your day and acknowledging emotions is calming. Try being kind to yourself and quiet that inner critic when you write to yourself. When you’re stressed, keeping a journal can help you recognize the cause of stress. Once you know the cause of stress, you create a plan to resolve the problems and reduce your stress. Journaling can improve your mental health.

Create a Power Phrase- Mind is a powerful tool, but we don’t use it to our advantage often. Negative thoughts and self-talk primarily consume us. Create or find positive mantras for yourself and repeat them throughout the day.

Create a Calming Space- Declutter one or two chaotic areas of your home. It’s important to make the space around you as peaceful and calm as possible, even if it’s just your desk or a corner of the room. By consciously making your home decluttered, your daily life will be easier and elicit a sense of calm and relaxation. You won’t have to add non-essentials to your to-do list. A clear and clean space will help you have more clarity in your life and take action towards your goals.

Be Mindful- Pledge to be present by staying in the moment. Do some small exercises to pay attention to your current experiences and accept them without judgment? Practicing mindfulness promotes empathy, love, compassion, and joy. 

Join a Club- Joining a club will help you meet new people who have the same interests as you. Maybe it’s a new hobby you have wanted to take up or a current interest you want to get better at. Clubs help you find new friends and learn something new.

Volunteer- This year, challenge yourself to try something new and practice using your current skills while making a difference by volunteering. Volunteer work may become more valuable than your regular work! You’ll notice a slight shift in yourself as you volunteer. You’ll feel more connected to others and become less absorbed in the everyday stresses of daily life.

These are some ideas for your new year’s goals that come with social, emotional, physical, and professional perks.

The post Ten Simple New Year’s Resolutions 0 (0) first appeared on Tone & Strengthen.

I like to include the accomplishments, wins, and losses that served as a learning experience. All the events have an impact on us. 

• First, I like to be grateful for where I am. 
• Second, I look back on the past year’s events in wonder and awe. It’s hard to believe how far I have come this year with my running and business goals. 
• Third, I look to see how I can improve my future by taking unnecessary things from my schedule and improving my current activities. 

Why Reflect on Last Year?

Last year is gone. Right! It is past now. You cannot bring this time back and can’t use an eraser to undo the mistakes.

At the most basic definition, reflection is a careful thought. But the valuable kind of reflection involves the deliberate analysis of one’s beliefs and actions for learning. Reflection allows us to slow down, pause and sort through past experiences.

Reflecting on last year, you can learn important lessons and recognize behavior patterns. Listing previous year’s events allow us to identify the patterns in our reactions and will help us to enhance performance in the new year. Reflections serve as self-feedback for the last year. I recommend reflecting on the past year because it acts as a tool to improve your performance in the new year radically.

There is a paradox in life for faster improvement. To have a more significant impact in the future, we need to slow down and reflect on the past.

Reflect and Plan

Select your own reflection process. I like to write in a journal. If you don’t like journaling, that’s okay. Consider talking to a close friend, and going over the last year is a great way to reflect. You can use your friend’s feedback as well.

To help you reflect on your year, I have put together some questions and resources that can help you.

I like to put my last year’s events into three categories:

Successful – had a tremendous impact

Redundant –can be left behind

Developing – needs improvement

Questions to Ask

Here are some of my favorite questions for reflecting on last year:

• What accomplishments are you proud of this year?
• What significant life events or transitions did you go through this year?
• How did you take care of yourself this year? Mentally, physically, financially, and emotionally.
• What disappointed you this past year?
• What have you overcome this year?
• What are you most grateful for in the last year? 
• What mistakes are you still holding onto from the past year?
• What challenges do you still need to conquer?
• If you could change one thing in the last year, what would it be?
• What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of the past year?

So, grab a warm cup of tea and a paper to look at last year’s reflections, so that next year’s image projection is bright.

The post Looking in Last Year’s Mirror 0 (0) first appeared on Tone & Strengthen.

This is a hybrid fitness class. Choose from virtual or in-person options. In-Person class will be at Northampton Township Recreation Center, Richboro, PA.

Are you ready for a one-hour full body workout?  Set to today’s hottest music, Body by Barre fuses ballet, Pilates, sports conditioning and stretching. This regimented routine will evenly sculpt and quickly transform the entire body, resulting in a toned, trim physique.  Classes begin with a warm-up focusing on postural strength and alignment, followed by upper body exercises. A waist height sturdy surface can be used for flexible training, and to sculpt the lower body and abs.  Class ends with core work and stretching.  Many of the stretches and strengthening exercises are endorsed by sports medicine physicians and orthopedists. 

All Virtual classes are recorded and recording is provided to registered participants for 48-hrs after class.

*Yoga mat, Pilates ball, loop resistance band, and two light dumbbells are suggested for this class*

The post Body by Barre (Hybrid) – Mar 1st – Apr 5th 0 (0) first appeared on Tone & Strengthen.

Are you ready for a one-hour full body workout?  Set to today’s hottest music, Body by Barre fuses ballet, Pilates, sports conditioning and stretching. This regimented routine will evenly sculpt and quickly transform the entire body, resulting in a toned, trim physique.  Classes begin with a warm-up focusing on postural strength and alignment, followed by upper body exercises. A waist height sturdy surface can be used for flexible training, and to sculpt the lower body and abs.  Class ends with core work and stretching.  Many of the stretches and strengthening exercises are endorsed by sports medicine physicians and orthopedists. 

All Virtual classes are recorded and recording is provided to registered participants for 48-hrs after class.

*Yoga mat, Pilates ball, loop resistance band, and two light dumbbells are suggested for this class*

The post Body by Barre (Hybrid) 0 (0) first appeared on Tone & Strengthen.