Author: melissa

If you’re like many people, you overindulge where the holiday feasting is concerned.

This inevitably leads to New Year’s Resolutions surrounding fitness and weight loss, which usually last until about noon on January second.

If you’d like to break the cycle and turn your fitness New Year’s Resolutions into reality, here’s how:

Set Modest Goals

Don’t set a goal to “lose fifty pounds”  That’s a huge goal that’s not realistic.  Instead, set incremental goals:  Say, ten pounds, with a promise to set a new goal once you’ve achieved it.

Ten pounds is (relatively) easy, and once you achieve that goal, it will give you the confidence you need to achieve your next incremental goal.

Don’t Punish Yourself

Too often, people set a weight loss goal that sees them adopting a draconian diet of little more than twigs and berries.

It’s not surprising then, that about a week into the diet, your body rebels, your willpower crumbles and the next thing you know you’ve got a big spoonful of your favorite Ben and Jerry’s ice cream flavor in your mouth.

Where exercise is concerned, the same thing holds:  People start out trying to achieve the impossible, working out for an hour or two at a stretch, which leads to pain, which leads to frustration, which leads to giving up.

Slow and steady wins the race here.  Start with cutting out certain snack foods where diet is concerned, giving your body time to adjust and adapt.  On the exercise front, instead of trying a twenty-mile hike on day one, settle for a half mile down the road and back to your house, working up to the larger goals.

Don’t Weigh Yourself Every Day

Getting obsessive over what the scales say doesn’t help.  Avoid daily weighing.  Settle on a schedule of once a week.  You’re less likely to give up in frustration when you don’t see the needle move as much as you’d like it too.

Weight loss and fitness goals are achievable, but you’ve got to structure them properly.  If you do, you’ll be amazed at the progress you can make!

 

So you’re ready to hit the slopes this winter and enjoy some skiing and snowboarding, are you?  That sounds fantastic!  Unfortunately, for all the fun to be had, those types of activities can also lead to serious injury.  Here are the best ways to avoid getting hurt while you’re out there having fun:

Start Getting Ready For Winter Fun Early

This is the single biggest thing you can do to minimize your risk of injury on the slopes.  For best results, start conditioning your body at least three months in advance of your first outing. If time is short, then you can do enough to see some real benefits using four to six weeks of lead time.

Begin by walking for at least thirty minutes a day for a minimum of five days a week, and work up from there if you feel comfortable.  Then, build on that by engaging in exercises that target the specific muscle groups you’ll be using when you start engaging in your favorite wintertime activity.  The training will help prepare your body for the rigors ahead!

Warm Up, Warm Up, Warm Up!

On the day of your first outing, don’t just spring out of bed, get dressed and hit the slopes.  Start the day with some stretching and a few warm up exercises designed to limber your muscles and get them ready for the paces you’ll soon be putting them through.

Cool Down!

Every bit as important as the warm up, is the cool down.  After a hard day on the slopes, your muscles are bound to be aching and tired.  Do some last minute stretching to wrap up the day. Be sure you’ve got a source of heat and ice ready, to help soothe those aching muscles.

While there’s no one magic solution that can reduce your chances of injury to zero, following these simple steps will go a long way toward ensuring a safe and relatively pain free holiday sporting season!

Who doesn’t love playing in the snow and enjoying the winter weather?  It can be a lot of fun, but only if you play it safe.

Here are a few simple tips to help you enjoy the colder weather while simultaneously minimizing your risk of injury:

Dress For Success!

Sure, you need to bundle up before you venture out into the cold.  Everyone knows that and tends to do so instinctively.  What fewer people pay attention to, however, is the condition of your footwear.

Whether you’re playing in the snow, or just venturing out to carry on business as usual, you should pay close attention to the shoes or boots you’re wearing.  First and foremost, they should have good treads, and preferably, rubber soles too, both of which provide better traction on the slippery surfaces you’ll invariably be walking on.

Limber Up Before Doing Anything Physical

Most people exercise less during the winter months, but before you engage in any sort of physical exertion, you should take the time to stretch and warm up. That holds true even in the winter when you’re less likely to want to do it.  Taking this simple step will greatly reduce your chances of injury.

Increased Mindfulness

In the summertime, you can skip down the steps and over your sidewalk without a care in the world.  In the winter though, those normally trusty surfaces can be covered with a barely visible sheen of ice.  If you’re not extremely watchful, a moment of carelessness can cause serious injury.

All Things In Moderation

You might think nothing of grabbing two giant armloads of groceries from your car during the warmer months, but carrying all that added weight during the wintertime can easily make you more susceptible to slips and falls because it can throw you off balance. Take a more measured approach when toting cargo to and from your house, even if it means making a few extra trips.

Keeping these simple tips in mind won’t prevent injury, but they will go a long way toward minimizing your risk, and that’s a very good thing!

At some point, almost everyone suffers a crick or kink in their neck.  Whatever you call them, the effect is the same.  It’s painful,  it’s annoying, and it can detract from the enjoyment of whatever you’re doing.

The question is, is that sudden pain in your neck something to be concerned about, and what can you do to make it feel better?

The good news is that in the overwhelming majority of cases, it isn’t something to be concerned about.  While kinks and cricks in your neck are undoubtedly painful, they’re generally not cause for concern.  The exception here is, of course, if you’ve previously suffered a serious head or neck injury.  If that’s the case, then any pain in the area should be treated with seriousness and you should consult your doctor or tell your chiropractor immediately.

Unless that’s the case though, the best thing you can do is give your neck a rest and don’t stress it unduly. You can engage in some low-intensity stretching, which is likely to help sooth it.  You should also alternate the use of ice and heat, and if you want immediate relief, consider using over the counter pain relievers.

It also pays to spend some time mentally reviewing your recent activities to try and determine what you may have done to cause the pain.  Perhaps you noticed it right after stretching to hang some holiday decorations, or maybe you slept in an awkward position and woke up with a pain in your neck.  In most cases, you’ll be able to identify a root cause and change your behavior accordingly to avoid it in the future.

Most of the time, those home remedies will be all that’s required. If the pain persists for longer than a week, it may be a sign that there’s something more serious going on. At that point, it’s time to get your doctor or chiropractor involved.

 

Whether you’re planning a road trip this holiday season, or find yourself driving for extended periods for work, the simple truth is that driving can be bad for your back.  It’s not so bad if you’re a passenger, because you can take something for your aching back or shift your position to get more comfortable.

If you’re the one stuck behind the wheel though, driving for several hours at a stretch can be both brutal and punishing.  Here are a few simple tips you can employ to minimize your pain and discomfort:

Lumbar Support

This is your first, best option.  You don’t have to get fancy here.  If you can’t afford a proper lumbar support pillow, even a small throw pillow taken from your sofa or a rolled-up towel can do wonders in terms of providing additional support. If you can afford a proper lumbar support pillow, it’s well worth the investment.

Take Frequent Stretch Breaks

This is easy if you’re traveling with someone who has a small bladder and needs to stop at frequent intervals for a bio-break. Even if that’s not the case, it pays to stop frequently to get out and stretch your back and legs before continuing on your journey.

Sure, it might mean that it takes a bit longer to get to your final destination, but it will help ensure that once you arrive, you’ll be in reasonably good shape.

Make Use of Cruise Control

If you have a car with cruise control, use it whenever it’s safe to do so.  It will allow you to sit with both feet firmly on the floor, which will help distribute your weight more evenly.

Pay Attention to The Position Of Your Seat

There are two things to talk about here.  First, sit as close to the steering wheel as you can without it becoming uncomfortable.  Second, take a moment to adjust the angle of your seat.  Ideally, you’ll want to position it to an angle of 100-110 degrees.

Also, if you have a bad back, be sure to bring an ice pack with you so you can ice your back en route as needed, or once you arrive at your destination.

Following these simple tips may not prevent back pain but they’ll go a long way toward minimizing it, and will leave you feeling good enough to enjoy the day when you get to wherever it is that you’re going!

The statistics may surprise you.  A recent survey conducted by Angie’s List revealed that a staggering 90 percent of survey respondents preferred taking showers over baths.

The survey revealed a slight gender difference, with women tending to prefer bathing more than men, although both groups overwhelmingly preferred showering.

Preferences for showering aside, some new research suggests that taking the time to enjoy a nice, hot soak now and again has some health benefits that are worth considering.

First and foremost, a hot bath will help lower your blood pressure.  Given how many Americans suffer from high blood pressure, and the fact that high blood pressure is one of the precursors to heart disease, enjoying a nice bath now and again is one of the simplest and most enjoyable ways to protect your heart!  Consider it to be passive heat therapy that helps to improve your circulation as it increases the concentration of nitric oxide in your blood.

Second, a separate study into the subject revealed that taking a nice hot bath will raise your core temperature more than showering.  That’s significant because if you increase your core temperature by just one degree Celsius, you’ll burn 140 calories, which is the same amount you’d burn by taking a half hour walk.

Think about that for just a second:  If you take a half hour walk and enjoy a hot bath afterwards as a way of treating yourself, and you do that three times a week, you’ll wind up almost effortlessly shedding a kilogram a month (about 2.2 pounds).

If you’re one of the millions of Americans struggling to keep your weight in check, making that small change can do wonders for your health.  It’s proof positive that you don’t have to make big changes to your lifestyle to have a profound impact on your health.  Here’s to bathing!

Tis the season to decorate!  In addition to all the delicious food, this is the time of year when most people pull boxes of holiday decorations out of storage, and spend some serious time giving their homes a festive holiday makeover.

While it’s true that the results of those efforts often look amazing, it’s also entirely possible to hurt yourself while you’re busy transforming your home into a holiday wonderland.  Here are a few simple tips to help you avoid injury:

Simple Mindfulness

We’re listing this one first because while it’s obvious, it’s also something that’s easy to overlook.  Pay close attention to your surroundings as you’re un-boxing all those holiday decorations. Be aware that when you’re carrying an armload of goodies, your vision may be obstructed, so move with care and deliberation.

In addition to simply watching where you’re stepping, be mindful of your posture and be sure to use good lifting habits.  When picking up a box, always squat and let your legs do the lion’s share of the work, as opposed to bending and lifting with your back.  Your spine will thank you!

Warm Up First!

While mindfulness and deliberation are important, don’t overlook the value of spending a few minutes warming up and stretching before you start doing any strenuous lifting.  As with any form of exercise, spending a few minutes warming up is a great way to prepare your body for the exertions that lie ahead.

Make Smart Use of Technology

Here, we’re not talking about cutting-edge technology, but rather, some simple, old school tools you can deploy to minimize your risk.  The two biggest and most obvious are a good back brace and a ladder.  Don’t stretch any more than you have to, use your trusty ladder to extend your reach and rely on a back brace to give you extra support!

The bottom line is it’s easier to prevent an accident than it is to deal with the aftermath of one.  If you take a few simple precautions as you go about decorating your home for the holidays, you’ll go a long way toward minimizing your risk of injury.

The question that serves as the title of this piece is an excellent one, and something we get asked on a regular basis.

For some reason, people tend to be strong advocates for either “hot” or “cold” workouts, with very little meeting in the middle.

The short answer to the question is yes, exercising in cold weather is fine, but the details in a more in-depth answer might surprise you.

Advantages to Cold Workouts

There are two key advantages to exercising in the cold.  The first is the fact that your body is better able to regulate its temperature, which enables you to work out for longer periods than you would normally be able to during the hottest months of the summer.  A longer workout equates to more calories burned, which is always a good thing.

There’s also evidence that exercising in the cold helps your body convert unhealthy white fat to healthy brown fat, which provides a strong secondary benefit.  As you’ll see in the next section though, there are advantages to working out in the heat as well.

Advantages to Hot Workouts

As with cold weather workouts, there are two advantages to exercising in the heat.  The first is improved blood blow, which sends more oxygen and nutrients to every part of your body.  That’s undeniably a good thing.

Second, and this is the part that might surprise you, working out in the heat can help you perform better when the weather starts turning cold.  In fact, a recent study indicated that people who worked out in hot conditions and then shifted to cold workouts performed 6 percent better than people who worked out exclusively in the cold.

Ultimately then, the answer is this:  Don’t use the cold weather as an excuse not to exercise!  Stay active all year long if you want to reap the biggest benefit.  Your body will thank you.

Do you suffer from arthritis?  If so, you’ve got plenty of company.  According to the CDC, more than 52 million Americans have the dubious honor of dealing with some form of arthritis, including nearly half a million people under the age of 18.  It’s a club with an expansive membership.

If you have (or know someone who has) arthritis, you’ve probably heard that changes in the weather cause the pain to intensify.  There’s tons of anecdotal evidence to support this, but is it true?

Unfortunately, there have only been a limited number of studies on the issue. The findings of the research to date has been inconclusive, with some studies confirming what most arthritis sufferers believe, and others finding no correlation.

Even so, both the Arthritis Foundation and the Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons link weather changes to an increase in arthritis pain.  The Arthritis Foundation cited barometric pressure changes as the cause, and the AOS linked it to rain and/or the onset of colder weather.

Although these agencies acknowledge a correlation, there’s no evidence to support that moving to warmer, drier climates will provide you with any significant long-term relief from your arthritis pain.

Unfortunately, people living in sunny Florida and the dry southwestern states still suffer from the disease.  There’s no cure, and it’s going to run its course, no matter where you live.

In other words, don’t pack your bags.  While you may experience a temporary increase in discomfort when the weather changes, moving isn’t really going to help. Since there’s no cure, the best you can do is continue to treat the symptoms with heating pads, cold packs (and ideally a combination of both), with medications to help you control the inflammation.

Also consider engaging in regular stretching exercises to increase your range of motion and exercise in a swimming pool as often as you’re able to.

Science has confirmed what massage therapists have been saying for years.  Not only does a massage feel great, but it improves blood flow and reduces pain levels whether you exercise regularly or not.

This most recent bit of research comes to us from the University of Illinois, Chicago, and provides the best evidence yet.

In the study, the research team broke participants into three groups:

• Group one used a leg press machine until their legs began to get sore. Afterward, this group received a Swedish massage.
• Group two used the same machine until their legs began to get sore, but at the end, did not get a massage.
• Group three did no exercise, but still got a massage (this would have been the group to be in!)

The group of study participants who did the exercise but didn’t get a massage reported continued pain in their legs for up to twenty-four hours.

The group that did the exercise and got a massage reported no pain whatsoever approximately 90 minutes after their massage was completed.

In addition to that, the two groups that received a massage had better blood flow than the group that exercised but did not get a massage.

Nina Cherie Franklin, a researcher and lead author of the study had this to say about their work:

“Our study validates the value of massage in exercise and injury, which has been previously recognized but based on minimal data.  It also suggests the value of massage outside of the context of exercise. The big surprise was the massage-only control group, who showed virtually identical levels of improvement in circulation as the exercise massage group.  The circulatory response was sustained for a number of days, which suggests that massage may be protective.”

In fact, the team discovered that the benefits of massage lingered for three full days, which is huge.

The bottom line is, if you’re looking for a simple way to feel better and improve your circulation, massage is the way to go!