Why do some people always seem so cheerful and others seem to go through life with a chip on their shoulder? Maybe some of us have in our DNA the gene for resilience, making it quicker to bounce back from life's many trials and tribulations. If everywhere you turn you feel beaten down maybe it is time to practice optimism. According to personality researchers it is possible to learn optimism.
We have many role models in our society of people who have been though life altering situations and still they manage to turn their disadvantages into advantages. Look at the professional athletes who have suffered amputations and gone on to have very successful careers. Somehow they found something in their makeup to buffer the adversity they have encountered. In other words, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger.
Hopefully we will not suffer such hardships in our lives but looking on the bright side of things instead of always seeing the dark side can help to rewire our internal hard drives.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
Got goals?
We usually set short term goals like "I'm going to take a walk today or I will get home in time to make a healthy dinner." But how about long term goals? If you have a "decade" birthday coming up, why not set a goal to accomplish something in that year?
One of the most rewarding goals I achieved was deciding to run my first marathon the year I turned 50. Whatever the goal, it is very rewarding to achieve it and then look back on that event as a very special time in your life. Since I have another "decade" birthday coming up I guess I should think about what goal I will set. Maybe it will be to take that long bike ride, touring down the eastcoast, stopping for overnights along the way. Or maybe I will sign up for one of those "adventure" races. Whatever I decide I'm sure it will be an event worth remembering. You might even earn some bragging rights if your goal is something really exciting.
You can post your goal on your social media page and get reinforcement and help along the way. Others might have tips for how to achieve your goal or help you with encouragement. Invite friends to join you in your goal, whatever it might be, a first 5K or half-marathon. You might find that someone else was just waiting for a reason to sign up for that first race.
But you don't have to have a big birthday coming up to set a goal. Maybe you want to set a year end goal like "I will get home from work in time to make a healthy meal." Your body will love you and you might even see your waistline shrinking as a result!
One of the most rewarding goals I achieved was deciding to run my first marathon the year I turned 50. Whatever the goal, it is very rewarding to achieve it and then look back on that event as a very special time in your life. Since I have another "decade" birthday coming up I guess I should think about what goal I will set. Maybe it will be to take that long bike ride, touring down the eastcoast, stopping for overnights along the way. Or maybe I will sign up for one of those "adventure" races. Whatever I decide I'm sure it will be an event worth remembering. You might even earn some bragging rights if your goal is something really exciting.
You can post your goal on your social media page and get reinforcement and help along the way. Others might have tips for how to achieve your goal or help you with encouragement. Invite friends to join you in your goal, whatever it might be, a first 5K or half-marathon. You might find that someone else was just waiting for a reason to sign up for that first race.
But you don't have to have a big birthday coming up to set a goal. Maybe you want to set a year end goal like "I will get home from work in time to make a healthy meal." Your body will love you and you might even see your waistline shrinking as a result!
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
The road less traveled...
Do you feel like you put unnecessary pressure on yourself? Always looking to meet a deadline or someone else's expectations? Sometimes we need to slow down and take a walk down that grassy, untrod lane. When we are always on the run, literally, it can take a toll on our brains as well as our bodies. We need to exercise but we also need days off to recharge our batteries. When you have a family to take care of, a boss to impress, and friends who always bend our ear with their problems, it can be overwhelming and draining.
Maybe you have dreams of quitting your job and starting your own business. It takes a lot of nerve to follow your passion. A regular paycheck is great but sometimes the reward of being your own boss can outweigh the risks involved in quitting that stressful nine to five. You will have to be creative to make sure you can pay your bills but in the end but it could make all the difference.
Carve out some time for yourself; to take a walk or a hike and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us all the time. Leave the devices at home and listen to the natural world. There are many other sounds out there that are worth listening to. You might even hear your own thoughts for a change.
Maybe you have dreams of quitting your job and starting your own business. It takes a lot of nerve to follow your passion. A regular paycheck is great but sometimes the reward of being your own boss can outweigh the risks involved in quitting that stressful nine to five. You will have to be creative to make sure you can pay your bills but in the end but it could make all the difference.
Carve out some time for yourself; to take a walk or a hike and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us all the time. Leave the devices at home and listen to the natural world. There are many other sounds out there that are worth listening to. You might even hear your own thoughts for a change.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Got Bootcamp?
Are you tired of the same old run or bike ride? Trying mixing it up with this workout that you can easily design yourself. If you have a heart rate monitor strap it on to monitor your heart rate and make sure that you are working out in your target heart rate zone. As always when starting an exercise program you should check with your doctor and make sure that you are healthy and ready to go.
You can do this workout in a park, the gym or in your own backyard. You can use a variety of things that you might find in your neighborhood. Have some old tires that you haven't got rid of yet. Set them up in pairs and use it as one of your stations. Of course you want them without the rims. The way I go about my bootcamp workout is have 5 or 6 stations set up before I start. I will begin the workout with five minutes of jumping rope then move on to the tires, putting one foot in each tire quickly. I only have 4 tires right now so after I go through all 4 I start again until I have done a couple of minutes of tire jumping. Then I carry a beam that I found, on my shoulder and run or walk back and forth 50 yards for a few minutes.
If you go from exercise to exercise without resting you can get a total body workout in about 20 minutes. You can throw burpees, pushups, stair steps or anything you can think of into the mix. I bring a couple of 15 lb weights outside and use then to do the Farmer's walk. Or you could fill a couple of buckets with rocks and carry them. Your imagination is the limit. If you have a chin up bar do some chin ups or add jumping jacks. Its fun to see what you can come up with. I alternate upper and lower body exercises with cardio in between. Have fun with it, that is the whole idea! If you have a jungle gym for your kids you might incorporate it as one of your stations.
If you have done a 20 minute circuit and want a longer workout, just repeat it 2 or 3 times. Then finish up with a cool down and a stretch and you are good to go.
You can do this workout in a park, the gym or in your own backyard. You can use a variety of things that you might find in your neighborhood. Have some old tires that you haven't got rid of yet. Set them up in pairs and use it as one of your stations. Of course you want them without the rims. The way I go about my bootcamp workout is have 5 or 6 stations set up before I start. I will begin the workout with five minutes of jumping rope then move on to the tires, putting one foot in each tire quickly. I only have 4 tires right now so after I go through all 4 I start again until I have done a couple of minutes of tire jumping. Then I carry a beam that I found, on my shoulder and run or walk back and forth 50 yards for a few minutes.
If you go from exercise to exercise without resting you can get a total body workout in about 20 minutes. You can throw burpees, pushups, stair steps or anything you can think of into the mix. I bring a couple of 15 lb weights outside and use then to do the Farmer's walk. Or you could fill a couple of buckets with rocks and carry them. Your imagination is the limit. If you have a chin up bar do some chin ups or add jumping jacks. Its fun to see what you can come up with. I alternate upper and lower body exercises with cardio in between. Have fun with it, that is the whole idea! If you have a jungle gym for your kids you might incorporate it as one of your stations.
If you have done a 20 minute circuit and want a longer workout, just repeat it 2 or 3 times. Then finish up with a cool down and a stretch and you are good to go.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Got functional fitness?
Do you have a job that is repetitive and has you doing the same movements all day long? If you answered yes, then you might want to try a functional fitness workout. The beauty of this type of workout is that you can target the muscle groups that you use everyday in your work by building them stronger, and thus making it easier to function at your job. For instance, if you do a lot of squatting and lifting heavy boxes to shelve them you might try a combination squat with side raises. To strengthen your core and back you could do an exercise ball sit-up with front raises.
Always start with a lighter weight dumbbell to begin with if you are new to strength training. You can always work up to a heavier weight, it is better not to injure yourself right out of the gate. The beauty of a functional fitness workout is that you can achieve your results in less time by combining upper and lower body exercise techniques. Always start with a five minute cardio warm-up followed by dynamic stretching. Once you have completed your workout do five minutes of stretching and you are good to go!
Always start with a lighter weight dumbbell to begin with if you are new to strength training. You can always work up to a heavier weight, it is better not to injure yourself right out of the gate. The beauty of a functional fitness workout is that you can achieve your results in less time by combining upper and lower body exercise techniques. Always start with a five minute cardio warm-up followed by dynamic stretching. Once you have completed your workout do five minutes of stretching and you are good to go!
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Reprogram your brain with positive stuff instead of endless loop of negativity.
When I was younger and didn't always have the best self image, it seemed like I just couldn't get the negative stuff out of my head. It seemed there was always a loop running that said I wasn't good enough, pretty enough or 'fill in the blanks.' Fortunately, with maturity that has all changed and I now have "good" stuff in my head, some of which are sage words that have been passed down through the odes and sonnets of long dead poets.
If we have a hard time making it through the day sometimes it might be wise to remember the words of Samuel Johnson, the 18th Century poet and essayist who, in speaking about the value of literature, said it helped him to 'enjoy and endure' his existence. Often we merely go through the motions to make it through another day. Poetry has the ability to lift our spirits and stay in our memory, replacing some of the negativity with images of beauty and tranquility.
When we learn a poem it helps to fill our head with nourishing thoughts and develops empathy, by demonstrating through the words of others, that we are not the only ones who have felt despair, futility, or humiliation. Every generation has pondered and lamented the reasons we go to war or in deepest inner pain, pined for unrequited love. When we think that we are all alone in the world, remember that someone else has had the same exact thoughts. After all "no man is an island, entire of itself," as John Donne wrote many long years ago.
If we have a hard time making it through the day sometimes it might be wise to remember the words of Samuel Johnson, the 18th Century poet and essayist who, in speaking about the value of literature, said it helped him to 'enjoy and endure' his existence. Often we merely go through the motions to make it through another day. Poetry has the ability to lift our spirits and stay in our memory, replacing some of the negativity with images of beauty and tranquility.
When we learn a poem it helps to fill our head with nourishing thoughts and develops empathy, by demonstrating through the words of others, that we are not the only ones who have felt despair, futility, or humiliation. Every generation has pondered and lamented the reasons we go to war or in deepest inner pain, pined for unrequited love. When we think that we are all alone in the world, remember that someone else has had the same exact thoughts. After all "no man is an island, entire of itself," as John Donne wrote many long years ago.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Growing your dendrites, it's easier than you think!
Do you harbor a secret desire to wow your friends with your Sushi making skills but just haven't had the nerve to sign up for that class yet? It may be that your dendrites are sending a message to you, saying that they need more stimulation. Doing things that are unfamiliar to us or intellectually challenging can help to develop the connections between neurons and in turn make them more resistant to disease. Whether it is learning to fix your car, do plumbing jobs around the house, or take a watercolor class, these can all go a long way towards improving one's brain health.
Anything that is out of your comfort zone will present a challenge to the brain. If you are a moderate cribbage player find someone who is really good to play against and encourage your brain circuitry to work harder. Learning shouldn't stop when you finish school. Continuing to learn new things ensures that your brain stays healthy and with stronger dendrites the connections will last a long time and you will remember what you learned. There are so many ways to stimulate the brain, not just the old puzzle or word games. Learn to sail, take a creative writing course, or find tap dancing classes. Join a club where interesting people meet to exchange ideas. The options are unlimited and you might just have some fun along the way.
Anything that is out of your comfort zone will present a challenge to the brain. If you are a moderate cribbage player find someone who is really good to play against and encourage your brain circuitry to work harder. Learning shouldn't stop when you finish school. Continuing to learn new things ensures that your brain stays healthy and with stronger dendrites the connections will last a long time and you will remember what you learned. There are so many ways to stimulate the brain, not just the old puzzle or word games. Learn to sail, take a creative writing course, or find tap dancing classes. Join a club where interesting people meet to exchange ideas. The options are unlimited and you might just have some fun along the way.
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