health tips of the week:

A 'Health-Friendlier' Thanksgiving Menu
Ahhh, the 'day of indulgence'...The traditional festive Thanksgiving fare doesn't have to be one that's dreaded the following few days. There are a number of things that can be done to the traditional recipes to help reduce the amount of saturated fats, as well as, total fat and overall calories. If you're willing, making small changes and using healthier ingredients can make quite a difference. To keep the menu light, for sauces, dips, and pie toppings, try non-fat whip, yogurt, fat-free or fat-reduced sour cream, or evaporated skim milk. In place of whole eggs, try egg substitutes and for topping off casseroles use almonds. Finally, for the ever-coveted mashed potatoes, try low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth.

The main thing to remember is to not beat yourself up for enjoying a day or two of food indulgence. Recognize that for a couple days of holiday celebrating, it's absolutely 'ok' to enjoy the foods of the season. Try to get out and enjoy some movement during the extended weekend and prepare for the upcoming weeks leading up to Christmas. Enjoy!

Cross-Training
Getting bored with your current exercise/healthy movement program? It's normal, understandable, and correctable with a little creative thought. This is the part of healthy movement I enjoy the most, it's where I can get creative with the individual to find ways of 'mixing-up' the current routine; be it indoors, outdoors or preferably, a combination of the two. With cross-training,
the opportunities are endless, be it by adding sports, new recreational pursuits, functional training, circuit work, plyometrics, core-stability, outdoor urban conditioning or sports-specific conditioning, anything is possible. And, this is where a health coach or trainer can be of great assistance. With cross-training, muscles and muscle attachments are worked in different ways and this, in turn, helps to prevent imbalances and injury. The other huge benefit is, of course, mental, in that it adds a spice that perhaps has been missing for awhile and this alone can make your healthy-movement sessions more enjoyable and much more productive. Please feel free to drop me a line if you'd like some ideas to enhance your current routine!

You and work-life balance. part I

Aahhh, work-life balance. That nice little phrase that frequently gets tossed around as we reference the balancing act of a 'happy place' at work that interacts with our 'ideal' and special 'golden' hours we deem "ours". The 'golden' hours mean different things to different people and how we spend them is for us to choose. As if often the case, where things get a little gray is when we examine who truly is responsible for establishing the ideal work-life balance scenario. The simple route is to assume the employer is responsible for establishing and influencing this balance. The assumption that's made is that employers who do more to promote family-life/friendly initiatives will therefore create a much happier, and hence, productive workforce. While this very well may be the case in the short-term, most company initiatives achieve little effect for the long-term and there are a host of reasons why this is the case. The key to ensuring greater success in an initiative focused on achieving true work-life balance comes in a 'whole-istic' approach rather than a 'pieces-parts' approach.

What needs to be considered is the role of the individual in establishing a 'true' work-life balance, the onus cannot solely rest on the employer. 'Work' happens at home as it does in the workplace and it's as equally important to develop a vision and plan for achieving success as a family unit. If we truly break down the work-life balance equation and recognize what is ultimately at play here, we discover a host of things that too often, and understandably, get over-looked as those three simple words become a little more complex.

More to come....

health tips of the week:

Heat or Ice for Injuries?
The next time you pull, strain or twist something, think twice about grabbing a heat pack. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, the best way to treat an acute injury in the first 48 to 72 hours is with ice. An ice pack or frozen gel pack wrapped in a thin towel or paper towel will help lessen the pain and reduce swelling associated with your body's reaction to injury. Do not apply for more than 20 minutes and wait at least 20 minutes before applying it again! For bony prominences like the elbow or knee, apply directly for no more than 10-12 minutes since these areas are covered by less muscle or fat tissue.

Good Sitting Posture
For back health, think geometry and support. When sitting at your computer, sit with your back against the support of your chair and your shoulders back. Your buttocks may or may not touch the back of your chair depending on the shape and support it offers. You can use a rolled up towel or lumbar support to help maintain the natural curve of your lower back. Both your elbows and legs should bend at nearly 90-degree angles and try to keep your feet flat on the floor or better yet, on an angled 'footrest'. This position improves ergonomics and reduces your chances of developing computer-related back, arm and wrist problems. For more information on proper home/work-office ergonomics and/or cubicle setup that can help reduce your chances of 'over-use, repetitive strain' injuries or discomfort, contact Element U.

'd' word realities.

Simply put, most diets don’t work, in the sense of why the majority of people try them. For the purposes of this article, when I refer to 'diet', I'm referring to a weight-loss diet. Yes, you can lose weight as a result of dieting, in most cases you'll gain the weight back as your body attempts to 'return to normal' or what it's used to. Oftentimes, another harsh reality, you'll gain more weight back than what you started with (weight cycling). Your body is seeking 'normalcy' and though the time will vary depending on the individual, your body will seek it's 'comfort level'. Does this mean it's impossible to achieve successful weightloss that can be sustained? No, but it requires a vision, goals, a systematic plan, and work on a number of fronts, otherwise, the vicious diet-cycle will just keep repeating itself.

Dieting can be extremely dangerous and, in fact, results in many injuries and even deaths each year as it disrupts normal eating, can lead to over-eating and bingeing, in addition to, unhealthy feeding patterns.

Dieting is very expensive and the return can be minimal, if not non-existent.

As it relates to the mental side of the spectrum, individuals become preoccupied with food and how their weight is impacted by it. Ultimately, self-esteem and well-being, in general, is lowered when the goal of any 'healthy weight-related' vision should include increases in self-confidence, control, empowerment, and the realization that dreams and ambitions are valuable and attainable. Dieting and Emotions

The answers do exist, believe me, they do. However, dieting takes you only further from those answers...

Success.

Define success. What is it? What does it look like? Do I have it? If I had it, would I know it? What does it feel like? Is there a price tag attached to it? What sort of APR (annual percentage rate) comes with it? If I had it would I be comfortable with it?

Success comes in many different forms and means different things to different people. How one person may perceive it isn't necessarily how another might. For some it's defined by the well-stocked bank account, for others by the drained accounts. Perhaps by how many credit cards one has in their purse or wallet or maybe by the one and only credit card in the purse or wallet. By the number of cars in the garage or having one car in the garage that's paid for. By the few hundred pairs of shoes in the enormous walk-in closet or the single pair of broken-in flip flops worn to the beach everyday. The ultimate investment portfolio or an enormous portfolio of photos of children growing up and treasured times shared. Keeping up with the Joneses or not knowing who the Joneses are.

I have my own ideas about success and how I measure it, but I'd like your thoughts on it, please fill me in.

Also, check out this article, it's a good one. A good reference piece that I'll go back to again and again for that often needed dose of positive thought.

health tips of the week:

To Eat or Not to Eat Prior to Exercise: Confused about all of the mixed messages about when and what to eat before exercising? We're told to "not workout on an empty stomach", "workout only if you've got an empty stomach", "eat a light meal high in carbs prior to working out", "eat something light 30 minutes to an hour before you begin", and the list goes on and on. The truth of the matter is, we're all unique in what works best for us. Experiment a little, listen to your body and determine what's ideal for you. Don't spend hours dissecting research and editorial articles on the "best" formula when you could better use that time enjoying some healthy movement.

Don't Skip the Most Important Meal of the Day:
When you skip breakfast it can effect your cholesterol, resulting in higher, less healthy levels. Skipping breakfast also makes the body less sensitive to insulin. These effects could lead to increased health risks and weight gain. Treat your body right, fuel it with the most important meal of the day and enjoy a host of other positive side-benefits. Try to include low/no fat dairy, whole grain cereals or breads, and seasonal fruits as often as you can.

You and living actively.

Take time to take care of you.
Beneficial movement doesn't have to hurt and it doesn't have to have rules. Make your own rules.
Movement, not weight is the key to longevity.
Activity increases your energy, helps you sleep better, boosts your immune system, helps relieve stress, and strengthens bones.
Be creative in how you incorporate movement throughout the day.
Movement adds years to your life and life to your years.
Be active in your own way, every day. Share the benefits with others and enjoy the journey.

For more creative 'healthy movement' ideas, feel free to drop me a line.

What is health coaching? Part II.

Simply put, health coaching is the facilitation of optimal and definitive self-health. It's a collaborative and individual program that focuses on enhancing and improving health & well-being. It sets the foundation for your capacity to define and achieve short and long-term health, wellness, and fitness goals. You're the expert. You know yourself better than anyone else and, believe it or not, have the answers to what success looks like for you. You may just need a little help in finding those 'answers', and, this is where a health coach comes in.

Whether it's general lifestyle and well-being enhancement or a more specific health or fitness-related issue or desire, the focus is on enhancing and building upon your inner strengths and core characteristics to improve your quality of life, not on 'fixing' a specific physical or emotional issue. A coach motivates, facilitates, and provides resources when necessary to help you set achievable goals. A coach does not diagnose, prescribe, or offer advice. We provide tools, not opinions.

Sessions may include:

>Discussing goals, strategies, and establishing boundaries
>Setting up systems to help ensure that you get what you need to stay motivated
>The fortification of other areas of your life that help serve as the foundation of change
>Designing a plan to establish the support system and healthy environment you need to assure success
>The identification of habits and mindsets that need to be purged in order to pave the way to excel
>Ideas to help find the time and energy you need
>The recognition and celebration of achievements
>Steps to reverse setbacks