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Temperance & Thoughtfulness |
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 When I look back on January 2009 from some future place I will surely remember the spirit of “change” felt with a new course for our country and a new year offering fresh starts. In terms of our health, this sense of renewed opportunity each January often inspires us to make drastic changes in our lifestyle and to set ambitious goals. Two words that have helped my clients continue on positive paths to improve your health and that I am sharing with you are “temperance” and “thoughtfulness.” These words will help you avoid the pitfalls of New Years resolutions that manifest as “over-training” and “burn out.”
The New Year often brings on bursts of energy expenditures that at times need to be tempered with thoughtful awareness to avoid over-training. Over-training is training too hard, without sufficient recovery time between workouts. Over-training is not only seen among elite athletes. Anyone who pushes beyond the limits of their current physical capacity without adequate rest and recovery can be at risk for over-training.
Enthusiastic, challenging workouts are great, but remember to make gradual increases to your current fitness program and give your body ample time to recover. Keep your long-term goals in mind and always remember that small changes over long periods create big results.
Be thoughtful of how you are feeling with your 2009 health and exercises activities. Here are some of the physical and psychological warning signs of overtraining (all conditions that can lead to burn out):
- Persistent muscle soreness
- Fatigue
- Elevated resting heart rate
- Diminished athletic performance
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Do You Know What You're Eating? |
 The more you know about your own body, the way it works, what makes it feel good, and how it is a unique gift, the more empowered you will be in all areas of your life. This means you have to be keenly aware of what you put in your body and how nutrition is a key component to your health.
When I work with clients and have them keep daily food logs, not only to keep track of calories, but also to increase their awareness of how certain foods affect how they feel. It is exciting to realize that a simple food allergy may be the cause of your extra stomach bloating or a daily headache can be eliminating by avoiding certain foods or additives. I have learned from my clients and seen first hand how powerful simple changes can greatly improve well-being and weight loss.
We need to be conscious of how food affects us, the best way to figure out if you are having negative reactions to foods is to experiment and keep a log of how you feel if you eliminate certain foods and additives. For example, I was working with a woman who was motivated to lose weight for her wedding. She was experiencing terrible headaches every day, stress seemed to be a logical conclusion, but after looking at her food log I noticed that she was consuming over ten packets of artificial sweetener per day. She had never used artificial sweetener prior to her wedding weight loss program. I have always been an advocate of a clean, chemical free diet full of organic fruits and vegetables, so I recommend she eliminate the artificial sweeteners and in less than a week she was free of her headaches.
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Give Yourself a Pat on the Back! |
 As we ring in the New Year and reflect on 2008 it helps to take a moment to give yourself a pat on the back for your accomplishments over the last 365 days. Many of us focus on the things that we want to be, do or have, rather than on our achievements. Take stock of the last 12 months and “highlight” the things that you are proud of, this will give you the confidence to set new goals for the year ahead!
Create New Year’s challenges and goals that you will follow through on by tracking your progress. I like the following FREE websites for tracking goals:
8Goals.com: Great goal setting software
Joe's Goals: A simple tool to track your progress on achieving your goals
Here are a few more FREE tools that can help you keep your resolutions:
The Daily Plate is an awesome website that tracks your daily calories
Eat Right: Nutrition information
National Institute of Health: This is a great site if to get information on health issues and new scientific research
Exercise TV: A free website offering hundreds of fat burning workouts like cardio, abs, yoga, dance and more
iTunes Podrunner: Free workout music mixes
LuluLemon Athletica: High quality fitness apparel company offers free in store classes.
Warm wishes for a happy and healthy 2009! |
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 My earliest memories of the holiday season are filled with SUGAR! I always had a sweet tooth and relished the season of fresh baked cookies, stockings filled with chocolate and lots of treats to sneak. I remember the sugar highs and the sugar crashes too… Now I realize that sugar is not just empty calories but it is also like a drug. Knowing what I know now, I recommend getting off sugar. I know it sounds cruel, especially around the holidays, but going “cold turkey” is sometimes easier than trying to limit yourself to just one cookie.
Below is an excerpt from my upcoming book, Size 2 for Life, available in bookstores and online February 2009. I coauthored the book with a medical doctor who shares my mission of providing practical and useful information for life long health.
Wishing you Happy Healthy Holidays and a fantastic 2009! |
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 I’m Ashley Marriott and I truly appreciate the opportunity to connect with you at JumpSnap Nation.
For the last 15years I have been working in the fitness industry and am grateful to be able to continue to help people achieve their health and fitness goals. I’ll be sharing my thoughts on fitness, training trends and healthy lifestyle tips with you.
The holiday season is here! Unfortunately for some that means gaining between 5-7 pounds. This year give yourself the gift health!
Here are some tips to help YOU be in better shape on December 31st 2008 and avoid the dreaded January 2nd “resolution to diet."
Make a Strategic Plan
“People with goals succeed because they know where they are going.”
The first step in making a real commitment is your believe in yourself. “I am doing this.” instead of "I'm going to try to do it.” The language you use is just as important as your physical actions. Create an inner and outer dialogue that is focused on the results you want. Know that you have the power to change your behavior and create the outcome you desire.
Understanding your motivation for change will help drive your actions toward your goals.
Take a few minutes to complete the following exercises.
Why do you want to change your body?
Write down the first three answers that come to mind.
1.
2.
3.
What is preventing you from achieving your ideal weight?
1.
2.
3.
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Ashley Marriott has been a professional in the field of fitness for more than 14 years. She is the creator of Burn ‘N Firm, a popular DVD full body cardio dance workout series. She is dedicated to using her experience and energy to educate and encourage people to reach their fitness goals. Her dedication to empower others through fitness led her to write the book, Dump Your Trainer.
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