Fitness Food and You

A good friend of mine, Lydia, is in graduate program that is wreaking havoc on her regular routine. Because of her new internship hours, she can no longer exercise in the morning. She is in full-time position with two young kids at home, and when her day finally ends, she is beat. I knew that this was making her feel anxious when I received an SOS text message from her asking, “WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND??? WHAT CAN I DO?”

There are so many body weight exercises that you can do ranging from lunges to push ups. Lydia would love to have a routine of body weight exercises, but there is place to do them. No need to panic–there is good news! Studies show that breaking up exercise into smaller pieces can be just as effective as one longer session. In Lydia’s case, she has several breaks throughout the day.

Before I continue, I have to pause to remind you that “exercise” simply means moving your body so that your heart rate goes up. As I mentioned in previous blogs, dancing around your house like a maniac IS exercise. (Think Zumba!) Lydia has access to several flights of stairs so as long as she climbs them and gets her heart rate up, she will be exercising!

More good news: Lydia can progress her stair climbing. She can walk faster up and down; she can do more stair climbing throughout the day; she can run up the stairs; she can take two steps at a time. She also has a lunch break where she can go for brisk walks.  The other day I received a text from her telling me that she did a 15-minute UPHILL walk during lunch. Between these walks and the stair climbing, Lydia IS exercising.

Even if you have time to do “traditional” exercise, incorporating more activity during the day is important for good health.  It’s moving away from being sedentary (the new smoking) to living a more active life!

On August 18^th, I had my first serious bike accident. I was going down a hill at 30 mph and must have hit some loose gravel and a fell off of my bike onto my right side. I came down hard on my right thigh, banged my head, and cracked my helmet. I don’t remember much about the fall but my husband, who was with me, told me that I screamed, fell, paused for a moment,  and then stood up. I was walking around in such a way that he thought I could get back on the bike. I couldn’t. I was very banged up, confused (had a mild concussion) and had 2 broken ribs on my right side.  Once he fully understood my state, he called an ambulance.

Given how fast I was going, it is miraculous that I walked away with these mild injuries. I was VERY lucky and feel extremely fortunate.

The one glaring lesson that I’ve learned, is this: STRONG LEGS ARE ESSENTIAL. It’s great to be able to do push-ups, but strong legs are imperative to being healthy—especially as you get older. Many older people can’t stand up from sitting in a chair, simply because it’s too difficult. This becomes a domino effect: Not being able to get up leads to inactivity. Inactivity leads to a sedentary lifestyle. A sedentary lifestyle leads to an increase risk of developing hypertension, coronary heart disease, anxiety and depression, and certain cancers. Reduced activity increases the risk for falling, which can lead to hip fractures. Hip fractures are a very serious health issue for people over 65. It could lead to crippling disability and even death.

Bottom line: Keep moving. Work your leg muscles! Work those muscles until you feel them fatigue or burn! Walk, jog, weight train, bike, squat, lunge, jump, hike, skip, play tennis! If you are a beginner, sit in your kitchen chair with your legs at 90 degrees and stand up and sit down. Keep this up so that you can stay active and healthy. This means when you fall you CAN  get up!

A client of mine sent me this photo and I just LOVE it.

Exercise is the most glorious thing you can do for your body. Putting aside the long list of health benefits, moving your body simply puts you in a great mood. It is a natural antidepressant. So if you want more energy and to feel happier then move your body! Never use exercise as a punishment for food ESPECIALLY since……