8 posts tagged “healthy lifestlye”
Do you have any idea how many steps you walk in a day? We’ll have to not count the last few weeks as we were all tied to our computers, but, in a normal day, do you have any idea?
The average is 10,000. I was pretty sure I did at least that and perhaps more but I had no idea … other than my greenhouse is 624 strides from my front door up a 100’ hill so it’s quite a jaunt and I do that at least once each way daily.
So … I finally broke down and bought a pedometer. Not a fancy, schmanzy, expensive one – just a simple one that has number of steps, total distance and a clock. It only has 3 buttons to press so it is easy to use (ok, I admit, I couldn’t find the one button … my husband had to hunt it down. Turns out it was under the label … who would have looked there?)
Last Wednesday, I tested it for the day – I was doing laundry at the retreat, my house and my office (21 loads) and touring on the golf cart between all the places so the count was down from normal. In just four hours, I had clocked 9,623 strides and it wasn’t even lunch. I took it off at lunch and forgot to put it back on for the rest of the day -- we usually have supper at 7-7:30 and relax the rest of the evening (catch up on blogs and the like) so I didn’t get an actual count. Obviously, I’m past the average which is excellent. I felt good about that.
I highly recommend you invest in one of these little devices – you’ll get a real measurement for tracking purposes and they are quite inspirational.
Let us all know how far you walk in a day…
To your health…
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Mentor
Continuing on our variation on a theme: hand and wrist stretches…
Today we add in another portion of the series
Start with the stretch from Monday (making a fist and letting go)
Followed by yesterday (stretching each finger individually)
Now, add:
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Extend your left arm
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Tilt your hand up 90 degrees (or whatever you can)
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Using your right hand, gently pull all the fingers on your left hand toward your wrist
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Hold for a second but do not over-extend. You should feel a stretch but no pain.
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Release
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Switch hands and repeat
Again, that’s it. Simple.
You’re halfway through the week and the series…
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Coach
Continuing on our variation on a theme: hand and wrist stretches…
Today we add in another portion of the series
Start with the stretch from Monday (making a fist and letting go)
Followed by yesterday (stretching each finger individually)
Now, add:
-
Extend your left arm
-
Tilt your hand up 90 degrees (or whatever you can)
-
Using your right hand, gently pull all the fingers on your left hand toward your wrist
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Hold for a second but do not over-extend. You should feel a stretch but no pain.
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Release
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Switch hands and repeat
Again, that’s it. Simple.
You’re halfway through the week and the series…
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Coach
Next section of the routine (baby steps to accomplishment) to be completed by Friday.
Start with the exercise you learned yesterday.
Then, add:
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Extend your left arm in front of you without locking your elbow
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Tilt hand up 90 degrees (or whatever you can)
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With your right hand, gently pull the index finger of your left hand toward you
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Follow through, pulling back each finger in sequence.
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Switch hands
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Repeat with opposite hand
That’s it. Such easy stretches but so helpful.
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Coach
What do I mean by that? And, how dare I say it?
The fact is most people, quite literally, are full of crap (feces, waste matter, poop, cawcaw … whatever you call it). Your intestinal tract is sluggish, full of gas pockets, it may be twisted, not lubricated properly, not functioning efficiently and is likely reintroducing toxins to your system.
If this is not you – you deserve a medal. It would be rare indeed for your system to be functioning at peak efficiency. And, since you’re doing so fabulously, you are most welcome to skip this blog entirely.
But, before you decide to skip it, may I respectfully request that you at least skim through?
You may find one nugget of information that is useful to you. Then, you will have already attained one goal for today on the road to success in life – learn something new every day.
Figuratively – I personally don’t know you well enough to answer this one. You, however, do know the answer at some level and you choose what you want to do, or not do, about it. I am not here to judge. I am here to gently remind, poke, prod, and initiate conversation / thought as well as to offer suggestions.
To understand why you may have problems with eliminating waste regularly and easily, we need to understand the basics of human anatomy and physiology (what are the parts and how do they work). Do not panic – we are not going to take a college course here. This is simply an introduction. I do not know how much you know. Therefore, I need to start at the beginning.
The digestive system is composed of organs that break down food into protein, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and fats which the body absorbs and uses for energy, growth and repair. Any leftover undigested waste is eliminated. After food is chewed and swallowed it travels down the pharynx and esophagus through a process called peristalsis and enters the stomach. Here it is further broken down by powerful stomach acids. From the stomach, the processed food enters the small intestine a little at a time through a valve. In the small intestine, food is broken into various nutrients which can then enter the bloodstream through very tiny hair-like projections. Gradually, it gets to the large intestine where any last bits of moisture and nutrients are absorbed and the final waste is eliminated.
Hopefully you are at a point of ‘preventative maintenance’ and have not graduated to digestive problems. How do we achieve preventative maintenance in ‘baby steps’? Simple. We start with what is going in your mouth. Then we add in some other factors that will contribute to overall health. Following are five healthy lifestyle tips that you can easily incorporate into your daily lifestyle.
1) Increase your water intake by ¼ to ½ cup a day for a week; then increase the same amount again the next week; continue until you reach the suggested daily intake for your body type and weight. Click here for more information on suggested water intake.
2) Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet – they contain a higher percentage of water and are more easily absorbed. Try adding one different fruit or vegetable each week.
3) Make an effort to each one fruit or vegetable of each colour each day. This will increase your chances of receiving a wider variety of vitamins, minerals and nutrients that your body can utilize.
4) Rub your abdomen in a clockwise motion (if you are looking down at your hand); apply more and less pressure on a random basis. Do this whenever you think of it, but especially before you go to bed at night.
5) Walk more. Start with 5 minutes a day for a week. The next week, raise it another 5 to 10 minutes a day. After a month, you’ll be up to 20 minutes a day … a reasonable achievement.
Coming up … looking at digestive issues from other ways of thinking.
This blog is an excerpt from a healthy lifestyle e-book that I am working on – let me know what you think.
To less crap in your life….
Sue Crutcher, Complementary Care Practitioner
Life Empowerment Mentor, Success Coach
Many people have sore backs and for various reasons. Sometimes, like me, they fall off a cliff, get crushed by a tree, smacked by a backhoe bucket, or have a dirt bike attack them. Those sorts of incidents cannot be directly addressed by the following exercise, however, a strong back will recover faster than a weak one.
One of the best ways to strengthen your back is to strengthen your abdominals. You might think that a little odd but it does work. If your core is strong, your erectors (large vertical muscles on both sides of the spine) do not have to work so hard to keep you vertical thereby lessening the chances of inflammation and spasm in them. This also falls under the ‘opposing muscle groups’ which is a specific type of training.
There is still a lot of ‘old school’ thought about the proper way to do a sit up and work your abs. Scared you, didn’t I? The word sit up instills fear in almost everyone. Lucky you, we’re not doing sit ups – today.
Matt – you get the day off here. We don’t want to aggravate that ol' sciatic again! The modified version might be ok for you but, please … as always, listen to your body. If anyone else has a history of low back pain, be very careful trying this and be sure you do the modified version only.
Today, we are going to work on something referred to as ‘the plank’. Not as in 'walk the plank' ... although after a few repeats you may prefer that. Try the modified version first if you are relatively inactive. John, I would think, from the sound of your comments on my blogs, that you can jump right in on this one! WARNING TO JOHN – it would be wise not to ‘show off’ here as you will be very sore the next day.
April – this is an ideal exercise that will initiate conversation in lineups, especially if you wear a tummy-revealing stretchy top baring your ripped abs (not too ripped which is not at all feminine … just enough for a hint of ripped; oh, and not too revealing as that puts you into a different category altogether for conversation). You’ll have to check with Jennifer to see if this outfit is acceptable for the small closet … I’m betting you can have one as it doesn’t really require much space.
Also, this is perfect for Scott and Steve when they are traveling as you need absolutely (teeheehee on the ‘abs’ there) no fitness equipment.
“Enough with the warm up” you say, “get on with it Sue”. All right; all right! Sheesh.
You will need a clear area on the floor as long and wide as you are; preferably padded (like a carpet or throw rug … if you have a yoga or exercise mat = perfect).
MODIFIED version:
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Get yourself down to floor level on your hands and knees.
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Bend your knees so that your feet are elevated between 45 and 90 degrees (preferably closer to 90)
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Arms about 1-1/2 shoulder width apart; it should be comfortable (move them until you find your easiest placement)
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Suck in your hanging tummy – yep, I know you forgot about it and just let it sag. Keep your tummy sucked in during the entire holding time. There is a tendency here to hold your breath. Be aware of that.
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Keeping your knees where they are; drop half way down to the floor by lowering your arms only.
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Look at the floor (do not stretch your neck and look up and around you)
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HOLD
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That’s it.
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Just hold and breathe normally.
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Hold as long as you can – we’re hoping for 30 seconds or more here.
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Return to starting position
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Repeat three times.
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Your goal is to do one ‘set’ (3 repeats) twice a day – morning and evening would work well.
NORMAL version:
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Get yourself down to floor level on your hands and knees.
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Arms about 1-1/2 shoulder width apart; it should be comfortable (move them until you find your easiest placement); knees about 1 foot apart.
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Straighten your knees (but don’t lock them) and raise your body up on your toes (or the balls of your feet if you are flexible)
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Suck in your hanging tummy – yep, I know you forgot about it and just let it sag. Keep your tummy sucked in during the entire holding time. There is a tendency here to hold your breath. Be aware of that.
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Keeping your knees where they are; drop half way down to the floor by lowering your arms only.
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Look at the floor (do not stretch your neck and look up and around you)
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HOLD
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That’s it.
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Just hold and breathe normally.
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Hold as long as you can – we’re hoping for 30 seconds or more here.
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Return to starting position
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Repeat three times.
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Your goal is to do one ‘set’ (3 repeats) twice a day – morning and evening would work well.
ADVANCED versions:
If both of these are just too easy for you -- congratulations! Try one of these versions...
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Same as ‘normal’ above but incorporate one of the following:
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Lengthen the timeframe in the hold position; go closer to the floor; put your arms further apart or closer together; use fingertips only, not hands; use thumb and first two fingers only; use first two knuckles only. Yes, I have even more advanced techniques. Let me know when you’re ready for them!
REMEMBER – if, at any time, you experience pain (especially a sharp pain) STOP IMMEDIATELY. Do not do this exercise again without direct supervision from a qualified professional.
Tomorrow we’ll look at ‘lower back pain’ from a totally different perspective and it involves no physical exercise whatsoever. Until then …
Yours in health,
Sue Crutcher, certified personal trainer; life empowerment mentor; success coach
I promised I would give you the meaning of proprioception today. Here it is before we get to today’s baby step to success.
PROPRIOCEPTION: Information is constantly being processed throughout our bodies which basically ‘locates’ us in space – sort of like your GPS system on your car. It allows us to run, talk, lift, grab, and perform other complex tasks. Messages are sent to the brain from various ‘sensors’ within our body (muscles, tendons, ligaments). These sensors tell our brain the amount of tension on the muscle; how much stress a tendon or ligament is under as well as the position of a particular joint. All of this information (and more) allows our brain to ‘locate’ our body in space.
Today: walk sideways
On a smooth surface, face perpendicular to your goal a short distance away.
Move the leading foot (the one closest to your goal) first toward your goal, follow with the other foot bringing it along side (but not crossing over) the leading foot.
Repeat over and over until you reach your goal (this works the inner and outer thighs very well). It should become a ‘flowing’ motion, almost like skipping. Once you catch on to the rhythm of the movement, it becomes quite easy to do.
When you get to your goal, repeat going back to your start point using the second foot now as your leading foot reversing the process.
This exercise works better if you do it more as a skipping motion as it will flow better. However, walking speed is fine if that’s what you can do. Again, we are working on balance and variety for muscle groups.
You don’t have to give up your favourite snacks. Chances are, though, that you are eating more than ‘one portion’ when you are snacking especially if you are not consciously aware of how much you are eating. So, today, we’ll address portion and coping skills (often baby steps to a goal down the road).
Always check the ‘nutrition information’ on the package – it will state what amount is considered a portion. Surprise! One package or one item does not a portion make. A muffin a most coffee shops is actually anywhere from 2 to 4 portions. People think they are being healthy because they eat only one muffin but if they actually looked at the ingredients and the amount of calories they would be shocked.
Snack examples: 30 mini pretzel twists = 180 calories; 1/3 cup roasted, salted baby cashews = 310 calories; 1/3 cup of Planter’s sierra trail mix = 290 calories. We are not going into fat content or other nutritional information at this time. What I want you to notice is the serving size. The sierra trail mix is a small, ziplock pack containing a total of 1 cup of mix – it would be tempting (and very easy) to eat it all. If you were noshing through it while reading the newspaper, reading a book or watching television, you could easily finish the entire pack in a matter of minutes. Oops! Just like that, in those same minutes -- there goes over 25% of your daily calorie intake required to maintain your body. Do you see how extra calories can very rapidly sneak into your day? Extra calories = weight gain.
HEALTH TIP: After you look at the portion listed on the package, actually measure out – do not ‘guestimate’ (you’ll be way over) the correct amount. Now:
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Put the portion amount in a nice serving dish
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Carry the dish to where you are going to eat your snack
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Consciously sit back, enjoy and savour your snack (all at once or a little at a time)
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Take time to chew properly and thoroughly (this aids digestion)
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When it is done, stop and think: Would I like more of that? Probably the knee jerk reaction is ‘yes’. That’s ok.
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Do nothing.
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Wait 15 minutes.
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If you want more, go get another portion, put it in the bowl.
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Repeat all the steps.
The key element is to be aware of how much you are eating and make a conscious choice on how much you eat. If you overdo it, do not feel guilty. With time and practice, you will find that you gradually will reduce the amount of snacking and the snack itself.
If you’re a big snacker now: do not worry. There is hope. I used to plow through several family size bags of potato chips in a day (along with a case or two of pop … yes, you read that right, and a few chocolate bars along with lots of fast food stuff to balance my diet). I can empathize with you – I know how difficult it can be to change your eating habits. And, I know that, given time, baby steps to success is a process that will change those habits. Yes, I still eat potato chips on occasion and I enjoy them. The difference is: now, I sit back and enjoy 10 potato chips and I’m happy (yes, I’ve stopped picking out all the big ones for my serving). If a junk food addict can do it, so can you.
