Your resting heart rate (RHR) often reflects improvements in your cardiovascular fitness. It’s a good idea to monitor your resting heart rate periodically so you know if it is changing over time. A decrease in RHR will normally represent an improvement in your fitness level. Keep reading to learn how to determine your RHR.
Are you getting enough sleep? Most of us aren’t because it keeps falling lower on our priority lists in this fast pace society we have adopted. Problem is that the lower it falls on our packed to do lists the more it affects our health status. Studies find that the less people sleep, the more likely they are to be overweight or obese, to develop diabetes, and to prefer eating foods that are high in calories and carbohydrates. The results of these studies are the reason that Sleep is one of the components in The Healthy Lifestyle Approach. Like proper nutrition and being physically active, getting a good night’s sleep is vital to your well-being. If you are looking to achieve your fitness and weight management goals it is important that you are getting enough, otherwise your hard work isn’t going to get you far.
To get back on track with sleep keep reading for 13 Tips to help you get the recommended 7-8 hours that you need.
Sometimes when we are so focused on our fitness and weight management goals we begin to loose sight of other areas of our lives. We become so involved with trying to meet our goals that we put on blinders and we eat, sleep, and breathe nothing but fitness and weight management. When we become so focused on one aspect of our lives, our emotional wellness begins to suffer and we start to burn ourselves out. The Healthy Lifestyle Approach is all about finding balance between all of its components. So, even though physical activity and nutrition are part of the picture, so is your emotional wellness. Keep reading for tips on how to manage your emotional wellness during your journey to meeting your goals.
When performing abdominal exercises, good form is crucial for maximum benefit. Here are 3 tips for ensuring your ab exercises are most effective:
Did you know that when we are born that we have an instinctive ability to eat only what we need? At this time period of our lives, we only eat when we are hungry and refuse food when we are satisfied. Sadly, a lot of us loose this ability as we grow up, and some of us get so far away from it that we end up adding a lot of unnecessary fat to our bodies. We are taught to ignore our signals of fullness and we stop relying on true hunger cues to signal us that it is time to eat.
Research shows that chronic stress can affect your metabolism, promoting fat storage, and increasing cravings for sugary, high-fat “comfort foods. I don’t know about you but those things sound like things we all want to be avoiding when we are focusing on getting healthier, especially if weight management is one of our top priorities. So if you’re adding extra stress on yourself about the numbers on your scale, you could be stacking the deck against yourself. Take the quiz below to find out if your expectations about weight loss are creating a road block on your path to better health.
How often do you tell yourself I can’t when it comes to something fitness or weight management related? How often do you convince yourself that those “I Can’t” statements are really “I will never” statements? If you happen to do this often, you likely are falling into the “I Can’t” trap. Below you will find a breakdown for 3 different types of “I Can’t” statements and some tips on how to change your statements from “I Can’t” to “I couldn’t, but now I can”.
Congratulations! You have made the decision to increase your physical activity level but before you begin it is imperative that you answer the following questions before you begin. Taking the time to do so can help rule out any underlying health concerns that could worsen with exercise. These questions come from The PAR-Q (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire), which is the gold standard in fitness safety, used by doctors, trainers and health clubs the world over.
Looking to clean up your diet so that it helps you reach your fitness and weight management goals? Try incorporating the following 5 principles to get on the path to better nutrition.
1. Make a No Junk Rule
Ok don’t freak out I’m not suggesting you make a rule about never having your favorite treat again! I’m a supporter of moderation when it comes to treats, but think limiting access to those treats is important to keeping consumption in check. The No Junk Rule just means you don’t buy junk food at the grocery store and keep it in your home. If your access to junk food in your home is eliminated, you are less likely to give into impulsive cravings. You will have to put thought into your choice because you will have to leave the house to go get your treat.
Today we are going to talk about your goals and some important questions you should be asking yourself to make sure they are going to get you where you really want to be.
Take a look at your fitness and weight management goals for a moment. Ask yourself the following:
