Keep it Moving
Working from home on a computer each day really takes some motivation to get moving sometimes. How easy it is to continue working as the time flies by.
I have found over the years though, that just sitting is not the way to go. The legs can only take being in one position for so long - then they get twitchy.
So, I have learned that before the twitching starts, I need to get up and take a walk around.
Perhaps the laundry needs to get started, or I need to refill my water glass, water the plants, or just take a minute to step outside the door for a breath of fresh air.
Just five to ten minutes every hour or so really makes a difference.
I feel more attentive and awake when I return to my desk and keyboard.
The blood is flowing, the legs certainly feel a lot better, and the attitude has improved also.
Of course this is in addition to the daily exercises and scheduled walks that I try to accomplish.
By nature we are an active species - all these modern conveniences rob us of the activity that has kept past generations in a more fit condition.
Time for me to go stretch the legs again and get the blood flowing.
Keep it moving - it's nature's way!
Keep It Moving
Deep Breathing is an Exercise
Breathing deep delivers many of the same benefits of exercise - including loosing weight.
What? How can that be?
Well, it can be compared to aerobic exercise - which causes one to breathe deeply to keep supplying the blood and muscles with oxygen, which in turn, burns fat for energy. This is how weight is lost.
Breathing deeply also supplies the blood with fresh oxygen which encourages fat to be burned, even when we are doing activities that don't require much physical activity.
Now, this is not a substitute for exercises, but it does enhance the cardiovascular system and it's capacities - especially in those who are just beginning an exercise plan. Like conditioning of sorts.
Most of us do not breath deeply - it is something that we need to teach ourselves so it becomes second nature.
Practicing it a bit each day will enhance many areas of health:
The shallow breathing that most of us do - especially those with desk or low activity jobs, does not deliver the necessary oxygen to the lungs and heart. And it does not clear the body of the old, used carbon dioxide wastes that we produce when we breath.
This causes the lung tissues to constrict over time and it even has an effect on the lymphatic system, which helps to cleanse the body of toxins.
As the toxins build up over time, we have muscle loss, we gain weight, we develop high blood pressure, and we are more easily fatigued.
Taking control over breathing by practicing deep belly breaths will enhance many functions in the body.
And it can be thought of as an exercise that can be easily accomplished right in an office chair or while watching tv.
No costs or extra time involved - just a few minutes spent thinking about it several times over the course of the day - and doing it until it becomes second nature.
A Pedometer
The Pedometer
My pedometer has become a permanent fixture in my pocket.
For years I used a manual step counter like the one pictured above, and it was hard to keep it attached to my waistband.
It was always falling off and I almost lost it a time or two. And I couldn't just slip it in my pocket - it wouldn't work.
In April, our family signed up for a new cell phone plan and we received new phones with it.
I chose one of the Sony Walkman ones, and it has been one of the best choices I have made.
It has a built in pedometer in it, and it records every step I take all day long - all from my pocket.
It doesn't fall off the waistband and it is not annoying.
This phone has a music player in it and to switch to the next song, you just have to give the phone a little shake.
The technology that powers that is what is used to track each swing of the leg to count each step.
Once it is calibrated to the length of your stride, it also calculates the mileage you put on with the steps.
I try each day to get at least 2500 steps in. I know this is not enough to loose weight - I have been doing this for months now.
I have read that getting 10,000 steps does work.
I will try to increase my number over the next few weeks. Once winter starts to wane, it will be a lot easier.
Up to 3500 Steps
The steps have been increasing on the pedometer. It is slow going, but just to see them increasing is a good thing.
I was averaging about 2500 steps a week ago, and now it is up to 3500, and sometimes, 4000.
We had some really nice days this past week, so getting out for a real walk felt good.
All winter long, my boys have cleared a path around the house so I could still get my steps in when the weather permitted.
Once around, my path gives me about 400 steps. Not very much, but after a few times around at a good pace, you do begin to feel it.
Another snow storm is coming tomorrow, so getting steps these next couple of days won't be easy.
But I will be making up for it in moving all the snow around - it all counts in the end!
1 Down, 38 to Go
Finally - the little butterfly has left the starting gate.
One pound has been lost and there are thirty-eight left to go.
It feels good to finally see some action on the graph below.
Only got about 3000 steps today. I will say though, that trudging through the heavy wet snow made it feel like double that amount.
I have been coming down with a cold over the last couple of days, and the cold air felt good as it helped to clear my head a bit.
Hard to keep on an exercise routine feeling this way, but it does take the mind off it once you get moving.
And loosing a pound helps a lot too!
Strength or Endurance Exercise - Which is Best?
Strength or Endurance
From reading, I have found that there are basically two types of exercise - endurance or stamina training and strength training.
I was trying to find out which is the best so I could concentrate on building my exercise routine around it.
But what I found is that they are very entwined and you really cannot do one without doing the other.
I have always considered walking to be my endurance or stamina building exercise, and I found I was correct in thinking that.
But what I didn't know is that walking also builds strength, and if you were to use small hand or ankle weights while walking, it increases the strength part even more.
The terrain, speed, and distance of the walk all work for building endurance and strength.
The more you walk, the greater the endurance gets, but the strength will eventually begin to reach a plateau.
So, doing some strength building exercise is also needed to keep those muscles performing and burning the calories and fats.
I have always used hand weights and ankle weights for my strength training, which I try to do at least twice a week.
From what I have been reading, if I walk 30 minutes each day for endurance, and do the strength training for 30 minutes each week, then I have the correct basic formula for retaining my current weight and keeping a healthy body.
By increasing the walking just a few minutes, and adding another day to the strength training, it will go a long way towards loosing these extra pounds over time.
And slowly, over time, is the best way to loose those pounds and keep them off.
These are inexpensive and easy things that I can incorporate into my daily routine.
Keeping it simple is my motto, and these exercises fit my plan for working towards a healthy lifestyle - frugally, of course.
Set Calorie Limits
After evaluating what I have been eating over the past four days, I have made some changes to the default values that are set at the Calorie Counter website.
For my age, gender, and height, they determined that I needed 2000 calories a day. I changed that to 1200.
I also lowered the fat intake from 65 to 50 grams a day.
I don't seem to have too many problems with the fats - I don't eat a lot of those to begin with and I have not reached the daily limit yet. Lowering them was not a problem.
Salt is not a problem either. I do not add it to my food or eat things that have high salt contents. I consistently stay under the recommended values.
The biggest problem I have is with the carbs and the sugars. I consistently go over the default values everyday. I will adjust them, but not until I get myself below the defaults.
I tend to be a grain eater - bread, rice, pasta, and crackers. All of my grains are the whole wheat variety, yet I never seem to make the required 25 grams of fiber intake for each day. I am lucky if I even hit 18 grams.
To get the recommended fiber count, I need more grains - yet more grains puts me way over in the carbs and sugars.
I am going to need to do some research on what veggies have for fiber counts. Fruits have good counts, but once again, it increases the carbs and especially the sugars when I eat them.
In the past I have tried one of the Low Carbs Diets, and I did loose some weight.
But sticking to that diet for the rest of my life is not practical.
I like bread, and I love rice and I feel the necessary benefits they offer far outweigh the carb concerns.
I will discover a balance between them over time and will track everything to evaluate what I can consume for my body.
Plate Size for Portion Control
Plate Size for Portion Control
A smaller dinner plate just may be one of the tricks to consider when trying to loose weight.
Looking at a large plate with meager portions in it can make one feel deprived, which is a main reason for a diet failing.
Just using a plate that is two inches smaller makes those portions look larger.
It fools the brain which in effect keeps the emotional side of dieting a bit happier - without even trying to.
I have noticed in a couple of restaurants that we dine in, that the serving plates have shrunk in size.
I haven't seen where the food looks like there is any more though - must be their way of saving money in this economy - serve less and charge more.
I suppose I could look at it as portion control, but since the pocketbook doesn't respond well to this style of thinking, we will be portion controlling ourselves at home without the extra charge.
Avocados And Its Health Benefits
Avocado has many health benefits. It is a very palatable fruit that tastes and looks like an egg yolk. It is a very nutritious food that contains all the nutrients in egg less its cholesterol. It is good for the brain and the nervous system. It is packed with vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients or plant compounds that are very important for a healthy body functioning. It has monounsaturated fat that lowers bad cholesterol levels in the body. It was shown in research studies that monounsaturated fats reduces LDL (bad) cholesterol level in the blood, and increases or boost the HDL (good) cholesterol.
Avocado contains folate, one of the B complex vitamins that promotes healthy cell and tissue development. Folate also reduces the risks of birth defects.
Avocado also contains potassium, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B6, lutein, beta-sitosterol. Potassium helps balance the body electrolytes. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant known to slow down the aging process, and helps protect against heart diseases and some types of cancer. Lutein is a carotenoid that can protect against eye diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts. Beta-sitosterol is a phytonutrient that inhibits the absorption of cholesterol in the body, and it helps lower blood cholesterol levels.
Avocado also contains magnesium, riboflavin ( vitamin B2), glutathione, niacin (vitamin B3), pantothenic acid(vitamin B5), biotin (also a Bvitamin), copper, vitamin K, iron and zinc.
Avocado is nutrient booster. A research in Ohio State University showed that when avocado is added to green salad, more disease-fighting nutrients like lutein, lycopene, alpha carotene, and beta carotene are absorbed. These members of the carotenoid family are associated with healthy heart, prostate, and good vision.
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