fitness dumbbell

Fitting Fitness and Exercise Into a Very Busy Schedule

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You have a million appointments and things to do. You feel as if you can’t possibly fit any more into the day than you are already. You work hard to stay organized and to get things done, but yet you know that you need to make fitness a priority. So how do you do it? How do you try to squeeze in exercise time when you can barely tell what end is up? How can you make fitness a priority when you have so many other things to do?

The reality of the situation is that you must make this a habit. This is about lifestyle change and that means that this becomes an inherent part of your life, not just a short term solution to fix a problem such as weight loss. You have to change the way that you view exercise first if you want to get it to become an important part of your life. Once you enjoy it and look at it as a positive thing rather than a chore, you will get a lot further.

You might feel like between work commitments, family and social events you simply have no time for exercising, but you might be surprised at how easy this transition can be. The more prepared you are to take on this task, the easier it will become. Try to focus on the positive outcomes rather than making this about a chore. If you can get to that point and really start to see results in terms of better health, a changing body, and reaching your goals then you will be much more likely to stick with it.

As you work to embrace fitness and make it a pivotal part of your life, here are some effective ways to do so. It may not be as hard as you might think, and in the end you are in charge of creating a fitness routine that works well for you and gets you to where you want to be.

  • Schedule your workouts like any other appointments: If you make this an appointment like any other, then you are going to stick to it. You probably aren’t in the habit of skipping doctor’s appointment or client meetings, and so if you approach this as another appointment you are not going to skip it. This is on the calendar and this is something you are committed to and then the rest will follow until you hit the gym without ever giving it a second thought.

 

  • Consider getting in exercise time early in the morning or late at night: Throughout the course of your day you likely handle a lot at work and a lot at home—and therefore you may need to extend your day a bit. Consider waking up an hour early or stay up an hour later to get the workout in. Never cut yourself short on sleep but perhaps give up something else so that you can get in a workout a few times a week. Most of us tend to think of this as prime time for relaxing, but a workout can give you so much more and it can make the most out of your day.

 

  • Try to squeeze in some activity throughout your day whenever possible: It may be that you take the stairs to move throughout your building rather than ride the elevator. It may be that you park further away from the building so that you are forced to get in some activity. Maybe you take a few small breaks throughout the day to help you to get in a power walk or even lift some weights if they are available to you. It’s quite amazing what a few minutes here and there throughout your day can help you to accomplish.

 

  • Set goals to help you to make this your new habit: If you know that you want to be to a certain weight or point in your life by a certain date, then set yourself up for this. Set goals to help pave the way towards what you are doing all of this for. Set short term and tangible goals to help you to stay focused, and then reward yourself when you reach them to stay motivated. This will help you to find time no matter what else you have going on, and you will love how inspired you feel to stick to the plan.

Accept this as your new norm and don’t let yourself waiver, even if times get tough. You will love how great you feel when exercise is an inherent part of your life. It may take some effort on your part to squeeze in the exercise, but it’s so worth it in the end. Stay focused, embrace this as a positive part of your life rather than a chore, and find the time necessary to make fitness a wonderful part of your health and well being.

If you’d like to talk to Chad about Learning how you can fit a simple, fast and effective exercise program into your lifestyle Click Here

Do You Look Bloated? Avoid These 3 Foods to Beat the Bloat

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Holiday pictures are right around those corner….those office Christmas parties and New Year’s Eve celebration photos just waiting to be snapped.

I know you don’t want to look bloated, so I am going to give you 3 foods to avoid, and 3 foods to eat instead.

And besides holiday temptations, around the holidays people tend to be more stressed out anyways due to family obligations and end of the year deadlines and eat things that cause them to bloat…and being bloated drains your energy.

So here are 3 foods to avoid so you can keep your energy up, and keep a double chin and bloated belly at bay.

Belly Bloaters:

1. Frozen Dinners: Sodium is usually added to most frozen dinners to increase shelf life and boost flavor, but they usually have WAY too much sodium for a single serving and they can cause you to retain water and feel bloated.

2. Beer: Beer is carbonated, so it will bloat your belly….and research has shown that alcohol can cause an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine, which also causes belly inflation.

3. Diet Soft Drinks: Besides being carbonated like beers, diet soft drinks are full of artificial sweeteners that your body has a lot of difficulty digesting, which causes even more bloating.

Try to avoid frozen dinners, beer, and diet soft drinks for the month of December…and save room for all of the delicious foods that will be waiting for you during the holiday parties and family dinners.

Here are some things to eat instead:

Bloat Beaters:

1. Bananas: Bananas are packed with potassium, which acts as an antidote to the bloating effects of sodium. If you had some really salty food and are feeling gassy and bloated, grab a banana and watch the bloat disappear.

2. Peppermint: Peppermint has been shown in studies to help fight off cramping and gas and is a great stomach soother. The next time you are feeling gassy or have an upset tummy, make yourself a cup of peppermint tea. It’s great for these cold winter months also.

3. Cucumber: Cucumbers are perhaps the best bloat beaters out there because they contain quercetin, which reduces swelling and is a great anti-inflammatory. Make a simple cucumber salad or cut up some cucumber pieces and add it to a glass of water for a quick and refreshing drink.

Hope you found these tips useful….my favorite belly bloat trick is the one I mentioned above…adding cucumber pieces to water.

I like to take a big bottle of water with me everywhere I go, and adding cucumber gives it a delicious flavor and I find myself drinking more water because of it.