Nimble Blog

5 STEPS TO A HEALTHY YEAR

Here are some thoughts from the Nimble team about making 2010 your healthiest year yet.

1: Look back to move forward. We often learn more from what we see as our failures than our successes–those times we didn’t feel successful often turn out to be very valuable in our overall growth. Questions you could ask yourself about the past year are: Did you exercise as often as you wanted to? Were you working towards goals, or just kind of winging it? Did you make your health a first priority, or was it an afterthought? Is your home and work environment set up for success? By considering where you fell short, you’re also giving yourself the road map for success in the future.

2: Set your positive intention. Intention is everything. Visualize positively what you want to accomplish this year—it will make all the difference in terms of the quality of what you do and your decisions. If you focus on failure in anything that you do–getting married, changing your eating habits, making an important presentation—failure is usually what you’ll get. A little bit of time and effort spent seeing yourself making healthy choices every day will make it that much easier to keep your commitments to yourself.

3: Create your own health blueprint. And keep it simple! Focus on these 3 aspects: food choices, movement, and quality rest. Think long term but act on a daily basis. Take a week and test yourself—concentrate on making healthy choices in eating, movement, and rest for seven days–and see how you feel and how those choices affect everything you do.

4: Expand your awareness—connect with others. Take an active interest in your health and activities that interest you (examples—cooking class, running clubs, volleyball leagues, ski clubs, hiking groups, yoga classes). You’re not alone! There’s guaranteed to be other people interested in what you like—and they can provide inspiration and motivation as you move forward on your path to a healthier lifestyle.

5: Live it. Making your health a priority on a daily basis is really about making every aspect of your life better, whether it’s your work, your social life, your sleep or your relationships. Consistently taking care of yourself is not selfish—it’s making your ability to achieve success and take care of your loved ones that much greater.

Love Your Feet!

When’s the last time you showed your feet some love? Our poor feet often experience cruel and unusual punishment. We stuff them in stylish shoes that fit us poorly for the sake of looking good. We run around all day and forget about them until they start to hurt.

Here are some tips from Nimble Fitness on how to give your feet some love and create a solid foundation for your heart-healthy cardiovascular program.

1. Pay attention to your posture—standing and walking with proper balance and a “stacked” torso (where your shoulders, rib cage and pelvis align over each other) will help your feet support your body weight the way they’re meant to.

2. Get a foot massage, reflexology treatment, or just use a tennis ball to loosen up the fascia on the bottom of your feet.

3. Organized exercise! Develop an integrated training program that draws from several styles of movement, so your feet have a variety of challenges to develop strength and balance.

4. Wear shoes that fit well and give you the support you need. Enough said! Your shoes should fit around your feet, not vice versa.

Your New Year’s Solution

What exactly is a New Year’s resolution? The dictionary defines resolution as ‘a firm decision to do something,’ but what does that really mean? It’s easy enough to make a decision to get in shape, lose a few pounds or quit smoking—it’s the follow-through where we tend to get tripped up. Rather than making a resolution this year, we are going to suggest you make a New Year’s solution. There is no better time than the New Year to create a new approach to getting yourself healthy. A New Year’s solution means creating long-term success–so you never have to make another resolution again.

We’ve all experienced short-term motivation. Most of us start the New Year by saying, “I ate too much,” or “I’ve been lazy,” or “I feel out of shape,” and then we make a short-term resolution to change. Ask yourself this: If you took a wrong turn in your car and ended up where you started, would you take that same turn again? Probably not, yet time and time again, we all make the same resolutions at the same time of year. We basically set ourselves up to fail! Isn’t it time to change your routine and perhaps change your way of thinking–because if it hasn’t worked in the past, it’s not going to work this time around either!

The first step towards changing your results is to examine your goals and how you view exercise and fitness. This is the key to understanding why none of those New Year’s resolutions really work. Was your resolution a short-term goal? Was it based on a number, like losing 20 lbs in 6 weeks, instead of on an overall feeling of health and wellness? Once you start to look at the roots of your health habits, you can identify what’s been holding you back. If you’ve made a decision to get in shape for the New Year, yet deep inside you view exercise as punishment and food or alcohol as a reward, you’ll be fighting yourself every step of the way. The quickest way to achieve your goals in health, or in life, is to bring your thoughts and actions into alignment with how you want to feel and look.

Observe your thoughts and daily habits and develop a sense of awareness about them: How you feel throughout the day? Where are your priorities? Who do you surround yourself with, and do they help or hinder your success? Become aware of any excuses you use which consistently hold you back. You’ll get some very interesting information about yourself—information you can use to refine your health plan and move forward.

Then take action! Simple steps on a daily basis, like taking the stairs rather than the elevator or skipping dessert when dining out, add up. Look at all of your daily choices as positive steps toward better health. After all, the whole point of a healthy lifestyle is to feel good all the time, not just after you spent an hour in the gym. Start feeling good all the time, and things in your life get better—your work gets better, your body feels better, your sleep is better, sex is better, and your relationships get better.

Remember your 3 keys—not a resolution, but daily steps towards success: movement, good food choices, and sufficient rest. Have faith in the process; every mountain climb starts with a single step. You’re not going to get to the peak in one day, so take your time and learn about yourself as you progress. And take time to enjoy the view! As you continue to find daily ways to be healthy, you’ll feel your strength and confidence improve. The solution is there, waiting for you.

Reduce Your Health Care Costs TODAY!

While the President and Congress debate health insurance coverage for every American, you can start your own personal Heath Care Reform right now. There are steps you can take today that make a tremendous difference to your health—and they don’t cost a thing. In fact, we’ve created a Health Reform plan that will save you unnecessary trips to the doctor and keep more money in your pocket.

Remember these 4 factors when considering your health: how much exercise you get, daily food choices, how you reduce stress, and how your lifestyle affects all three. Here are some quick tips from your friends at Nimble Fitness to reform your health today and immediately reduce your personal health care costs—and oh, you’ll feel a lot better too!

1. Reduce health risks by taking care of your physical self

You’ve probably heard this before, but it bears repeating–consistent exercise makes your body function better, makes your immune system stronger and helps you reduces stress. Here’s something you may not have heard: you don’t have to work out like Lance Armstrong to benefit from exercise. Research has shown again and again that moderate exercise, as simple as a brisk walk 15 to 30 minutes a day, substantially changes your risk profile, lowers inflammation around your heart and digestive system, and reduces stress. Exercise 2-3 times a week by doing 15-30 minutes of cardio (e.g. walking, swimming, biking, hiking), some basic strength training (e.g. squats, presses, core exercises) and maintaining flexibility with light stretching or basic yoga poses.

2. Eat better for more energy and a stronger immune system

Follow Nimble’s simple nutrition rules.

If it’s white, and it’s been commercially processed, don’t eat it! We’re talking white flour, white sugar and milk. All of which are often over-processed or “enhanced.” Choose 100% unprocessed sea salt to season foods, and when you want to use sugar, try a healthier substitute, such as organic agave nectar. If you must consume dairy, choose Certified Organic whenever possible.

Check food labels. If you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it! Processed foods and oils are not your friend. The longer a food’s shelf life, the more preservatives it has. The more preservatives, the greater risk to your health. Also, use vegetable oils such as soybean, corn, safflower and cottonseed sparingly; they are liberally used in a lot of processed foods and are a leading cause of excess inflammation in your body, which can contribute to inflammation-related diseases such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

Get back to eating real, whole, nutritious vegetables, fruits, meats and grains. Choose organic whenever possible—whether it’s beef or chicken, or colorful fruits and veggies. Avoid overcooking your vegetables and stay away from dried fruits, which are stripped of most of their nutrients.

3. Stress Reduction

There are two very simple strategies for stress reduction that can be employed anytime, anywhere: practice slow breathing and drink more water.

Breathing, at its essence, is simplicity itself: it’s the first thing we learn to do. By simply stopping to focus on your breath, you’re turning off your mind’s spin cycle of thoughts, worries, and errands. Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes and feel your breath start to slow down and even out. Picture your breath moving through your body, in through your nose, out through your mouth. By focusing on your breath, you’re also naturally tapping into the parasympathetic part of your Autonomic Nervous System, the part that helps you rest and repair.

Staying hydrated is just as easy as slow breathing, and just as important. Water serves all vital bodily functions: carrying nutrients to your cells, aiding in digestion, flushing the body of wastes, and keeping your kidneys healthy. Water also keeps your moisture-rich organs (skin, eyes, mouth, and nose) functioning well, lubricates your muscles and cushions your joints, and regulates your body temperature and metabolism. The more efficiently your organs and digestive system function, the better you’re able to manage stress. Remember to drink quality, filtered water throughout your day.

4. Lifestyle Management

The top three lifestyle risk factors for Americans are smoking, high blood pressure and obesity–all preventable. It should be pretty clear by now that if you are a smoker you are seriously damaging your health and shortening your life span. We encourage you to look into the many different options that are available to help you begin the process of quitting. If you’re carrying around too much weight, as a lot of Americans are, not only are you at risk for cardiovascular disease, but everyday activities such as climbing stairs or even playing with your children become unnecessarily stressful on your body. Other lifestyle factors, such as limiting alcohol consumption, lowering caffeine intake, and getting enough sleep, will all contribute to your well-being. It’s easy to underestimate the need for quality sleep, but the truth is that none of this stuff we talked about can be accomplished if you aren’t getting enough sleep at night. You need energy to be able to change and it’s during sleep that we recharge our mind and body.

The equation is simple: exercise, plus good food choices, plus quality rest, means better health for you. That means fewer visits to the doctor and less need for prescription medicine, which ultimately means more money in your pocket!

Basic Plank Series

The Plank is a static exercise for strengthening the abdominals, back and shoulders.  This isometric  exercise is important for stabilizing the trunk  and creates a bracing effect, which works all the abdominal muscles.  When doing any variation of the plank, make sure to remember to breath while contracting your abdominals.   This video demonstrates 3 different types of planks – from easiest to most difficult…

Beginner Plank

Lie on your stomach and raise yourself up so you’re resting on your forearms and knees.  Hold this position for 15 – 30 seconds.  Lower and repeat for 2-3 reps.

•    Keep your elbows under your shoulders
•    Keep your neck and back flat, in a straight line from head to knees
•    Hold your abs tight by drawing your belly button in
•    Remember to breath throughout the exercise

Intermediate Plank

Raise yourself up so you’re resting on your forearms and toes.
Hold this position for 30 – 60 seconds.  Lower and repeat for 3-4 reps.

•    Keep your elbows under your shoulders
•    Keep your neck and back flat, in a straight line from head to your toes
•    Hold your abs tight by drawing your belly button in
•    Remember to breath throughout the exercise

Advanced Plank

Brace your elbows on the center of a stability ball with your body extended and toes on the ground.  Hold this position for 30 – 60 seconds.  Lower and repeat for 3-4 reps.

•    Keep your elbows under your shoulders
•    Do not let the ball move under you
•    Keep your neck and back flat, in a straight line from head to your toes
•    Hold your abs tight by drawing your belly button in
•    Remember to breath throughout the exercise

Great lower back exercise?

Don’t laugh, but during your next exercise session try crawling.  Crawling is a neurologically important activation exercise that connects your left and right brains, while also working the smaller stabilizing muscles of the spine. When these muscles are active and strong, the result is more support for your spine and less lower-back discomfort. Start on all fours, making sure your belly doesn’t dip too far towards the floor, and begin crawling, starting with the right arm and left leg.  Work your way across a carpeted floor and always focus your eyes on the forward hand.  Try crawling backward to your starting position.  Trust us- it’s not as easy as you think.

Quick Headstand Tips.

Keith Headstand Pose from Nimble Fitness on Vimeo.

3 Keys to Any Yoga Pose

Untitled from Nimble Fitness on Vimeo.

Stretching Tips / Part I

I recently attended three stretching seminars, all taught by experienced health and fitness educators, on three consecutive weekends. One seminar focused on stretching muscles that are tight, one focused on activation for muscles that are weak, and the third dealt with how both approaches can be effective. There are many different ways to effectively stretch, so to make sense of all that information, it might be helpful to start by saying this: not everyone responds the same way to stretching, and not every body needs every stretch.

Here are some key questions to ask yourself before you stretch: What is your own physical set-up? Are you chronically tight, hyper-mobile through the joints, or somewhere in between? Are there some muscles that are always tight, while others never seem to tighten up? And how flexible do you need to be? The first step in effective stretching is to know your own body. If you have hyper-mobile joints and are loose already, you’ll create problems for yourself if you continue to stretch muscles that are already flexible. Sorry, no yoga classes for you …unless you’re experienced and really know how to balance strength with openness in each pose. Believe it or not, your goal in stretching or yoga should never be to stretch every muscle group as far as you can—because becoming too flexible in many cases can cause weakness. If your muscles are on the tighter side, its important to raise your own awareness to what is a safe limit for stretching your muscle tissue.

Another key concept is using stretching as an effective way to reset muscle length. Often, when we stretch at the end of a workout, the most effective thing we can do is reset tight muscles to their resting length, which maintains balance through your body and just feels good. In other words, stretching doesn’t always have to be about creating new length in muscle tissue. Here are some Nimble foundation principles for effective stretching:

*When you’re stretching, use this guiding principle: Being strong and limber is ultimately about having stability in your joints and freedom of movement around a healthy spine, not about how far you can stretch. Don’t sacrifice the health of your spine or your joints just to push your tissue a little bit further.

*Think balance when you stretch! Be aware of where you’re tighter—front to back, right to left, top to bottom—and spend more time stretching the tighter side. Seek balance in your stretches. Think about balance also in your twisting stretches.

*Your breath is vital in the process of relaxing muscle and fascial tissue. Your breath will help you focus your awareness and open up muscle tissue. Exhaling helps relax the muscle you’re stretching, allowing you to take it into a deeper stretch.

*There’s no need to do static stretches before playing a sport or an intense workout. In fact, it can be counter-productive, making your muscles less neurally active. Static stretching, where the stretch is held in one position, is much more effective post exercise, because warm muscle tissue is easier to stretch. Before sports or intense workouts, we recommend muscular activation exercises and doing a more dynamic warm-up that will prepare muscles to handle more stress.

*Active stretching is OK before sports and workouts. Active stretching is moving through a particular range of motion repeatedly, allowing the muscle tissue to gradually warm up and lengthen to a greater range of motion. For example, a baseball player will swing the bat from side to side in a gentle arc, gradually increasing the range of motion with each swing. You use the same approach for your warm up, moving your legs and arms gently through different planes of motion to prep for exercise.

So! In this article, we just scratched the surface of the when, where and why of stretching. Next month we will continue to discuss effective stretching techniques.

LIVE HEALTHY NOW!
Daniel Lucas / Keith Paine

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