Nimble Blog

Embrace the Siesta!

by Antonio Sini
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I love a good power nap.  There have been many long days at the studio where I wouldn’t have survived without one.  Research has shown that a daily nap can promote physical well-being, improve your mood and your memory, sharpen your senses and revitalize your energy. By deliberately putting time aside for a “power nap”, you will be much more productive the rest of the day.  A 15 to 20 minute nap is all you need–the key is not to fall into the deeper stages of sleep in the afternoon.  Even if you don’t fully fall asleep, you’ll still reap benefits from the relaxation time.

Here are some quick tips for that perfect siesta:

• Schedule your nap during the second half of your day, usually between 1pm and 5pm.
• Avoid caffeine 4 hours before a nap. Also avoid eating at least 2 hours before your nap.
• Nap regularly and keep your time consistent so you nap at the same time every day.
• Find a quiet space and turn off your phone. Let others know not to disturb you.
• Help your body relax by taking a few deep breaths. Clear your mind by focusing on your breaths.
• If light bothers you, wear a sleep mask or place a towel over your eyes. A dark room will work best.
• Have a glass of water when you wake up and walk around for 5 minutes to stimulate your nervous system.

As I stated, a good nap should last no more than 15-20 minutes. You may think this is nothing but, believe me, its all you need. You’ll feel your heart rate increase when you wake up and you may even start to sweat as your metabolism fires back. After a few minutes and big glass of water you’ll feel good as new!

Know Your Body.

by Daniel Lucas

Do you know what “home” feels like for your body?

I’m talking about the place where you feel structurally in alignment.  Where you move with poise and feel relaxed. Whether we’re feeling “at home” or not often comes down to what we have done, or what he haven’t done, prior to being aware that we are out of alignment.  Being able to feel our bodies, and having checks and balances so that we can catch small disruptions in our joints or tissue, can save us from creating further dysfunction.

Here is a simple assessment that I got from my friend Sue Hitzman, creator of the MELT method. I love it and have used it on myself during my marathon training and with almost every client I have ever worked with.  It’s called a body scan, and it’s also great for starting a lying meditation.

After you assess yourself, you can perform any movement you wish and now you have a way to simply assess how it affected your body. For example, if you are performing a power move but your technique is off, you may feel a hip positioned differently then before. Remember everything changes when under load, so you can use this technique to see how the quality of your movement changes while in motion. Re-assess often! You’re simply using it to have an easy way get in your body and feel how your workouts are affecting how your body presents itself to the floor when simply lying relaxed. (For more information, contact Daniel and the Nimble Fitness team at info@nimblefitness.com).

Namaste,
Daniel

The Art of Recoveryn training

by Daniel Lucas

Here is an overview of some keys to success when it comes to the art of recovery. At its core, recovery is part of the discipline, patience and commitment it takes to perform at your highest level.

Whether you’re training for the New York City marathon, as I am, or just want to get stronger, all the magic happens in adaptation. We stress our bodies to new levels of fatigue, and our bodies repay us by becoming stronger, faster and more powerful. Muscle fibers shift and grow from these stresses over time. An effective, progressive program will include disciplined recovery periods, with the ultimate goal of being prepared and healthy on race day.

Here’s some tips for effective recovery:

1. Study! A little research goes a long way! Run with this list of tips and use the information you find to make needed changes in your program. If you find some more information that gives you a big YES in your mind, you can probably use it to your advantage.

2. Awareness. All the study in the world will not take care of you better than you. Be aware of everything when it comes to your recovery. Here’s a quick list to get you started: overall energy, mood, joint range of motion, muscle symmetry, aches and pains, bowel movements, sleep quality, caffeine and alcohol consumption.

3. Hydration. Pre, during, and post. We have all heard this song and dance before, but why do so many people compete dehydrated? Habits, addiction, and lack of consistency are the biggest culprits. My quick take on it is this: know your body, pee clear for a couple days before big events, use sea-salt in your water before a race, drink water between meals, limit beverages that dehydrate you.  On the other hand, over hydrating can be a problem too.  Hydrating prior (several days before) an event and using salt tablets for long runs is also something to consider.  Maintaining proper electrolyte balance can make or break your performance.

4. Nutrition. All of the above are important keys to success, but the food you put in your body is what your cells use to regenerate. So, give every training session the fuel you need to perform, and the nutrition you need to recover. This equation will be different for all of us—so be very aware of how your nutrition is serving you.

5. Anti-Oxidants. The waste created in our bodies from intense prolonged exercise creates free radicals, so consuming some high quality anti-oxidants can help balance that equation. Examples would be fruits like pomegranates or berries, and other vegetables rich in anti-oxidants.

6. Sleep. Getting high quality sleep allows your body to heal most of all! The important work of repairing tissue happens when you’re in deep sleep. The basic secrets to great sleep are: a consistent early bedtime, knowing what time you need to eat to sleep well, cutting caffeine later in the day, making sure your bedroom is dark and quiet.

7. Symmetry and Tissue Hydration. Flexibility is a big key to performing at your best. It’s a big part of maintaining symmetry from limb to limb, and being able to re-set tight, tired muscles. Also, hydrating muscles and connective tissue with myo-fascial release tools or massage is important. So you have a choice: Force another tight, challenging run or take care of yourself on a higher level?

8. Functional Exercises. Exercises that target postural muscles that are prone to weakness are an important part of any successful program.  Study up on corrective strategies, and include compound exercises that really improve your balance and integrated power.

Namaste,

Daniel

Product of the Month

M.E.L.T. Hand and Foot Treatment Kit

“The MELT Hand and Foot Treatment is an innovative self-treatment technique that can make your whole body feel better in just minutes. By stimulating the hands and feet, this easy-to-learn treatment can help reduce these common painful symptoms in just minutes a day:

• hand, foot, back, and neck pain
• plantar fasciitis, bunions, neuromas
• arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger
• even headaches, gut issues, and insomnia!

The MELT Hand & Foot Treatment Kit includes everything you need to start feeling better now: 6 MELT Treatment balls (2 of each size), 1 Bunion Reducer Band, a 60-minute DVD featuring MELT Method creator Sue Hitzmann, and an illustrated instruction guide, all in a convenient travel case.

These quick self-treatments can be done anywhere – home, work, or travel.”

www.meltmethod.com …………………………………………………………………………….

We sell the M.E.L.T. Hand and Foot Treatment kit at Nimble Fitness. If you are unfamiliar with how to use it, schedule a session with one of our M.E.L.T. certified trainers – contact us

Q: IS THE SUN GOOD FOR YOU?

By Keith Paine

A: To scientists, the answer to this question is a bit of a paradox. Radiation from the sun is both the leading cause of skin cancer and our major source of Vitamin D. We’ve all heard of the dangers of too much sun exposure, yet Vitamin D derived from the sun actually reduces the risk of many cancers, as well as being an essential strengthener of your immune system, skin, bones and teeth. Not to mention that Vitamin D increases
levels of serotonin, which means getting us in a better mood. Those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, not surprisingly, are more in need of sunlight then our southern-hemisphere neighbors.

Here are some keys for getting some safe sunshine :

*Avoid direct, unprotected exposure to the sun when it is most intense, from the hours of 10am to 3pm in the summer.

*10-15 minutes of exposure to direct sunlight without sunscreen, as long as it’s not at the hottest time of day, is generally accepted as being enough exposure to get the  benefits of sun without endangering your skin.

*Use sunscreen otherwise, and re-apply often, even with the products that claim they are water- and sweat-proof. Any product with an SPF of 30 or above is generally offers the same amount of protection.

If you want to read more, please visit the links below.

Why the sun is good for you?
More Sun Exposure May Be Good For Some People.

What is a healthy Breakfast?

by Daniel Lucas

While on vacation in Turkey, a client’s question kept popping into my head when I would sit down to eat in the morning: What can I eat for a healthy breakfast?  It’s a simple question, but I feel like the answer is sometimes tough to grasp.  In America, we often end up in a “breakfast box” and find ourselves eating the same foods over and over, day after day.  Since we should really rotate the foods we eat every 3 or 4 days, all of us could use some healthy breakfast options.

During this vacation to Turkey, my eyes and stomach rejoiced in the lovely breakfast they laid out at several of the hotels we stayed in.  They were simple and yummy, but nutritious.  Below is a list of new options that I found for breakfast.

Boiled Eggs (easy to take to work with you)
Olives
Figs
Walnuts
Almonds
Apples
Oranges (an all season fruit)
Sausages
Cheese (goat and feta for me)
Hummus
Potatoes
Yogurt
Tomatoes
Raw veggies
Greens
Spices
Spinach
Salmon
Beans
Snap Peas

These are all foods we are familiar with, so if you have a collection in your fridge, you can mix and match to create a healthy breakfast.  Shop at the farmer’s market whenever you get a chance to get fresh produce.  I purchased one of the multi-section containers to hold my food and it works really well.  Good luck with mixing up your breakfast options.  I’m sure I left out plenty of great choices that can be added to this list.  Feel free to get creative and enjoy the most important meal of the day!

Namaste
Daniel

Eat by example

by Antonio Sini

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I have parents often ask me to suggest ways they can get their kids to eat healthier. The first question I ask them is: How do they eat themselves? The answer is telling, as many parents confess to not eating as well as they should.

As a parent, I know only too well that children will instinctively learn from you, both the good and bad. If you know a lot about food and eat a variety of natural and healthy foods, your children will pick up on those habits. If you don’t set the right example, by eating a healthy diet yourself, then you are setting the stage for your children to eat poorly. To ensure that your child develops a healthy mindset towards eating, it is up to you to lead by example. Good eating starts at home!

Here are 3 tips to help you incorporate more vegetables into your family’s diet. It is well documented that families who consume plenty of vegetables tend to have a healthier lifestyle in general. Share these healthy eating tips with your children. When preparing meals let them help pick ingredients and participate whenever possible.

1. Set the tone. If you hold your nose while you eat a broccoli stalk, do you think your kids will want to eat it? What if you make comments like, “yuck” or “How could something that tastes so bad be good for you?” Act as if you are enjoying the experience. This will obviously work better with vegetables you actually do enjoy, but remember that words and thoughts are powerful. You can learn to like new things if you try them a few times. Emphasizing the positives about vegetables, and expressing that at the dinner table, will resonate positively with you and your entire family.

2. Disguise your vegetables. This is a good one for anyone with especially picky kids at home. One idea that works well is to blend vegetables into fruit smoothies. Tossing some fresh veggies in a morning smoothie along with fruits (strawberries, oranges and blueberries work well) and whatever smoothie base you like (almond milk, yogurt, fruit juice, etc) is a great way to get vegetables in at breakfast. Spinach works especially well, as does kale, avocado, wheat grass, carrots and cucumbers. Experiment and blend up a few different combinations of fruits and vegetables until you find a concoction you really like. Let your kids pick the ingredients and help in the experiment. If they absolutely refuse to eat vegetables, you don’t have to tell the kids what’s in the “fruit” smoothie. Keep the fruit-to-vegetables ratio on the sweeter side (more fruit) at first. Gradually work in more veggies as everyone gets used to the taste.

You could also chop up vegetables and add them to omelets, cassaroles, meat loaf, etc. You could mix carrots and peas in mashed potatoes. There are many ways to add vegetables to different kinds of food. Check out this website for more great tips and recipes – www.doitdelicious.com.

3. Make it easy. Eating fresh vegetables bought that morning from the local farmer’s market is the healthiest option, but can be hard to fit in to a busy working schedule. I’m a big believer in organic frozen vegetables, which are available now in most grocery stores. They’re convenient, easy to prepare, come in many varieties and can taste pretty good. Stick with the flash-frozen kind that are just veggies and contain no added sauces. You can add your own spices and a touch of butter to make them extra yummy. Corn on the cob (who doesn’t like corn on the cob?) and baked sweet potatoes are two other easy ways to prepare vegetables. For corn, fill your pot with water, add 1/4 cup of brown sugar, drop in your corn, bring everything to a boil, let it boil for 6-8 minutes then remove from the water and let it cool enough to eat. For sweet potatoes, rub olive oil on the skin then pierce the potato once or twice with a fork. Wrap it in foil, place on an oven tray and bake in a preheated oven at 400F for 40-60 minutes. After 40 minutes, give it a poke once in while with a fork. When it feels nice and soft it’s ready. Let it cool then enjoy!

High-Stress Times or Growth Shifts?

I’ve trained when I’m under the weather, exhausted, even with a broken arm before, but it wasn’t as challenging as my recent week of training was. The reason it was so challenging was because there were a multitude of stresses on my system. They added up over a week’s time:
1) My spine was incorrectly adjusted while on vacation in Turkey, and I ended up feeling like slow moving reptile.
2) The Nimble studio had a massive flood the day after I got back from vacation
3) I felt ill from the fumes of our studio demolition.

No, I’m not trying to complain (although if you trained with me during this week, you probably noticed my struggle) or looking for pity, just articulating some circumstances that eventually affect all of us in life.  Getting to the point–when stresses rise in your life, that is the time to be even more diligent with your healthy habits. Getting more rest, drinking more quality water, eating a healthy organic diet, limiting your alcohol/caffiene intake, and staying in touch with friends and loved ones. Many of us have been programmed to do the opposite; when stress goes up its a green light to drink more, use coffee to stay with the pace, eat less healthy or not at all. All of these habits add to your stress, which can become a kind of “comfort zone” to deal with life’s challenges. We now understand that feeling uncomfortable–getting out of old habits–is often associated with what I see as shifts in growth. Life happens, and you have to be prepared to handle stress at a high level, so it doesn’t take you out of your health zone. Staying healthy under stress also allows you to keep a clear head so that you can make accurate decisions on how to navigate.

If you don’t back yourself up with healthy habits, stressors can grow into much bigger problems, like disease. Make it your intention to live healthier, even as stress at home, work or life goes up, understanding that sometimes these stresses we face are there to facilitate a deeper shift of consciousness and self-awareness. This shift in intention will keep you lighter, healthier, happier and more energetic in the long run. Often life’s challenges are tests of your will and ability to be present and loving during such challenging times. Let right now be the moment you handle stress with love of self.
START TODAY!

Wordology

Words have power! At Nimble Fitness we share with our clients the idea of Wordology. The non-conscious often does not know the difference between what you truly want and the words and ideas you are just playing around with. All of your thoughts get filed in the oneness of the non-conscious, so we ask clients to choose words that align with their life vision. Why not? Through what we have learned in our past, we often create habits or conditions that we live by that no longer serve us. These words we say over and over carry major energy and shape our perception. For example, I had a client that often stated “Every time I walk into the gym, I believe I’m moving forward in my journey to health,” and another that would often discount the work he did if it was not of a certain duration or intensity. He would often state that he could never do enough. Which client do you think progressed faster in his program? The point I would like to make is this: Are you setting yourself up for failure or success? Make the promise to yourself to use words that support you in success and believe it! Why not? Namaste

To Ice or To Heat?

…that is the question, at least when we’re talking about injuries. Though there is often a lot of public confusion about whether to ice or heat an injury, fortunately the experts are pretty clear.

First, it’s important to know whether the injury is acute or chronic. An acute injury is one that results in sharp pain and is usually caused by a traumatic event. A chronic injury is one that is recurring and usually a duller pain.

Here are some ground rules for using ice and heat in treatment of injuries:

*Always use ice after an acute injury has occurred. Ice will help reduce swelling and pain.
*You can also use ice for a chronic condition, but only after activity to reduce swelling.
*Heat should be used before physical activity, to warm muscle and connective tissue and stimulate blood flow.
*Never use heat after an injury has occurred—and never use heat after physical activity.
*Never use ice before physical activity.

Here are some other good tips for using ice/heat from an online medical blog:

*Before icing, put a small amount of oil on the area you’re going to ice, then cover with cloth before you put the ice pack on.
*Ice for a maximum of 20-30 minutes.
*For heating, warm is better than hot. Your skin should be checked at regular intervals to make sure it’s not burning.

-Keith Paine

Do or do not…

“I will try.”  How often do you say this, or hear it being said?  The word “try” most often really means doing nothing at all.  I mean, if you were really going to actually accomplish something–like eating more vegetables–then you would purchase them, bring them home, prepare them, and then eat them. You wouldn’t “try” to eat more vegetables, you would just eat more vegetables.

It seems easy to trick our brains into thinking we are “trying” to do something healthy. Take for, example, joining a gym. We convince ourselves that this is how we’ll try to get in shape. We feel good about the initial step, but what usually happens next?  We go sporadically, or end up not going at all.  Simply making the attempt, or “trying”, doesn’t produce results.

How do we break out of the “try” trap? Take action-and start with the language you use! Instead of saying “I’ll try to accomplish my goals,” say “I will accomplish what I set out to do.” It is also empowering to take time to evaluate your health and fitness goals-do they align with your lifestyle?

Draw up a plan and set tasks for yourself.  They can be simple, like drinking more water, but stay consistent and follow through.  Each task is a step that helps bring you closer to your goal.  As long as you keep working toward that goal then you are not trying but actually doing something.  Take your time, enjoy the process, but wait until you reach your ultimate goal to give yourself a pat on the back.  Only then can you say, “I didn’t just try.  I made it happen.”

-Antonio

Cross Train to Help Prevent Running Injuries!

by Daniel Lucas

Why are physical therapists seeing fewer tri-athletes with injuries in their office than runners? The answer, in a word, is cross training. The most common mistake we see with runners’ programs is that they do not change them up enough. This creates a scenario for injury. The secret to longevity in sport is to consistently change the stresses on your body so that it strengthens, heals and recovers.

Take this opportunity to look at your current training program and assess if you have been making the needed changes to progress effectively. Incorporating a focused strength, conditioning and flexibility program will add some spice to your running and keep you in the game for a very long time.

Here are 5 reasons cross-training is an essential part of your running/training program:

1) Cross-training creates better muscular balance in every part of your body.
2) Different stresses on the body create different stresses around the joints, which actually helps build longevity in your muscles and connective tissue.
3) Multi-planar training strengthens tissue in a more effective way, creating a greater opportunity for the body to load and un-load more efficiently while running.
4) Strength training helps the “assisting” muscles, i.e. the deeper postural muscles, to stabilize better while running.
5) “Rotating your tires” saves wear and tear. Variety in movement helps muscles and connective tissue stay pliable and strong.

Have a wonderful run today!

Exercise Your Emotions

By Daniel Lucas .

Have you ever had the sense that your old ideas and beliefs are not working for you? Do you feel like you need to let go of the energy that surrounds those old habits? You can start with your awareness—just being able to identify old ways or habits is freeing in itself. That self-awareness can help loosen the bond, especially if you’re able to trace your habits to their origin. Tracing these feelings back to their moment of purpose, and recognizing that the emotions you experienced there don’t define you, can be extremely liberating.

The big question is this: how do we let go? It can be compared to pulling a weed from a garden—if you don’t get the root, you know that weed will live and grow. If you do get to the root of old patterns in your life, you’ll create space that allows you to develop new intentions and beliefs that will empower you.

Here are some tips to consider when digging into to your old patterns and beliefs:

1. Awareness of your emotions, and how they align with your circumstances, helps a great deal. Is your emotion in a certain situation genuine and appropriate to what’s happening? If you’re over-emotional (or under-emotional), this is a sign that there might be a root belief that’s not serving you any longer. It might be time to go back and weed your garden a bit more.

2. Seeking to understand why you feel the way you do will help to know whether you’re acting in the present moment, or re-acting from an old blueprint.

3. Work on your ability to shift into the present moment and see the truth of each experience as it is. This is what we call consciousness!

4. Exercise! Researchers have found that there is a section of the brain that responds only to exercise. Moving your body will tap into your mind/body connection and assist you with letting go of old baggage. Recent research also indicates that the way we hold ourselves posturally is closely related to our moods and to our personalities. In other words, the way we move, or don’t move, is linked to the way we feel. Your body tomorrow reflects what you’re doing today.

5. Keep at it! You may not pull the whole weed at first, but being brave enough to look at your truth will eventually help you grow. Be your own best friend on this journey and allow your natural state of JOY to shine through.

Namaste

Daniel

Is stress affecting your weight?

by Marjorie Nolan

Many people overeat in response to stress—whether that stress comes from work or personal issues. People can also stress their bodies through dieting, which only adds to personal/work stress and often results in a vicious cycle of increased stress and increased food intake in response. It’s overeating based on emotion, not need. If this sounds like a situation that’s familiar you, read the following tips for managing stress-related overeating to help you check this unhealthy habit.

1. Keep yourself nourished! Eat regular, healthy snacks to maintain your energy level. Skipping meals while under stress only prompts you to eat more—and often worse–when you do get around to eating.

2. Remove tempting food items from your home or office. If it’s not there, you can’t eat it! Never go shopping while hungry and always make a list of food items prior to shopping. That way, you’ll only bring home what you feel good about eating.

3. Practice self-control. Work on over-riding your instinct for instant gratification when hunger hits. Tell yourself you’ll wait 10 to 30, minutes to eat. Chances are good if your cravings are only stress-related, they’ll disappear.

4. Keep a food journal of what you eat each day. Knowing you have to write down every snack or nibble can be a good way to remind yourself to think before eating.

5. Enlist a friend’s help – ideally one who also is tempted by stress-related cravings. When you feel like eating as a response to stress, write him/her a quick note or make a phone call.

6. Post some reminder messages wherever you’re likely to see them when stress-related cravings begin. Use any message that works for you. Examples might be “Are you really hungry?” or “Think about why you’re eating.”

7. Take time for yourself every day. Whether it’s 10 minutes to reflect and relax, or whether it’s some fun activity that will revitalize you, it’s critical to do it. Health is not just physical–mental well-being is just as important. You deserve to mentally de-stress everyday!

Marjorie Nolan is a National Spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, Nutrition and Fitness expert, author, Nutrition Counselor and speaker. She has widespread experience in the health and wellness industry including adult and child weight loss, eating disorders counseling, diabetes management, wellness nutrition, sports nutrition, disease prevention and personal training/group fitness. She has well-respected academic qualifications and a heartfelt passion for helping individuals attain nutritional wellness and physical fitness. These strengths combine to make Marjorie Nolan a wellness professional of the highest caliber. Contact Marjorie

New Year New You

by Antonio Sini
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There is no better time than the New Year to create a new approach to getting yourself healthy. A New Year’s solution—instead of a resolution–means creating long-term success, by taking action and beginning the process of improving your health.

We’ve all experienced short-term motivation. Many of us start the New Year with negative feedback, and then react by setting unrealistic goals. We say: “I ate too much” or “I’ve been lazy” or “I feel out of shape,” and then we say “I’m going to join the gym and lose 20 lbs by February!” This New Year, begin by asking 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, basically setting ourselves up to fail. Isn’t it time to change your routine and perhaps change your way of thinking? If it hasn’t worked in the past, it’s not going to work this time around either!

FIRST STEP: Change your results by examining your goals and how you view exercise and fitness. This is the key to understanding why so few 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 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 “hate” exercise and don’t feel comfortable in a gym, you’ll be fighting yourself every step of the way. The way to achieve your goals in health, or in life for that matter, is to bring your thoughts and actions into alignment. Get in the habit of positively reinforcing the benefits of daily exercise.

SECOND STEP: Find new ways to stay healthy and get in better shape. Giving yourself options will help you stay on track and keep you motivated to follow through with your fitness goals. Some suggestions:

• Make exercise fun again by joining a group. Sign up with a runner’s club, take dance lessons or seek out new classes that appeal to you. There are literally dozens of classes available in most areas–from spinning and water aerobics to martial arts and TRX (our specialty!). Do some research and try a few. Exercise isn’t necessarily easy, but in a group it doesn’t have to feel boring or dreadful. You can get started by checking out our class schedule.

• If classes aren’t your thing, working with a personal trainer is an excellent way to stay motivated and get the results you seek. One of a trainer’s jobs is to make sure you enjoy the experience and keep you interested in your pursuit of better health. Having someone else take the guesswork out of exercise, so you spend less time figuring out what to do and more time moving your body, is also going to get you results quicker. (For a complimentary session with one of Nimble’s amazing trainers, contact us at info@nimblefitness.com)

• Pay more attention to the little things. Taking the stairs rather than the elevator or skipping dessert when you’re dining out, all adds up. Even something seemingly simple like drinking more water throughout the day will make you look and feel better. Try cooking simple, healthy meals at home if you eat out often. Replace common unhealthy food choices with better options, organic whenever possible.

THIRD STEP: Observe your thoughts and daily habits and develop a sense of awareness about them. First, think about the basics: Are you getting enough rest? Are you making good food choices? Moving your muscles on a daily basis? Next, observe how you feel throughout your day. Do you generally feel good? Feel stressed? What’s the source of your greatest stress, and how can you reduce it? Maybe there’s a simple solution, like taking a few days off, or maybe greater action needs to be taken – like finding a new career. Take a moment to examine your daily priorities—how does fitness fit onto your list? And be aware of any excuses you use which consistently hold you back: the office happy hour, your favorite TV show, etc. You’ll gain some very interesting information about yourself—information you can use to refine your health plan and move forward.

Finally, 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.

Antonio Sini

FIVE WAYS TO STAY YOUNG

by Daniel Lucas

1. You are what you eat! Our food choices are some of the most important choices we make. Choosing quality food is vital to maintaining muscle tone, organs, your digestive system and overall body function. Whole, organic, nutrient-rich foods act as high-octane fuel for your body. Processed foods are calorie-rich and nutrient-poor—your digestive system will waste energy on trying to break down calories that it doesn’t recognize as food. Keep your digestive system young and running lean and clean.

2. Use it or lose it—but use it correctly! Modern life has all kinds of challenges. One of our biggest challenges is repetitive movement, whether it’s at a keyboard or on a treadmill. Be aware of how repetitive movement can overtax some muscle groups, making them tight and sore, while leaving other muscles underused and weak, eventually leading to misalignment. Add some variety to your movement and take breaks from repetitive movements to keep your muscles balanced. Too much repetitive motion in one direction results in stress and inflammation to the muscle tissue and joints. Speaking of stress…

3. Don’t hold on to stress—it’s unrelieved stress that makes us old. Very few people in this day and age can claim to have a stress-free life. It’s how we deal, or don’t deal, with stress that can either keep us young or take us out of balance. Not all stress is bad. When we ask our muscles to work, for example, we’re putting stress on the muscle tissue, tendons and ligaments to make them stronger. But we wouldn’t ask them to work 24/7! If you’re in the habit of internalizing stress and carrying it around, you’re making your system work overtime and decreasing your natural function. Develop the habit of reducing stress on a daily basis—exercising, taking breaks, moving your breath out of your shoulders and into your rib cage, drinking plenty of water—so you can be free of carrying stress around.

4. Play young! Go and do things that connect you to truly feeling young. Sometimes we all have to reach back to go forward. What activities make you feel young? Dancing, hiking, playing volleyball, riding a bicycle…all of these are responses our clients have given to this question. Ask yourself! And really try to embody that feeling of being young in your life each day.

5. Let go! Being young is being resilient. Consciously let go of the stressors in your life that you can’t control; let go of the negative language that accompanies those stressors and inhibits your abilities (“I’m too old for that”, “I’ll never get rid of my stress” etc). Let go of the illusion that you can’t feel young!

Maintaining a Healthy Balance

by Antonio Sini -

I work out 4-5 Xs a week. I lift weights, do yard work around my house, even ride my bike on the weekends. I walk all over the city too. By all accounts, I’m a pretty strong and healthy guy. So how is it that I managed to throw my back out the other day by simply reaching down to pick up a baby bottle? Considering all the things I do to stay in shape–to be sidelined by a 2 oz. plastic bottle. How frustrating!

However, when I stopped to look at all the factors that went into injuring my back, I can’t say that I was completely surprised. My son had kept my wife and I up all night, so I only managed 3 hours of sleep. That morning, I spent 2 hours sitting in traffic on the way to the mall. Exhausted, and with my back already weak from sitting for so long, I spent the afternoon bent over tending to kids. Needless to say, after all that, I should have known better than to try and pick up that bottle while holding my son in my arms.

The big lesson? Often it’s not a lack of strength that affects our health, but an imbalance in our lives. I see it every day with clients who complain that they work out regularly but still feel weak. They come into the studio stressed out from work, exhausted from barely having slept the night before, and on their 3rd cup of coffee. Of course you’re going to feel weak! Being healthy encompasses many things–eating well, moving your body often, staying flexible, getting enough sleep at night and managing stress. Learning how to balance these aspects of life is what creates well-being.

Below are some common imbalances, which I see often, and some simple solutions to help keep your health on the right track:

Do you eat well, exercise regularly but spend little or no time improving your flexibility?
I’m guilty of this one. Being flexible allows your muscle tissue to work more efficiently, which in turn helps you move better throughout your day. Stretching, which lengthens muscle tissue and helps to re-set our body balance and alignment, also reduces the chance for injury and allows you to recover from your workouts quicker. Spend 10 -15 minutes after every workout stretching. Or dedicate an entire workout to flexibility! Yoga can be an especially good alternative to weight training days.

Do you exercise regularly, but don’t get enough sleep?
If you are having trouble falling asleep at night, it could be because you are exercising too late in the evening. The body needs time to wind down. Try switching your workout to mornings or during lunch breaks. Also, you’ll need to watch your caffeine intake. Never take anything with caffeine up to 6 hours before you go to bed. The ideal rest scenario is 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. If this is not possible (and as a father, I know how hard this can be!), I suggest a minimum of 6 hours. 15-20 minute power naps can work wonders for people who don’t sleep well during the night. Avoid exercising strenuously on the days you haven’t gotten enough rest. Better yet, give your body a day off.

Does your exercise program involve only doing cardio or only strength training, but not both?
Cardiovascular exercise is any type of exercise that increases the work of the heart and lungs. This type of exercise helps control your weight and prevents disease. Cardiovascular exercise also provides you with more energy throughout your day and keeps you from feeling fatigued. If you only lift weights, you’re neglecting your body of these tremendous benefits.

Conversely, if you only focus on cardiovascular exercise, you’ll miss out on the benefits of strength training. These include increased metabolism, increased lean muscle and improved muscle function and balance. Another big benefit to including strength training with cardiovascular exercise is injury prevention.

Do you exercise regularly, but have unhealthy habits outside of the gym?
What you put into your body is as important as what you put out. Don’t sabotage all the hard work you put into exercising. Smoking, drinking alcohol in excess and drug use will all negate the benefits of a great work out. So will poor nutrition. Eating the right foods plays a major role in the way you look and feel. Here are some ideas for what best to put into your body for long-term health:

*Closer to nature is always better with food and drink, organic if possible.

*Avoid or eliminate processed sugar, salt and flour

*Make dinner one of your lightest meals

*Hydrate throughout the day, not just when you’re thirsty.

-Antonio Sini

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CREATING SPACE

I knew at some level that it was important to take my recent trip to Spain alone. I just didn’t know why. By the end of the first day in Ibiza, it had become obvious-there were old emotions about my father’s death that came right to the surface, and I had not yet had the opportunity to release them. I was still grieving emotionally and spiritually, even after all this time. The act of creating space for myself allowed this vital process to happen, along with giving me the space to feel immense appreciation for every friend, client, family member and living creature on the planet.

I understand that we all have many important people and obligations in our lives, but ask yourself this question: what can you do now to create space for yourself? Maybe you won’t have time for a trip to Ibiza, but take a long walk in the park, sit quietly on a bench or just take extra time to enjoy your meal. These small windows of time can give us an opportunity to let go of emotions or ideas that may be clouding our consciousness.

Namaste,
Daniel

Take the ‘work’ out of your workout.

I hear so many people complain that they don’t enjoy working out. The truth is, I don’t enjoy “working out” either. I think slogging along for 45 minutes on an elliptical machine is about as much fun as waiting in line at the bank. Now, on the other hand, I love to exercise. I know what you’re thinking: “Antonio, aren’t they the same thing?” Well, that depends how you look at it. On weekends, for example, I mountain bike with my buddies for hours. The other day, I spent an entire afternoon splitting wood in my yard. Now, they may not be considered ‘workouts,’ but these activities keep me in shape. That’s how I exercise. And most importantly, I enjoy doing it. There are plenty of ways to move your body without boring yourself at the gym. Here are some activities for you to consider:

Try DANCE or TENNIS lessons.
Ride a BIKE around town.
Take up SWIMMING at the Y.
Go for a HIKE in the woods.
Try a GROUP EXERCISE class.
Take BOXING lessons.
WALK along a beach.

Get out there and live the life you deserve!

-Antonio

GET YOUR BODY ORGANIZED

by Daniel Lucas

If you’re someone that runs, bikes, lifts weights, plays in a league, does any kind of consistent training, and lets not forget the non-sport of sitting at your desk you should think about having days in your exercise program dedicated to getting or keeping your body organized.  Whether it’s the repetitive nature of different sports or the destructive effect of sitting for prolonged periods of time, committing a little time to your structural alignment will pay major dividends.

What does it mean to have an organized body?

It’s when the structure of your bones, muscle, neuro-fascial tissue and organs are functioning in a balanced, energetic way. You feel strong and flexible, have natural poise and your movements feel light, not heavy or sluggish. It’s when your body and mind are functioning together at a high level—where you can run, jump, squat, lunge, push, pull, lift or twist with strength, power and flexibility through a full range of motion, without disruption or injury.  This organized scenario creates an optimal environment for joint health, organ health, muscular development and emotional flow/release.  So how do we get there?

Here are some Nimble tips for getting organized:

1.    Give yourself permission to have deeper body awareness! This takes a little bit
of courage, but bringing your awareness inside your body, to feel how your body is moving and holding itself together, is extremely valuable.  Assess yourself–no one knows how your body feels as well as you do! Identify where you’re tight, where you’re weak, where you’re strong, and then get to work. Use your “organization day” to focus on strengthening weaker muscles, opening up tight muscle tissue, and addressing imbalances in your system.

2.   Ask yourself this question: Is my exercise routine helping me with my posture or training me out of good posture?  I’ve watched people training for hours at a time with hunched shoulders, misaligned lower backs and strained necks. I’ve even seen people read a book while walking on the treadmill! Doing this hinders our natural gait and our functional lines across the body, which in this case run from the latissimus on one side to the gluteus on the other. Examine your own training habits—are you enhancing your posture with your exercises, or working into deeper imbalance and strain?

3.    Be open to how integrated and intelligent your body naturally is. Your body was designed to function harmoniously, whether moving or at rest. That harmony is your ultimate goal. To move towards that goal, you can start with isolated movements, but be sure to end in a fully integrated, functional way. For instance, you can train your postural stabilizers (the “core” muscles) first, and progress into the integrated compound movements. A simple example of this progression would be starting with the plank exercise, which engages the core stabilizers, and continuing on to the traditional squat.   Functional training prepares you for lifting your heavy bag of luggage, squatting to pick something up from the floor or simply giving someone a big loving hug.

4.    Identify where you are prone to tightness, and be consistent in stretching/resetting those muscles. We touched on this already, but stretching muscles helps to keep balance and symmetry in your body, and improves neural flow and oxygen delivery to your tissue. Be aware of the imbalances in your system and address those. If the right hamstring is a lot tighter than the left, for example, give it a little bit more time in your stretching. This will not only help you feel better, but help you function better.

5.    Strengthen weaker muscles–the other side of flexibility. Activating weak muscles and strengthening them through a proper exercise progression will also lengthen opposing muscles and assist in proper joint function.

6.    Get some professional eyes on you!  The earlier statement we made that no knows your body better than you do is only partially true.  Working with a trainer/practitioner/coach will help you to understand your strengths, weaknesses and imbalances, and improve your program to achieve more.

A little bit of practice and dedication to these key points will pay major dividends.  Having an organized body is the path to longevity!  It’s your journey, so I encourage you to trust the guru within.

Namaste
Daniel

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