November 15, 2008
Just the right push to succeed!
The Best Fitness Drink
Imagine a product that could speed up muscle recovery, prevent disease, prolong your life, and keep you looking young and healthy. Imagine the popularity and the hype it would cause. Now imagine that it has zero calories, no additives or preservatives, and for just 10 easy payments of $0, you, too, can enjoy a nice, tall glass of....water!
Water is more than a refreshing drink, it makes up over 65% of our bodies! From our joints to the blood flowing through our veins, water aids in the repair and maintenance of all of our systems. Without it, we can not survive. Yet, it’s estimated that the majority of the modern world is walking around dehydrated?!
Now I am guilty of enjoying a morning cup of coffee, the occasional diet soda, and a nice dark beer once in awhile. And I wouldn’t be so hypocritical to say that water should be the only drink of choice…but at the cost and tremendous health benefits, it should be our leading choice.
There was a recent article on MSN about the worst drinks. If you have a moment, check it out. I was astounded to learn about the calories in some drinks. For example, I had no idea that a Sunkist soda was worse for you than a bowl of ice cream! And that fancy Starbucks Chocolate Mocha will take you almost 7 miles to burn off. The winner? A large Baskin-Robbins Heath Bar Shake will set you back over 2,300 calories…that’s over 2/3 of a pound of body fat?!
So drink wisely and chose your treats sparingly. Watch the vitamin waters and other sports drinks as they can also pack the calories in. Good old-fashioned filtered tap water can help you in so many aspects of your health that it’s hard to pass up. Go have a cool glass, and if you want a bit more pizzazz squeeze in a lemon or lime for flavor. Cheers!
The Fitness Grinch
Well, it’s happened. The holidays are here once again. From Halloween to New Years, our house is a bastion of junk food, candy, cookies, and treats. And it always seems to coincide with a time of willpower depletion. It’s like the perfect storm. These are some critical months, my friends, where we are surrounded by treats. There are doughnuts and goodies in the office…at the church…candy bowls are filled and on every table…it’s a harsh obstacle for those of us that want to get or stay in shape!
These are those critical days that lead to the frustrations and New Year’s Resolutions. These are those days we will look back on. But fear not, all is not lost…yet. We have time to cut our losses….
For one, we don’t have to delve into every candy bowl and coffee mess platter of treats. Pick a time to indulge and enjoy, and try to avoid the other times. For example, I like family parties and that’s when I like to leave the food log at home. The "damage" of one weekend party may take all week to save up for calorie-wise, but I think it's worth it.
It’s the week days where you can make up the most ground. For example, if you can stick to a 300-400 calorie breakfast and a 400-500 calorie lunch, you have plenty of room for a nice dinner in the evening and maybe even a treat while still being under 1800-2000 calories. This requires some planning, discipline and packing a lunch, but it’s well worth the effort. Aside from saving you some pounds, you’ll probably save a few bucks, too! A lunch at the local fast food joint, can easily be 1500-2000 calories. A sandwich, rice cake, and apple is under 500 calories and if you walk during your lunch break you might be able to burn half of that off!
So what’s the morale of my disjointed holiday story? It’s November. The holiday fitness grinch hasn't beaten us yet. We have time to mix good-eating days with bad and hopefully come out on top. With some discipline during the week, we can loosen up a bit on the weekends and arrive at the new year with some achievable resolutions.
For those fitness enthusiasts and runners on your Christmas list, check out the Gifts for Runners page. It’s loaded with ideas, product links and reviews. One of the items on this page is the new Garmin 405. I’ve been using it since the summer and love the upgrade over the Garmin 201. From the quick satellite reception to the maps, overlays, and heart monitor…it’s awesome. It just came down in price and is a great gift idea if you have a gadget-loving distance runner to buy for. Happy holidays!!
Exercise of the Month:
Walk!
Disappointed? Were you hoping for a flashier exercise? Walking is a terrific exercise for our heart, lungs, and legs, yet our society makes it out to be an inconvenience. Walking affords us all of the benefits or running with less impact and stress on our bodies. May be getting that parking spot 2 blocks away from work is a blessing in disguise. Perhaps the elevator being down is not all that bad after all. How about walking around outside for your lunch hour instead of eating at your desk? If you have errands that are less than a mile away, take a few extra minutes and try the shoe-leather-express! Walking engages not only our leg muscles but our core muscles as well, as you transfer weight from one foot to the other. Walking is low impact and low stress, yet it provides some great long-term health benefits. Try squeezing in a walk when you can and reap the benefits of mankind’s oldest exercise!
Sound Off!
If you have any feedback (positive or negative), success stories to share, or suggestions for future articles, please feel free to drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you and we take all feedback, suggestions...and yes, even criticism very seriously. We’ll use this information to improve our newsletter and The Fitness Motivator site to help you and others like you attain your fitness goals.
Sincerely,
Mike
www.the-fitness-motivator.com
Encouragement to Succeed!
P.S. - Please feel free to forward this to a friend!