Exercise

Family Health: A New Normal

2020 has been quite the surprise! We’ve spent what seems like half the year inside due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What has not been a surprise is the need to update the Healthy People Initiative. Every ten years the US government develops objectives to move the country towards better health which is collectively called the Health People Initiative. Some of the objectives are related to nutrition and physical activity. The Healthy People Initiative 2030 also includes new objectives for Health-Related Quality of Life & Well-Being which includes physical, mental, emotional, and social functioning which highlights a focus on optimal health or what I like to call whole-person health.

According to the latest results and supporting data, although adults are moving more and reporting a better quality of life, none of the objectives were met towards healthful diets and healthy weight. In addition, the objectives for adolescents participating in physical activity were not met. As the country seeks out a new normal, there is no better time to focus on family health. Below are some habits you can incorporate into your family routine as a new normal.

Get creative and have at home gym class where everyone gets involved. Inquire about access to physical activity in childcare settings and ensure access to physical activity for children at home.
Reduce television viewing and computer usage to improve cognitive skills and the ability to concentrate and pay attention.
Craft most of your meals at home. Foods eaten away from home often have more calories and lower nutritional quality than foods prepared at home.

Family and Health: It’s Not Complicated

Spending time with family and friends is an even greater victory when you can combine it with a healthy habit.

Get Active: A nature walk is a fun activity that can get you outside and spending time with family and friends. Select an area that has lots of trees and birds. Kids can explore the differences between trees and talk about the different animals and maybe insects they see throughout the walk.

Get Cooking: Another fun group activity is making a meal (breakfast, lunch, snacks or dinner). You can engage children by asking them to complete several tasks. If the children are very young, you can ask them what they would like to cook and find a recipe together. If they are a bit older, you can ask them to find a recipe on their own that you can make together Kids can also help with shopping for and prepping the ingredients. You can go with something as simple as a salad or pizza or as complicated as homemade pasta sauce or cookies. The point is for everyone to play a role in making the meal.

These are just two activities that can keep you committed to your health goals and enjoy time with your loved ones.

Family Time is the Best Time

Just as you need movement or exercise and good nutrition for physical health, you also need social connection for your mental health. Endless studies highlight the benefits of social connection. These studies suggest that social connection strengthens your immune system, lowers anxiety and depression, increases self-confidence, empathy, and trust. Spending time with family and friends increases social connection but also provides significant benefits to children. Some of the benefits of family time for children include:

building confidence
creating life-long memories
creating a stronger emotional bond between parents and children
allowing for better communication between family members and others
increasing performance in school
increasing opportunities to model behaviors such as conflict resolution, confidence, and happiness

As you continue practicing social distancing, you can think through opportunities for volunteering, cooking (especially new cuisines and dishes), and physical activities as a few options for family time that can fit into your wellness journey and hopefully start theirs.

Meditation: Your New and Improved Mental Health Practice

There are various forms of meditation with different objectives: a time for quiet or a time for prayer. No matter the objective, all forms of meditation share at least one outcome. Meditation elicits relaxation and calmness which can improve your health by reducing stress. Here are a few ways to conduct your own meditation session.

Breathe deeply – Focus on your breathing and concentrate on feeling and listening as you inhale and exhale. Breathe deeply and slowly.

Scan your body – Focus your attention on different parts of your body. Become aware of any pain, tension, or relaxation throughout your body. You can add in breathing exercises and imagine breathing relaxation into different parts of your body.

Repeat a mantra – Find or create your own mantra. It can be religious or secular.

Walk and meditate – Slow down your walking pace and focus on each movement of your legs or feet. Do not focus on a destination.

Engage in prayer – Prayer is the best known and most widely practiced example of meditation. You can pray using your own words or read prayers written by others.

Read and reflect – Read poems or sacred texts and take a few moments to quietly reflect on their meaning. You can also listen to music or spoken words. You can write your reflections in a journal or discuss them with a friend or spiritual leader.

Focus your love and gratitude – Close your eyes and focus your attention on feelings of love, compassion, and gratitude.

If you are a beginner who may struggle sitting still, a meditation session can be held in a minimum of one minute. As you continue to practice this time can increase and you should see improvements in your stress levels and self-awareness. If you have already started a meditation practice, hopefully the list above provides you a way to enhance your session. Happy Meditation!

Breathing and Body Scan Exercise for Stress Reduction

Breathing and body scanning are exercises that can be considered meditation, relaxation exercises, or stress reduction exercises. The exercise does not take more than 10 minutes. It can be done anywhere you are able to sit and can be modified if you stand. Essentially it can be done anywhere! Let’s begin.

For each exercise focus on the stretch and your breaths (at least one to two for each stretch) in and out.

Raise your eyebrows
Squint your eyes
Clench your teeth and pull the corners of your mouth to your ears
Bring your chin to your chest
Bring your ears to your shoulder (right, then left, left, then right)
Pull your arms back and bring your elbows to your side
Make a fist and pull up your wrist
Pull your shoulder blades together
Pull your belly button toward your spine
Squeeze your knees together
Point your toes toward your face
Turn your feet inward and outward

Whatever it was that had you stressed, let it go. If you still feel the stress you can repeat the exercise or increase the number of breaths, you give to each stretch.

Women and Weights

Are you one of the women afraid to lift weights? There are several reasons women have for not lifting weights. Some women don’t want to get bulky, while others don’t have time or prefer cardio. During Women’s History Month and beyond, I want to make sure you are a woman that can live a full life and make history.

Weight training has many benefits that can help a woman live a long life. Some of those benefits include enhanced muscle tone, boosted metabolism, and a reduced chance of injury. The muscles gained through strength training also help to burn more calories, which helps with weight loss. A study, using data from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Nurses’ Health Study II, has even shown that strength training through resistance exercise, yoga, etc. can lower the risk of diabetes.

In case you didn’t know, once most women hit menopause, they begin to lose bone mass rapidly. Great habits, such as weightlifting, while you are younger can help prevent this. Starting while younger will help slow the rate of loss and possibly reverse it.

So, what are you waiting on? Get started now! You can become a Wonder Woman and join the Strong Women Accountability Group (S.W.A.G.) challenge for help getting started or encouragement to get back to it.

The S.W.A.G. Challenge

I’m calling all women that are looking to get stronger to join the Strong Women Accountability Group Challenge (S.W.A.G.). You can have the desire to be physically stronger or stronger in adhering to the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the year. This is a virtual challenge but you will be provided with the tools to succeed. These tools include

-an initial assessment
-weekly encouragement
-weekly workouts
-nutritional guidance
-private webinar
-private virtual team connection
-a prize for the challenge winners

Check it out!

The Heart Health Secret

The number one cause of death for Americans is heart disease, but it’s preventable. You may already know this, but come closer… the heart health secret is…diet and exercise! Yes, lifestyle changes such as a good diet and some good old exercise could save your heart and your life!

So, what do I mean by good exercise? If you like vigorous activity that’s 90 minutes a week (e.g. 15 minutes for 6 days) of activities such as running at least 5 miles per hour or jumping rope. For those who like more moderate level exercise such as brisk walking or dancing, you need to complete 120 minutes of exercise a week (e.g. 20 minutes for 6 days). Don’t forget to include strength training at least two days a week!

For a lot of people, the real challenge may be a good diet or eating patterns. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines provide some good suggestions for healthy eating patterns such as:

– Choose foods to make up most of your nutrition instead of supplements/substitutes

– Choose the appropriate calorie intake for your body

– Keep variety in your meals

– Limit calories from added sugars and fats

– Limit sodium intake

– Choose healthier options for food items and beverages

– Make healthy eating a lifestyle

As Heart Health month continues, I encourage you to grab a friend and challenge each other to make some changes for your heart. If you struggle with making these changes, there is no shame in seeking help through a health coach. I think I know where you can find a good one!

Matters of the Heart

It’s month two into your new year, new you plan. Some may have jump started their efforts, but it’s quite possible that others have not for various reasons. Whatever position you’re in you are not alone! If you’re well on your way that is great! If you’re not remember changing behavior is hard to do. This is particularly true when you’re trying to make lifestyle changes. When trying to make those types of changes you should have a will and a way. An article in Psychology Today indicated that the will is your why and the way is defined as the how. Sometimes people lose focus on why they are trying to change. It’s also possible that the “why” isn’t strong enough for one to commit to the change. You may have had a plan that didn’t quite work out once you got started. If you have fallen off the new year, new you wagon, you can get back on. Assess your will and your way and ensure your goals are SMART goals.

Become a New You in 2020

At the beginning of a new year most people look towards a fresh start. Some commemorate this fresh start by making new year resolutions or setting new goals. These goals are often related to health, finances, time management – just to name a few. The running joke is that by the end of March, most people don’t remember what those goals were or the last time they looked at them. But there are a few steps you can take to develop a healthy lifestyle for many years to come; to become a new you in 2020 and beyond.

One of the first steps towards becoming the new you is to understand the “why” of your goals/resolutions. Failing to accomplish goals often comes from not really thinking about the “why”. For example, losing 20 pounds may be your goal however your reason may be because you want to fit into a certain size. Or maybe you want to stop taking medications. Maybe you want to feel better physically and emotionally. Knowing the “why” is one of the most important steps you can take because it will help you recalibrate if you get off track.

After understanding your “why”, the next step is to make SMART goals. What do SMART goals look like? SMART goals represent goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-based. To develop SMART goals ask yourself the 5 W’s: why, who, what, where, and when. You already know your why so next, determine who will help or support you while you work towards your goals. After that, write out what you want to accomplish. If you have several goals write them all out, then decide which goal or goals to focus on first. When thinking about your what, also determine what you need to accomplish your goals. Are there are certain skills or expertise you need to attain the goals? Once you know the why, determine the who, and narrow-down the what, be sure to decide where you may need to go or not go to achieve your goals. Finally, choose when you will work on your goals based on your schedule and patterns.

Now that your goals are very specific ensure they can be accomplished in measurable increments by developing milestones for your goals. Accomplishing these milestones offers opportunities to reward yourself on your success and helps with self-encouragement. Setting milestones for your goals also helps you consider if the goals are currently attainable. If you want to eat healthier do you know what that means or what that looks like? If you don’t know, what resources do you need to make this goal attainable? If you are not eating vegetables consistently it could be very difficult to change from a regular western diet to a vegetarian diet. It may be more realistic to start by eating 1 more vegetable serving over the next 2 weeks. Once that milestone is reached, you could increase your vegetable intake biweekly. To ensure your goals are SMART you want to have them time-based meaning have a deadline for accomplishing the goal.

The last step to becoming the new you is to get started and stick to it! Research has indicated it takes 66 days to develop a habit, not a month. That sounds like a lot of opportunities to get it wrong and miss some milestones. Let’s be honest, it is! YOU WILL make mistakes. YOU WILL miss some milestones! But don’t sit in your failure. Keeping going! These 66 opportunities give you enough time to ride that wave up and down until your goal becomes a success and forms into a habit that can change your lifestyle.

Changing is hard but it can be done. Hopefully your new goals for the year are meant to change your lifestyle and not just a moment in time. Setting SMART goals gives you the structure to be successful in making lifestyle changes. If you find setting goals and sticking to them to be too difficult, seek out help. Now go make 2020 the year of a New You!