R is for Ready, Set, Yoga

I just love Autumn. The things I love most about this season are the beautiful weather, the colors, the outdoor energy (fairs, outdoor musical events), the fashion and the workout opportunities. Autumn is a perfect time to fall back into fitness. So let's make sure to get that heart pumping and keeping our minds and bodies healthy.

Wherever You Are

The gym may not be for everyone. It might seem too tight and confined for some who find joy working out in other places.

Running or weight lifting may not be for everyday.  It is good to do, but maybe adding different types of exercises to your lifestyle that also affect different muscles in your body, might not only enhance the experience, but keep your mind geared toward continuing on your fitness journey.

So how about taking your workouts outside!

Ready, Set, Yoga

Have you ever tried yoga?  It is a great exercise that can stretch every muscle in your body and also make you more flexible.  What I found to be great about yoga is that it teaches you how to breathe effectively so that when you are doing harder cardio workouts, you find the breathing process to be much easier.

Yes, yoga is meditational and yes it can bring you peace of mind. No, not all forms of yoga will put you to sleep and yes, your body can actually benefit from it. And it is a great exercise to do anyplace and at anytime.

Some questions you might be wondering is, how many downward dogs do I have to do for it to be considered yoga? Can I snap my neck doing head or shoulder stands?  Do I actually need a mat to do yoga? Following an instructor is best at the beginner stage. Guidance is helpful to get a hang of different yoga positions; but once you get a hang of it, anytime and anyplace a yogi sees fit.

I took it outside to Canarsie Pier and in the midst of my time there, I realize I did not really need a mat at all.  Through this experience, I have now found a name for my car: YOGAMAT.

 

This post was inspired by MAMAKAT's writing prompt on the five things I love most about fall. The top love would be working out though there is not really a season that is dedicated to it; it is an everyday passion.  This post was also inspired by National Name Your Car Day which falls on October 2, 2014 this year. Fun idea to use these  images to come up with a name for my vehicle.  (Photos are courtesy of EJ Haughton Photography)

Q is for Quantum Zumba

It doesn't take much to get a quick workout in. I found out how true that idea is this past Saturday at the Apollo Harlem Healthy Soul Fair that took place on W 126th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Blvd and Frederick Douglass. 

A stage was setup where Zumba and fitness classes were being held by Shakeup NYC, the New York Knicks Dancers and more; and all passers by could take part. In 20 minutes, not only did we work up a sweat shimmying and doing the quick foot among other dances, but we each burned over 100 calories. Can I say, ENERGY!!! Not bad for a quick workout that was also fun! 

Add something different to your workout daily so that it doesn't start to wear off its effectiveness, become redundant and boring or make you lose interest.  Zumba fitness adds that type of energy for me; different songs each time, a variety of dance moves and zumba's enjoyable nature.

Did you know that Emblem Health offers free fitness classes that is open to the public? You do not need to be enrolled in an expensive gym to workout. If you are interested in achieving a better lifestyle, visit http://www.ehnc.com for a full calendar of free health and fitness related events. Also, there are many free workout classes you can find on-line by accessing youtube. You'd be surprise at the quality of fitness classes offered that are full-length and very good. 

It doesn't take much to get your fitness on. The key to it is just doing it! 

P is for Push

There is no time or place designed that is designed as the only time and place to push. Push wherever you are and whenever you feel like you are ready and you need a little push in your life.

Who?

Anybody who desires to workout and are equipped with the willpower, the success will be yours.

What?

Achieving quality health and fitness is not an easy thing. It requires work and dedication. It requires belief in yourself and faith in God's power to enable you to make it happen. So push! Know that you can do it and never allow any comment, thought of failure, impatience over seeing other progressing faster than you or anything, make you lose your ground. You set your parameters and you fellow your own path and accomplish your fitness goals, your way.  But just know, it takes time. So be patient, stick with it and see results.

Where?

At your desk?  You get tired of sitting, stand up and stretch your legs for a minute and let your muscles work a little beyond the fingers that are typing on the keyboard.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator.  If you work on the second floor, it is just a few steps down to the first.  Are we being lazy or is it really necessary to let the electronics of man do the work that the legs God created for you can do more efficiently?  Go out and take a walk during your lunch break. Or maybe go for a quick workout at the nearby gym.  30 minutes may not seem like much of a workout but,  30 minutes a day of cardiovascular exercise increases your heart health tremendously.

At home? You do not need a gym to workout. Grab two of your heaviest bottles of hair conditioning treatments or corona bottles and use them as weights while you are watching television.  Do a few bicep curls with them, some tricep extensions and maybe some shoulder twists. Pretend you have a rope in your hand and just jump like you would skip rope.  During each television commercial break while watching the evening news or your favorite television show, do squats through the duration of one commercial, lunges through the next one, pushups or tricep dips during the next one and maybe some torso twists through the next one until the show you are watching comes back from the commercial break.

When?

In the morning?  I find that working out gives me energy like coffee does. So in the morning is not so bad for me to go for a morning walk or jog through the park, to do some Nintendo Wii Zumba or Just Dance dancing, or to get on to the elliptical machine at the gym. But if you are not such a morning person, maybe during midday is not so bad.  Working out before you eat is the best thing because after you work up an appetite, you are giving yourself a great treat. However if you eat immediately before, you are setting yourself up for getting those cramps on the side of your stomach that some people call stitches, while you work out.  But maybe you are not the type who likes to workout and then continue the hustle and bustle of the day. How about right after work? Try walking home from wherever you are on purpose. Most people will volunteer to walk the five miles for a benefit walkathon. How about using this walk to benefit your own heart and health?  You'll be surprised how you can shed and tighten your belly by just regularly walking a mile or two. But maybe you have a lot to do at home and you want to rush.  How about right before bed?  So you are tired and you lay down but not tired enough to close your eyes and fall asleep at a decent hour.  Work out and make yourself so tired that you have not option but to honor your body.  There is always a time so make time because nobody else can spend their time on bettering your own expensive health for you. Only you can.

 

Why?

Because it is your health. Because your body is God's temple. Because you want to achieve better  heart health. Because you do not want to be pre- or borderline any diseases caused by your own eating habits. Because you can. Because you want to.

How?

O is For Oh Carbs!

Oh Carbs!

I remember a few years back. I tried this all meat diet that my friend was doing. You could consume as much meat as you want in a given day, but absolutely no carbs and with this diet, lose 10 pounds in a week. 

I was also going to the gym heavily at that time and would hurry from work to Ballys every night. But during the time, I was trying that very diet. 

I did my same daily routine: after work, hit to the gym, got on the treadmill and started running; only to be left feeling like I was about to pass out. The diet is a great idea if you need to lose pounds quickly and are not going to be physically active, but if you are, carbs are important to your diet. Gives you that needed energy. 

But I Gave Up Eating Carbs!

Okay, I admit it! I stopped eating bread, rice and pasta to achieve losing weight but there are more to carbs than just bread, rice and pasta. Are we forgetting that the nutritional food charts tell us that fruit and vegetable consumption are important parts of our diets? These are carbs as well and are important because they provide us with energy. So it was not so much giving up carbs; it was more about sticking to a low carb diet instead. 

So Here's an Idea!

It's summertime and we are all about to get into some heavy eating at barbecues and going to fish fries and other summertime gathering events. But you do not have to skip out on all the delicious food items our friends and families will have spread out on their tables. Instead improvise. 

Remember that too much of anything is no good. So to an all meat diet, I say not my thing because we get cholesterol from products made from animals. I do not want to ever suffer from cholesterol issues and be told later by a doctor, what I need to restrict in order to survive from unnecessary diseases caused by eating. It's a different world to do something willingly as opposed to by force or to improve health issues. So here's a thought; If you know you are going to four barbecues in the weekend, maybe you can skip on meat items during the weekdays and instead have other healthy proteins like beans, nuts, or soy. 

And yes,  I agree! Carbs do give us energy. But don't get it twisted that on a picnic table, the only carb you can add to a burger for the energy you are seeking will derive from bread. Then what are tomatoes? Aren't they carbs? Can the bread and instead, add your favorite toppings and enjoy! Still great; just without the high carb item. 

Here are Some Other Summertime Food Ideas That Might Be Helpful

1. For every other drink, let it be room temperature water. 

Ex. Wine cooler, room temperature water, frozen margarita, room temperature water, lemonade, room temperature water, iced coffee, room temperature water. This way, you stay not only bring refreshed with tasty drinks but also hydrated with this necessary element. I say room temperature because this is the temperature which water digests in our bodies. So if you ever come to a point where you are dying for water and are in need of some immediately, make sure to skip the ice for a quick reparation.

2. Juice is great, but choose juices that are 100% juice. If you are wondering why, read nutrition labels and compare the sugar content for a drink that is 100% juice to one that isn't. 

3. It's not too hot to get in your kitchen and do some good old fashioned cooking. And if it is, go outside and grill. More home cooked than store/restaurant bought food. Less fat and better quality eating.

4. Eat plenty of fruits. Grapes have lots of water in them. You want energy, energize with grapes. Good and tasty eat.

Links on Carbs

List of Carbs http://detoxdoll254.blogspot.com 

Naked Burger Paleo Diet http://thatpaleodiet.com/post/51908675072/naked-burger

How to Make a Bunless Burger http://www.ehow.com/how_2307860_make-bunless-burger.html

Benefits of Eating Carbs http://www.livestrong.com/article/504219-four-important-benefits-of-carbohydrates/

N is for Saying No to Things you Gave Up for Your Lifestyle

Negating alcohol from your diet means you are not having any, even if your family and friends all around you are.

For one, it is full of sugar and you want to cut down your sugar intake if taking your balanced nutrition seriously. Also it dehydrates you and somehow slows down the digestive system. Finally, one mixed drink has about the same amount of calories as one three course meal does, depending on what you are having. If you are trying to stick to a low calorie diet, that is definitely something meant to consider.

 But it's not the easiest thing to let go of. If you like alcohol, you probably drink it more than just socially. Cutting down little by little helps. But so does being strong and sticking to your decision. 

So here are a few ways to say no without seeming "obsessed with fitness"

So you gave up alcohol? Sure it tastes good and it is a great social drink. AHA even says a glass of wine a day is good for the heart. But you decide it is not in agreement with your lifestyle. And just then, a beautiful person who is used to seeing you as the life of the party, offers you a drink.

You could say 

A. Alright. Get me a cranberry and ginger ale mixed

Or

B. No thank you, I'm driving. 

You could say 

A. I no longer drink alcohol. But you could get me a bottled water 

Or

B. I'm already naturally potent. What good would alcohol do? And laugh . . .

Either way, you'd be telling the truth. 

N is for saying no to things you like. 

Alphabets of Fitness: M is For Staying Motivated

When it comes to trying to attain fitness, remember it is not an overnight thing. It takes time, persistence and true motivation. 

Keep going and never give up on your goals. 

Motivation means everything to a person seeking that one thing that is definitely something worth fighting for. 

With that in mind, here are some links you might enjoy to help you to stay motivated:

Fitness Challenges http://www.challengeloop.com/ideas/topic/health-fitness

My Journey to Fitness http://ilheartmyhair.blogspot.com/2014/03/i-am-changing.html

Blending Fitness Into Your Life http://fitbittwist.blogspot.com/2014/01/alphabets-of-fitness-b-is-for-blending.html

Thank you so much for reading my blog post. Have a wonderful weekend. 

Alphabets of Fitness: L is for "Living to Eat vs Eating to Live" (apoem)

To start off National Poetry a Month, this poem on health and fitness is dedicated to my friend.  

                                               

It is easier to decide to change your ways on your own than to be told you have to.  You have more patience with moving forward with your own intention than to be forced to make a step you never thought you'd have to. It is easier to eliminate something because you really want to than to be restricted from it because than you struggle to.

Trust me; I have been through it and I know it is not easy. But if you truly want to do the right thing for your own health; just do it! Prayerfully this poem will inspire as opposed to offend anybody going through food related health issues as I did. 

                                 Living to Eat vs Eating to Live (a poem)

                               

Live to eat

And live to see

The doctor screen

For unnecessary diseases

That you can avoid 

By making the choice

To eat to live

As needed

We can live to eat

And see our feet

Only when over bending

What our big bellies are covering

Trust me, I know

It was not long ago

When food controlled me

Got the best of me

But then

I decided that

When I got to bat

I had to combat

To get control back

For even if I love to eat

I won't allow food to defeat

My health to live

Because without my health, I have nothing 

So eat to live

Controllably

Portion control is

Eating responsibly

And following doctor's orders

For if they restrict for your chances

Of living another day

Don't let food take that possibility away

Instead change your habits

Add fruits and vegetables to your diet

Eat less fats and fried

And surely, exercise

For health is not for beauty

But meant to be taken seriously

Sure we might be okay as is

But you only have your own heart to win

So make sure to keep it pumping healthy

And keep your heart beating steady

And keep your plate looking balanced

And eat more salads

Not saying fun shouldn't be had

But if you live to eat fast

You might be headed down a path

That only controlling your eating can patch

I dedicate this to you my friend

And blessings and a prayer extend 

For power over your ailments

Yes you can

Even if you say you don't want to

Because the items doctors say are not you

Just know that God's got you

Don't let bad eating habits defeat you!