If you are like most people, you experience a mid-afternoon slump causing a loss in energy and productivity between 2-5pm. If you find yourself relying on coffee, soda, chocolate bars or energy drinks to get you through the afternoon, you’ll be happy to know that there are definite action steps that are much healthier that you can take to reduce the loss in energy in the afternoon. I recently presented the following 10 Tips to the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce members to help enhance energy and productivity.
Opt Outside For 10 Minutes
The fresh air, Vitamin D and movement will get your blood flowing, endorphins flowing and you’ll feel so much better. Perhaps, invite a colleague and you can also Walk & Talk and get a work meeting done on the go. You’ll return to your desk feeling energized and ready to tackle the rest of the day.
Read more on Increasing Energy and Afternoon Productivity…
Last week, we discussed the 4 Most Important Tips to Winning at Fitness. There is one more thing that is critical to achieving any goal that you set and that’s making sure your Mind is Right. Many people start January with solid and positive intentions and resolutions but shortly after, sabotage their own efforts without even realizing. Everyone knows how important exercising and eating healthy is to overall health, and yet a very small percentage of people do it so where’s the disconnect? The reality is that many people consistently talk themselves out of doing something that they know they should do because there will be a challenge of some sort involved. It will require them to step out of their comfort zone, to work hard or do something they aren’t good at. The result is that tiny voice that exists in all of us that can sideline our efforts.
Remember that if you want to change your body, you have to change your mind. If you can reset your thoughts, you can transform your life.
So the next time you hear that little voice inside your head saying “If I miss this workout, it’s no big deal”, “I can always start tomorrow”, “I don’t feel like doing it – I’d rather just sit here and watch TV”, or “This one piece of cheese cake is not going to make that much of a difference”, stop your thoughts and try rephrasing them. Whenever you find yourself succumbing to negative self-talk that will take you away from achieving your goals, try this type of positive self-talk instead. Do whatever you can to convince yourself to just do what you know you need to do! Read more on Rethink How You Approach New Years Resolutions…
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
It is January 1st and human nature has many of us resolving to make some major changes in our lives. Maybe we’ll decide to start an exercise program, start eating better, quit smoking or lose a substantial amount of weight. Regardless of the goal, have you ever wondered why most people set the same New Year’s Resolutions year after year? That’s because by March 1st, 80% of people have thrown in the towel on their original ambitions. With that kind of failure rate, I’m convinced that it’s not a problem with the person but rather the process. Most people set themselves up for failure before the clock even strikes midnight because they attempt to do too much too quickly. They don’t do any planning and they have no idea how to monitor their progress. When it comes to health and fitness, your chances for success will improve dramatically if you approach things differently. Read more on 4 Most Important Tips to Winning at Fitness…
Most of us look forward to the holiday season and yet, many people also report higher levels of stress throughout the festivities…the endless responsibilities from getting your cards out, decorating the house inside and out, finding the perfect gifts for your loved ones and attending every social party and get-together can add a lot of pressure to someone’s life! Whether or not you buy into the holiday season, we all probably experience some level of stress at this time of year.
Read more on 10 Mindful Tips to Dramatically Improve Your Holidays…
Workouts tend to take a back seat during the holidays. Last week, I provided you a 31 day challenge to help keep you on track during this busy season. Today, I want to provide you a simple, at-home workout using nothing but your bodyweight that you can do anywhere, anytime. It will help keep your fitness in check, the typical holiday weight gain at bay and your spirits high during a typically stressful time of year.
You can do this workout in a variety of different ways:
- Do each exercise listed below for 1 minute for a 12 minute workout. Do this 2-3x/week
- Do each exercise listed below for 1 minute whenever you can giving yourself a number of 1 minute, mini, energy boosts throughout the day. It may take you all day to get your 12 minute workout in, but you’ll feel great knowing you got it done. Sometimes during the holidays, a minute is all you can spare!
- Or if you’re feeling super energetic, perform this workout just like the 12 Days of Christmas. The first time around, you do a 30 second plank. The 2nd time around, you do 2 Burpees and a 30 second plank. The 3rd time around, you do 3 Forward Hops, 2 Burpees and a 30 second plank. Continue until you’ve completed all 12 days of Fitness!
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Kids are back to school! Yahoo! Oops, did I say that out loud?! September is a very busy time in the fitness industry, only second to New Year’s Resolutions. Summer holidays are over, school is back in session and now it’s time for YOU! Take advantage of this natural tendency to turn over a new leaf, so to speak, and here’s a list of the Top 10 things you can easily and quickly implement in your life to “Fall back into Fitness & Fall back into YOU!”
Read more on “Turn Over a New Leaf” and “Fall Into Fitness”…
Fitness Professionals are just as busy as the average American and they struggle to get their workouts in just like everyone. Consider this…you’ve been at the gym all day working and training clients. Often, at the end of your shift, you just want to go home and the last thing you want to do is stay longer at the gym to get your own workout in. So how do Fitness Pros stick with it?
Read more on Top 10 Secret Tips The Pros Use To Get Results When Lacking Time…
Most people find themselves very busy in the summer between kids being home from school, vacations, camping, BBQs and get-togethers. This can cause even the most die-hard fitness enthusiasts to get out of their normal, consistent routine causing their fitness to suffer. But if you…..
…..focus on the staple movements, those that give you the biggest bang for your buck, you can get a lot more done in less time.
Movements that are compound, integrated, multi-muscle, and multi-joint such as squats, lunges, pull-ups, push ups etc. will allow you to continue with great progress even when your workout duration or frequency is reduced over the summer. Plus, many of these movements can be done anywhere so no excuses all summer long!
Read more on Focus On Your Staples For The Summer…
Once you decide to start a health and fitness program, sure, you can go it alone but many people report that having a group of people to work out with can provide the perfect environment for life transforming results. It’s one of the reasons for the success of the CrossFit program – Cross Fit is all about your workout community, your tribe, your workout support group. They will inspire, challenge and support you whether you are a rookie or a hardcore athlete and here’s why…
Read more on Who Are Your Fitness Peeps?…
Every year, we host a Spring Makeover Challenge for our clients to help them shed that winter layer and get in great shape for summer. Each year, I like to participate in the challenge also; first, to be right there working hard side by side with our clients; and secondly, because I too enjoy a little extra warmth in the winter and like to get rid of it in the spring. So as the challenge comes to a close and we go into maintenance or to the next level, depending on our goals, I’d like to share some of the tips that were very helpful for me this year.
Read more on Makeover Challenge…
