Exercises You Can Do In The Office

 

Some days, we barely have enough time to exercise while other times you just want to get some exercise done because you need it. If you work in an office, you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk in a cubbyhole or in a small office.  Often times, you are expected to work without taking much of a break but there are things you can do to fit in a bit of exercise here and there, even in an office.

Many of these exercises can be done with little to no equipment.  The first few exercises require the use of a chair, one without wheels.  First is one for the triceps.  Sit with  a chair behind you, Put your palms on the chair, with fingers facing away from you, with your feet on the ground in front of you. Raise yourself up so your arms are straight up with your bottom is off the ground.  Then lower yourself till you are almost parallel to the ground before returning to the starting position.  Repeat this 10 times.

Next try a desk pushup.  You want to stand so your hands are on the front edge of the desk with your feet two to three feet away.  Your hands should be slightly wider than your shoulders with your arms straight. Lower yourself slowly till your chest is almost to the desk, then return to the starting position.  Repeat 10 times.

Then try some calf raises.  Stand by the desk or your chair, resting your hands on either the top of the chair or the desk.  Rise onto your toes, hold at the top of the rise for a couple of seconds, and then return to having flat feet.  Repeat 10 times.  

A nice exercise for your lower legs is to perform a squat.  Stand so your chair is right behind your feet.  Slowly sit down till you are almost in the chair before standing up. Repeat at least 10 times.  Follow this with a plank where you lean on either the chair or the desk so your feet are straight out behind you.  Your forearms are on the chair or desk with the fingers clasped together.  Hold this position for 10 seconds.  Then shift slightly to do a side plank by having only one forearm on the chair or desk and have your body straight.  Raise the other hand towards the ceiling and hold for 10 seconds.  Repeat on the other side.

These few exercises can be done during a short break so they won't take time out of your daily schedule and they will leave your feeling so much better.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

The Leaves Love The Ground.

 Next step - piles to jump in.

It's Fall

 The leaves are turning and........

What Is A Flexitarian Diet?

 

It seems like every time you turn around, there is some new diet fad raging through the population.  There is paleo, keto, vegan, vegetarian, whole foods, and so many more.  Personally, I've been following a vegetarian diet because it works well for me.  Over the past year or so, I've been seeing the term flexitarian, so I thought it was time to investigate that particular term.  

By definition, flexitarian is a combination of the two terms - flexible and vegetarian.  It does allow you to enjoy animal products some of the time, so its not as strict as some of the other diets.

As far as diets go, it is considered among the healthiest diets, just behind the Mediterranean diet. because it is simple, straightforward, and healthy.  It isn't as fussy as some other diets.  This way of eating has you consuming a lot of beans, grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts but you are allowed to enjoy the occasional piece of meat.  This is great for those who cannot give up their meat entirely.

In addition, this is not a typical diet with a start and stop date.  It does not require you to weigh or measure every serving but it does place a larger emphasis on a plant based diet with less saturated fats and such.  There are some restrictions on the amount of meat you eat during the week and that mainly depends on how much meat you eat.  The recommended amount is between 9 and 28 ounces of meat per week.  So being a flexitarian has you cutting down on the amount of meat you eat per week.

This diet has three stages to help ease you into being a full time flexitarian.  The first step is to skip eating meat, twice a week.  Instead replace the meat with some sort of plant based dish like beans and rice, meatless pasta, or even pizza without any meat.  So instead of eating meat 7 nights a week, you'll only have it 5 nights.

The second stage has you cutting back on meat even further so you enjoy a full vegetarian diet for three to four days a week.  On the days you eat meat, you shouldn't have more than a total of 18 ounces.  To give you an idea of size, a playing card sized piece of chicken or steak is about 3 ounces.  The final stage requests you enjoy a full vegetarian diet for 5 of the days.  On the other 2 days, you shouldn't consume more than a total of 9 ounces.  So about 4.5 ounces each day.

As far as the meat you consume, it is recommended you eat organic, free-range, pasture raised, or grass fed beef, chicken, or turkey.  No matter what, look at the leaner parts so you are not eating that much fat.  If you like fish, look at eating fish that is caught in the wild rather than farmed.

Some of the benefits include decreased heart disease, weight loss, decreased risk of diabetes 2, and being healthier overall.  Be aware though that when you cut back on eating meat, you might find you are deficient in iron, B12, zinc, or calcium.  

Make sure you chose to eat foods that have undergone the least amount of processing, with no added sugar or extra salt, Otherwise enjoy fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, grains, plant based milks, etc so you get the best diet you can eat. It is important to replace meat with these items and not just stock up on frozen pizza, and canned pasta.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great time.

Ways To Become Mentally Fit

In todays world it is easy to eat properly, exercise regularly, but we sometimes forget to keep our selves mentally fit.  It is especially important as you age so you delay getting dementia or Alzheimer's and are able to age gracefully.  Today we'll look at ways you can become mentally fit and maintain that fitness.  

When we are mentally fit, we have more opportunity to respond to a specific situation, thus causing us less emotional or relational injury. An example might be when you are with a friend who says something to you in anger.  Normally, you want to immediately respond in kind but if you are mentally fit, you have the opportunity to pause and think about how you will respond so you may not have to mend fences later.

The advantages of being mental fit include being present so we are better able to retain information, listen better and enjoy life more, helps us respond rather than react because we have more control over automatic thoughts, improved cognitive functionality, have a more positive outlook so we are more optimistic, much more positive while developing positive habits, and finally, sleep better at night.

There are several ways we can become mentally fit.  This means we exercise our brains by practicing mindfulness through meditation or other process. Think about doing this about 10 to 15 minutes every single day.  Notice if any thoughts pass by and if you need to reframe them from negative to positive.  In addition, start a gratitude journal where you list things you are grateful for.  It might be as simple as listing 3 positive things that happened during the day.

Start exercising regularly since the mind and body are connected. Working out helps relax the mind while releasing tension and stress. Drink lots of water every single day and include lots of fruits and vegetables in your diet as all of these help your brain. Use your mind to determine three things you did during the day such as moving from sitting to standing - knowing when you did it.  This is something we do automatically and it helps us become more aware of our thinking.

Practice savoring your first cup of coffee, the sun rise, eating a meal, or even crawling into bed after a long day.  This is a way to slow down and enjoy something you might otherwise rush through. You might also want to sit down, notice your breath so you are more aware of yourself.  Take your time, enjoy yourself.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

Food Myths Debunked!

 

Food.  Glorious Food. Most of us have a bit of a love hate relationship with it in that we love the food but we don't want to eat too much.  I enjoy cooking but since there is only really me, its hard to make much of it at once.  I love trying new recipes but I still have the things my mom told me in the back of my mind.  Some of these things fall within the food myth category.

One of those myths I heard growing up is the one that there is nothing better than fresh produce for your health.  My mother mentioned it a lot as she commented that she couldn't afford all the fresh produce and had to use either canned or frozen since it lasted longer.  There is research out there that says that canned, frozen, or dried produce can be as good as fresh.  It is important to read labels to make sure there is no added sugar, salts, or oils that make an otherwise healthy item into something that isn't as healthy.

Along this vein is the idea that one should only use unrefined sugars such as honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar because they are healthier due to have additional vitamins and minerals. That isn't quite true because the amount of vitamins and minerals are extremely small and they are a sugar.  Sugar is sugar no matter what and too much is not good for us.

There is also a rumor out there that says one must cut out all fat because it is better for your heart and overall health.  The food industry has replaced fat with sugar and salt to help maintain the flavor lost when the fat was taken out. In fact, it is important to consume healthy fats so you have energy, are able to absorb certain nutrients, to support cell function while helping to produce certain hormones.  

Of course, my mother was great at following the rule about counting calories to lose or maintain weight but it isn't calories that is the only thing to look at.  It is much more important to eat healthy foods.  Look at quality over quantity.  I saw a infographic that showed a small plate.  Half of it was devoted to veggies and greens, one quarter to grains etc, and the last quarter to protein as the best way to eat.  

There is another myth that if you want to lose weight you avoid all carbs.  Many of these low carb diets restrict or eliminate all fruit and grains which are good for you. If people eliminate processed carbohydrates found in cookies, cakes, or soda, they are likely to lose weight.  It is not good when a diet eliminates one class of food.

One thing my doctor told me was that I couldn't eat anything white including potatoes.  I was not allowed to have any potatoes because they aren't good for my health.  According to John Hopkins, potatoes are good for you with Vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and other nutrients but they should be eaten with the skins on because the skins have nutrients. They should be fixed by baking, air frying, boiling, and roasting.  Furthermore, they are available in the grocery store year round.

Another myth is that certain foods such as apple cider vinegar, grapefruit juice, or cayenne peppers will help your body burn calories.  There are no foods which will make your body burn more calories. What really happens is that diets recommending these foods eliminate others and that is what causes your body to lose weight.  When you add the missing foods back in, you are likely to gain the weight back.

These are just some of the food myths out there.  Remember, check to see if the food advice you get is actually good or a myth.  You want to take the best care of yourself and want to eat as healthy as possible.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

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