Fed up or Fed on?

Yesterday I was having one of those, I wanna get away from it all, moments and Calgon's "take me away" didn't seem like a good fit.  So instead, I packed my Coleman, some food, my daughter and a friend and headed to the hills.  Ahhh Nature, I could hear it calling my name. We landed on the shoreline of the Snake River near Kelly Canyon where the world seemed to fall away. Just what the doctor ordered!

We grilled some scrumptious, even if I did forget the seasonings,  Munster (or Monster as we like to call it) cheese burgers. We sat under the Russian Olive trees shaded from the hot sun, watched the river, smelled the smells and laughed as we ate our burgers. Then it was time to move.

We went to go on a walk that took us across an outlet of the river and quickly discovered what the rushing water sound was we had been hearing. The long concrete slab we previously walked along was now the underside of a rushing waterfall.  It wasn't deep but it was fast and after taking a few slippery,cold & cautious steps, I knew it could easily swoosh me away.  This made my decision to turn around to dry land a little easier.  Not to mention my daughter and friend nervously saying my name cause they were nervous and thought I might just try to go further. Not even a thought.  Ok, maybe it was but my safety senses were on high alert. 

We chose another path and enjoyed a gentle walk along the river, enjoying the sights and sounds of our surroundings. At the end of our walk we climbed a huge rock outcropping where we knew there was a somewhat disgusting, neon green pond.  We knew this because on our last adventure to this spot we threw rocks into it to see how deep and sticky the slime was.

As my daughter and I were atop the rock looking down we noticed that there was growth happening in this grossly green pond. We talked about how even in the stagnant pond there were things feeding off it and growth happening.  Behind us we could see and hear the river.  It was flowing quickly and clear with nothing growing on the top.  It too brings life and shares it with others in pleasant and healthy ways.  It doesn't hang onto things or stay in one place for even a moment.  It flows!

Which are you being at this point in your life?  The stagnant pond that is stopped by boundaries and hanging onto all the old crap in your life that allows others to feed off of and things to grow that probably are not in your best interest.  There is beauty in it cause it has that nice green hue to it. However, there is the stink.  Crazy how we can become so comfortable and attached with this creation in our lives that we choose to stay "stuck" and continue to be miserably happy in the green goo.

Or...are you the river, rushing along the banks, moving things around and enjoying your journey downstream that leads you to bigger waters?  Here you grow as you move and join other waters. You may break off into an outlet for an adventure before rejoining the main flow.  You feed others clean waters and allow healthy growth which can them be shared with more others. Think fish, crawdads, shrimp, edible water plants and such...all parts of a healthy diet and lifestyle.  Just saying. :) There is nothing stagnant and you are ever changing and experiencing countless new adventures as you tumble, bubble, laze and even roar as you flow.

Take a look at what you are creating in your life.  Is it getting you to where you desire to be?  Are you willing to take some steps to flow or is fear gripping you by the arm (or whole body) and keeping you stagnant?  If you are ready to start flowing and growing and moving towards your desires, especially in the Health & Fitness areas of your life, we can assist you.

Visit the Personal Trainers as Mountain View Hospital's Health and Fitness Academy where we have a trainer to fit your needs. Everything from Athletic Training to Life Coaching and so much in between. Let us assist you in taking down the dams and start the flow of a stream that will move to a creek and then a river and beyond.  Go ahead...Jump in...the water is cool and refreshing and oh so inviting. You can even wear your life jacket if needed at first. :)

Until Next time,

Go BE Great!

Jennifer Saunders

ACE Personal Trainer

ButtinGear

Reiki Energy

Intuitive Life Coaching

Kick some BUTT!

Time to kick some BUTT!!!

Saddlebags, flat-butt, or “the connector” whichever issue you have we hear it time and time again in the gym. You want to look as good going as you do coming. In the 80s and 90s we had the era cardiovascular training which fashioned itself after the skinny-no hips women in spandex and matching headbands. All of that cardio created a Bull market for flat butt woman and brought is things like Chic jeans and Wranglers. This trend also started to create some functional issues. Low back pain and injury skipped happily singing through local gyms and chiropractic practices took off. Why? Because Low back pain and lower body injuries can be the result of delayed and reduced gluteal activation. Second cousin to this are problems with compensation issues in the hamstrings, hips, and low back. Muscle groups are not built like rows of houses with easements and yards separating the two, they are apartment buildings with joint power, water, and lighting systems so if one unit has an issue it will always trickle down to the other tenants. Thankfully the 21^st century has brought fitness trends back to the weight room. This trend started in the weight rooms of athletic departments and it was not long before the general public wanted to know why tiny gymnasts to NFL linebackers where all lift weights. Strength, that was the key word, everyone wants it and it is the fastest way to prevent injury. It also did not hurt that trainer also started teaching gym rats that extra muscle cells mean higher metabolisms and higher success with weight loss and body shaping.

“Twin Powers Activate!” (Bad 80s reference) get it? There are two….and they should match….

Activating the gluteal muscles would seem like second nature, but it isn’t. When I started working as a personal trainer I never had any idea how often I would have to talk about the butt. So many people pay little or no attention to what their gluteus are doing and we use them in almost every exercise so here is how we activate them.

                Gluteal muscles are a group of four muscles. Three of these muscles make up the butt. Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medias, and Gluteus minimus. Then finally anterior and lateral to these is the tensor fasciae latae muscles (say that three times fast). First step to building a stronger backside is to active those gluteal muscles that have had way too much time in your office chair or on your couch. I want you to start with these three basic stretches;

First the “Cobra”

Lying on your stomach put the palms of your hands down flat on the floor directly under your shoulders. Take a deep breath, and then press your chest away from the floor while trying to keep your hips and pelvis on the floor. Hold this for 15 seconds then go back to the starting position. Repeat 10 times

 

Next comes the Hip Flexor stretch

Start in a kneeling position with your front foot flat on the floor and the knee of your back leg on the floor. Walking your front foot into a deep lunge press your hips down toward the floor and forward stretching the hip on your back leg. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds then back to your starting position. Repeat 10 times with each leg.

 

And finally the Single leg hip bridge

Lying on your back with both knees bent and feet flat on the floor, extend one leg out straight then extend your hips toward the ceiling using your bent leg. Hold this position for 15 seconds then return to your starting position. Repeat 10 times with each leg.

 

Now that you have properly activated your gluteal muscles it is time to start strengthening and toning a great posterior.  Come closer and I will tell you the super-secret exercises that will help develop a great looking behind….. Squats, Lunges, and Dead lifts. I KNOW!! It’s crazy. The trainers at Health and Fitness Academy know how to perform these exercises with proper form in hundreds of different ways and would be happy to help you strengthen your glute, Low back, and core to fight of the dreaded “Connector”. We can be reached at 208.557.2823 or email me directly at ghouston@mvhospital.net.

How Should I Feel?

Do you know what it feels like to be full? Hungry? Thirsty? Grumpy? Happy? Excited? Emotions…emotions…emotions! Feelings…feelings…feelings!

Healthy Habit #1     Eat Slowly & Stop at 80% Full

            Both are much harder for me than I anticipated, especially when I first learned about them and their impact on fat loss. I have improved but still struggle to stay plugged in to my thoughts, emotions, and feelings as I eat. I am a fast paced adrenaline junkie and I struggle to slow myself down enough to listen to what my body is telling me.

            SO…what is a girl to do? How should I feel? Check out the Precision Nutrition timeline below that helped me identify my “feelings”.

The “How You Should Feel” timeline

Today you’re going to eat what you feel is a “typical” meal and then observe how you feel immediately after finishing and every hour afterward. If you’ve eaten the right amount for fat loss, you might feel like this:

0hour         Immediately after

                        You’re probably still a little hungry. It will take roughly 15-20 minutes to get a sense of satisfaction from a meal. If you’re a fast eater, wait it out before you go for more.

1hour           One hour after finishing

                        You should still feel satisfied with no desire to eat another meal.

2hours        Two hours after finishing

                        You may start to feel a little hungry, like you could eat something, but the feeling isn’t overwhelming.

3hours        Three to four hours after finishing

                        You should feel like it’s time for the next meal. Your hunger should be around a 7 or 8 out of 10 (where 10 is the hungriest you’ve ever been), but may be more or less depending on when you exercises and what your daily physical activity level is.

                        Not really hungry yet? You likely had too much food at your previous meal.

4hours        More than four hours after finishing

                        You’re quite hungry, like nothing is getting between you and the kitchen. You’re at 8 or 9 out of 10. This is when the “I’m so hungry I could eat anything” feeling appears.

            Obviously, if you let your hunger get this far you may make poor choices.

Oh that last statement is VERY true for me! Ask anyone that knows me well and they’ll say “Hayley gets grumpy, quite, and withdrawn when she hasn’t had enough to eat or has waited too long”. Then, once I’ve rebooted with my nutrition they’ll likely say, “There she is! Welcome back!”

So…do you know how you feel? I encourage you to take a day and experiment with your feelings, compare them to this timeline, and journal them.

**Email your journal day of feelings to me at hjones@mvhospital.net for a chance to win a FREE 30 minute nutrition session!**

Until next time,

Hayley Jones, BS, CSCS, Pn1

hjones@mvhospital.net

           

Exercise, weight loss, and fun.... All about perspective?

                In a recent study, researchers examined the relationship between physical activity and consequent food intake. Two groups of women were given the task of going on a 30 minute walk.  The first group was given a 1-mile course map with instructions to record their energy level at points along the way. The second group was given the map and an MP3 player with instructions to record the quality of sound at the same stopping points. Both groups were served lunch following the experiment, and researchers recorded the food choices of each participant. They found that the women who believed they were walking for exercise made poorer for choices and ate more total calories than the second group.

                This got me thinking about my exercise habits and perspective. Although my goal isn’t always necessarily weight loss, I consistently find myself focusing on what I am getting out of exercise rather than simply enjoying it. I think this can be most relatable in terms of running. For most, running is a means of weight loss, and is always measured in terms of distance, time, or calories burned. Nearly every run I go on is chance to beat my time or reach a certain distance, and inevitably, I burnout. It’s exhausting to put that much pressure on yourself! In my experience, the constant work-reward relationship between exercise and diet inevitably becomes overwhelming. There tends to be so much focus on burning enough calories to account for food intake, it is easy to forget how enjoyable exercise can be.

                The next time you go for a run, try this: Find a neat place to run you haven’t been before, don’t bring a watch, and don’t pick a route. Settle into a nice pace and go wherever your feet take you. Make sure to take the time to enjoy your surroundings and let your mind wander. When you are done, take a second to evaluate how you feel. A little different, relaxing maybe? Who knows, maybe after taking up a new perspective on exercise, you may be surprised by the results!

Give it a try!

The study mentioned above is one of three in the article. If you are interested in reading further, here is the link:

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11002-014-9301-6#page-1