Last Year's Toys

Remember being a small child and having your favorite article of clothing, favorite toy or soft blanky? Do you remember how you clung to these items for comfort, fun or just pure pleasure? Were you the child whose mother had to pry the article of clothing off your body or coax your blanky away from you so it could be washed?  Did you sit in front of the washer/dryer with anticipation for your beloved to return to you?  Were you sad beyond measure when your favorite toy had to go to toy heaven?

As we grow up, the emotions of these losses stick with us, many times unconsciously.  We then practice controlling behaviors and hanging onto things and people tightly so we don't have to experience the feelings of loss.  Often, these experiences bring with them feelings of judgment, sorrow and confusion.

As adults, its important to remember that sometimes we out grow people, attitudes, beliefs, habits, etc., just like we did as children. Many times we are still in the mode of trying to get these things to fit into our lives, when in actuality, we have out-grown them and its time to let go.  New things are waiting to enter our lives but because we are still holding on we have no room for the new growth.

2016 is quickly nearing an end and many will be making those infamous new year's resolutions.  I personally am not a fan of new year's resolutions as I feel we often set ourselves up for failure.  However, most of us will go about business as usual and do what we always do because it's comfortable. We'll set the goals we think we want and move forward for a couple weeks and then...set them by the wayside. The resolution is not really working for us but  its comfortable and we will in essence sit by the washer/dryer and wait for them to return to us.

Or...we could try another option and look for what's not fitting, let it go and grow!  At times, this may be the  uncomfortable,  less likeable approach and yet, the one that has a better fit.  We Must let go of the old in order to replace it with new.  We get to practice being courageous and trusting that what we desire will find it's way to us through our changing actions and patterns.

So...as this year winds down ask yourself: What doesn't fit any longer?
Notice what comes up for you and the feelings that come with it. No judgment.  Be willing to  experiment with what fits and what doesn't. Explore why. Then...
set aside last year's stuff and make room for this year's magic.

Discover what works for you by way of fitness/ health, relationships, career, service opportunities, creativity and so on. Make small changes that fit and find yourself stepping into success and greater fulfillment and happiness.  Love how the old has served you and brought you to this new place of growth...and...let go.  Open your arms and your heart for the wonders that await you!

For those of you looking to step into more movement, join our Move it to Lose it Challenge beginning January 6, 2017.  Call the Health and Fitness Academy @ 557-2823 for more info or email me at jsaunders@mvhospital.net.

Until Next Time...Go Be Great!

Jennifer Saunders
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
Behavior Change Specialist
Reiki Energy Therapy
ButtinGear
Everyday Superhero

What are your hours made of?

            Welcome to the last 2 weeks of the “Maintain, Don’t Gain Challenge” with the Health & Fitness Academy! We hope our weekly tips and tricks have helped guide you in your journey and we are looking forward to more interaction with you as we get “moving” in 2017! Today’s tip can be applied to our current challenge as well as our up and coming one that I will touch on at the end of this post today.

A simple phrase for maintaining and or losing weight is “move more and eat less”. Although this process isn’t quite that simple, movement and exercise can be. Moving more doesn’t just mean hitting the gym or the track. Make a conscious decision to get more steps in a day by taking the stairs or parking the car farther away from the entrance. Before sitting down to Christmas dinner, round up the family and take a walk or maybe even a snowshoeing trip.

            Now, if you are in need of some guidance when it comes to how many hours of activity a week you should be getting and how to break that up into the most important parts, check out the chart below from Precision Nutrition.

            I love that this chart gives time for “Active Recovery” which is SO important when balancing physical stressors in our lives. I also really enjoy the “Rest of the time” category because I have a lot of things I love to do the rest of the time. I do, however, realize resistance training and intervals are the foundations that allow me to have fun and play the “rest of the time”, so they are a MUST in my book!

            Now, what about this next challenge and how does this apply to exercise? Well, our next challenge is a movement challenge, “Move it to Lose it”. Sign up with your hospital department or HFA trainer by the end of the year with your name, email and $15 entry fee. Each week, you’ll set aside time to perform heart rate raising activities and track how many minutes you do that for. You will report your total number of minutes to your team captain every Friday. The HFA Team will track and average your team’s minutes. The team that averages the highest number of activity minutes through 8 challenge weeks wins the cash pot! Think of how high the pot can get with an entry fee of $15 per person! Talk about some external motivation! Minutes begin Friday January 6 and end Friday March 3!

            Now that the excitement for Quarter 1 Challenge is out of the bag, get started a little early by jump starting your exercise NOW because it will only help you finish strong in the “Maintain, Don’t Gain Challenge” and start you off on the right foot for “Move It to Lose it”!

Until next time,

Hayley Earley, BS, CSCS, Pn1

hearley@mvhospital.net

            

Holiday party....foul

Dodging the Holiday Party Foul…

Holiday Party Season is upon up and I am sure that your evenings are just like mine, filled with gatherings with my friends and family, and filled with the spirit of the season….

AND FOOD!!!

Facing these gatherings when you are trying to maintain a healthy diet and reach your fitness goals can have you hiding at home in your fuzzy Christmas socks. But luckily you do not have to hide to stay on track through the holidays.

Most host/ hostesses understand that some of their guests might be watching what they eat and will prepare at least some healthier options. But in case the focus is on getting a large quantity of food out for a large party, healthy options might be limited. The best way to prepare for this (if your host/hostess is not easily offended) is to pack your own. Bring your hostess and nice gift or vegetable tray to share with everyone, and pack yourself some fresh fruits and vegetables, and good protein sources so when it is time to mingle while you piece you will be prepared with your own.

If you are worried about offending a sensitive host, here are some good party hints.

• ·         Always go for protein first, turkey, ham, and chicken are a great first addition to your plate.
• ·         Then vegetables and fresh fruit when they are available.
• ·         Steer clear of rolls and breads (theses are rarely whole grains at parties)
• ·         Limit baked goods and sugar filled candy or chocolates to 2 bites
• ·         Stay away from dips, chips, and casseroles.
• ·         Take a pass on the Alcohol….drink WATER. Keep a cup of it in your hands whenever possible.  Ice water looks just like Gin and Tonic’s or Vodka sodas and will keep others from pushing unwanted alcohol calories on you.

Remember the reason for the season is not to gain 10 lbs. but the average person does. Keep your eye on that summer swim suit, that faster 5K, or whatever fitness goals you have for your year to come.  Be good and have a Happy Holiday!!

Also our Maintain don’t gain challenge is almost over, if you are in need of any extra help to get you through the last two weeks, hit us up at the Mountain View Hospital Health and Fitness Academy. We can be reached at 208.557.2823 or email me at ghouston@mvhospital.net

The BEST Diet

As you’ve been going through this challenge, and really working on maintaining your weight over this holiday season, you might have thought, what nutrition program or “diet” is the best one? What can help me reach my goals the best/fastest/most efficiently/etc.? I have an interesting answer to this question – are you ready? There isn’t one that is the best. But – there is some good news. Keep reading to find out what this good news is.

Let’s first talk about why there isn’t a best one. Precision Nutrition has some great information on this topic, and this is some of what they have to say.

There isn’t a best diet because of many factors, such as; clients are diverse in so many ways:

• ·         Their body type
• ·         Their fitness level and body composition
• ·         Their dietary preferences and exclusions
• ·         Their budget
• ·         Their organic/conventional priorities
• ·         Their nutrition knowledge and diet history
• ·         Their time availability
• ·         Their ethnic background and heritage
• ·         Their age

With all of these ways that clients are diverse, how could there be just one diet that is best for everyone?

The good news is, many nutrition programs are more similar than they are different. Here are some similarities between many nutrition programs out there.

• ·        They ask people to care about their food and their eating. Research shows that your actual choices are probably less important than paying better attention to what you eat.
• ·         They focus on food quality because just eating better quality food will improve most people’s health significantly.
• ·         They focus on eliminating nutrient deficiencies to get more valuable nutrients in the food you eat.
• ·         They focus on controlling appetite and food intake.
• ·         They promote regular exercise.

With all of this being said, as we are finishing out the 4^th quarter challenge of “maintain, don’t gain”, don’t think that you have to find the “best” nutrition program available, instead, find one that works for YOU and that will help you focus on caring about what you eat, getting better food quality, eliminating nutrient deficiencies, controlling appetite and food intake, and promoting regular exercise. Simply said, what works for me, might not work for you. Find what works for you, that can be sustainable, and can help you get to where you want to be.

Something to keep in mind: when someone loses weight, what did the trick? Was it the lack of carbohydrates (like in the Atkins diets)? Was it that they reduced their fat intake (like in the Ornish diet)? Or was it a specific macronutrient ratio (like in the Zone diet)? The simple answer – none of the above. It was the control of the energy balance and focus on caring about what was eaten, getting better food quality, the elimination of nutrient deficiencies, the control of appetite and food intake, and promotion of regular exercise.

When it comes to eating, be smart, be mindful, be careful, and take the time to enjoy your food. Again, find what works for you! If you need help finding what might work for you, email me at mharris@mvhospital.net to set up a consultation, or call us at 208-557-2823.

Good luck with the last few weeks of the challenge! Don’t forget, the “weigh out” for the end of the challenge is January 3^rd! Put it on your calendar to stop by and get your final weight!

Until next time!

Miranda Harris, NSCA CSCS, ACSM CEP

mharris@mvhospital.net 

Small and Simple Things

It seems like there are a hundred different ways to lose weight, go with this diet or this exercise plan. Don’t eat this or only eat that, no wonder it can be frustrating and overwhelming and almost drive you to throw your hands up and grab that box of cookies and the shelf is complete despair! But have no fear Health and Fitness Academy is Here!! (Said in a manly heroic voice) Ok sorry that was a little cheesy, but in all seriousness, losing weight or trying to maintain what you have lost can be maddening. But by small and simple things are great things brought to pass, it is the daily small decisions that make a big difference not just in our overall health and weight loss goals but in life in general as well. Here are a few simple changes that you can make to start seeing the changes in yourself!

Say no to extras (sometimes)

I love cheese, and I'd eat it every day if I could. But, an easy way to cut calories is nixing or cutting the cheese from my meals twice or three times a week. A slice of cheddar adds a little more than 100 calories to a sandwich, so I'll hold the cheese and replace it with extra veggies, an onion, or some grainy mustard for added flavor. Do the same for your favorite high-fat ingredient

Get cooking with your oven

I love roasted vegetables, so anytime I turn on the oven, I almost always add a baking sheet full of vegetable to roast along with whatever I am cooking. That way, I always have a nutritional option on hand. There are so many options out there for baked veggies and best part is, it is a healthy option that tastes yummy!

Drink up

Now I know what some of you are thinking, this is not an excuse to pour an extra glass of wine or beer! I am taking about WATER here people!! At every meal, pour yourself at least 16-ounces of water to drink with a goal to finish it by the end. Doing this, of course, hydrates your body, but it also slows down your eating pace and will fill you up to help you feel satisfied. When I do this I end up consuming few calories overall!


This week try these 3 tips and see the difference that a few small changes can really make! And with it being December I can now say Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!