Guide to the Better you

  Chances are you’ve been pulling out some of your spring and summer clothing—those favorite pieces from last year.   But if you are like many people, they don’t feel quite as comfortable as they did at the end of summer.   The zipper is a little harder to zip, and the fit is a bit too snug to be attractive.   What happened? The mindless margin happened. The mindless margin In his book, Mindless Eating:   Why We Eat More Than We Think , Dr. Brian Wansink defines the mindless margin as that margin or zone in which we can slightly overeat or slightly under eat without even realizing it. It is very easy to slightly overeat, isn’t it?   How many times have you passed through the kitchen and spied a half cookie lying on the baking pan?   It’s only a half cookie, so you grab it and eat it as you keep walking. Or what about refilling your soda cup on your way out of the restaurant after lunch?   Just a little for the road… Have you ever cleaned your plate simply because there wa

  Other than New Year’s, there is probably no other time during the year that motivates us to make a fresh start like springtime does.   When the warm breezes start blowing, we want to throw open the windows and let the rebirth all around us revitalize our homes and our spirits. Because it seems natural to clean out the old during this time of year, it’s a great time to come face to face with our excuses for not getting fit and healthy.   Excuses pile up just like the clutter that we accumulate in our houses, but it’s time to come clean. What is your excuse for not choosing health? I don’t have the time to exercise:   This is likely one of the most common excuses.   You are busy.   You have to work all day (or all night), you have to get the kids to school, you have to cook dinner, go to the grocery store, mow the lawn, change the oil in the car, care for your aging parents—there is simply no time for exercise. Really?   Consider this. If you do not exercise, you will almost

This past Sunday, March 13th , marks the date we changed our clocks in observance of Daylight Saving Time.   On this day, most U.S. residents will move their clocks forward one hour, resulting in more daylight at the end of each day.   Many people dread this “spring forward” tradition, because it means getting one less hour of sleep.    But you can take advantage of the upcoming time change to help you improve your overall fitness and health routine.   The effect of daylight The sunlight has a profound impact on our bodies, particularly two hormones that control mood and energy:   serotonin and melatonin .   Serotonin tends to boost mood and energy, while melatonin tends to make you feel sleepy.   Too much of it can even lead to depressed feelings in some people.   Winter depression is a common disorder that many people suffer with during the long, dark winter months, and it is often directly tied to the effect of less daylight, less serotonin and too much melatonin. When sun

  Hey, how are those fitness resolutions going? It's been quite some time since January 1st, and I'm sure that you're feeling great about the new year and the opportunities it brought. But how many of us have actually stuck to our fitness goals for more than a week or two? How many managed to maximize our physical development results? If the answer is "not me," then this blog post is for you. The new year is right around the corner so if you want to optimize your progress and smash your new year's resolutions way before the new year even started, keep reading this as we give you our best tips to get you through to your goals. #1 Plan Ahead If you think about it, fitness is quite predictable, especially if you have a specific, well-thought-out plan of action. So before you rush into doing the things you have to do to improve physically and mentally, you have to, well, know what you're doing! Think about the end results you want to achieve