Guide to the Better you

  Today, we’re taking a hard look at winter weight gain.   It’s a common problem—people tend to pack on a few pounds during the winter months. But we want to fight back, and we hope you will join us.   Let’s get after this now, while winter is still in full force.   We’ll have less to deal with when the warm breezes start blowing! The good, the bad…and the solution Although winter weight gain varies from person to person, research shows the average gain to be five to seven pounds!   Some people gain this extra weight because they have Seasonal Affective Disorder—a type of winter depression.   But most of us can’t blame winter depression for our tendency to pick up extra weight during the winter months. So, why does winter weight gain happen?   According to Lawrence J. Cheskin, MD, founder and director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, it happens because we eat more and move less during the winter months 1 . This is bad news and good news.   It is bad news because

  From weekend warriors to Ironman finishers, performance is directly tied to diet.  If you want to train at the peak of your ability and recover quickly, you must be intentional about what you eat, taking care to feed your body what it needs.  Trying to work out with a body that is starving for essential nutrients will end only in frustration; and frustration eats your momentum and resolve with a voracious appetite. Make the most of every minute you work out by fueling your body sensibly.  Let’s look at the basics. Nutrition 101:  the foundation The big three nutrients that you need to be concerned with are carbohydrates, protein and fat.  An eating strategy that balances these three macro-nutrients will skyrocket your fitness results.   ·           Carbohydrates:   Some have argued that carbohydrates are the most important nutrient that an athlete consumes, because carbs fuel muscle.  Every time you move one of your muscles, you are using carbohydrates.  Your body breaks down carbs i

  How often do you hear someone say, “I had a great night’s sleep last night!” or “I feel refreshed and energetic!”?   Probably not very often.   Feeling sluggish seems to be the new normal.   In fact, according to the National Sleep Foundation, it is the new normal:   most Americans are sleep-deprived.   But not getting enough sleep may be causing more trouble for you than just that pesky drowsy feeling:   it could be seriously harming your health. Why aren’t we sleeping? Centuries ago, it was common for people to sleep 8 to 9 hours each day.   But now, only about 25% of Americans get 8 or more hours of sleep.   The reasons we are not sleeping are many.   We live in a 24/7 society—practically anything we want to do is available around the clock, from fitness centers to pharmacies to department stores.   We are working long hours, transporting our kids to activities, trying to make time for friends and fitness and entertainment.   When the heat is on, the first thing to go is us

  Visualization, done right, can be extremely powerful in achieving any goal.   As you think about your goals for the New Year, take into consideration the following… Using your intellectual factor of imagination see yourself already in possession of your goal.   Picture yourself with the healthy and fit body you desire, and literally feel what it is like to have it.   You cannot achieve anything in your “outer world” until you first see it in your “inner world.” Is Visualization for Real? In one of the most well known studies on Creative Visualization in sports, Russian scientists compared four groups of Olympic athletes in terms of their training schedules: ·       Group 1 had 100% physical training ·       Group 2 had 75% physical training with 25% mental training ·       Group 3 had 50% physical training with 50% mental training ·       Group 4 had 25% physical training with 75% mental training.     The results showed that Group 4, with 75% of their time devoted