By March 15th, half of all New Year’s Resolutioners will have quit the pursuit of their goals. This is especially true for those who resolved to improve their fitness. If you find yourself in this category, you may be suffering from SFD–Seasonal Fitness Disorder.

Some individuals decide to commit or recommit because of an upcoming event–a trip of some sort, a wedding, etc. There should always be some baseline of fitness. True, we cannot train and maintain 110% all of the time. Periodization, the cycling of exercise variables such as intensity, duration, and frequency, is an ideal way to stay consistent while keeping the body guessing. We can increase these variables over the course of 8-12 weeks and reach a peak, before tapering and starting the process over again.

Last week, Pat, a good long-term client, mentioned that a beach trip was being planned. Even though at the time of this writing we are in late winter, Pat said “The only thing I have to do to get ready for the trip is to buy a new pair of swim trunks.”

Whether you are one of the individuals who might fall into the SFD category or someone who may be similar to Pat, feel free to reach out in case you or people in your organization need guidance in your personal fitness programs.

This article from TIME magazine provides insight regarding the preventative and anti-aging health benefits of exercise, and how it may be prescribed in the future.

Put the odds in your favor with these dietary, exercise, and postural awareness strategies in this report featured on SlideShare.

In our last update, we discussed the solutions to time, money, and effort as they relate to grocery shopping. Now we will discuss portion sizing and amounts as they relate to health and longevity.

What counts as a portion size? For fruits and vegetables, 80g is the amount epidemiologists, or researchers who study human disease and populations use when cataloging data. I have come to keep this ever-present in mind when I am preparing a meal.

Most people are not going to use measuring cups and teaspoons when preparing food. However, it can quickly become second nature to do quick math when remembering 80g. Let’s say you have a bag of baby carrots. The nutrition facts label indicates the serving size is 85g. The label also states there are five servings per container. Easy enough–take out 1/5th of the bag for a portion size during your meal preparation.

Other examples may have labels showing even greater than 80g for a serving. A bag of frozen berries and cherries–in some ways superior to fresh fruit, in that it will retain its quality longer (6-12 months) and even tastes sweeter (the ice crystals break down the cell walls, enabling your palette to detect the minimal naturally occurring sugars) is an example. The label may say 120g. If 80g is a serving, you now have a serving and a half–getting you more quickly to the goal of 5-7 servings a day. Alternately, you could do 2/3rds of a serving according to the bag, and have the 80g amount. This also stretches your supply.

If the fruit is fresh, and is commonly found in a 6oz container, then you have 171g–just over two serving sizes. Another common example that often has no serving size label is mixed greens or spinach leaves. 85g is considered a serving size. A 16oz container has five servings.

In addition to fruits and vegetables, it is a well-rounded diet that is associated with longevity and reduced incidence of disease. Diets that include 5-7 servings a day of fruits and vegetables, plus nuts, legumes, whole grains–and even animal source protein from meat and dairy, plus some alcohol and chocolate consumption are correlated with healthy lifestyles and outcomes. The individuals with this type of dietary intake are also generally active.

You can click here and here for ideas on how to use foods from the $80 table, along with similar types of foods. Several examples are given that consider special dietary concerns (vegan or vegetarian, nut allergies, or dairy sensitivity), as the $80 table offers options that fulfill anyone’s dietary needs.

If you’d like to learn more, contact Drew at drew@lwlcoaching.com or call 919-805-0520.

References

Oyebode, O; Gordon-Dseaugu, V; Walker, A; Mindell, JS. Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and All Cause, Cancer, and CVD Mortality: Analysis of Health Survey for England Data. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 31 March 2014. doi:10.1136/jech-2013-203500.

Wang, X et al. Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Mortality From all Causes, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer: Systematic Review and Dose-response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. The British Journal of Medicine. July 29th, 2014. 349:g4490.

A question posed frequently in personal training and wellness presentations is, “What should I be eating?” Rather than presenting a one size fits all plan, the “$80 Table” is an example of my weekly shopping list, offering options and variety to differing tastes.

First of all, the foods are minimally processed (no added ingredients except the chicken sausage) or raw. All major food groups are represented, arranged by section. They are all low-glycemic, meaning insulin and blood sugar remain low and stable after consuming these foods. This creates a fat-burning environment, enhanced by the rich micronutrient (vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals) content that enables the body to operate at peak performance.

The $80 table also dispels the notion of “its too expensive to eat healthy.”
Let’s presume a fast-food meal is purchased for $3-$5, a conservative estimate. It would take 16-26 meals of the high-calorie, low micronutrient dense food to get to $80–about a week’s worth. The $80 table lasts me about 10 days. I have been to every grocery store in town, those perceived as “high-end” and “low-end”. The math still works out.

Another obstacle is, “I don’t have time to prepare quality food.” This one is dead simple. It takes no more than 30 minutes, often 10-15 minutes, to prepare healthful, tasty meals from the $80 table. You can take the meals to work in plastic containers, and have several portions ready to go in advance–saving you time, money, and calories/poor nutrition.

In the next installment we will look at portion sizing and volume, and how they relate to maximizing longevity while minimizing disease.

The main appeal of wellness is the improvement of all parts of life, which directly translates to better on-the-job performance. One wellness topic that has wide-ranging implications is stress. Stress can be a major factor in our lives. There will always be some form of stress, and it affects each individual to a varying degree. Interestingly enough, we can turn this into a positive and realize that stress can be an agent of change for the better. In this article, we will look at common sources of stress and how to deal with them; not only eliminating problems, but also improving lives.

When can stress be productive?

Stress can be a catalyst for change. This is true whether its “life stress” you’re tired of, or deliberate stress from exercise to change your body and improve your health. By modulating or eliminating stress, you can open up more free time and clear your mind for greater productivity and enjoyment of life. Ultimately, dealing with any type of stress effectively will result in you solving a problem.

Stress and Worry

Sources of “life stress” can include the feeling of being overwhelmed, mental anguish, and worry. There’s a saying, “Worry is interest paid on a debt not yet incurred.” The overwhelming majority of the time, our worries never materialize. According to Earl Nightingale, 40% of the things we worry about never happen. 30% of things we worry about are in the past and cannot be changed. 12% of the time we worry unnecessarily about a health problem that never materializes. 10% of our worries are about various trivial things. The remaining 8% are only serious enough to concern ourselves with.

Worry is a form of indecision. It’s a way of delaying dealing with the “unknowns.” The neocortex, the logic-based executive function region of the brain, shuts down as the limbic system takes over. The limbic system is the “fight or flight” mechanism. When you feel on edge or can’t sleep when stressed out, your body and nervous system is working overtime as an emergency response- albeit in an inefficient, and irrational way of dealing with the problem.

Here is a way to address worry head-on. This method takes the worry out of the issue, and relocates it from the limbic “stress” part of the brain back to your rational neocortex. Whatever the stressful situation might be, write it down. Use your executive function. This cuts through the 1,500 words a minute the brain processes- especially when under stress. Nightingale likens this type of brain-fog to a seven-block 100 ft.-deep city fog that if collected, would not even fill one glass of water.

Now you have the issue in front of you, with greater clarity. Write down the very worst thing that could happen if the scenario you are worrying about were to come true. Would it affect your job performance, you family life, or your health? You may find it turns out to be much more trivial than these possibilities. If that’s the case, delegation and outsourcing of tasks may be the answer.

If indeed it is a serious issue that could affect your life and your job, then take action immediately on the first step necessary to overcome the challenge. Write these solution-steps down on your sheet just as you would a to-do list. This kinesthetic action, experience through physically doing, will literally implant the information into your brain so you are much more likely to follow through on it with a sense of urgency and purpose- instead of merely “knowing” you need to do it and worse yet, worrying about it. Now you can use the pent-up energy for going straight to work on the issue like a problem-eliminator, instead of letting the energy eat you alive in the form of stress. With this mindset, virtually nothing can stop you but yourself.

In addition to learning how to effectively deal with worry, the good news is that we generally worry less over the years. We realize that we’ve made it through numerous situations of varying degrees, and now the challenges do not have the promise of disaster that we once thought all but guaranteed.

Stress and Sleep

Another major source of stress is lack of sleep. Most Americans do not get enough sound sleep. It can be due to various reasons. If you suffer from poor sleep, is it because you are restless, or just that you get to bed late and have to get up early?

This can become a vicious cycle. Stress and worry can cause restless sleep, and restless sleep leads to a deepening of the situation throughout the rest of the day. The result is less productivity, presenteeism (physically present at the job but somewhat absent in mind), irritability, and health consequences. These may include poor insulin sensitivity (the way the body manages incoming dietary carbohydrates) and weight gain, which can result from the lessened insulin sensitivity, over-eating as a way to compensate, or both. Current research also shows a correlation between lack of sleep and diseases of the brain, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as well as a correlation with cancer and depression.

Sleep deprived individuals- as well as many people who consider themselves stressed- often have elevated resting heart rate and blood pressure. The British journal Lancet published a report in December of 2002 that found a doubling of mortality from ischemic heart disease and stroke for every 20mm/Hg systolic or 10mm/Hg diastolic increase in BP. This rate of increased risk begins with a systolic reading of 115mm/Hg.

At this point, when such symptoms have been recognized, its time to take a step back and make some changes. Otherwise, it is simply unsustainable.

“Burnout”

Its interesting how similar some of the principles of stress are in relation to exercise. Just as you may have heard of “burnout” in terms of overdoing exercise, there is a professional form of burnout known as metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is often experienced by high-achievers. Its very similar to overtraining experienced by athletes or exercise enthusiasts, as the adrenal glands have been over stimulated to the point of an inability to produce cortisol.

While cortisol is often maligned in media and advertisements for its role in weight gain, it is actually the body’s own anti-inflammatory hormone. Cortisone (the type injected for joint injuries) is the synthetic version. Like so many things, there has to be a balance. Too much cortisol results in midsection fat accumulation, as there is a concentrated amount of cortisol receptors in that area (known as visceral fat). Elevated cortisol reduces insulin sensitivity, further contributing to weight gain as well as muscle-wasting. Highly stressed individuals with elevated cortisol have less energy available for the immune system, so the body can conserve energy. When metabolic syndrome occurs, this results in a hyper-inflammatory state in the body that is ripe for disease and injury.

At this point, the cycle must be broken and stress gradually reintroduced. This occurs through changes in routine. If you are physically inactive but stressed from work or life, then gradually introduce exercise. If you are physically overactive, a complete break from strenuous activity for a number of weeks (usually two) is warranted. Reintroduction of exercise in this case would be similar to the protocol used for the stressed but physically inactive professional.

Take the weight of the world off of your shoulders

For realigning you daily activities, it comes down to management. What tasks can you delegate? All of us who are busy professionals have multiple projects we’re juggling at any given time. If it were simply possible to stay turned on like a cloud-storage data center 24/7 and keep processing information, we would most certainly knock out our projects and accomplish our goals more quickly. Being the kind of driven individuals that we are, we would probably start even more projects. Dealing with reality, we have to realize that we can only do what we can do in 16-17 hours a day and still reinvest those 7-8 sleep hours for continued success in the next day. Some things have to wait.

How do I delegate?

The first thing to do when deciding what task to complete is to ask yourself, “If I had to leave town for a month, what one thing would have to be accomplished?” Resolve to then go to work on that one task, with single-minded focus.

Another powerful strategy is to ask yourself what your time is worth per hour. Take your annual income, and divide it by 2000. This is based on a 40-hour billable workweek. Many of us put in considerably more time than that to make the 40-hour week billable! When you have arrived at your number, ask yourself, “Would I pay someone this much to complete x, y, or z?” If not, immediately delegate or outsource that task. Results through others is the definition of effective management.

Examples may include organizing a carpooling schedule with other parents at your children’s school; hiring an administrative assistant- even part time- who can also run errands for you; and hiring a personal trainer, so planning your workouts is one less thing to think about, as well as having the accountability of a paid, scheduled session.

Stress and Exercise

Exercise is a form of stress. It can also be a stress reliever. Just as there is a “balance” that we aim to achieve through wellness, there is a balance in enough exercise and too much.

There are three stages of stress in exercise. These can also be equated to other stressors in life:

Alarm or “Shock” Stage. This is when there is a new stimulus to the body. You could just be embarking on a new fitness program, or adding new types of exercises to your current program. In life, this happens with any new stimulus that requires a reaction.

Adaptation or “Progress” Stage. This is when the body is able to handle the stimulus more efficiently, such as achieving a sustained, moderate heart rate while performing a higher workload. In life, this is when we have learned to effectively handle new tasks.

Plateau or “Stagnation” Stage. This is when the body has been regularly overloaded without enough time for recovery and improvement. You can probably identify with this in life, in areas you feel overwhelmed or where there is a vicious cycle.

Just by choosing to take even twenty minutes a day, you can perform a simple activity such as walking the office parking lot to clear your mind. You will also be doing your body well by getting out of the seated position, which places 1.4 times our bodyweight on our lumbar spine.

Other activities such as swimming, running, weight training, or sports cause you to focus on the task at hand. You will be giving yourself not only the gift of improved health- be it cardiovascular, muscular strength and endurance, balance or flexibility- but you will also be allowing the stress of the day to leave your mind, like a cloud floating away in the sky.

Once you have built up sufficient stamina, you can exercise up to an hour. For achieving a balance and ensuring that you’re not causing too much stress from exercise, limit your time of vigorous activity to no more than an hour and twenty minutes, as this is when cortisol is produced in excess as an over-compensatory response.

I hope you have found this article helpful. Now you have a blueprint for moving forward in dealing with stress and gaining utter clarity on the possible challenges that may arise. You have everything you need at your disposal to take complete control of stress and put the outcome in your favor. Sometimes life’s challenges turn out to be gifts.

For more information on wellness, visit my website at lwlcoaching.com. Also see “The Three Stages of Physical Stress During Exercise” http://www.lwlcoaching.com/the-three-stages-of-physical-stress-during-exercise/.

If you would like to learn more about how to address stress in your life and tailor a program specific to you or your organization, contact Drew at drew@lwlcoaching.com, or 919-805-0520.

By March, half of all people who commit to New Year’s fitness resolutions quit. The main reason is they set the bar too high. The key to sustaining a fitness program is realistic goal setting.

When moving forward with your health and fitness goals, there are three things you should do to ensure success.

First, write down your goals. Get out a clean sheet of paper, or even send an email to yourself. The very act of putting your thoughts to print makes the goal tangible. From there, write down anything you need help in to achieve this goal. It could be guidance and instruction, schedule adjustment, etc.

Second, take a short, medium and long-term outlook on your goals. Losing 20 or more pounds is an example of a medium or long-term goal. Losing two pounds is a short-term goal. Imagine a few weeks of achieving such a short-term goal- they quickly add up and become an achieved medium term goal. Other examples include increased hamstring flexibilty after three or four workout/stretch sessions, improved balance within a couple weeks, or numbers met and exceeded on a weight training exercise or sprint.

Third, reassess. This is important. You shouldn’t change too much at first in order to guage progress. However, many people get comfortable or wedded to the same exact workout time and again, and end up looking the same- or even backsliding as a result. The reason for this is the body is very adaptable. You can burn many calories maintaining an elevated heart rate during a run or elliptical bout, but over time the body will learn how to conserve energy. The same movement patterns also lean to muscular imbalances and tightness in certain muscles and joints.

Within a month, you can add volume and a few new exercises. You should also see some improvement in muscle tone, stamina, movement, and possibly some weight loss. The next six months is your medium-term. This is a critical time that will determine the achievement of your goals. If you can stay with your program, changing things when they need to be changed and staying consistent with what’s working, you will be much more likely to make your original thoughts and aspirations into reality.

While my topics most often deal with the exercise and nutrition components of wellness, these components as well as the rest of your life are largely influenced by your attitude and demeanor. To have the best results possible, you want to create an environment of not just contentment, but excitable expectations; the ever-present mindset of accomplishing anything.

There are many people who have an enviable salary, whose attitudes and stress levels are unenviable. They often look back and feel they are unsatisfied with their chosen profession. At the same time, it doesn’t mean that sacrificing a high-responsibility position means forfeiture of high income.

You are not a commodity. You are a unique individual with personal interests, abilities, and skills. Rather than feeling as though you are reliant on others’ decisions, decide to make your own happiness and success. This can be done with the qualities that differentiate you. Just as businesses are differentiated in the market, you can and should view yourself the same way.

Ask yourself, “What skills or knowledge do I possess that I could turn into a product or service that someone would pay me for?” If you are lacking in knowledge or skills that would get you to this ultimate goal, commensurate with the level of pay that you deserve, then resolve to acquire the skills or knowledge to make it happen. Sit down and make an outline. If “A” is where you are now, then “Z” is where you want to ultimately end up. Decide what steps need to be taken in between.

Using plan-based goal-setting and incorporating your personal interests into a successful business will help you with achieving total wellness. Your sense of purpose will not only result in more fulfilling professional work, but will lead to even better physical and emotional health as well.

When you or your organization commit to health and fitness, it is an investment. It is an investment in time, money, and effort. Just like the stock market, your life and your health and fitness will have ups and downs.

Sometimes progress is incredible, then it stalls- just like stocks. Rarely will your fitness progress look like a chart with a gradually steady stair-like climb. Sometimes in the course of your workouts or dieting you will need to put the brakes on rather than being too aggressive. An active recovery for your body is like a pause in the market, a healthy pullback to avoid a plateau and crash. After a brief pullback, you can re-enter the market (your fitness) with newfound enthusiasm and vigor- like buying a stock when its ripe. When you do break through plateaus or hit new numbers, if your fitness progress was a publically traded company’s quarterly report you would see a surge in the price of your stock. Fitness is an investment in so many ways- not just the cost of effort and ultimate payback, but the mechanisms and timing are analogous as well.

If progress is going well, why? Can you identify what you are doing right? Are the fundamentals sound? In this case it can be your own personal fitness plan and its regular implementation; your nutritional habits; minimizing or successfully dealing with life stressors. Likewise, if you have hit a plateau, or know people in your sphere whose health and fitness have stalled or reversed despite initiatives, can you identify why this is the case? Do you have professionals in the wellness field that are not just reporting the numbers during checkups, but going to work for you and your team to help you make the best decisions? Do you need further personalized assistance and expertise in the form of a personal trainer? Just like your investments, no one cares more about your wellbeing than you. This requires personal review.

Too many individuals don’t want the responsibility of worrying about their investments. They take for granted that a professional advisor will handle it for them. Often, people have no idea what fees they are paying each month for managing their accounts, much less what particular securities they even own. Is the return worth the expenditure? Have you met with your advisor and been made to feel confident he or she has your best interests in mind?

It is much the same for a wellness coach. Its one thing to be hired and give a presentation or perform screenings, but is there personalized attention and real accountability? If you or your organization do not have a wellness program, have you considered investing in one? On average, the return is 2:1. In some cases, its as much as 3 or even 4:1. This is based on less absenteeism, less presenteeism (being at work but unproductive), less health insurance or workers’ comp claims.

Resolve to take a hard look at your wellness investments- your personal fitness plan, your organization’s wellness program, or even lack thereof. When you take charge of making informed decisions, you have a much higher chance of quality returns.