Almost 2013

It is hard to believe but it is really almost 2013.  Did you get all you wanted out of 2012?  If you didn't, there is still 1 full day left of 2012, plenty of time to do some things :)

What do you want to accomplish in 2013?  Where do you want to go?  Who do you want to be?  The great thing about January 1st is that every year we can get a fresh start on a new year.

But....

Do we really have to wait until Jan 1, or Monday or any other 1st to start? No!  I do recommend waiting to start something until your ready, but in all honesty if you always wait until your ready or the time is right not a lot would get done.

When it comes to goal setting here are some tips I have

• Create a big picture
• Make it realistic
• Break the big picture into smaller little goals and tasks to accomplish along the way
• Write the small goals down
• Start working on a plan to hit the small goals
• execution!

Here are the top "New Years Resolutions" according to usa.gov

• drink less alcohol
• eat better
• lose weight
• find a better job
• manage debt
• manage stress
• recycle
• quit smoking
• take a trip
• save money
• volunteer

Does one of your 2013 goals fit in there?  If so, try to make it SMART

• S - Specific (or Significant).
• M - Measurable (or Meaningful).
• A - Attainable (or Action-Oriented).
• R - Relevant (or Rewarding).
• T - Time-bound (or Trackable).

But most of all find ways to stick with it in 2013!  If you need help let me know!  Here is to a successful 2013

Fitness in the New Year

How do you define fitness? Fitness often goes beyond a physical activity of exercise.

Here is an image from an unknown source, that might inspire your collection of New Year's resolutions and activities:

Try this activity and see how your mental fitness might change in the days, weeks, months, and years to come!

Feel free to share your ideas about fitness and fitness activities by leaving us a comment! These blog comments are moderated, so be patient if you do not see your comment for a few days!

What is Nike Fuel?

Have you heard about Nike Fuel or the Nike Fuel Band?  Here is some info on a new device that might help motivate you to new levels!

Nike Fuel is activity based points you earn while you are active.  Throughout the day your fuel adds up and you set your fuel goal at the beginning of the day.  It is easy to adjust your fuel goal on days you know you will be more/less active.

The Nike Fuel band will track your fuel points, steps, calories and with the Nike Fuel app you can get a detailed graph of it all.  The Nike + app will track your fuel points, distance and totals.  The fuel band runs around $150, comes in 3 colors and many sizes.  The Nike Fuel and Nike + apps are both free. 

 Here is a picture of my grey Nike Fuel band this morning.  As I earn more fuel throughout the day the bottom red bar fills up until I get to my goal.  

 

Here is a screen shot of my Nike Fuel app.  It is super easy to sync the band to the app on my phone.  When I hit sync on the band its automatically updating to my phone.  You can see where I am at for my daily goal, calories, steps and more.

 

Here is another view of the Nike Fuel app on my phone.  It will give me a weekly breakdown of calories, activity, steps, miles and fuel!  They are also easy to sync with friends if you like a little competition. For the Nike Fuel apps to work you do need to own a Nike Fuel band.

 Here is a screen shot of the Nike + app.  You need nothing other than a device that can download the app to use Nike +.  It will encourage you through your workout, give you distance, calories and feet.  It will also compare your workouts and activity.

Why I like the Nike Fuel Band:

It is a good motivator, easy to understand, will track your activity 24 hours a day and fits my wrist better than my MotoActv.

Why I don't like the Nike Fuel Band:

There is no heart rate capability.  I won't know where my heart rate is throughout the day, night or workout unless I am wearing my heart rate monitor.

Personally I prefer the Nike Fuel band for my current training and goals.  Currently I am just trying to stay fit through the holiday season and only have a 5k to run in January.  It has been a nice break to not worry about heart rate either.  

Have any of you tried the apps or fuel band?  might be a new motivator to help get you through the holidays and beyond! 

Ropes

Have you seen ropes at the gym or on TV?  Are you trying to figure out why people would be using ropes as part of their workouts?  Here are some ideas on ropes and why they might be a good addition to your training program.

John Brookfield is the creator of the battling ropes system and the individual who trained professional sports teams with ropes.  After the media, other trainers and athletes started noticing the great workout potential they had, ropes took off. There are now certifications, weekend trainings and whole studios devoted to working out with ropes.

Ropes can offer a unique blend of strength and explosiveness while having fun.  With the ropes you can push, pull, work on range of motion and cardio all at the same time.  There are also a lot of different exercises that work your entire body in as little at 20 seconds.

Ropes can be modified to work with just about anyone.  You can use light, moderate or heavy ropes, the speed of movement can also be modified to work with anyone.  If you are experiencing pain from other injuries it is important to talk with your physician or physical therapist before beginning such a different routine.

Make sure to start off slow and small when using them.  Because you are using so many muscles and in a unique way it is important to not over do it.  A common mistake I see a lot of people do when starting ropes is to bend and arch their back.  In the video below you will see that great back alignment is kept while he is doing the entire exercise.

If you have any questions on ropes and if they are for you let us know.  If you have blog requests make sure to let us know as well!

Here is a good example of some different arm exercises you can do with ropes.

Benefits of Pilates

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to present to a large group of high school football coaches on the topic of Pilates. I'll admit that the coaches initially didn't see the benefit, and we had a few good laughs trying to figure out how they might use Pilates methods with their students.

After the coaches had a chance to try some exercises, many of them asked for videos and further resources on these exercises, as they could feel the immediate benefit. Here is a link to a small study done at the California University of Pennsylvania on improving performance in football linemen.

Pilates is a method of mind body exercise that can be adapted to a huge variety of individuals, teams, and situations. Here is a link to the abstract of a research study showing Pilates as a useful program for helping decrease low back pain.

The diversity of outcomes depend on how you apply the exercises. Some outcomes include:

• Improved core control
• Improved total body strength
• Improved coordination
• Improved ease of breathing
• General fitness
• Sports performance
• General sense of well being

For the more athletic populations, here are a few exercises to get you started:

OSR does offer highly affordable Pilates small group equipment classes in a circuit format at our facility. All exercises are tailored to meet individual needs, while we all share the workout space.

We also provide small group on-site Mat classes and workshops at your facility.

If you would like more information, please contact Meredith at meredith.butulis@osrpt.com or 952-873-7400.

Holiday Candy Help

Are you finding yourself taking a piece of candy here and there all day long?  This time of year there is food everywhere! As soon as you get to the office there is a new basket from a great customer, your friend bought you the best tasting chocolates and kids are bringing things home left and right.

The average American gains 8-10lbs during the holiday season and snacking on candy is a major contributor.

Here are some tips for avoiding the candy dish this holiday season:

• Buy Candy you don't like, if you need to buy candy to bring to events or the office
• Buy your candy on later in the season to minimize the opportunity to snack (it might even be on sale)
• Bring healthy options instead or fun holiday stickers to a school event
• Avoid the candy dish at work, home or gatherings
• If you get a craving start with water or gum
• Limit yourself, 1 piece a day or only if it's a certain type that you really like
• Bring a piece of fruit and snack on that instead of candy

Good luck this holiday season and if you have other ideas please post them below!

Holiday Weight Loss and Health

Jump ahead to December 31^st for a moment. You get to the end of the night, and you may find yourself making a New Year’s Resolution. You might share it with others as well or write it down. A common one that I hear is “I am going to lose 20 pounds.” This is a good start, and next year we will talk about how to accomplish this successfully.

Today, let’s start with how to take steps now to change that goal from 20 lbs to 10 or 5 or even 0! Much of this success relies on what you do and what you consume during the holidays.

Try the following steps TODAY!

Step 1: What is your goal that you will accomplish within the next 30 days? Try to make it specific, measurable, and achievable. For example, in the next 30 days I will improve my health and begin on my body composition improvement by drinking 8 glasses of water per day. Write it down where you can see it every day.

Step 2: On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you that you are 100% committed to achieving this goal in the face of all obstacles? If you are at a 9-10, we’re good to go! If you are at a 1-5, list out your obstacles and solutions to overcome them.  

Step 3: Obtain credible knowledge to help you with your goals. We have a whole team of fitness experts here to help. Post your questions by leaving us a comment! 

Here are a few links to help you get started:

How much should you eat?

Healthy holiday recipes for the family

Gluten free recipes

Vegan recipes

Holiday Tips & Tricks

Have a favorite site or tip to share? Share it with us by leaving a comment! Have goals? Have questions? Want to share a story? We’d love to read it! Leave us a comment for all of these things as well!

Holiday Eating Tips

It is November and that means our next 8 weeks will be filled with good times, family, friends and a lot of food.  All of those things can be great in moderation but when you have party after party and event after event the calories will add up.  Here are my success strategies to your Holiday eating, and drinking!

1. Be realistic, don't try to lose weight during the holidays
2. Make a realistic goal to maintain your weight or workout 3x per week
3. Don't skip meals, you will be starving and then overeat
4. Pre-eat, when your heading to an event have some healthy veggies and protein at home ahead of time to limit the unhealthy calories at the event
5. Throw away or give a way leftovers, if they are in your house you will eat them
6. When filling up your plate don't forget to add the veggies
7. Focus on eating while sitting down with a plate, grazing over the buffet line can be dangerous
8. Be careful with alcohol, it can lower you inhibitions and create you to overeat
9. Alcohol is also a lot of empty unneeded calories, have a glass of water in between each drink
10.  If you overeat one meal don't let it ruin your day, get back on track with the next meal
11. Take the focus off food, volunteer at a shelter, feed my starving children or a church to spend time with family
12. Plan group activities like a lighted holiday walking tour or window shopping at a local mall
13. Make items you can't eat like a gingerbread house, snowflakes, decorations and ornaments
14. When eating at a potluck bring a healthy dish
15. Always eat all your food on a plate and don't let the food on your plate touch, you can only have so much that way
16. Stay on top of sleep and your workouts, when your not sleeping well or in your normal workout routine you will want to eat more
17. When your ''bored eating'' clean, take the dog for a walk, brush your teeth, drink some water or chew a piece of gum
18. Don't over restrict yourself, you will crash and burn at some point if you do
19. Make a goal for January 1st and stick to it, don't let your holiday eating continue into the New Year
20. Have a great holiday season and spend some time with those you care about

Here are some tricks to help make your holiday favorites a little more healthy

1. Refrigerate your gravy and after it cools skim some or a lot of the fat off the top to reduce the amount of total fat
2. In your dressing use less bread and more onions, garlic, celery and other vegetables, add fruits like cranberries and apples to sweeten and moisten with low sodium broth and applesauce
3. Skip the dark meat and skin on the turkey
4. Cook your green bean casserole with potatoes instead of cream soup and top with almonds instead of  fried onions
5. When making mashed potatoes avoid a ton of whole milk and butter and substitute with chicken broth, garlic, garlic powder and rice milk
6. Make your own graham cracker crust for desserts to lower calories
7. Look for other healthy recipes online, some website I use are http://skinnyms.com/ and http://healthylivinghowto.com/  here are two I found from the Mayo Clinic

• Quick Holiday Nog — Four bananas, 1-1/2 cups skim milk or soymilk, 1-1/2 cups plain nonfat yogurt, 1/4 teaspoon rum extract, and ground nutmeg. Blend all ingredients except nutmeg. Puree until smooth. Top with nutmeg.


• Desserts — Make a crust less pumpkin pie. Substitute two egg whites for each whole egg in baked recipes. Replace heavy cream with evaporated skim milk in cheesecakes and cream pies. Top cakes with fresh fruit, fruit sauce, or a sprinkle of powdered sugar instead of fattening frosting.

I hope you were able to find a few pointers to help in your holiday success, if you have other good ones let us know or leave a comment below!

Preparing for fall fitness, physique, and bodybuilding competitions

Competitors know that you are judged on your physique. Judging sheets often show comments like "bigger shoulders," "work on your abs," etc. Competitors work year around in the gym on improving, yet sometimes that one trouble area won't seem to build muscle or lean out.

There are many reasons for this, and sometimes this is due to a muscle imbalance. Many fitness and bodybuilding programs target the big muscles with movements like lateral shoulder raises, squats, and lunges. However, you also need good muscle activation and use of your stabilizing muscles in order to get the desired result from your lunges.

Here are a few videos that show gluteal (or "butt") activation exercises. Try adding a few at the beginning of your program (before you do those squats) today. See what you find over the next several weeks of incorporating these exercises and share your findings with us.

 

What kind of fitness classes take place at OSR?

Here's a quick of our small group Pilates equipment class and Personal Training at OSR Physical Therapy. Some classes and privates still have openings-contact us to check availability!

In the meantime, here's a quick tip on how to get the most of your crunches at home!

Would you like to share a question, observation, or idea? Leave us a comment!