Month: October 2015

Relieve Stress With Outdoor Exercise

Exercising in the Rain

Years ago I switched from being a “gym rat” to an outdoor exerciser. I remember it well. I looked around at the fluorescent lighting and the hamster wheels (“cardio” equipment) and said to myself “I’m done!”

I know what you’re thinking. You’re a personal trainer. That’s not possible.

Please don’t get me wrong. Gyms are a great place to exercise and I am a huge fan of indoor cardio equipment — especially when it is raining! I just realized that I live in California. The weather is great most of the time. And, what the heck was I doing inside exercising?

MY DOGS LED THE WAY

At the time, I had overworked and over-trained myself and was dealing with low energy as well as depression. I wasn’t up for super intense workouts so I left the gym and started walking my dogs every night.

The transformation was amazing! I got my energy back — and my enthusiasm. I also realized that you do not have to beat your body to a pulp in a gym to be fit.

I realize that not everyone is where I was at. However, from time to time stress can show up in our lives and outdoor activity is a powerful way to help manage it.

RESEARCH CONFIRMS IT

A recent review of studies published in Environmental Science & Technology that focused on “outdoor exercise” discovered that physical activity in natural areas decreases the risk of mental illness and improves one’s sense of well-being.

Here’s what the researchers found:

Two out of three participants said they had improved self-esteem.
Two out of three people had improved mood.
Three out of four people felt less depressed, tense and angry.
It gets better. The study found that just five minutes a day does the trick!

The study also revealed that exercising in natural environments was associated with greater feelings of revitalization, increased energy and positive engagement, as well as decreases in tension, confusion, anger and depression.

Participants also reported greater enjoyment and satisfaction with outdoor activity and stated that they were more likely to repeat the activity at a later date.

This may explain why walking is still the number one exercise of choice for Americans. We like to be active and outdoors. Even more important, we tend to exercise more consistently when it is outdoors.

HERE’S SOME EXAMPLES OF OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES TO HELP YOU GET STARTED:

Walk at lunch
Walk after dinner
Play in the park with your kids
Take a hike
Walk on the beach
Try light jogging
Play a sport
Swim
Walk your dog

If you already exercise outdoors, you are benefiting in multiple ways. If you are just getting started, begin with five minutes of outdoor exercise to improve psychological well-being. Work up to twenty minutes and you have now created an exercise routine.

You will get more value from consistent shorter bouts than inconsistent hour-long workouts.

If you really like the gym that’s totally ok, please do not stop going!  I have no desire for you to change something that is working for you.  However, you many want to consider cross training with some outdoor activities. It doesn’t have to be formal exercise. Just being outdoors is what matters!

With so much positive research behind outdoor activity, I encourage you to get creative with your exercise routine. Try new activities. Visit new beaches and parks. Turn off the screens and get outside!

Let me know what you come up with. I love to hear from you!

Blessings!
Jennifer

Quick and Easy Rotator Cuff Exercises

Rotator Cuff Exercises

Quick and Easy Rotator Cuff Exercises

Hopefully you’ve never had a shoulder injury of any kind. A shoulder injury can be very painful and restrict your ability to function.

The rotator cuff is one of the more common injuries that we see in the fitness industry. Often times, it’s caused by a lack of strength in the rotator cuff or by reaching behind you and lifting or dragging a heavy object. There are no exercises that can guarantee an injury-free life. However, if you spend some time strengthening your rotator cuff it can certainly help prevent the possibility of an injury in the shoulder.

In today’s video I share my favorite set of exercises I use to strength the rotator cuff. The exercises are practical and you need very little equipment. You can do them at home, at the office, in a gym, or anywhere else you can think of that’s appropriate.

These exercises can be performed daily. However, even if you only do them 2-3 times per week your shoulder will still benefit.

After watching the video, please let me know if you have any questions. You can leave a comment below or on my Facebook page by clicking on the link here and I’ll make sure to get back to you!

Have a blessed week!

With love,
Jennifer

P.S. Please feel free to share this with a friend if you think they could benefit. Together we can help the people we love and care about stay fit and healthy too!

You CAN Eat Out And Still Fit Into Your Jeans

 

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As a San Francisco Bay Area resident, I have by nature become a “foodie.”  That doesn’t mean I’m a food snob.  It just means I really like great food.

Life is too short to eat food that doesn’t taste good. Food is part of our life and it’s more than just fuel. It’s an experience.

With that being said, too much indulging can make or break our ability to maintain or lose weight.

Over the years,  I’ve had the opportunity to witness many clients lose weight by simply cutting back on how often they were eating out.  Or, if they were not able to pack meals regularly, they lost weight by ordering foods that contributed to their weight loss when ordering off a restaurant menu.

One client that comes to mind  lost two clothing sizes because she stopped eating out for lunch on work days.  By limiting the amount of meals she was eating in restaurants, she was able to have way more control over what and how much she was eating.

I realize that eating out while conducting business can be part of someone’s job description.  If that’s the case for you, make a mental note to yourself to pay attention to what you are ordering when you eat out for any event that is not “social.”  This includes volunteer work as well.  Some salads and sandwiches in restaurants can pack in over 1000 calories per meal.  So, no matter how much exercise you are getting in, if you eat out often you could be sabotaging your efforts.

I encourage you to bring lunch and snacks with you when you are out for the day. If you are someone who eats out often for business then you want to get to know your menus and think of the food as energy to keep you going rather than a special treat. That doesn’t mean that you have to throw taste out the window.  Just pick things like grilled fish instead of the triple cheeseburger.

Do your best to make take out in the evenings an exception and not the norm. If you are not sure what to cook, get a subscription to some good cooking magazines that have easy light recipes. I use these when I do my weekly meal planning before I go to the grocery store.  We do not sacrifice taste for calories in my house.  If it doesn’t taste good, what’s the point?

When eating out becomes more of a treat you will notice that you enjoy it more and you are less likely to overindulge.  You may even find you have extra money to spend on something special that’s not food related at all.

To your health!
Jennifer Ledford

P.S.  Have a question or personal tip you’d like to share?  Please leave it below.  I’d love to hear from you!

 
This post contains an Amazon affiliate link which means that if you click on the product link, I’ll receive a small commission. Twenty percent of all Amazon commissions will be donated to charity.  It’s a pleasure to serve you! 

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