Category: Fitness

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July from Jennifer Ledford - Certified Personal Trainer and Healthy Lifestyle Coach

Happy Fourth of July!

Tomorrow we celebrate our nation’s independence and take a moment to remember the men and women who sacrificed much – and in many cases EVERYTHING – for the freedoms we enjoy today.  Let us never take for granted that this great nation allows us to pursue life, liberty, and happiness each and every day.  For that, I am truly grateful!

Whether you are at a big celebration or spending it quietly at home, freedom is always something that can be celebrated in our hearts.  🙂  Have a happy, healthy, and safe holiday.

God bless you and America!

Shared with love,
Jennifer

 

Eight Tips For Exercising In The Heat

Eight Tips for Exercising In The Heat

One of my first fitness jobs in the early 90’s was teaching water and land aerobics at a small fitness center along the coast of Northern California.   It was at that job that I witnessed first hand the seriousness of heat-related illness and  what can happen when you get dehydrated and develop heat stroke.

A member of our water aerobics class had started off the day with two large cups of caffeinated tea, gone for a power walk, and then  participated in the water class for an hour.  The pool temperature for water aerobics classes is usually pretty warm and runs about 82 degrees. The tea was the only liquid she had consumed that day.  After the class, she passed out in the parking lot on her way to her car while suffering from heat stroke.  Fortunately, we responded immediately and she recovered fully from the incident.

The warm weather has definitely arrived and with it comes summer fun and a wide variety of outdoor activities.  Whether you are working out or enjoying the warmer temperatures at a leisurely pace, it’s important to take the proper steps to keep yourself and the ones you love safe from heat-related illnesses.

Here are eight tips for exercising when it’s hot out:

  • Be flexible about when you exercise or move outdoors.  Check the weather and find out when temps are going to be the lowest that day. Sometimes it’s early in the morning and sometimes it’s late in the evening so you’ll want to rearrange your schedule to fit in exercise and/or outdoor chores during the coolest time of day.  I’m constantly checking the weather to determine a safe time to walk our dogs and sometimes it requires me to rearrange my day a bit.  Seasonal adjustments are normal so give yourself a break if you miss your workout or have to skip a dog walk or chore.
  • Invest in comfortable clothes and sunscreen: Lightweight, breathable clothes make a huge difference and will help you feel cooler. Wearing a hat to keep the hot sun off your head and face also helps.  Apply sunscreen to keep the sun from burning your skin.
  • Take a cold shower: It may seem weird to shower before you sweat, but the cold water will cool you down. Leave your hair wet and pop it in a bun, so when you head outside water dripping down your face and neck will feel so refreshing. If you have short hair, carry a water bottle with you and squeeze a little on top of your head whenever you need a little cooling boost.
  • Exercise in cooler places: Head for trails in shady areas or along a breezy beach shoreline.   We live on a small island and it can be 10 degrees cooler when I take the dogs over to the beach shoreline.
  • Slow down your pace: If you’re set on getting in a workout, move with less intensity and remember, it’s OK to take breaks or stop altogether.  Summertime isn’t the best time to push yourself so if you can only handle 10 minutes at a time, that’s good enough.  Exercise is supposed to improve your health, not harm it.
  • Head indoors: If your home is air conditioned, you may want to take your exercise indoors.  A strength routine, stair workout, or mini trampoline session are all great ways to get your muscles moving and heart rate up while keeping it safe indoors.  If you don’t have A/C now may be a good time to take advantage of that class you’ve always wanted to try at an air-conditioned studio or gym.  As much as people joke about it,  heading to your local air conditioned mall and power-walking is safe and window-shopping helps you pass the time.
  • Drink water all day: Drink plenty of water even if you do not feel thirsty.  Sip four to eight ounces of water every 15 to 20 minutes while performing physical activities and drink water steadily throughout the day.  Drink extra water while swimming or wading in water. Oftentimes, we forget to drink water because being in it makes us feel cool. However, you tend to perspire more in the water on hot days or while exercising because the water continues to wipe away your sweat which can lead to excess water loss.
  • Pass the salt:   On hot days you can lose excess salt along with other important nutrients, such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium.  Snack on a variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the day to keep your sodium levels up.  If you find yourself craving salty snacks in the heat, it may be a sign that you’re losing sodium so honor that and eat foods with salt. Pickled veggies, tomato juice, or your favorite chips or crackers can all help raise sodium levels and help you stay hydrated.

When the temperatures rise one of the most important things you can do is  listen to your body.  Stop any activity immediately if you’re feeling dizzy, faint or nauseous.  And if the symptoms do not improve, call for emergency services  or head to your nearest emergency room.

Here’s to a happy, fun, and safe summer!

Shared with love,
Jennifer

 

Ten Great Reasons To Cook At Home

Ten great reasons to cook at home by Jennifer Ledford

Up until my thirties my cooking skills were pretty limited and my meal planning consisted of heading to the grocery store to scan the aisles for what I considered to be “healthy” food at the time.  Our meals were not very exciting (let’s just say I wore out the cord on our rice steamer) and we ate out a lot.

Fast forward to 2017 and we cook almost every meal at home now.  My husband goes out a bit more than I do for business reasons but, as a couple, we eat out about once a week on average.

Eating out is fun and I believe we should all take a break from our kitchens to socialize and enjoy good food while letting someone else do the clean up.  I also believe takeout has its place in our lives.  There are days and even seasons in your life when it makes a lot of sense mentally and physically to let someone else do the cooking.

However, is it possible that Americans may be eating out too much these days?  Statistics reveal that the average American eats out 4-5 times per week.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2014, the average American household spent $2,787 on restaurant meals and takeout, compared to $3,971 on groceries. But in 2015, the average amount spent on restaurants and takeout jumped $221 to $3,008. Grocery spending, by contrast, increased just $44 per household to $4,015.  This shows us that dining at restaurants and ordering takeout aren’t just luxuries anymore. They’re becoming the norm.  People simply are not cooking as much.

I have to admit, when I first started meal planning it had EVERYTHING to do with saving money. Since I’m in the fitness industry I already had an idea about how to choose healthy foods.   I just wanted to spend less in restaurants.  However, over time, the more I cooked and learned about food, the more my husband and I began to prefer my cooking to most restaurants.

Last week, my husband was out of town and since I was cooking for one I decided to take a break from the kitchen and pick up a burrito from one of the local taquerias.  The moment I took my first bite of the burrito I was reminded why I like to cook at home most of the time.   It turned out to be mediocre and I realized that the ingredients were probably not the same quality I would have purchased.  I ate the remaining half for lunch the next day and decided to cook for one for the rest of the week.  It turns out I prefer my own cooking unless the chef is WAY better at it than I am.

Taste and cost are two really big drivers that motivate me to meal plan and cook at home even on the days I don’t feel like it.  However there are other good reasons why I believe it pays off big to cook more at home.

EIGHT MORE REASONS TO COOK AT HOME MORE OFTEN

  • You know what goes into the food. When I make our food, I get to choose how much butter, oil, salt, and sugar I add.  Sometimes I add more than the recipe calls for and sometimes I cut it back.  I can also make substitutions that I think are healthier for us like swapping out more refined grains for whole grains, adding more veggies, and choosing oils that I believe are better than others.
  • You know where it came from.   While some restaurants are now offering organic and all natural foods on their menus, not every restaurant does.   It’s important to me to serve my family, guests, and even our pets food that I believe is as close to its natural state as possible. That doesn’t mean we buy all organic or avoid all processed food.  It means that when I shop and choose which foods we will eat I pay close attention to where the food was sourced from and what ingredients or additives went into it.
  • It can make a difference environmentally.  As an animal lover and conservationist, I prefer to buy humanely raised meat and dairy as well as wild-caught sustainable seafood.  Eating at home can limit the amount of packaging that needs to be recycled.  We live on the San Francisco bay and it’s heartbreaking to see plastic and packaging wash up on the beach so I like to do my part to limit how much of it gets tossed into the bins at our house.
  • You’ll have money to spend on other things. Eating out can be pricey.  It’s amazing how much you save – and how many more high quality ingredients you can afford – when you eat at home.
  • Quality time with your family.  Studies have shown that kids who eat with their families frequently are less likely to get depressed, consider suicide, and develop an eating disorder.   When a child is feeling down or depressed, family dinner can act as an intervention. This is especially true of eating disorders, says Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, a professor at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health, who has studied the impact of family meal patterns on adolescents. “If a child eats with his or her parents on a regular basis, problems will be identified earlier on,” she says. Sitting down to a meal is just as important for adults.  It can help relieve stress and allow you to take a break from the busyness of life.  For couples, it’s a great opportunity  to catch up on each other’s day and build a stronger relationship.
  • You can learn new skills. The more I cook, the more confident I feel in the kitchen.  Some of the recipes I choose to experiment with now I would have totally avoided five years ago.  Meal planning and cooking has helped me with my organizational skills and ability to stick to tasks long term.
  • Eating leftovers saves you time.  One of the bonuses of cooking at home is being able to freeze the leftovers or have them for lunch the next day.  Freezing them allows you to have healthy meals ready to go on the days you’d rather not or don’t have time to cook and packing your lunch with healthy leftovers saves you the time of scouting out healthy food during your precious lunch break.  Packing your lunch may even allow you time to take a midday walk or do a mini-workout.
  • Weight Control.  It may surprise you that as a personal trainer I listed weight management last.  I did that on purpose.  I personally believe that unless your body has an underlying medical issue if you focus on eating foods that fuel your body well most of the time and consuming portion sizes that are suitable for your lifestyle then your body will eventually settle into its natural weight.  Food has been used way too often to manipulate bodies to be something they were not naturally designed to be so I encourage you to focus on eating a healthy variety of foods rather than just weight loss.

It’s true that cooking takes time which is precious to all of us.  However, preparing tasty and healthy meals doesn’t have to be a long or complicated process.  Start with simple recipes and give yourself permission to assemble pre-cooked food like a roasted chicken from your deli combined with a salad and some mashed sweet potatoes.  Invest in tools like rice steamers and slow cookers so you can cook while you are doing other things.  Experiment to discover what works for you and then roll with it.

Here’s to a happy, healthy, and full life!

Shared with love,
Jennifer