Posts Tagged ‘fitness’
How do I inflate a fitness ball?
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010A lot of people have been asking the question, “How do I inflate a fitness ball?” Well it’s not as difficult as it may seem. There are a few tricks to finding the correct ammount of air to put into your fitness ball.
After you purchasing our 55cm, 65cm or 75cm fitness ball remove it from its packaging. Inspect it for damage. Place it upon the floor and pushing the creases out. If the ball feels cold or hot when touched, allow it to come to room temperature before inflating.
Before you start to inflate the ball, take a tailor’s tape measure and measure the maximum diameter of the ball (height off the floor). You should see the diameter on the product packaging. Mark the diameter on a door or wall (you could use tape or erasable marker).
When the ball is ready, remove the white plug and insert the adapter with the pump. When the ball approaches the mark you made on the wall or door, quickly insert the white plug. Using a measuring device compare the height of the ball with the mark on the wall or door. Stop inflating when the ball reaches the mark, or the ball feels comfortable for sitting.
Please perform this test for comfort:
1. Sit on the ball. (Do your hips and knees form a 90 degree angle to each other?) If yes then the ball has plenty of air. You do not have to using the wall mark measuring if you pass this test. YOU DO NOT WANT TO OVERINFLATE!!! You should be able to push the ball about 2” when it’s fully inflated.
You might want to check on the inflation of the ball after 24 hours. The ball may stretch after use. If the ball did stretch, just re-inflate again to your comfort level or the diameter mark.
HERE ARE A FEW DO NOT’S!!
1. NEVER USE YOUR FITNESS BALL OUTSIDE! – This increases the chance of the ball getting punctured.
2. NEVER LET YOUR FITNESS BALL COME IN CONTACT WITH BLACK INK. – Ink can permanently mark the ball.
3. NEVER USE HARSH CHEMICALS ON THE FITNESS BALL.- Chemicals will scratch the ball.
the procrastination of working out…
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010This is my first featured blog on the Jamz website and i have to admit i’m pretty excited about it. For my readers here is a little bit about me… my name is Alexa, i am 19 years old and a sophomore at the University of Florida. I live in my sorority house with 40 of my best friends, my major is business, and i have my own jewelry line. Well enough about my personal life, what i really wanted to say was how i was about to get off my computer chair and go to the gym but now i am of course procrastinating on the workout part and blogging to you. This is probably something a million people can relate to: the procrastination of working out. Well, first off i work out about 5-6 days a week so I do know how to overcome the feeling of not wanting to go but it took me a very long time. There are ALWAYS and i mean always going to be better options that come across in your day other than working out. But these are just tiny obstacles put there to test you. Now i know all of you can overcome these obstacles… what you have to do is not think about the work of getting up, changing into your gym clothes, and the actual work of working out, what you need to think about is how you will feel standing in the shower once you are done. Now just think… your standing in the shower and you didn’t work out that day, you probably are feeling regret, remorse about the food you just ate, and kind of a little cranky. But when you are standing in the shower at the end of a day where you worked out you will probably feel, strength, power, happiness, and confidence. Do you notice how the feelings you felt after the shower of a day you worked out are so much more powerful than what you would feel if you didn’t work out that day. There more powerful just in a sense of the emotion that empowers your body. Working out is a lot of work and does take up a lot of time but in the end it is all worth while. I know when i don’t have a lot of time on my hands to fit in my daily gym work out i work out at my house. I either go for a run outside and/or do weights and sit ups in my room in my sorority house. Yes somedays i have a much better work out than others but as long as i do some sort of physical activity i feel good about myself because i tried and you should too! It literally only takes me a half hour to do 50 sit ups on my yoga mat, do arms with my set of 5 lb free weights, and do some type of leg work out. Working out is all about your mental state, if you can train your mind to do it, it will not feel like a task at all for you and if you haven’t been able to do that yet, well that’s why i’m here, for inspiration : ). Now i am running out of time for my workout slot i have put in my daily schedule and instead of having that feeling like “ugh i just want to stay in my cozy chair with all my friends at my house”, i now have that image in my mind about the feelings i will feel once i complete my workout, and to me those feelings are worth the effort. **Plus of course the amazing body you will have ; )
Be back soon for more inspirational tips on working out and being healthy, and if you have any questions, comments, or thoughts PLEASE write back to me… I love hearing from readers and will gladly respond!
xoxo Alexa
Maintenance tips
Monday, June 28th, 2010Cory Everson Diet and Fitness Tips
Cut the Sugar
If you want to manage your weight you must get rid of sugars or simple carbohydrates. This category of food includes all refined sugars and syrups and food products that are known as simple carbohydrates (or sugars). Whether it is called crystallized cane juice, dextrose, evaporated cane juice, fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, or honey, sugar has no redeeming nutritional value. It provides only a concentrated source of calories. Furthermore, when consumed in excess, sugar is stored as fat, rather than used for energy. Commonly consumed sources of refined sugars and/or simple carbohydrates include soft drinks, hard candy, jelly beans, cakes, cookies, pies, jams and jellies, sugary cereals, desserts, muffins and snack crackers.
• Start fresh: Throw away any of these items that are in your pantry. These foods are not only high in sugar but sometimes fat as well. Furthermore, they have no nutritional value and will only make your weight loss efforts more difficult to realize. Instead, try a piece of fresh fruit with some nuts, which are both high in fiber and will keep you feeling full longer.
• Accept no substitutes: Limit fat-free pastry snacks and the so- called “diet foods”. Many are sweeter than full-fat versions because more sugar is used to make it taste good.
• Fruit is nature’s sweetener: Try a piece of fruit when you get a craving for sugar. At least you will be getting essential nutrients and fiber when you choose this sweet snack. Be aware that many fruit drinks contain refined sugars, like high fructose corn syrup, and very little fruit juice. Although whole fruit is preferred, 100% fruit juice is O.K. to add to your diet occasionally.
• Try a mix: Make your own trail mix or buy it in bulk at health food stores. To make your own, add some dried fruit, sunflower seeds or nuts, whole-wheat chex cereal, and sesame sticks. This is a great snack to satisfy a craving.
Bulk up on Fiber
Fibers are the structural parts of plants and, thus, occur in all plant derived foods–vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes (beans) and nuts and seeds. Nutritionists think of these foods as complex carbohydrates because they all contain simple carbohydrates (sugars) that are linked to one another to form a more complex molecule, a starch. The exception being fruit because it actually contains only the simple sugar, fructose, and is classified as a simple carbohydrate. However, fruit does contain a fibrous outer layer. Because fibers tend to occur in the same foods as complex carbohydrates, some people conveniently classify or group them together. Dietary fiber is also defined as the residue derived from the plant cell wall that is resistant to breakdown by human enzymes. However, bacteria in the intestine can partly hydrolyze or digest some dietary fibers.
Fiber encompasses a variety of substances with widely different properties. Its forms range from the rigid, insoluble cellulose that puts the snap in a stalk of celery to the gummy, soluble fibers of oat bran. It appears that its functions in the human body are also as diverse as its properties and a significant amount of research continues to support the importance of fiber in the diet. Fiber has long been known to help keep you “regular” and has usually been described as “roughage”. Researchers now believe that some fibers are thought to block cholesterol synthesis and may prevent colon cancer. Other fibers can act as sponges or magnets, absorbing and attracting fats, implicating them in the prevention of obesity.
Although the health benefits of fiber have been widely publicized, dietary fiber intake is at less than the recommended levels of 25-50 grams, in the US population, with usual intakes around 14 to 15 grams/day [Association, 1997 #15743]. Interestingly, obesity is rare in populations that consume high fiber diets (i.e greater than 30 grams/day), and more common in populations that consume low fiber diets (reference-calories don’t count).
Don’t forget to drink plenty of water as you switch to a high fiber diet. Fiber tends to retain water, which helps to lubricate waste matter as it passes through the intestine. The human body is more than 50 percent water, and metabolic processes require water for proper function. So, drink it every chance you get to replace water absorbed by fiber and to help your body maintain its normal functions.
Here are some tips for increasing your fiber intake.
• Crank up the volume: Health experts recommend getting somewhere in the range of 25-50 grams of fiber/day. Most vegetarians consume up to 40-50 grams of fiber daily without any ill effects. But, take at least a week to work up to 25 grams and then continually increase your consumption. Sources of fiber include fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains.
• Go with whole grain: Trade the white bread for whole grain bread. Be bread smart–don’t be deceived by labels that claim whole-wheat properties. Whole-wheat breads usually provide 2-3 grams of fiber per slice compared with less than 1 gram for white bread. Your best bet: buy bread with whole-wheat flour or cracked wheat listed as the first ingredient. Other great choices are the seven or twelve-grain breads that provide wonderful texture and flavor. These hearty breads will fill you up so you won’t be hungry for that snack in a few hours. Substitute brown rice for white rice and exchange corn flakes and puffed rice for high fiber cereals like shredded wheat, bran flakes and oatmeal. Try other whole grains like couscous, millet, quinoa, and bulgar.
Improve the Quality of Fat in Your Diet
Fat is the most concentrated source of calories in your diet. One gram of fat contains 9calories, compared to only 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate and protein. In addition, high fat foods tend to be more desirable, but do not give a sense of fullness, causing us to overeat. To top it all off, calories from fat are stored more efficiently than carbohydrate or protein calories, especially when the diet contains more calories than necessary for maintaining your weight or if you are already obese [Golay, 1997 #15890].
In a sense, fat has a dual personality. Eating too much fat has been linked to obesity, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and some types of cancers. On the other hand, fat is essential to life and severely restricting your fat intake is not healthy. Several official bodies in the U.S. recommend that no more than 30% of calories in the diet come from fat. Based on an estimated 1,600-1,800 calorie per day, this would equal about 50-60 grams per day or 450-540 calories.
Here are a few suggestions to help you improve the quality of fat in your diet.
• Decrease your intake of saturated fats and trans fatty acids, found in butter, margarine, red meat, and dairy products. Replace butter and regular margarines with Promise, Smart Beat or Brummel and Brown margarines that contain lower amounts of saturated and trans fatty acids that clog arteries and pack on the pounds. Eat leaner meat (see eat better meat section) and eat only low fat dairy products.
• Got milk? Try replacing whole fat milk or 2% milk with 1% or skim milk—you still get nutrients like protein, calcium and Vitamin D with less fat. If it’s a little harder to go from whole to skim, try mixing 2% and skim first, then gradually begin to drink only skim. Make eating other low fat or no fat dairy products a priority as well. Try low fat or nonfat yogurt and reduced fat cheeses.
• Increase your intake of monounsaturated fats. Good sources of monounsaturated fats include avocados, olives or olive oil, and nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios, hazel nuts, etc).
• Increase your intake of essential fatty acids. These healthy fats can be found in soybeans or soybean oil, fish, flax seeds or flax oil and hemp seed oil. Other sources of good fats include safflower and sesame oil, wheat germ, and rice bran. All these fat sources are great to use on salads in place of your regular dressing. Mixing the oils with balsamic vinegar is also a tasty treat. Top off your salad with some nuts, flax seed, sesame seed, sunflower seeds or sesame oil for a different taste.
• Preparing your food: The preparation methods that you may be choosing for foods can significantly add more fat to your dishes. Fried foods should be eaten only on a very special occasion (i.e. a few times a year). Instead opt for grilling, baking, broiling, steaming, stir-frying, or boiling your foods. Be careful when cooking vegetables not to add too much butter or oils. One to two tablespoons, preferably olive oil and/or canola or sesame oil, is the most fat you should add during meal preparation or to your foods throughout the day. Add a little soy sauce, teriyaki, or water with a small amount of oil to lightly sautee your vegetables instead of breading and frying. Use vegetable sprays when stir-frying and save your 1-2 T allowance for a handful of nuts, a salad dressing at dinner or light mayonnaise for your sandwich.
• Beat the spread: Cut back on high fat spreads like butter, margarine, cream cheese and mayonnaise by cutting your usual portion in half, substituting with low fat varieties, or eliminating them completely from your diet. Try low fat cheeses and butter flavored sprinkles to flavor your foods.
• Spice it up: Try eating spicy foods-you won’t miss the fattening sauces. Add picante sauce, ginger, italian spice blends, chili powder and garlic and onions to your dishes.
• Don’t drive by: Drive-thrus may be convenient but they weren’t made for you. Even healthy choices can pack high fat sauces on their low-fat fare. And who can resist those french fries when the smell is wafting through the car. Best bet: avoid the fast food places
• Do the deli: Try delis and sandwich counters–you can select lower fat foods or custom order a low fat chicken or turkey sandwich with mustard instead of mayo. Pile on those fresh veggies for an even tastier treat.
• Eat out selectively: Split entrees and get half the fat and calories. Eat the other half for your lunch the next day. Get dressings and sauces on the side to add conservatively. Caution, approaching the salad and hot bar: Watch out for fatty side dishes at salad bars. Potato salad, macaroni salad and even coleslaw can provide high doses of fat to someone who is trimming down. At the hot bar ask your server for mashed potatoes, without gravy or butter, and beans and green vegetables without cheese sauce or ask for toppings on the side. Choose marinara or red sauce for your pasta dish instead of the cream based sauce. This can cut the fat content of your dish by more than half.
• You can’t eat just one: Choose lighter snacks. You don’t have to forsake your chips, ice cream or cookies for the rest of your life, just try lower fat options, or eat the regular variety only on a special occasion. But don’t eat the entire bag of chips or pint of ice cream. There are also other alternatives to crunchy snacks. Try preztels, cut up veggies, lite popcorn, or sucking on sunflower seeds. If you do choose low fat options for snacks don’t eat more than you would normally just because they’re lower in fat–these alternatives still have the same amount of calories. In fact, many low fat varieties have more calories than a similar serving size of the regular food. Start reading labels. Select foods with 0-3 grams of fat per 100 calories.
HIGH FAT (avoid):
fried foods
butter
fatty meats
french fries
muffin
potato chips
ice cream
cheddar, american, swiss cheese
LOWER FAT (eat instead):
baked or broiled foods
Promise or Smart Beat margarine
fish, skinless chicken or turkey
baked potato or baked sweet potato
whole grain bagel
pretzels
frozen yogurt, sorbet, low fat pudding
parmesan, feta, mozzarella, or low fat variety
Buy Fresh Foods
Here are a few good examples of how processing not only robs foods of their nutritional density, but adds more calories to make the foods taste better (data taken from the food composition tables of the United Stated Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Information Center). Applesauce contains only about half the phosphorus, potassium, vitamin A, riboflavin and niacin of fresh whole apples, and only 25 percent of the vitamin C. Yet some types of applesauce have nearly twice the calories than a whole apple. Bread made with whole wheat has nearly four times the magnesium, three times the phosphorus, more than twice the zinc and five times the vitamin B6 than “enriched” white bread. Many frozen dinners contain twice as many calories as a meal made from fresh whole foods. Start doing some comparing for yourself and you’ll see that processed foods just can’t compete with whole foods.
• Fresh is better: Buy the bulk of your food from the produce section of the supermarket. Or better yet from a farmer’s market where produce is the freshest. The time that it takes foods to be delivered from the grower and to the shelves can also reduce its nutrient density. When you can’t buy fresh, buy frozen produce. Although freezing does destroy some of the nutrients in produce, it is less than the effects of canning.
• Old favorites and a dab of the unusual: Stock up this week on all the yummy produce that you already love. Then each week add a new item that you’ve never tried before. Remember when your mom said listen to your elders, well she was right. The men of old in ancient China would recite a proverb to their children and grandchildren that stated each time you try a new food, your life would be prolonged seven days. Based on their lower rates of certain chronic diseases, I think they might be on to something! Be brave, try something new from your produce department.
• Fruits and vegetables are good sources of fiber and vitamins. People should aim to consume at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Sufficient consumption of these foods also helps ensure you get enough phytochemicals. Found in small quantities in plants, phytochemicals protect plants from disease-causing microorganisms and pests, and are also believed to be an essential part of disease prevention in humans.
Eat Better Meat
Here are a few tips to help you cut down on your consumption of high-fat meats.
• Get the skinny: Cut out high fat meats, like bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and ham to help you cut back on your meat and fat intake. Instead choose leaner cuts of meat such as filet, tenderloin, flank, top round, top sirloin or ground round and make these items a small portion of your meal. Better yet opt for poultry, fish, and shellfish. If you do feel like you have to choose some red meat occasionally, trim all visible fat before cooking. And buy only extra-lean ground beef if you can’t resist a hamburger. A 3 1/2-ounce hamburger patty contains 20 grams of fat compared to the extra lean with 16.
• Give soy a try: Soybeans are a great whole food to add to your diet. Many people choose soy to add to their diets when they cut back on their meat intake to ensure that they get adequate amounts of protein. In fact, soybeans and soy products (tofu, miso, tempeh, soymilk, soycheese) are your best sources of plant protein. Soybeans are extremely nutrient dense and are a great substitute for meat. Marinate tofu and add it to stir frys. Buy baked tofu or tempeh, grill, and add to sandwiches, pasta or rice dishes, or salads. Soft tofu can also be used in fruit smoothies. Tofu basically takes on the flavor of the other foods you mix with it, so get creative with spices, herbs, and marinades and enjoy a new dish. Most supermarkets and all natural or health food stores carry soybeans and soy products, they even have soy dogs and lunch-meat made with soy protein.
Form Good Habits
• Drink six to eight glasses of water every day. This will help fill you up and keep your body functioning more efficiently.
• Minimize alcohol intake to avoid excess calories.
• Learn to eat slowly. Enjoy your meals: allow your body time to realize it has been fed.
• Avoid eating late at night, as the calories tend to be stored rather than burned for energy.
• Do grocery shopping from a list—and never when you’re hungry!
• Keep a food diary. This will help you to quickly see what you have been eating over the past few weeks. It’s harder to eat that candy bar or cookies every day if you have to write it down.
• Don’t skip meals or eat only one meal per day. This slows your metabolism. Frequent, small and healthy snacks or meals improve metabolism.
• Plan regular meals and snacks, and follow your plan!
• Get moving—make exercise, such as walking briskly for half an hour a day, a priority in your life.
Making Exercise a Habit
Physical activity has been recognized for many years by nutritionists, physicians, and other health professionals as an essential component of every weight management program. Bottom line, if you want to reach and maintain a healthy weight, you must exercise. In fact, the increased prevalence of overweight and obesity in our nation is attributed primarily to a decrease in physical activity, not just poor food choices.
Exercise is the best way to increase your resting metabolic rate. When exercise is included in your weight management program, the proportion of muscle to fat tissue improves. The more muscle you have the higher your metabolic rate. Remember muscles are the main consumers of fuel in the body, so the more they work, the more calories you burn. And better yet, when your lean body mass increases you burn calories all day long, even while you are sleeping. Exercise can also counteract the metabolic slow down that frequently occurs with age.
There is no right way to exercise. But, it is important to keep in mind that the amount of calories you burn during exercise depends on how long and intense it is and how many muscles are involved. The American College of Sports Medicine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Surgeon General have each recommended that all Americans attempt to accumulate 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, if not all, days. But this might not be possible from the beginning. Starting slowly is the key, and just increasing your physical activity, in combination with small changes in dietary intake, can promote weight loss.
Consider this: To lose one pound per week, you need to expend about 500 more calories than you consume. Walking 4 mph for 30 minutes will expend about 200 calories. If you walk upstairs for just 10 minutes you will expend about 150 calories. Domestic housework for 30 minutes will expend about 120 calories. As you can see, increasing your energy expenditure can be achieved with just very small steps.
Certain lifestyle activities may be just as effective at increasing your energy expenditure and managing your weight and health as planned exercise.
The concept of “lifestyle activity” encourages individuals to look for opportunities every day to increase energy expenditure. Here are some examples for increasing your daily energy expenditure:
• Garden, rake leaves, and mow the lawn
• Housework such as cleaning, vacuuming, dusting, and dishwashing
• Walk during your lunch break
• Park the car at the far end of the parking lot
• Take the stairs whenever possible
• Use fewer labor saving devices such as remote controls
• Play with nieces, nephews, or grandchildren. Offer to baby sit them occasionally.
• Walk your dog
Once you are ready to start a more vigorous exercise program, keep in mind the following tips:
• Exercise should be regular, at least thirty minutes on most, if not all, days of the week. Exercising only once a month will not help you to lose weight.
• Exercise should be enjoyable. Trying to do something you hate is the easiest way to fail. Pick an activity that you like. If you hate jogging or biking, play tennis, join a water aerobics class, rollerblade, or just walk.
• Remember that the goal of any exercise program is to lose body fat, as well as body weight. Exercise replaces fat tissue with muscle tissue. Because muscle weighs more than fat, the number you see on the scale may not change as rapidly as you would like. But, you’ll find that you are losing inches, and that your clothes fit better.
• Stretching and breathing exercises should also be a part of your exercise program. Stretching is essential before and after exercise so that muscles, tendons, and ligaments aren’t damaged. Focusing on your breathing during exercise will also help you to continue through the routine and make it a more efficient process.
• Slowly adding weight training to your workout regimen will build more lean body mass. An increase in lean body mass means an increase in the amount of calories you burn while resting or sleeping.
• Remember to consult your physcian before starting any strenuous physical activity.
