5 Signs You Should Slow Down Your Workout

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You wake up tired, yet you still push yourself to go to that 6 a.m. Spinning class. After all, you’re trying to foster healthy habits. But according to Mark Allen and Brant Secunda, the authors of Fit Soul, Fit Body: 9 Keys to a Healthier, Happier You, those high-energy workouts could be doing more harm than good.

“High intensity equates to high stress, even if there is a part of it that feels good to a person,” explains Allen. “In small doses this is fine. However, as a staple of your exercise [regimen] it causes the negative effects of stress hormones to set in and can lead to lack of motivation, depression, lack of mental acuity, irritability, and injury.” He adds, “Slowing down from exercising at high intensity helps the body to gain fitness in a way that is sustainable over time and that is low stress.”

Below Allen and Secunda share five telltale signs you should slow down your workout routine.

SIGN #1: You’re feeling burned out.
Pushing the envelope in your exercise will always lead to burnout over time. So drop the intensity down to a level where you end the workout feeling much fresher than when you start. Also, listen to your body. If you feel discomfort, or if you feel like you have try really hard to keep the workout momentum going, slow things down to a point where you are able to look at the world around you and feel a sense of enjoyment in your workout.

SIGN #2: You lack a good night’s sleep.
You fall asleep easily but wake up feeling like you were run over by a truck. You keep waking up numerous times in the night. You feel big dips in energy and sleepiness during the day. If you suffer from any of the above, it’s an indication to take it a bit easier in your training. Along with swapping heart-pumping cardio sessions with low-impact workouts, try cutting back on caffeine, especially in the afternoon. Replace that coffee pick-me-up with a short walk outside. It will help you get through the rest of the day, and it will help you sleep better at night.

SIGN #3: You’ve had sudden changes in weight and appetite.
Rapid weight loss (or gain) as well as any fluctuations in appetite levels could mean your body needs time to recuperate from any high-intensity activities. Slow down your workout, up your protein intake, and reduce carbs (especially in snacks). Opt for almonds instead of cookies, or crackers and hummus instead of chips. This will help regulate blood sugar as well as give your body more of the building blocks it needs to repair itself.

SIGN #4: You have body pains or injuries.
Sore muscles are normal, but any sharp or chronic pain is a sign that your body has reached the limit of what it can take. Stop trying to set a personal record during each workout, and reduce muscle and joint stress with easy to moderate exercise. Also try a new activity if one is causing you some discomfort. For example, if a knee hurts when you run, try cycling or swimming instead. It may not be your first choice of exercise, but the variation will give an ailing part of your body some extra time to recover.

SIGN #5: You have an elevated resting heart rate.
Pay attention to your heart rate when you wake up in the morning. If it reaches five (or more) beats above normal, this is usually a sign to take things down a notch. On top of reducing your exercise effort try drinking some extra glasses of water throughout the day. This will help to reduce another cause of an elevated resting heart rate: dehydration. Staying hydrated is especially important in the spring and summer months when the heat can make workouts even more challenging.

Reposted from theahhmoment.blogspot.com

8 Springtime Health and Happiness Strategies

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If winter is the time to hunker down and be meditative, spring is the time to, well, spring into action! If you’re ready to shake off the winter blahs and the extra padding you accumulated over the past few months, take a cue from nature.

Think about it: The animals are coming out of hibernation and getting active. New shoots are breaking through the frozen earth and feeling the sun. The sunlight is brighter and the days are lighter and longer. Nature sends us messages about how to get healthy by making seasonal changes too. All we have to do is listen.

Here are 8 new springtime health strategies that lead to good health for your body and soul, and will help you look and feel your best.

“Spring up” your diet.
Indigenous people who live close to nature eat seasonally. It’s a healthy way to eat that naturally helps you shed those winter pounds and make you feel light and springy. Seek out foods that are fresh this time of year, such as green leafy salads with sprouts and radishes; strawberries and baby asparagus; and seasonal fish and shellfish.

Get in a springtime mood.
Scientists have proven that we have around 60,000 thoughts a day, the vast majority of which are negative! For one week, every time you catch yourself having a negative thought, which robs you of energy, state it in the opposite way. Replace “I can’t” with “I can.” Make that shift over and over until you begin to see more and more time pass between negative thoughts. Watch how much more spring you have in your step at the end of the week.

Commit to outdoor time.
Scientists have proven what shamans have known for millennia: that being outdoors in nature makes people happier, calmer, healthier, and more energetic. Make a conscious effort to spend at least 30 minutes outside daily doing anything. You will feel significantly less stressed, more connected, and more energetic as you get in step with the spring light, spring smells, and spring activity.

Try something new.
Springtime is a time for renewal. To get into the mood of change and forward momentum, try a new sport or an old one you haven’t done for a long time. Often, when we engage in new activities, it’s especially motivating. The more types of activities you engage in, the more energetic you’ll feel.

Sprout some new eating habits.
Did you get into a carb habit over the winter? Try this: For one week, cut out all sweets, pasta, and breads. Then slowly add more carbs back in—but only complex carbs with lots of fiber (whole grains, whole fruits and vegetables, beans, etc.). Notice how much lighter you feel.

Refresh an old workout routine.
This spring, don’t let workout boredom squelch your motivation to get in shape. Change your workout course. Do the familiar course in the opposite direction. Or find a workout partner. Or work out at a different time of day.

Take a springtime trip.
Pick a wildly beautiful place in nature. Schedule a weekend to go camping or hiking. Or simply take some extended time to relax in a wonderful outdoor place where spring is showing its colors and beauty. Taking a trip in nature will jumpstart your springtime energy and will shake off the hard work, restlessness, and stagnation from winter.

Accept that challenge is normal.
Lots of us this time of year look in the mirror and think, “I’ll never get in shape by swimsuit season.” Think of a fragile crocus pushing its way up through the frozen earth. Challenge is a normal part of striving, growing, and overcoming obstacles. Realizing this will help you manage your fear and negativity and propel you forward.

Reposted from intentblog.com

10 Ways to Be Happier and Healthier at Work

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Running a business is kind of like running a marathon. To succeed at either, you need to be in top physical and mental shape. In today’s guest post, authors Brant Secunda and Mark Allen share 10 tipsadapted from their book Fit Soul, Fit Body that can help you and your employees be happier, healthier and more productive on the job.

According to the annual Conference Board job satisfaction survey, more than half of Americans (52%) say they are dissatisfied with their jobs. But it’s not the work that’s makes us unhappy — it’s how we deal with it while we’re there.

Boredom, perfectionism, anxiety, and impatience make us hate what we do. And feeling physically bad — from sitting too long, caving in to stress, and eating poorly at work — just make things worse.

Here are 10 strategies you can put into practice tomorrow that will make an enormous difference in the way you and your employees perform and feel about your jobs.

1. Stand up to your office chair.It’s great that you have the newest ergonomic chair. But if you sit in it all day, you’ll reduce the amount of fat-burning enzyme called lipoprotein lipase by a whopping 94%. To keep this enzyme active and burning fat requires only 30 minutes a day of standing up to read, to talk on the phone, or to consult with a coworker.

2. Embrace the power of repetition. Here’s a trick that helps top athletes train every day for hours at a time. Embrace the repetitive aspects of work. Start to see chipping away at the same tasks day after day as powerful ways to reach your financial and professional goals. This is similar to the way our ancestors could plant an entire hillside with corn by hand, one kernel at a time, year after year.

3. Brush away impatience and frustration. When you’re impatient with a task that’s taking too long, or frustrated with a complication such as a technology glitch, here’s a simple way to quickly reset your workplace mood. Think of whatever you are doing at that moment — say, consulting the user’s guide for your computer — as your top priority instead of the means to an end.

4. Change your routine to prevent monotony. Like the idea of cross training for athletes, workers can stay mentally fit by mixing up the routine. If you work 9-5, try working 8-4. If you always check your email first thing, do something else for the first hour. Rearrange your office. Try making calls instead of emailing.

 

5. Stop procrastinating for 5 minutes. Do you put off working on large projects or tasks as the deadline gets closer, and then eat yourself up with worry at night obsessing about them? Try this. Commit to working on it for just 5 minutes. That’s it. Once you start, you might find it’s not that bad. But even if it is, it will be easier to complete if you’ve been chipping away at it for 5 minutes a day.

6. Slow down to get faster. Fitness scientists know that working out at a comfortable level is more beneficial for health than pushing through at top speed or effort. You can apply this principle to your workplace activity as well. If you consciously slow down, take time to think things through, finish one task completely before going to the next, perhaps even ignore incoming calls and emails temporarily, you’ll find that your productivity will increase along with your happiness.

7. Take time to feed and water yourself. Don’t skip breakfast. And eat small healthy snacks every couple of hours, such as fruit, yogurt, almonds, carrots and peppers, nut butter sandwiches, dark chocolate, and soup. Keep a liter of water on your desk and sip it all day long. Watch how energized you feel — especially midafternoon, the time you normally crave a sweet and some coffee.

8. Weightlift for your soul. “Weightlifting for the soul” is giving up negative thoughts that weigh you down. The next time a negative thought comes into your mind, force yourself to restate it to yourself in a positive way. So, “This is too hard” becomes “I have all it takes to make it through.” Or, “This is a waste of time” becomes “What can I learn right now?”

9. Look at the now. Are you a perfectionist? Do you beat yourself up for not doing things as masterfully as you think you should? Try this: Ask yourself if you are doing the best you can right now with everything going on in your life. Instead of focusing on absolute perfection, make the goal to give the best you can in the moment, even if you know on another day it might be better.

10. Keep making deposits. View your physical, emotional, and spiritual health as a bank account that should always be tended to. Being healthy goes hand in hand with being happy — in and outside of your business. Every day you are sedentary, eat bad food, or indulge in negative thinking is a withdrawal. Every day you eat well, get enough sleep, stay hydrated, exercise, and are optimistic is a deposit.

Reposted from smallbizdaily.com

Chicago Tribune Interview

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Beat the Seasonal Blues

Have the whiplash weather changes of this season left a mark? Need a mental health boost? According to Ironman champion Mark Allen and shaman Brant Secunda, co-authors of “Fit Soul, Fit Body: 9 Keys to a Healthier, Happier You” (BenBella Books. $14.95), beating the seasonal blahs could be as easy as connecting to something greater.

Jenniffer Weigel: Your new book talks about lots of ways you can stay healthy and happy. Why did you collaborate on this?…

Read the Full Interview

7 Secrets of Truly Happy, Spiritual People

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What can we learn from ancient civilizations about happiness? Apparently, a lot. Brant Secunda, co-author of the new book “Fit Soul, Fit Body: 9 Keys to Healthier, Happier You,” spent 12 years living among the happiest people on earth — the Huichol people of Mexico. Here, he shares some of the things he learned and seven tips on how you can be happier now.

Q: Nature plays a huge role in the happiness of the Huichols. How is our disassociation with it affecting our health?

A: It’s ultimately making us feelunhappy, depressed and just out of sync with life. What do we do all day in our modern world? We tap intotechnology (which isn’t necessarily bad) and forget the power of nature that always surrounds us. We spend an unnatural amount of time inside.

Q: Are we doing anything right in terms of making ourselves happier?

A: Our society is becoming more aware of how important it is to have a healthy soulas well as a healthy body, heart and spirit. We’re making a big effort to connect everything and to let go of stress, our busy minds and the things that are holding us back. We’re also working on developing broader communities with social media.

Q: Can you explain a bit about the emerging field of “eco-therapy”?

A: Indigenous cultures have always been “eco-therapists” or “green therapists.” Their approach to life promotes the regenerative power of the environment — it can have instant and profound effects on your mood, transforming negative emotions — such as fear, depression, anger and anxiety — into a peaceful, happy state of mind.

Q: How can people go about boosting their health and happiness?

A: There are several ways. Here are seven.

See the Big Picture. To bring fear or worry into perspective, focus on a positive event in nature that will continue whether you face your fear or not. Recall the colours of the last sunrise you saw or think of the present season and its inevitable progression into the next one. You’ll see that such large events continue — whether you and your fears are there or not.

Embrace the Night. After sunset, find a place in nature where you’re not surrounded by things man-made and the only light is the stars. Get enveloped in the welcome darkness, listen to the sounds of nature and connect to your world.

Get Lit Up. Set your alarm in time to get outside when it’s still dark. As the sun is rising, concentrate on the dawning light. The sun’s rays transform the darkness of night into the brilliance of day. It will brighten your mood.

Get “Soleful” Love. Take a walk outside — someplace where you feel peaceful. Slowly put one foot in front of the other and quiet your internal chatter. With each step, visualize the earth’s love coming into your body through your feet and dissolving any problems you have.

Centre Between Earth and Sky. Sit or lie on the ground outside. Visualize the light of the sun entering the top of your head, filling your heart and body, then going down into the Earth. Feel the Earth beneath you and draw its love into your heart and body then send it up to the sun. Feel your connection to all life.

Invoke the Deer Spirit. The Huichols use the image of the deer to represent innocence, gentleness and clarity. To melt away emotional stress, visualize the image of a deer surrounded by a circle. Ask the deer — out loud or to yourself — to help you find harmony and balance and to help you stand tall like a tree.

Fight Negativity With Fire. Transform negative emotions by focusing on the flame of a candle or fire. Imagine your heart opening like a flower and imagine breathing in the fire’s light. Do this for about five minutes. This technique will give you an immediate release of tension.

Reposted from thatsfit.ca

7 Ways to Use Nature to Boost Your Moods

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If you’re depressed, stressed out, anxious, or fatigued, the cure might be right outside your door. New research from Holland shows that people who live near a park or wooded area experience less depression and anxiety. And a study from the UK found that a walk in the country reduces depression in 71% of participants. Scientists have long known that sunlight can ease depression – especially SAD, or seasonal affective disorder, in winter.

When you tap into the regenerative power of your environment, it can have instant and profound effects on your mood, transforming negative emotions such as fear, depression, anger, and anxiety into a peaceful, happy state of mind. Try these techniques:

See the big picture.

To bring fear or worry into perspective, focus on a positive event in nature that will continue whether you face your fear or not. Recall the colors of the last sunrise you saw, or think of the present season and its inevitable progression into the next one. You’ll see that such large events continue – whether you and your fears are there or not.

Embrace the darkness.

At night, find a place in nature where you’re not surrounded by things manmade and the only light is the stars. Get enveloped in the welcome darkness, listen to the sounds of nature, and connect to your world.

Get lit up.

Set your alarm in time to get outside when it’s still dark. As the sun is rising, concentrate on the dawning light. The sun’s rays transform the darkness of night into the brilliance of day. It will brighten your mood naturally too.

Get “soleful” love.

Take a walk outside – someplace where you feel peaceful. Put one foot in front of the other slowly, and quiet your internal chatter. With each step, visualize the earth’s love coming into your body through your feet and dissolving any problems you have.

Center between earth and sky.

Sit or lie on the ground outside. Visualize the light of the sun entering the top of your head, filling your heart and body, and then going down into the earth. Feel the earth beneath you, and draw the love of the earth up into your heart and body, and then send it up to the sun. Feel your connection to all life.

Invoke the deer spirit.

The Huichols use the image of the deer to represent innocence, gentleness, and clarity. To melt away emotional stress, visualize the image of a deer surrounded by a circle. Ask the deer, out loud or to yourself, to help you find harmony and balance, and help you to stand tall like a tree.

Fight negativity with fire.

Transform negative emotions such as fear, anger, and jealousy by sitting before a fire outside or a candle inside and looking at the flame. Imagine your heart opening like a flower and see yourself breathing in the fire’s light. Do this for about 5 minutes. This technique also gives immediate relief to the part of your body that’s holding the emotion (e.g., your stomach).

Shaman-healer Brant Secunda and world champion Ironman Mark Allen teach seminars worldwide on fitness, health, and well-being. Their new book, based on the approach they developed, is Fit Soul, Fit Body: 9 Keys to Healthier, Happier You (BenBella Books). Find out more at www.fitsoul-fitbody.com.

Reposted from healthnewsdigest.com

Fit Soul, Fit Body

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Fit Body, Fit Soul

Shaman-Healer Brant Secunda with six-time world champion Ironman Mark Allen

Brant Secunda and Mark Allen
Authors and Collaborators, Fit Body, Fit Soul

Shaman-healer and MacArthur Award finalist Brant Secunda and six-time world champion Ironman Mark Allen provide insights into how to forge stronger connections between our physical fitness goals and our spirituality.

Brant and Mark travel worldwide and teach seminars on fitness, health, and well-being. Their new book, based on the approach they developed, is Fit Soul, Fit Body: 9 Keys to a Healthier, Happier You.

Join Andie now for a great discussion with Brant and Mark and learn how their divergent life paths crossed coincidentally to bring us essential insights inherently understood by indigenous peoples.

Reposted from wisdomradio.org

7 Ways to Use Nature to Boost Your Moods

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If you’re depressed, stressed out, anxious, or fatigued, the cure might be right outside your door. New research from Holland shows that people who live near a park or wooded area experience less depression and anxiety. And a study from the UK found that a walk in the country reduces depression in 71% of participants. Scientists have long known that sunlight can ease depression – especially SAD, or seasonal affective disorder, in winter.

When you tap into the regenerative power of your environment, it can have instant and profound effects on your mood, transforming negative emotions such as fear, depression, anger, and anxiety into a peaceful, happy state of mind. Try these techniques:

See the big picture.

To bring fear or worry into perspective, focus on a positive event in nature that will continue whether you face your fear or not. Recall the colors of the last sunrise you saw, or think of the present season and its inevitable progression into the next one. You’ll see that such large events continue – whether you and your fears are there or not.

Embrace the darkness.

At night, find a place in nature where you’re not surrounded by things manmade and the only light is the stars. Get enveloped in the welcome darkness, listen to the sounds of nature, and connect to your world.

Get lit up.

Set your alarm in time to get outside when it’s still dark. As the sun is rising, concentrate on the dawning light. The sun’s rays transform the darkness of night into the brilliance of day. It will brighten your mood naturally too.

Get “soleful” love.

Take a walk outside – someplace where you feel peaceful. Put one foot in front of the other slowly, and quiet your internal chatter. With each step, visualize the earth’s love coming into your body through your feet and dissolving any problems you have.

Center between earth and sky.

Sit or lie on the ground outside. Visualize the light of the sun entering the top of your head, filling your heart and body, and then going down into the earth. Feel the earth beneath you, and draw the love of the earth up into your heart and body, and then send it up to the sun. Feel your connection to all life.

Invoke the deer spirit.

The Huichols use the image of the deer to represent innocence, gentleness, and clarity. To melt away emotional stress, visualize the image of a deer surrounded by a circle. Ask the deer, out loud or to yourself, to help you find harmony and balance, and help you to stand tall like a tree.

Fight negativity with fire.

Transform negative emotions such as fear, anger, and jealousy by sitting before a fire outside or a candle inside and looking at the flame. Imagine your heart opening like a flower and see yourself breathing in the fire’s light. Do this for about 5 minutes. This technique also gives immediate relief to the part of your body that’s holding the emotion (e.g., your stomach).

Shaman-healer Brant Secunda and world champion Ironman Mark Allen teach seminars worldwide on fitness, health, and well-being. Their new book, based on the approach they developed, is Fit Soul, Fit Body: 9 Keys to Healthier, Happier You (BenBella Books). Find out more at www.fitsoul-fitbody.com.

Reposted from healthnewsdigest.com