Day 26 – Shop Local

Day 26 – Shop Local

It’s Saturday. Get out to a Farmers’ Market or shop at locally owned stores in your community; try craft breweries in your town. Keep your money in your local economy.

So get out there today: Pick up some fresh fruit or pastries or local meats; shop at a store in your town and support your friends and neighbors. Have an adventure in your backyard.

~FB

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Day 23 – Spread Some Cheer

Day 23 – Spread Some Cheer

Smile. Say hello to those you pass. Giggle and keep it going. Leave a positive note somewhere.

 

My co-worker left me this little guy on my desk years ago…she said he reminded her of me because of the big blue eyes. It still sits on my desk and every time I look at it it makes me laugh. Little things DO count.

Aside from helping others have a better day, spreading cheer around is also great for your soul.  Psychologists call it “Helper’s High”.  Our brains actually release feel-good chemicals when we help someone, leading us to do more of the same.

Cheer.  Spread it.

~FB

Day 22 – Do My Abs Workout

Day 22 – Do My Abs Workout

We all have abdominal muscles.  Sometimes, we just need a little help “finding” them.  To help you get started with defining your abs, do my workout below:

30 Seconds High Knees / 30 Seconds Scissor Runs / 30 Seconds Crunches / 30 Seconds Bicycles / 30 Seconds High Plank / 30 Plank Jacks / 30 Seconds Leg Lifts (on your back) / 30 Seconds Leg Flutters / 30 Seconds Dead Bug >> Do this short workout (at least) twice. :0)

Tip:

Don’t forget to train the rest of your body. The more muscle mass you have the higher your metabolic rate, even while you’re at rest. Do two to three full-body strength training sessions each week, making sure to take a rest day in between.

You don’t need to rest your abs, however. Because they don’t fatigue as easily, it’s OK to train your abs every day; so aiming for three to five ab-training sessions weekly is just fine.

Cheers.

Day 9 – Go Meatless

Day 9 – Go Meatless

Going meatless, even just once to a few times a week, can have a tremendous impact on your health. You don’t have to cut all animal products out of your life cold-turkey, but decreasing the amount of meat and increasing the amount of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and whole-grains that you eat can do wonders for your health and the health of the environment.

Don’t get me wrong (or hate me), I am a full-on meat eater.  But eliminating meat from meals every once in a while can be great.  It can be time-saving, money-saving, and health-beneficial.  You don’t have to sacrifice deliciousness because you’re eliminating meat.  Have you ever tried a whole roasted herbed cauliflower or a vegetable burger? Mmmmm.

Go ahead and expand your horizons by making full meals solely out of plants.  You’ll be surprised with the plethora of ideas and recipes you can find or come up with.

~FB

Day 8 – Pack A Lunch

Day 8 – Pack a Lunch

 

Save money and eat healthier by packing your own lunch. (This is your challenge today but you can plan it for tomorrow. 🙂 ) Knowing exactly what’s in your food and ensuring it’s nutritious can give you some peace of mind when it comes time for your lunch break. Save time by preparing your food the night before or the morning of (rather than spending time heading to pick up some grub and waiting in line) can also free up time to socialize or take a lunch-time walk.

I am not one of those people who spend all day Sunday prepping meals for the week (or month!).  I honestly just can’t put the effort in.  But, I know that many of you benefit from this.  It can help you achieve goals of healthy eating; and if it allows you more free time during the week, then I say kudos to you.  There are some evenings when I’ll prepare dinner and lunch for the new couple of days; this usually occurs when I’m participating in a Whole 30 (like right now).  If I am eliminating sugar and processed foods from my diet, then prepping my lunch meals (or meals for evenings away from the home) is a must – because I want to know exactly what’s in my ingredients and want to be certain I am maintaining compliance.

In addition to eating healthier when brown-bagging it, preparing my lunch also allows me time to do other things on my lunch break – whether that’s go for a walk or run errands or just spend time with friends or alone….it means I’m not running around looking for something to eat, waiting in lines or for a server.  My time, as I’m sure yours is as well, is valuable and I don’t want to waste a minute.

~FB

 

Day 3 – Plank

Day 3 – Plank

Get down and give me a 30 – 60 second plank. (Do it several times today, even.) Maintain a long and neutral position, don’t let your hips or pelvis sink. Neutralize the back and spine and keep your head in line with your back. Keep elbows under shoulders, squeeze quads and glutes, toes should be into the floor while pressing your heels back. Remember to breathe.

~FB

Day 2 – Create a Healthy Daily Habit

Day 2 – Create a Healthy Daily Habit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whether that means going for a walk in the morning, drinking your coffee black, taking the stairs, sneaking in more greens, or spending time off-line and engaging more with others (or yourself), commit to making it (whatever *it* is) a part of your daily routine and stick with it. Remember that it takes time (about 21 days) to form a habit so don’t give up in your first week.

~FB

Health and Wellness Challenge – Day 1 – Drink Your Water!

Day 1 – Drink Your Water

Water is the most important nutrient. After air, water is the most important factor to human life. Accounting for about 60% of your body weight, we can survive for weeks without food, but only days without water. We need approximately 30 ml of water per kg of body weight per day (approximately 2.3 liters of water for 170 lb person). Every organ and cell needs to stay hydrated in order for the body to function at its best. Staying hydrated is important for both physical and mental health. So, from today on, make hydration your daily goal. I admit that, although I’m really great at drinking water throughout the day when I’m at work, on my days off, I don’t drink nearly enough water. I sip here and there but I doubt I drink even a third of my daily recommendation. Making hydrating while home/on the weekends is going to be a priority for me.

~Cheers

Make 2019 Great! (Health and Wellness Challenge)

The end of the year is upon us.  Literally, tomorrow is December 31.  It’s hard to believe that another year has passe by, yet, here is we are again, getting ready to ring in the new year, saying goodbye to the Christmas and holiday festivities, and trying to ram as much junk in our faces as we reflect on how well we did and didn’t do this past year.

A while back, I came up with the idea of a month-long challenge for better health and wellness.  And I am talking overall health and wellness – mind, body, spirit – not just body.  And I have been diligently working away like a busy little bee to get ready to launch this challenge January 1.  I’ve already worked out the full calendar for the month of January, highlighting a new challenge each day.  Challenges that will provide for your physical, emotional, mental, and social health.  <– These are all important aspects of overall health and wellness and I wanted to take the focus off just physical (and nutritional) health, although, I am sneaking items for those in too!).

So get ready to bring 2019 in with a bang and work toward bettering your overall health and wellness and clarity.

Stay tuned..and I promise you Day 1 will be easy peasy.

Happy New Year!

Follow me on Instagram @nsfitbitch for the short and sweet of it.

12 Days of Fitness

See that Search button up there at the top right of the screen??  ^^

If you type the word Christmas in that search bar, you will get my Christmas workouts and tips from years gone by.  There are a handful of articles that might be helpful in you succeeding the holidays without overindulging and keeping you in tip-top shape throughout December.

And since it is December and we’re getting closer and closer to Christmas (we’re about 18 days away), I thought it would be a perfect time to post another Christmas Fitness note.  This one is the 12 Days of Fitness.

And technically, we are a little further out than the 12 days of Christmas, but I know there are days that some of you absolutely won’t be able to fit in a workout.  Some of us are busy with work (and many shift workers can’t manage every day), or kids, or functions, or shopping, or whatever is happening in your life, so you get a few extra days in between to hopefully find time to take time for yourself and get your exercise on.

This workout is actually super easy so that 1. you can fit the time in or 2. you’re new to exercise.  The workout only calls for one exercise per day, as you can see from the picture.  However, it is an accumulator workout so you can also look at in several other ways:

1. As just noted above, perform just the specified exercise per day; OR
2. Each day add the next day’s exercise (this is the accumulation) so that you’re doing 1 exercise the first day, 2 exercises the second, 3 exercises the third day, etc. ; OR
3. You can do every exercise each day.
4. Or – if you want to go even further than #3, you can do each exercise for a full minute (or longer) each day.

The great thing about at-home workouts is that you can make it fit to your schedule.

If you’re anything like my and you like a cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie (obsessed), you can try one of these fun Hallmark Christmas Movie Workouts.  They’re cute and, let’s face it, if you pay attention to these movies, you’ll get a good little workout.  Incorporate it into your evening binge with friends or your kids or partner.  (Bonus Burpees or squats if Candace Cameron Bure is in your movie or/commercial.)

The main thing to remember is to take time for yourself this holiday season.  Go into the new year feeling refreshed and shiny and bright.

Cheers!

~FB