Health Tips
A Guide To Achieving Healthy Work/Life Balance
It's 6 am and the alarm clock sounds. You're off on the multitasking
merry-go-round filled with e-mails, voice mails, car pooling, running errands,
and on a good day, a few quick meals. An exercise regimen is not a top
priority, compared to balancing career and family responsibilities.
If this sounds like you, don't fret. With a minimal amount of time and a pinch
of determination, exercise can be integrated into anyone's schedule. In
designing a new exercise program, try to keep in perspective the reasons why
it is important to exercise and be active. Among other benefits, exercise can
make you feel more confident in yourself, give you more energy throughout the
day, relieve stress, challenge you and keep you feeling strong and healthy.
Here are five recommendations for implementing fitness into your daily
routine:
1. Set Non-Weight Goals: This may be the hardest part of your new exercise
program, but it is important to stay away from the scales. Maintaining a
successful exercise program requires lifestyle change, not attaining what some
fitness professionals refer to as the "magical weight." Weight is an extremely
deceptive measure of your workout's success.
Some examples of equally motivating, yet non-weight affiliated goals include:
Walk/run a 5K by a certain date.
Be fit enough to go on long bike rides with your children.
Start up a new activity or sport that you always wanted to try such as
rollerblading, hiking or tennis.
If you absolutely need a numeric gauge for a start to finish tally, it is
recommend that you record body fat percentage. Remember, the less you equate
the concept of being fit with being a particular weight or size, the more
likely you are to stay in it for the long haul.
2. Plan Your Schedule: Sit down each Sunday night and analyze what your week
is going to look like. Pick at least three days on which you can dedicate a
minimum of 30 minutes to exercise. If something comes up during your planned
exercise time, don't be afraid to use that powerful two-letter word, "NO."
Exercise is not just about walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary
bicycle for 30 minutes. It's also about setting aside some "alone" time so
that you can think or relax or do whatever it is that you need to do to take a
well-deserved breather from your hectic daily schedule.
4. Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Help: If fitness is a relatively new concept to
you, don't be afraid to ask your doctor or a fitness professional. Make sure
you retrieve your information from credible sources.
One of the most frequent comments from women is that they are intimidated by
the machines or group exercise classes or think that people are going to make
fun of them if they don't do an exercise right.
5. Change Your Eating Habits: Exercise and fitness go hand in hand with a
well-balanced eating plan. Improving your eating habits will help enhance the
strength, health, and general well being effects of your exercise plan. Try to
plan your meals as much as possible and start with setting small attainable
goals. For example, challenge yourself to cut down on snacking in the late
evening or replace your daily can of soda with a bottle of water. A gradual
transition will be much easier, and you'll find that the small modifications
will begin to add up. A certified personal trainer can provide you with basic
guidance on nutrition and eating tips. If you're looking for a complete
overhaul of your current diet, always make sure to consult your family
physician or a registered dietician.
You can become a new success story by incorporating your workouts as a natural
part of your daily routine. Hopefully, you will eventually find exercise to be
an enjoyable and refreshing part of your day. So walk, bike, strength train,
play a sport - celebrate your body and move!
Adapted from content written by the Women's Sports Foundation.
P.S. Of course we Jazzercisers know how much fun exercising can be. We welcome
every person of every fitness level:)
Target Heart Rate Zone
You exercise regularly but are not seeing the anticipated results. To get the
greatest benefit out of your fitness routine, you need to know your maximum
heart rate and what your Target Heart Rate (THR) zone is to know if you are
exercising at the right pace.
The Target Heart Rate zone is an accepted way of knowing how hard you should
exercise during aerobic activities. If your heart rate is at the lower end of
your THR zone it means you are not exercising hard enough to get the most
benefit out of your routine. Conversely, if you are exercising too hard and
your heart rate is beyond your ideal THR zone, you may put yourself at risk
for injury or burn out.
Get the most out of your fitness program by exercising in your Target Heart
Rate zone.
(Source: WeightLossforgood.com)
Stay Healthy
Follow a balanced diet and enjoy Jazzercise 3-4 times a week.
For more health tips visit the official Jazzercise site at
http://www.jazzercise.com
If you have any questions please consult your physician.