My Holiday Fitness Challenge to You
 

Whether the weight gain is a pound or ten pounds, did you ever ask yourself why does holiday weight gain happen at all?

Here are some common answers I’ve heard:

“I’m too busy over the holidays to work out as often as usual.”

“I’m more stressed over the holidays, and the food is there, so I eat more.”

“I have at least three parties to attend and then there’s Christmas and New Year’s, so it’s impossible to stay on a diet.”

“No one can tell me not to enjoy myself over the holidays, so I’m just going to eat whatever I want.”

These answers all have a few things in common.

First, they assume that it’s an either/or proposition: You can either get in better shape or enjoy yourself, but not both. Stated in reverse: You can either deprive yourself of holiday enjoyments or gain weight, but it has to be one or the other. The truth is, “either/or thinking” is a very limiting form of thought.

Second, these are all excuses or rationalizations. “I’m too busy” for example, is always an excuse, because I have never known someone who was too busy to make time for his or her highest life priorities. The problem then, is not lack of time, but that most people do not make exercise or eating healthy a priority. We all have the same amount of time – 24 hours a day – but the way people prioritize the use of time is the difference between success and mediocrity. And remember, words mean little. Actions reveal a person’s true priorities.

Third, none of these are the real reasons most people gain weight over the holidays to begin with. The real reason is because an intention was never set for the opposite: To get in BETTER shape over the holidays.

Most people set a “goal” to get in worse shape over the holidays!

It’s not consciously set, of course, as few people would intentionally set out to gain fat. They simply do it by default. In their minds, they accept that it must be just about impossible to stay in shape with everything going on over the holiday season, so why bother?

Once the decision has been made, then the rationalizing (“rationing lies”) continues:

“Why should I deprive myself?”
“Family is more important”
“Worrying about diet and exercise during the holidays is neurotic”
“I don’t care if I gain a few pounds, I’m going to enjoy myself anyway”
“It’s only these two or three weeks that I let myself go wild”
“I’ll start the first week in January and lose the weight then.”

As a result of this “negative goal-setting,” they expect to work out less, eat more and gain a few pounds, and they don’t seem to even consider alternatives.

But what would happen if you set an intention and a goal to get in better shape between now and New Years’s Day?

What would happen if you decided that it was not an all or nothing proposition and that you could enjoy the holidays and all it has to offer and get in better shape at the same time?

And what if you decided that your health and your body were the highest priorities in your life, because you realized that can’t enjoy anything else in life, including family or holidays, if you don’t have your health?

Here’s what would happen: You would get in better shape!

I’m not all that different from you just because I’m a bodybuilder and a fitness professional. I have many of the same problems, concerns and struggles as you do. Although today I always get in better shape between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, that’s a result of a conscious choice, a close examination of my old belief systems and a lot of action. For me, it all started about six years ago.

For most of my adult life, I wasn’t much of a traveler and I didn’t enjoy flying or staying in hotels. I had a belief that if I traveled, my workouts and nutrition would suffer. After all, “it would be hard to stick with my usual bodybuilding diet, and I wouldn’t have access to my usual gyms.” Because of these reasons (excuses), I never did much travel back in those days.

Then I was forced to take some trips for business reasons. Predictably enough, my nutrition and workouts suffered while I was spending time in airplanes and in hotels. With my experience having confirmed my beliefs, I re-affirmed to myself, “See, traveling is nothing but a pain. You just can’t stay on a diet and training program when you’re out of town.”

After several more trips, I noticed that something very negative happened: I surrendered. I had resigned myself to “not bother” while I was on the road. I let my expectations create my reality.

But I didn’t let it go on for long. As soon as I became aware of what was happening, I decided that I wouldn’t tolerate it, so I challenged myself and my previous limiting beliefs. I asked myself, “Why the heck not? Why let myself backslide? Why even settle for maintaining? Why not challenge myself to improve while I’m traveling?” The answer:

There was no reason, there were only excuses.

From that day forward, I set a challenge for myself: To come back from every trip or vacation in better shape than when I left. Of course there were exceptions, as when I went on a vacation for total R & R. But I never let travel get in my way again…

I prepared food that I would eat on the planes so airline food was never an excuse…
I only chose hotels that had kitchens, so I could cook my own food…
I went food shopping immediately after check-in…

And I actually found myself training harder than usual!

No matter where I was training – it could even be some “dungeon” of a gym in the middle of nowhere – it didn’t matter because my mind was focused on improving and looking better when I came home than when I left. I had a goal!

What do you think happened? It’s not hard to guess: I always came home in better shape than when I left.

In fact, this experience is what led me to my “holiday fitness challenge.”

Like many people, I travel over the holidays, so I’m automatically in “travel challenge” mode at thanksgiving, Christmastime and New Year’s. But with the additional temptations and busyness that the holidays bring on top of the usual travel stresses, I saw fit to declare a new challenge: “The Holiday Challenge.” The difference was that for my “holiday challenge,” I pledged to not only to return home in better shape than when I left, but to enjoy the holidays to the fullest at the same time.

People who think I “deprive” myself to look the way I do would be shocked: I eat some damn good food over the holidays including Pie at Thanksgiving and my mom’s famous red and green Jell-0 Christmas cake. Then on New Year’s I’m usually toasting champagne and having a blast with friends or family. The difference is, every other meal stays right on schedule and I work out hard and consistently over the holidays; I don’t let everything fall apart just because ‘tis the season.’ In fact, I work out HARDER over the holidays!

The idea that you can either enjoy the holidays or stay in shape – but not both – is damaging and limiting. It hurts your social life, your emotional life and your physical life. Life is not an either or proposition; it’s a matter of balance. Success does not mean going to extremes. Success can be a simple matter of re-examining your beliefs, rearranging your priorities, setting goals, changing the questions you ask yourself, re-evaluating your expectations and acting in accordance with all of the above.

Your expectations will become your reality.

What are you expecting this holiday season? Are you expecting to be in better shape after holiday parties, celebrations, banquets, dinners, and desserts? If not, then why not? What’s preventing you from enjoying all of the above and still getting in better shape? Do you have a limiting belief which dictates that it’s one or the other? Could it be that you never set a goal, intention or expectation to do it? Could it be that you’re rationalizing or making excuses? If so, then I challenge you to change it this year.

I CHALLENGE YOU TO BE IN BETTER SHAPE ON JANUARY 1st THAN YOU ARE TODAY! I CHALLENGE YOU TO BE FITTER, HEALTHIER, LEANER AND MORE MUSCULAR!

There’s less than a month until the end of the year. Why not see how much you can improve your physique over the holidays, without depriving yourself of any holiday enjoyments or festivities? Just step up your expectations. Step up your standards. Step up your nutrition. Step up your training. Step up your action. Step up to the “holiday fitness challenge” the minute you finish reading this, and then just see what happens!

Eat right, train hard, and expect success,

Tom Venuto CSCS, NSCA-CPT
Fat Loss Coach

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Ask Dr. Wayne Garland a specialist in natural remedies and natural products.

For us us to keep a healthy lifestyle, we need to have a proper diet plan. If those stressful wrinkles on your skin or face are not the things that you would like to see, then recognizing the types of food that are healthy to eat to avoid those lines is just the most essential thing that you should do.

Better Skin Care

1 – Green leafy veggies such as spinach plants comprise lutein that maintains the skin’s hydration and elasticity through the essential antioxidant mechanism that it gives thus it is a must-have in your everyday consumption. If practicable, this vegetable should be eaten daily with the measurement for a consumption of about 10mg or 4oz.

Skin Care Blog

2 – Beans are another because they are rich in antioxidants. From the many variants of beans, choose the one that has the highest number of antioxidants such as the red beans since it helps in replacing the skin’s degenerated collagen.

3 – Tomato plants are also good to consume not only because they too contain antioxidants, but also because they have lycopene that can really be good for you. This is a compound that lowers the risk of developing cancer and happens to be more potent than Vitamin E supplements which are used to help the skin stay healthy. If you are fond of consuming pasta, salad or a sandwich, then you are more likely to relish taking tomatoes as well since you can combine them together.

4 – aside from veggies, turkey helps prevent wrinkles because it is full of Vitamin B. Thanksgiving is not the only time wherein you would like to feed on this since it can really be good in a way that the action in the skin known as cross-linking is slowed down by the protein that it incorporates.

5 – Free radicals can harm the skin, consequently, eating goji berries is recommended since they are rich in Vitamin C that can help battle those radicals. Believe it or not, they comprise 500 times more Vitamin C per ounce than you get from an orange. What can make the skin look more supple and more youthful that is held in these berries is what we call as the linoleic acid as it fattens up the skin and antioxidants such as vitamin B1, B2, B6 and E are also included in them.

Wrinkle Fighting Foods

6 – What is rich in 6 fatty acids as well as Omega 3 is the thing called linseed. Combining this with other dishes like cookies and bread is indeed a good idea. If you want to hide away or prevent those lines from coming, you better consume this stuff more sometimes as this will make your skin cells plumper.

7 – Beetroot is another veggie that can help avoid lines as it is low in gram calories and high in fiber. Antioxidants are also held in this as well as the one that helps collagen production in the skin in the form of a pigment known as anthocyanins. Curried, boiled, roasted and pickled are just a few of the ways which you can cook this stuff.

8 – Chocolates are generally eaten by numerous of us only as a form of a dessert or simply as a delightful snack. But there are only a few who know that active oxygen in the body can induce aging and a compound called the polyphenol that is contained in these chocolates can help eliminate those. Not only that, it can also safe-guard against UV harm which is also one of the reasons for skin aging.

9 – Akin to linseed, salmon can also lower inflammation and may help lubricate the skin since it also comprises Omega 3 fatty acids.

There are other things we can eat apart from the nine cases mentioned to avoid creases from occurring. If you want to know how to efficient plan your diet program, you should consult with your physician as he can suggest the one that best suits you or make your own research to equip yourself with the necessary facts about it.

Apart from eating, you shouldn’t forget to exercise regularly and drink a great deal of water so your skin remains flexible and hydrated at all times. Avoid having habits such as drinking alcohol or smoking as these will hamper you from getting that crease free and young looking skin.

(Submitted by a guest author.)

Ask Dr. Wayne Garland a specialist in natural remedies and natural products.

The only thing worse than suffering back pain throughout the day is being kept awake all night from the pain. Despite how dead-tired you may feel, the constant tenderness and pain is just relentless. As a result, you may feel depressed and mentally dull. There seems to have been no immediate cause for the pain – no accidents, surgery or illness. Surprisingly, most people go five to eight years before their pain symptoms are classified as “Fibromyalgia Syndrome.”

You’ll know Fibromyalgia back pain by its longevity. Sure, there are good days and bad days, but the dull pain seems to remain a constant. The pain feels like tenderness or sensitivity in key areas: the back of the head, elbows, knees, hips, upper back and upper chest. The pain is typically bad in the morning, improves slightly throughout the day and worsens at night. Some patients report a migratory throbbing sensation, while others report an overall aching or burning.

Some patients diagnosed with Fibromyalgia can trace the onset back to a viral or bacterial infection, while others cite their back pain starting with an accident or surgery. Sometimes emotional stress, autonomic nervous system dysfunction or immune disorders can lead to pain symptoms of Fibromyalgia. Risk factors of Fibromyalgia include age (25-45), gender (female), a family history or a pattern of sleeping disorders.

If you think you may have Fibromyalgia, then you’ll want to make a checklist of body pain symptoms. If back pain and tender spots are most severe, then your treatment will likely consist of muscle relaxants and possibly sleeping pills if you spend too much time tossing and turning. If you’ve been feeling depressed, are stiff in the mornings or are unable to sleep, then anti-depressants will probably be prescribed. Because there’s a stigma associated with Fibromyalgia (which is sometimes called “the welfare disorder”), it can be very therapeutic to meet with other patients in a Fibromyalgia support group.

(Great article by this guest author.)

Ask Dr. Wayne Garland a specialist in natural remedies and natural products.

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome difficult to diagnose. Simply because unlike many diseases and afflictions where there is visible evidence to confirm it’s presence, fibromyalgia symptoms are invisible in appearance yet their effect on the human body can literally reduce a person to “solitary confinement.”

Women seem to be affect most and at this stage, there is no known cure. So people are now looking to diet as a possible way to combat symptoms. Looking for the best diet for fibromyalgia may be as simple as sticking with antioxidant rich and low fat foods.

While there is no concrete evidence yet to suggest that diet for fibromyalgia will be the most effective solution to combating symptoms there are definitely some encouraging signs.

The Perfect Fibromyalgia Diet?

There is no perfect diet for fibromyalgia but there are definitely foods you need to consider. It consists of healthy foods that are high in immunity boosting antioxidants and low in fat content. Antioxidants and phytochemicals in these foods work together and maximize alertness and energy levels. They also tend to minimize lethargy and fatigue.

There are few foods that must be totally avoided from your fibromyalgia diet. These foods include coffee, carbonated beverages, chocolate and alcoholic beverages. Some of the other foods that need to be avoided are tobacco, fried foods, white sugar, high fat dairy products and red meat.

Giving Up Foods That Could Be Harmful

The mere thought of giving up soda, alcohol, sugar or cigarettes could be very scary for some people. But it is important to realize that these addictions are slow poison for your body and you will never recover from fibromyalgia unless you give them up. All you need to do is make this transition gradually instead of sudden. Do not use them as comfort foods and keep in mind that your immune system is already compromised and you cannot afford to deteriorate it further.

Different people suffering from fibromyalgia react differently to various foods. Discover your own sensitivity for food and maintain a food diary. You can write what goes on into your mouth and your body’s reaction to that. This will help you discover foods that may trigger pain or allergy.

Make carrot juice a part of your daily diet. In addition to this, eat lots of fruits, vegetables and foods have omega 3 oil. Fibromyalgia diet nutrition is important so that your body can get rid of toxins and restore nutrients. Beware of the miracle diets and supplements that are advertised for FM patients. Inform your physician if your going to start a new diet plan.

(This is a guest author submission.)

Ask Dr. Wayne Garland a specialist in natural remedies and natural products.

Skin Care Tips for the Winter

The colder days of winter are just about here, and often along with the cooler weather come a change in the skin. In fact, many people end up dealing with skin that is dry during the winter. Although some only deal with mildly dry skin, others end up dealing with nasty problems that end up in cracking skin, flaking, itching, and more. Taking care of your skin during the winter is definitely important so you can work to avoid these problems with dryer winter skin. Here are four tips that can make a big difference.

Top Acne Treatment

Tip #1 – Start Moisturizing More than Usual – One of the most important skin care tips for the winter months is to start moisturizing more than usual. Sure, moisturizing once a day was great during the summer, but now you’ll want to moisturize a couple times a day. Moisturizers that are full of oils that won’t clog skin, such as mineral oil, almond oil, and primrose oil, are excellent choices. These oils help to protect the face and won’t clog up your pores causing more acne.

Tip #2 – Wear Plenty of Sunscreen – Most people have the idea that sunscreen is only something they need to worry about during the summer months. This is absolutely not true. You also need to make sure that you are wearing plenty of sunscreen during the winter months as well. The winter sun can be harsh and when you combine that with the glare off of the snow, you can still deal with skin damage. So, before you go outside, make sure that you are putting sunscreen on skin that is going to be exposed to the sun.

Acne Treatment Exposed

Tip #3 – Purchase a Humidifier – Since you are running the heat in your home during the winter months, the air in your home tends to be quite dry. So, to keep your skin healthy and from getting too dry, purchasing a humidifier for your home is an excellent idea. Actually, it’s better to purchase a couple different smaller humidifiers to use in your home rather than one large one. This helps to make sure that moisture is dispersed throughout your entire home.

Acne Treatment

Tip #4 – Avoid Baths and Showers that are Too Hot – Last of all, during the winter months, you should be avoiding baths and showers that are too hot. Showers that are too hot can actually break down special barriers that are in your skin, which dries out your skin. Go with showers and baths that are merely warm, and you should spend less time in the water as well during the winter time.

(This guest author does a good job of pointing out that winter provides special challenges in caring for your skin during winter.)

Ask Dr. Wayne Garland a specialist in natural remedies and natural products.