Create Your Vision of Movement

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Imagine if you were given the assignment to stop all the healthy things you do for yourself in a day. Your average step count – the number of steps you take each day – drops from 10,000 to only 4,300 per day. To round out the experiment, you had to keep the exact same diet – including snacks – that you would during your usually active lifestyle. Do you think you would would survive the duration of such an experiment?

I would go crazy not being able to release stress and move my body with fitness! I might make it for about 2 days. I’m not really sure what to do when I’m feeling sick; but I do know that my body is forcing me to slow down and take a rest (I listen, I listen!). I want you do think about this experiment and then realize this IS the average adult American. Non-moving. Overeating. Headed for a disaster.

Researchers decided to test what happens in a situation like this on a fairly active and health group of people – college students. They walk a lot, many play sports and are overall waaaaay more active than the average adult. Here’s what they found:

During the three days of inactivity, volunteers’ blood sugar levels spiked significantly after meals, with the [blood glucose] peaks increasing by about 26 percent compared with when the volunteers were exercising and moving more. What’s more, the peaks grew slightly with each successive day.

This change in blood sugar control after meals “occurred well before we could see any changes in fitness or adiposity,” or fat buildup, due to the reduced activity, Dr. Thyfault says. So the blood sugar swings would seem to be a result, directly, of the volunteers not moving much. (quote from The New York Times)

In the simplest of terms, the researchers proved just how detrimental it is to our health to cut out movement in our day. But don’t stress. Even if you have a busy schedule, or miss a workout once in awhile, your body is equipped to bring you back to a healthy state as soon as you resume normal activity. You want to do your best to keep the baseline amount of exercise consistent over a lifetime to get the full benefits, of course.

More than anything, you need to find and create a workout routine that you love: your vision of movement. If you start running because you think it’s the best form of exercise, but you hate running, you’re not going to stick with it, right? Instead of focusing on the most intense or the most hyped workout, try as many as you need until you find the one that is the perfect fit for you. You have the power to make your ideal vision of health, wellness and fitness.

And if you’re so inclined to try a new workout, meet new friends or just get out and have fun, check out the running club and circuit training I’m offering in West Los Angeles and Santa Monica. Or if you need a few new music inspirations, head over to my Facebook page, “like” it and check out the “Vision Tunes” tab. My goal, my passion and my mission are to help you find the vision for your journey.

In Health –
Natania 

February Finish – Tough, But NOT Tougher than YOU!

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[box] The last cycling class of February, dedicated to my niece, Sadie Freifeld. One of the toughest gals I know. I have been following her story all along and been inspired by every moment! Through it all, good and the bad, she always came out with a smile! Thank you for teaching us all what “tough” really is!

 [/box]

 

17 minute hill climb followed by speed work ( 60 seconds x 3), (30 seconds x 6) Enjoy!

Download the full playlist here

 

Instant Wellness Upgrades

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I love goals. Especially goals related to my favorite parts of life: fitness and wellness. With fitness, accomplishing a goal takes a plan, scheduling, dedication, sweat and the right training. With wellness things can become confusing due to the sheer number of topics there are to cover when it comes to seemingly simple goals, like losing weight. How many calories do I eat in a day to sustain my current weight? How do I know the difference between organic and not organic foods? Do I add vitamins to my diet? How do I find time for fitness in my busy schedule? Can I get by on six hours of sleep each night? All of these are important factors in supporting your wellness and weight loss goals. And finding your way into that itty-bitty bikini!

vision-fitness-wellness

Supporting your fitness and wellness goals is my job! If your  goal is to take control of your wellness – in addition to the marathon you’re running (kidding! unless we’re not… that’s covered, too!) – it’s a great idea to enlist the support of a professional, like a coach. Ask questions. Create a plan. Track down the right information and the necessary experts with the help of your coach. Having a resident expert is one of the easiest ways to “instantly upgrade” your wellness and health.

And just because I know you all LOVE lists, I have 5 more ways you can “upgrade” wellness from a few of my favorite experts. It’s like being bumped from coach to first class on that 14 hour flight…!

  1. Designate a table in your house where you will eat all of your meals and snacks without the television, newspaper, computer or smartphone around to distract you. By simply cutting out the extra noise that often accompanies eating, you will automatically become more mindful of what you are putting in your mouth – and therefore more likely to make better food choices or eat less. – Alyse Levine M.S., R.D., founder of Nutritionbite
  2. Follow your own preference about when you eat your smallest and largest meals. Some folks like big breakfasts, some prefer big dinners. Either works fine. Don’t worry about what X or Y study says. Your personal preference should dictate the choice. – Alan Aragon, nutritionist and author of Alan Aragon’s Research Review
  3. Every time you see a water fountain, take 10 big gulps. Most people are at least somewhat dehydrated, so this is a reminder to increase your water intake. Drinking 10 gulps is like getting eight to 10 ounces of water. Do that eight times a day, and you’ll be much better hydrated. – Martin Rooney, CSCS, founder of Training For Warriors
  4. Make a list of your absolute favorite foods in each group – meats, vegetables, fruits, carbs. Try to come up with at least 10 foods for each. Ignore the stuff that you’ve heard everyone ‘should’ eat, and instead focus on foods that you love the taste of. Make that your grocery shopping list. – Aragon
  5. To manage tasks at home or at the office, you can get a lot more done if you work in 30 minute intervals. Use a simple timer on your phone or computer to track the time you spend on a particular task. When you reach 30 minutes, stop, and move on to the next thing. This approach forces you to be productive because you only have a very limited window to work on a task before moving on to the next one. You may have to come back around to the same task a few times in a day, but you’ll always be making progress. – Jim Smith, CSCS and founder of Diesel Strength
I’d love to know what YOU would add to this list – what are ways you manage your health and wellness? Tackling goals? On an exciting note relate to goals, I wanted to share the progress on a BIG goal of mine, becoming a USA Track and Field Coach (so excited!!) – I’m sharing the progress on the Vision Fitness and Wellness Facebook page. My Tread & Shred clients better prepare for a whole new set of goals and training!

In health!
Natania

Busy? Try These Healthy One-Dish Meals

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The daily grind. You rush to work, grab whatever is most convenient for lunch, tackle your workout and then it’s on to your home with the inevitable question of “what’s for dinner?”. It would be a dream for most of us to walk in the door to a delicious, healthy, already-prepared dinner. As a personal trainer my days begin with wake-up times as early as 4:00am, long before thoughts of dinner cross my mind. I stress the importance of diet with my clients as we train, in terms of their results and overall energy level when working out.  The difference in our energy levels and motivation is most easily noticed when we skip a meal and our blood sugar dips too low, or when we settle for a food out of convenience. Food is an important part of the wellness equation and should be a joy, not a  stressor in our day. I want to share with you a few of my favorite resources for creating one-pot healthy meals, using everything from your oven to your crock-pots. It is National Slow-Cooker month, after all!

slow-cooker-recipes simply stated

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Minimize the number of pots and pans you use. No one wants to clean millions of bowls or scrub surfaces after a long day away from home! You can layer veggies and meat with seasonings, spices and liquids to create a delicious, healthy meal. One of my favorite resources for healthy dishes Runner’s World. In this article, they share great dishes you can make right now using seasonal root veggies, like carrots and turnips, combined with a roast and brussels sprouts. All you need is 10-15 minutes the night before to prep, chop and layer your dinner. Wake up in the morning, pull your dish from the fridge, place it in your crock pot, turn on the crock pot on ‘low’ and head out the door with no worries about what to eat when you return for the evening. Easy, right?

To be on the safe side, integrate these tips when storing and eating your delicious home-cooked and healthy meal:

[box] CHILL OUT Cool slightly, then refrigerate or freeze in an airtight container. Don’t leave out longer than two hours. [/box]

[box] REMEMBER TO EAT Finish leftovers within three to four days, or freeze and use within one to two months. [/box]

[box] DEFROST SAFELY Thaw frozen leftovers in the fridge, making sure the container stays at 40° F or cooler. [/box]

[box] BE CONTAINER SMART Stick to microwave-safe containers. Plastic tubs or bags may transfer chemicals.[/box]

And if all of this information still isn’t enough to convince you about the wonders of making one-dish healthy meals, check out the customizable kitchen wares you need we discovered on the blog 52 Kitchen Adventures, featuring the customizable Crock-Pot. Wouldn’t this make a cool gift for someone trying to improve their diet?

custom-crock-pot

I would love to know YOUR go-to healthy dishes for weeknight meals! Are you a fan of using a crock pot? How do you keep it healthy, simple and fast? If you have any questions or are looking for a few Vision Fitness and Wellness-approved weeknight meals, leave a comment below and your trainer and guide to health will be with you shortly!