Easy At Home Workouts

For those of you who may not get to the gym, there are many things you can do around your own home to build up your fitness level and strength.

You can bring an exercise routine into your favorite television program(s). A one hour TV show is actually only 40-42 minutes of the show. That leaves approximately 20 minutes to get some exercise into your day. During the commercials you could challenge yourself to do the plank, which strengthens your core. Push ups (or a modified version), which also strengthens you core and upper body. Jumping jacks (or a modified version) which would give you some heart healthy aerobic activity.

While you are cooking or doing laundry you could do reverse lunges 10-12 on each side.

Although we are not always aware of it, we all do squats all day. What these simple squats are lacking are rhythm and challenge. So, the suggested 2 minutes we brush our teeth could include 2 to 3 sets of 15 squats.

You should track your progress and watch as you are capable of doing more as you get stronger.

As with any exercise program, you should consult your physician before beginning. Your health is my number one concern.

God Bless. See you next Sunday

Tausha
Health and Activity

What's Your Barrier?

If the only form of exercise you, your family and friends are getting is coming from shoveling all of the snow we have gotten this winter then this blog is for you.
We all know people who start off extremely enthusiastic about going to the gym. Some of them actually make it there but only a handful will continue. There is a formal theory for this behavior pattern. Its called- The 5 Stages of Change - and is represented by 5 steps:

1- Pre-contemplation - Not thinking about exercise at all. May come up with excuses as to why they should not exercise.
2- Contemplative - Have not begun thinking about exercise. Know the benefits of it but have not yet made a move in the direction of a gym.
3- Preparation - Makes small changes such as buying gym clothes, or getting a gym membership but have still not gotten started
4- Action - Has began going to the gym and may have started trying to eat healthier as well. But at this stage there is only a 50% chance that this person will continue. Often some people have unrealistic weight loss goals or body images for themselves and when they don't see quick results are gone with in 6 months.
5- Maintenance - This is where physical activity has become habit or a part of their lifestyle.

Every person fits somewhere into this model and if we are honest with ourselves we will place ourselves where we belong on this roller coaster. I say roller coaster because people are constantly on and off up and down with their fitness. If there have been changes in your life that have demotivated you from participating in your regular physical activity you have to stand back, look at the situation and decide whether you are going to continue moving forward or risk riding that roller coaster all the way back to square one. Even people in the maintenance stage fall off of the exercise wheel. But what matters is how long we allow ourselves to stay off. We have to consider our barriers to exercise:

1 - lack of time
2 - lack of interest
3 - scared of injury
4 - dislikes sweating
5 - lack of energy
6 - history of sedentary lifestyle
7 - feels too heavy to go to a gym
8 - board with "routine"
...to name a few.

Now with all of the excuses, there are plenty of goals that people have in mind. But what in your life can you accomplish if you do not take strides in that direction? Nothing! People want to "look good", "lose weight", or "tone up"
Although these are goals they are very generic. In fitness we have what are called SMART goals.

Specific - lose 10 pounds
Measureable - regular assessments
Action oriented - frequency, intensity, time, and type of work out
Realistic - 8 to 10 pounds of weight loss in a month
Timed - Set a date for reassessments

When you work with SMART goals you are more likely to continue your exercise program because you will see results. This seeing of results is positive reinforcement and will encourage you to keep pace and allow exercise to become a part of who you are.

We are all apart of this busy world where everything seems to happen instantaneously, but we have to keep in mind that whatever weight we have put on since college, that we now want to take off, did not happen over night. And taking that weight off will be a process that will surely not occur in a matter of days.

If you believe that anything worth having is worth working for (good health, positive body image) Get to work! Aren't you worth it?

God Bless. See you next Sunday

Tausha
Health and Activity

Are You Satisfied?

When you think of your stomach from now on, you should think of it as a muscle. In fact it is 5 layers of muscle. The Mucosa, the inner most layer, the Submucosa, the Muscularis Externa, the Subserosa, and the Serosa. The last two are sometimes considered together. Anyway, each layer has a responsibility. I am only going to tell you about the Muscularis Externa because it contains three sublayers, one of which is responsible for the churning, or movement, of any food that enters your stomach.
The average adult stomach is about 12 inches long and 6 inches wide at its widest part. Our stomachs have a capacity between 1 quart and 1 liter, but can be distended up to four times that capacity. The good news is that it can also be re-sized back to its normal size. All of our muscles can be trained, this includes our stomach muscles.
It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to tell your stomach that it has had enough to eat. During meal time it is suggested that people get from in front of any distractions, namely the television, and focus on the fact that they are actually eating. When we eat mindlessly we allow ourselves to eat more, therefore expanding our stomach. Over time our stomach muscles expand because we have, time and time again, told our brain to ignore the fact that we were full. This in turn allows us to eat more. This vicious cycle then causes excess weight gain.
One solution I have learned to eating less is to eat from a smaller plate. If you begin with a smaller dish you can decide once you are finished if you are still physically hungry or if you are desiring to have more. I understand that we have all made or bought some memorable meals but we have to keep in mind the health of our bodies, and any goals for weight loss. Drinking water along with your meal may also be of help as it will assist in giving off that "full" feeling without adding excess calories.

God Bless. See you next Sunday

Tausha
Health and Activity

Choosing a Trainer

Hello All,



I recently had the opportunity to direct my best friend in getting a personal trainer. In my mind this would have been an easy process. However, my best friend did not come with the information needed to choose the perfect trainer for herself. I assisted her in choosing a trainer who ended up not being available. So she went with another. After the first session my best friend called me and told me what she had done. During that session this new trainer had my best friend doing exercises that were well beyond her level of fitness. I took this information personally because she is my best friend and I do not want her to be injured. So I told her that if she was too sore to walk the next day that she had definitely done too much. As I had predicted she was sore for the next 4 to 5 days. So I advised her to give the trainer one more chance but to let her know that the work that they had done during the previous session was too much for her at this point.



I tell that story because if you have a opportunity to work with a trainer you have to know your limits and be comfortable telling the trainer that they are pushing too hard. People have the habit of pushing themselves harder because they do not want to seem weak. Well, if you are a novice to working out or have a previous injury your body will not be as strong as the trainer or friend you may be working with. You only get one so, listen to your body, take things slowly in the beginning and you will run less of a risk of injury to any part of your body. Working well past those limits that your body is comfortable with will cause injury to muscles, cartilage and joints. And since our bodies are one kinetic chain, if an injury occurs at the ankle, that could cause weakness in our knee or back because everything is connected. If your trainer is unwilling to readjust your program to fit your level then it is time to find a new trainer because once you are injured you are less likely to continue your exercise regimen. God Bless, see you next Sunday.





Tausha
Health and Activity

Stepping up to the plate

Hello All,

My name is Tausha Allen. I am a fitness professional and have been for 3 years now. Prior to stepping out on my own I thought it safe to work for a company. So while working with those companies initially I found great joy in what I was doing. Then eventually that joy faded. I have recently started my own business as a personal trainer where I train clients privately and I can truly say that I am where I belong. Before getting to this point I was working at an Equinox Fitness Club. It was a great experience and push into my current situation because I learned a vast amount of practical knowledge for working successfully as a business owner in this field. Before that I worked with a small but growing company where I was a personal trainer and worked very closely with a registered dietitian, who enabled me to become a nutrition counselor. This experience gave me the passion to pursue fitness and nutrition simultaneously. At that time I had already finished my undergrad in Exercise Science. I picked up so much information about food and its interaction with the body during exercise, and just everyday functioning that I knew that I would go back for my masters in nutrition. So fast forward to today and I can tell you that I am starting my masters program in the fall. I look forward to my future posts and any questions on fitness and nutrition that you all my have.

Thanks