Live long and prosper!

5:08 PM Remy Maguire - Manifest the Best 1 Comments


To all of you who want to live until you’re 100 (and those who just want to be standing upright and feeling pretty good as you get older.)
There has been a lot of talk lately about what we should be doing to live longer, healthier lives. Drink wine, don’t drink wine, exercise intensely everyday, but don’t over do it, eat this, not that - the information can be confusing.
Here are a few simple things you can do to be healthier now and just might help you slow certain signs of aging that aren’t as desirable as laugh lines, retirement and grand kids.
Five Tips to Longevity
1. Breathe Better! Think about it, humans can go for weeks without food, days without water, but less than minutes with out oxygen! We need air to keep our cells alive. Every part of us, heart, muscles and minds need oxygen to survive. Air provides our bodies the energy to think and to move. So, the better you breathe, the more oxygen you intake, the more energy you’ll have. Like a battery the more energy you have the longer you’ll live. It doesn’t matter exactly how you breathe as long as you do it well. Right now take the biggest breath you’ve taken all day. What does that feel like? Most of us tend to ignore our breathing and it gets shallow and wimpy. Pay attention to your breath. Try out a yoga class to sample other ways of inhalation and exhalation. Check out my blog post on different breathing techniques provided by my general practitioner Dr. Monica Myklebust. http://remywright.blogspot.com/2010/02/inhale-exhale-let-it-out.html

2. Move to Improve – Circulation, that is! A famous dancer once said, “Movement is life.” This is very true. Our bodies were made to move. Although we aren’t all as graceful as ballerinas we can practice being more fluid in our daily lives. Keep things moving. You’ve heard me say this a thousand times – just keep moving! Get up from the couch and take a walk around the block, stretch. This sort of silly video I saw while attending a seminar on movement science does a great job of explaining the importance of moving and stretching to maintain good circulation and comfortable movement with out bodies. Check out the Fuzz Speech at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FtSP-tkSug


3. Eat well. Ok, this almost goes with out saying – but it’s SO important. Think nature made not man made and you’ll be on the right track. Eat as many fruits and veggies as possible. These days it’s best to go for organically grown choices and wash those foods well before eating. Better still; enjoy local, seasonal foods while supporting our family farms and cutting down on transportation costs when you do. You’ll be doing your body and the world a lot of good. Start your day of with a healthy breakfast and make conscious decisions about food choices throughout the day. You are in control of your health and happiness. What you eat plays a huge role in how you look, feel and how long you’ll live. For more information about healthy nutrition reread Thursday Thoughts for June 30th on Super Foods or review Nutrition 101 here http://remywright.blogspot.com/2011/05/nutrition-101.html

4. De-stress. Bet you knew this was coming – Chill out! Stress is a killer. So, less stress means less dead. Stress can come in many forms. Sometimes it’s very obvious like a screaming child or missed flight. Other times its sneaky like nagging negative thoughts or lack of solid sleep. Even if it’s only for a few minutes take time to deregulate, take the amplitude of your life down one notch. Whether it’s in the morning, at your noontime break, the commute home after work or before bed take a few moments to be quiet (breath deeply) and relax your mind and body. Brain specialist Dr. Amen suggests “if you had a hard day turn it into good data.” Don’t let stress get the best of you – instead make the most of it. Break out a pen and paper and jot down your worries. Turn the TV. computer and phone off well before bed time to be sure your brain gets the signal it’s time to rest. Aim for at least 7 hours of sleep.


5. Open your mind. One huge tip to living longer is to keep learning. School helped us grow up and now it can keep us young. Improving our mental intelligence as we age and not just turning off our big brains helps keep dementia and other age related illnesses a bay. Lifelong learning is life fitness for the brain. As school starts back this fall think about attending yourself. Check out the local parks and recs and community colleges offerings for continued adult education. You’ll find classes on every thing from pottery, collaging, fiction writing and investing. Try something you’ve always wanted to do or something you’ve never dreamed of!


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Get over it. Conquering Cravings.

3:00 PM Remy Maguire - Manifest the Best 0 Comments

“I want THAT!” Waahhh. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? Your inner child stomps it’s foot and demands that you eat that chocolate bar right now!

Cravings and urges are like that. We aren’t even hungry, we just ate, it’s late at night and we must have something to eat. But, really, we need it! Really?

The more we give into our inner child’s urges the more he or she demands. We all know this is true. Caving in to cravings doesn’t always stop the feeling but often leaves us wanting more and more.

What can we do to quell the cravings, calm the urges and stick to our healthy habits?

Think about the urge like a wave. Every wave rises, crests and falls. The craving wave behaves the same. It will ebb and it will flow away. The more we resist giving in the calmer the waves become.

How to ride the wave: urge management

Step 1: Identify Triggers

Write down what most often causes cravings. Do you raid the kitchen before dinner when you’ve gone more that 4 hours since eating lunch? Do the sales people at work drop off treats and cakes at meetings? Must evening T.V. watching be paired with popcorn or ‘just a little ice cream’?

Step 2: Avoid the Triggers and Break the Pattern

“Fail to plan and you plan to fail.” If you pass the bakery on your way to work and you can’t help popping in to grab a scone…stop driving that way! If you come home through the kitchen door after a long day and head straight to the fridge…start using the front entrance. Take time to think about what you are doing and why and then make a change in your routine.

Step 3: Find something else to do.

Instead of having dessert right after dinner why not step outside and enjoy the fresh air. Is there some ironing to do while watching the news? Better yet, turn off the T.V. and read a book or journal. Chances are you won’t want to eat Cheeto’s with freshly painted fingernails. When are you most likely to hear the call of the craving? Take note of this and substitute another activity for snacking.

Step 4: Stall!

Wait it out. It only takes 15 minutes for the craving wave to crest! Find something you can do for 20 minutes to make certain you get over the hump. Rearrange a closet or work space. Help the kids get homework organized or read a short story. Do something outside of the kitchen.

Most often cravings are a signal of something other than hunger. I always want sweets when I’m sleepy when what I really need is a nap. Train your brain to create the healthy habits that you deserve. Does the sugary treat make you feel better or worse? We all want to feel good. Ask yourself what you really need and want to feel good next time the craving calls. Then, if you decide that, yes, the cupcake is exactly what you want, eat it, enjoy it and be happy!



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Break through a Plateau

9:16 PM Remy Maguire - Manifest the Best 0 Comments

Hi Everyone!

I've just returned from a refreshing and rejuvenating road trip through the incredibly scenic Southwestern United States. The mountains and canyons of Utah were absolutely mind-blowing. The long stretches of dessert land through some of Nevada were, well, mind-numbing. Plateaus are like that, flat, dull, boring and seemingly endless. They aren't all that fun to drive through and they are downright maddening to experience in your workouts and weight loss efforts.

Diet and exercise plateaus happen to everyone. The trick is to keep them at bay for as long as possible and get over them fast. If the scale stops moving down, you can't seem to run any farther, or lift any heavier weights and you just aren't seeing the result you want - the dreaded plateau may be upon you. Read on to learn more about why these stalls in fitness occur and what you can do to prevent them from busting your motivation.

When your workouts hit a rut:

1. The honeymoon is over. Basically the excitement of your workout has faded and your body is no longer reved up by what you are doing in the weight room. When you first start a training program your body has to go through a billion little internal reactions, cell growth and change to meet the demands you making. This is why the first few weeks of weight training often produce very visible results. But, that doesn't last for ever. Our very smart bodies are turned on to what we are up to and adapt quickly to our workouts. The 20# dumbbells that buffed up your arms and chest for a few weeks just don't cut it anymore. Our cells and bodies have grown accustomed to the effort and require more to be excited and create the change we want.

Fix it: Remember to gradually and systematically add intensity to your training. Keeping good records of your workout and the weight you are lifting really helps. When you can easily perform 15 reps of one exercise it's time to pick a heavier weight. Have a personal trainer but together a specific workout for your goals and help you stay accountable to up-ing the resistance and intensity of your routine. Doing the same thing over and over will quickly prove ineffective and leave you and your body wanting more.

2. You're getting better. After all this time you're fitter and more efficient. The more miles you run the easier those first few become. You're a better cyclist than you were when you started. As your workouts progress the body gets better and better at running, lifting, swimming, whatever it is you are doing. The more efficient your body the less calories (energy) it requires to do the same thing, run the same distance etc.

Fix it: Switch things up. If you've been logging miles on the track or treadmill all summer long why not try the step climber or sign up for a season of indoor cycle class. Challenge the body even more by trying something you've never done before like surfing or swimming.

3. You've done too much. Over training is a real possibility both for newbies and experienced athletes. The truth is that our bodies change and grow not during our intense efforts but afterward as we rest and recover. Be sure to schedule in rest days along with your workouts. Resting between intense workouts will help ward off burnout and keep you coming back with renewed energy.

When the scale stalls:

1. You aren't eating enough. You're body needs a certain amount of calories to survive. These calories help us perform at our best, make it through tough workouts, build muscle and burn fat. You have to feed your body for it to help you get in better shape. Dropping calories too low may seem like a good weight loss tactic but it will backfire.

Fix it: Try not to create a deficit of more than 300-500 calories a day to keep you energized and your metabolism stoked.

2. You're losing your muscle. If you are lowing calories and aren't getting enough essential nutrients or aren't exercising your body weight may drop but so does your lean muscle mass. It's this lean muscle that powers our metabolism and creates a strong shapely looking physique.

Fix it: Be sure to include lots of fresh fruits and veggies in your diet. Take a good multivitamin. Maintain regular sessions of both cardiovascular exercise as well as strength building workouts while trying to lose fat.

3. You're smaller than before. Well, that was what you we've working so hard for! But, now your smaller body requires less calories to fuel it.

Fix it: Remember to check in a every weight loss milestone to see if you need to adjust your calories intake. Adding strength training or intensifying your weight lifting routine will add more lean muscle mass and in turn cause your body to burn more calories meaning you can eat a little more chocolate:)


Plateaus may be frustrating but they are also a reminder of all the progress and changes you've made and a signal it's time to get excited again!

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