A lucky few of you live in a climate where it’s summer all year long; where you can get out and enjoy the warm weather anytime you want. For the rest of us…these few months of summer are precious and as you may have noticed, they go by faster every year! So this summer, take advantage of the long days, warm nights, and sunny skies to get out and improve your physical and mental health.
How do you do this? It’s easier than you think. My advice to you is to take up (or at least try) two new sports this year. I guarantee you’ll be amazed at how good you feel, inside and out, after working hard and learning something new. Learning a new skill challenges and stimulates your brain, but learning a new physical skill will do this and be beneficial to your physical health and well-being.
Taking up a new sport in your me time will improve your confidence, increase your ability to push yourself mentally and physically, and is great way to relieve stress and take in the fresh air. Involving your entire family is also a positive choice for everyone. The Women’s Sports Foundation states that families who participate in sports report higher levels of family satisfaction. So after you complete that local kayak course you’ve wanted to try, why not spend some summer evenings teaching your family as well. Read on for examples of summer sports you can try and how they can keep you healthy.
Swimming
Summer is a great time to hit the outdoor pool or lake and get your body moving. Swimming uses almost all of the large muscle groups in your body without the pounding you’d get from running. You’ll also love the new toned arms and shoulders consistent swimming will give you. Regular swimming not only improves strength, but also increases your muscular endurance, cardiovascular ability, and burns plenty of calories each session as well.
Check with your local YWCA, recreational pool, or Red Cross to find adult swim lessons in your area. Whether you are a beginner or are someone who wants to improve their mile swim time, courses or teams are available to meet your needs. Red Cross www.redcross.org or USA Swimming www.usaswimming.org
Nordic Walking
Nordic walking is a type of fitness walking using specially designed walking poles that has become a new trend among all ages in the last few years. It provides a total body workout, is time efficient, and can be done by almost anyone. If you’ve been a walker for years, this is a great way to challenge yourself this summer. Recent studies by the Cooper Institute in Dallas, TX showed that Nordic walking can be up to 46% more efficient than regular walking. American Walking Association www.anwa.us
Paddling
Paddling can take many forms – canoe or kayak, white water or stream, lake or ocean. The choices are limitless. Just find what you like best and what is most convenient for where you live or vacation. Both canoeing and kayaking are great low impact activities that can improve your cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility. Your back, arm, and shoulder muscles will be used the most while you’re moving the paddle and your core muscles work to keep you stable.
Both canoeing and kayaking are excellent choices to get outside, get fit, and enjoy the summer. The best way to learn is by joining a local club, participating in a one-day workshop, or by renting equipment and trying it out for a day. If you’re really up for a summer adventure, try looking for a week long excursion – you’ll be a pro in no time! American Canoe Association www.americancanoe.org
Triathlon Training
Are you someone who hits the pavement all summer on those morning runs? If so, try switching up your workouts this year by training for a triathlon. Combining running, swimming, and biking is a sure way to get your entire body fit and lean. Having a multi-sport event to train for will keep you motivated, and by cross training, you’ll be less likely to suffer from overuse injuries as well. To find a race near you www.active.com or USA Triathlon www.usatriathlong.org
Kickball
No kickball is NOT just for kids anymore. As of last summer the World Adult Kickball Association (WAKA) had over 49,000 members taking part in leagues all across the country. In kickball games players are able to burn calories, run around outside, and have fun in a stress-free social environment. Work on that leg strength to improve your ability to kick the ball and practice your sprints to make sure you make it home safe. To learn more: World Adult Kickball Association www.kickball.com or National Kickball Association www.nka-kc.com
With all of these sports, and more, to fill up your summer why not get outside this year? Summer sports are a great way to get fit, have fun, and get in shape before the cold weather sends us back inside this fall. Enjoy!
Laurie Smith, M.Ed., CSCS, CHES
Laurie is an exercise physiologist and health educator with a passion for being physically active and encouraging others to do the same. She is nationally certified as a Health Education Specialist, Personal Fitness Trainer, Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and Yoga instructor. She holds a Masters Degree in Health Education and a Bachelors Degree in Exercise Science. As an expert in health education and fitness, Laurie has spent time managing both corporate and college wellness programs, teaching middle school health education, coaching youth sport, and training individuals to reach their health and fitness goals. Laurie was a competitive gymnast for 15 years who currently spends her free time skiing, traveling, running half marathons, and learning to surf. Laurie believes that investing in your health is one of the best investments you can make. Whether you put in time, energy, or money, you are guaranteed to get positive results. http://www.healthyinvestments-inc.com/, www.momsinmotions.com
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Just because February is upon us doesn’t mean you need to abandon your New Year’s Resolutions. If you’re like many Americans and resolved to lose weight, as well as make more time for yourself, you aren’t alone. The harsh reality is that approximately 75% of Americans recently surveyed do not follow through with their resolutions.
If you vowed to eat healthier in 2009, there’s no reason why you should have to sacrifice me time by slaving away in front of the stove. If cooking isn’t your hobby, instead of logging hours in the kitchen, spend time exercising or warm up with a brisk walk with family members or friends.
“Most of us have enormous roadblocks that we need to manage [in order to commit to a weight loss plan],” said family lifestyle coach Amy Hendel, R-PA, who authored Fat Families, Thin Families. She suggests planning and preparing meals ahead of time to eat a balanced diet.
“A lot of us have budget constraints, emotional relationships with food and daunting schedules to manage. The best way to deal with those realities is to make health, rather than weight loss, our target and slowly change our eating habits.”
Whether you’re cooking for the whole family or for yourself, try these time-saving tricks and tips to cut down on stove-to-table time while you’re watching your waistline:
- Buying bulk and breaking veggies down into mixed amounts in small baggie-sized portions so that you’ll have a great grab-and-go snack at all times
- Every Sunday, cut up a fruit salad and garden salad to start the week. Make these two dishes the only ones that are served family style – plate the rest of your food and don’t go back for seconds.
- Puree veggies to add bulk to your meatloaf, chili and soup recipes. You can also add vegetables to homemade pizzas and omelets to add bulk without additional calories.
- Embrace your crock pot – pile in all of the ingredients for your favorite soup or stew in less than ten minutes. Let it slow cook for eight to ten hours while you’re at work – or a spa day – and you’ll come home to a great meal.
- Brown Bag It: Rather than dashing out on your lunch hour or swinging by the drive-through after picking the kids up from school, prepare a simple sandwich or salad the night before so in the morning, you have a healthy meal ready to take with you. Turkey on whole-wheat bread with a smear of honey mustard or a low-fat tortilla wrap with veggies, reduced-calorie Caesar dressing and grilled chicken are simple options that taste great.
Maris Callahan: Since graduating from Susquehanna University in 2006, Maris has worked in the world of PR. While she began her career in the fashion/beauty industry, she now works in the consumer sector. She maintains a personal blog, In Good Taste, primarily about cooking, food and life. In her “me time” she enjoys running, knitting, yoga and a good latte.
Me Time branded apparel is where fun meets fashion. Our tee, t-shirts and tank tops display fun designs and messages and women often identify with the important me time message. From shopping to sunbathing, wine to dog walking and everything in between, we have your favorite me time activities covered in our tees and t-shirts. Our apparel makes a statement and will draw comments and smiles. How do you enjoy spending your me time? Email the Me Time team and tell us how you enjoy spending your me time! stories[at]metime[dot]com
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Do you exercise to look better? To feel better? To control body weight? To get some me time? Probably. And that’s great! Now, how often do you exercise to prevent heart disease? During American Heart Month in February, make a few changes in your workouts to create a stronger, healthier, heart for life.
Heart disease is often still thought of as a men’s health issue. Although men do tend to develop symptoms earlier than women, did you know the condition is actually more likely to be fatal or disabling in women! Cardiovascular diseases claim the lives of 500,000 women each year. That’s one life each minute lost to heart disease.
Top risk factors for heart disease:
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- High Blood Pressure
- High Cholesterol
- Excess Weight
- A Sedentary Lifestyle
- Stress
So what can you do? Luckily, women can do a lot to protect themselves from heart disease. As you look at the risk factors above, something can be done to reduce most of them – that something is exercise! The latest joint American Heart Association and American College of Sports Medicine guidelines recommend that healthy adults (ages 18-65) get at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity five days a week (www.americanheart.org).
Cardiovascular (cardio) exercise is the best way to improve heart and lung strength. Cardio exercise can take many forms. The key is finding the one that you enjoy and will continue doing in your me time. Any steady exercise that uses the large muscle groups will work. This month, make it a point to try three different cardio workouts from the ideas that follow and see how healthy your heart feels.
Steady Cardiovascular Exercise: This is the most common type of exercise and can take the form of walking, jogging, biking, swimming, x-country skiing, hiking, rowing, aerobics classes, and more. The cardiovascular system gets more efficient when a certain type of exercise is done over and over again. In order to continue improving, try changing up your workouts. The more variety you get, the more benefit you’ll get. Walk a little faster, alternate swimming and jogging, train for a triathlon, or bike outside instead of indoors.
Interval Training: Adding interval training to your workouts is the best way to improve your cardiovascular ability. Intervals can be timed out or can be “play intervals”. Either type will allow you to push your body out of its comfort zone for a few minutes at a time. For a play interval when jogging down the street, speed up until you reach the next stop sign then slow down until you’re recovered. Repeat this a few times in your workout. For a timed interval on a treadmill or bike, speed up for 1-2 minutes and then recover for 2-3 minutes. Repeat 5 times during a 30-minute jog.
Circuit Strength Training: If cardio workouts aren’t your favorite idea of me time, try circuit training to get similar heart healthy benefits. When you’re strength training choose 8-12 exercises and move quickly from one exercise to the next until you’ve completed one set of everything. Rest for a minute, grab a drink of water, and begin round two. Circuit training allows you to improve both strength and cardiovascular ability in the same workout and leaves you more time for the rest of your busy day!
Stress Reducing Exercises: Stress is one of the top risk factors for heart disease. When trying to balance work, family, friends, and me time most women find themselves under more than a healthy level of stress. Any type of physical activity can help to reduce stress levels, however, if you want to make this a priority try yoga, meditation, or walking outside each day and you’ll feel your shoulders relax before you know it.
Remember that most risk factors of heart disease are preventable. So grab your sneakers, get your heart pumping, and add years to your life!
For more information:
About Laurie Parlin, M.Ed., CSCS, CHES
Laurie is an exercise physiologist and health educator with a passion for being physically active and encouraging others to do the same. She is nationally certified as a Health Education Specialist, Personal Fitness Trainer, Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and Yoga instructor. She holds a Masters Degree in Health Education and a Bachelors Degree in Exercise Science. As an expert in health education and fitness, Laurie has spent time managing both corporate and college wellness programs, teaching middle school health education, coaching youth sport, and training individuals to reach their health and fitness goals. Laurie was a competitive gymnast for 15 years who currently spends her free time skiing, traveling, running half marathons, and learning to surf. Laurie believes that investing in your health is one of the best investments you can make. Whether you put in time, energy, or money, you are guaranteed to get positive results. www.healthyinvestments-inc.com, www.momsinmotions.com
Me Time branded apparel is where fun meets fashion. Our tee, t-shirts and tank tops display fun designs and messages and women often identify with the important me time message. From shopping to sunbathing, wine to dog walking and everything in between, we have your favorite me time activities covered in our tees and t-shirts. Our apparel makes a statement and will draw comments and smiles.
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