Nutritious choices made simple®
It is April and North Dakota’s current temperature: 32 degrees F; snow still covers the ground. This seems like a picturesque scene perfect for curling up to a fire with a cup of hot cocoa… Wrong. We want spring and we want it NOW. We are so ready to transition to eating light meals with fresh vegetables and fruits that are not only good for you but finally in season.
Boot camps are certainly one of the hottest trends going on right now. Originally new recruit training for the military, boot camps were intense physical and psychological conditioning programs run with the intention of turning out a “lean, mean, fighting machine.” They were also meant to train recruits to obey orders without question, “When I say jump, you ask how high.”
I’m not going to lie. Sometimes, I don’t follow my own advice. By the end of the winter, even with a gym membership (and even a free one at the school I coach at!), I struggle getting myself there. But recently, something amazing happened. Since spring sprung (you know, way back last week), I’ve gotten back into running, and started doing it two or three times a week during lunchtime. Not enough to make me sweat, usually 2 ½-3 ½ milers.
Balancing everything that we need to balance in life is not innate… It takes time and effort to find your secret weapon that makes it all “work.” …We all know it is important to take care of our bodies, exercise and eat well. Yet everyday many of us partake in a risky experiment that challenges this… Take a moment to make space in your day for better balance.
In Maine, we don’t have 4 seasons; we have two: winter and spring/summer/fall. Winter lasts from November to mid-April here in the Northeast and with a possible 5+ months of snow-covered ground, it’s sometimes hard to stay with your fitness routine.
I’ll admit it: I’m not a winter person. I think the snow is beautiful, but by this time of the year, I’m ready for my garden to start blooming. I’m also ready to start running outside again and, for many of us, the treadmill looks better this time of the year than a jaunt through the snow and ice. Never fear, fellow warm-blooded Mainers, there are ways to combat the dreary days of March and April.
I see and hear about it far too often: fad diets and people punishing their taste buds with flavorless meals – all in the name of losing weight. Well, my friends, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can eat what you enjoy and still look (and feel) great!
What IS the best exercise for your glutes? This can certainly be debated. It could be the back squat, the front squat, Romanian deadlift, or, as is my choice, a variation of a lunge. I like the reverse lunge because it utilizes one leg at a time and it’s lift phase is pushing up and forward, much like activities in “real life”.
One of the hardest things about the holidays? Coming out of the sugar-turkey-carb- wine coma and start the New Year with a healthy resolution. Sure you took some dietary liberties throughout November and December, but the holidays don’t have to suck the life out of your diet or your exercise routine.