Kudos to Coach Stacy who was featured in the February issue of Scholastic’s Choices Magazine. In case you’re wondering, Coach doesn’t fall for any of these excuses. So get up, get out, and get moving!
Motivation
In honor of Global Employee Health and Fitness Month, I’m starting a MOVE-ment to encourage people to take ownership of their health. No need to join a gym, or start a new diet, or register to run a race. Simply make a promise to yourself to practice a healthy lifestyle by:
- Moving – incorporating 60 minutes of physical activity in each and every day
- Eating a healthy and balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, protein, calcium, and whole grains
- Drinking plenty of water (8 X 8 – eight 8-oz servings of fluid daily)
- Getting plenty of sleep (7-9 hours each night)
- Limiting your screen time to an hour a day
Log on to the Global Employee Health and Fitness Website to join the movement.
Click on “Sign Up,” to register. Then scroll down to the Activity Board and click on “MOVE-ment: Take Ownership of Your Health.”
Click on “Join” to do your part in taking ownership of your health and improving the health of the nation. Invite your family, neighbors, co-workers and friends to join too – together we can make America healthy!
Today we’re giving a shout out to Jillian Michaels’ Maximize Your Life Tour, which hits Denver’s Paramount Theater on Tuesday, March 11. Michaels, of course, catapulted to fame several years ago as the unforgiving trainer on NBC’s The Biggest Loser. Although fitness is her claim to fame – she has motivated dozens of Loser contestants through remarkable physical transformations – her true passion is life coaching.
Overweight as a child, Michaels was the victim of cruel bullying from junior high classmates. Until, that is, she developed an interest in martial arts, which not only helped her get fit – ahem, check out those biceps – but also helped her acquire confidence and self-respect. Now a best-selling author and Daytime Emmy nominee, Michaels is doing what she loves to do most – empowering people to harness their potentials, accomplish their goals, and live exceptional lives.
Michaels’ Maximize Your Life Tour is sponsored by Popchips™ ”, a lower calorie and healthier alternative to regular chips. Popchips are a family of delicious potato, tortilla, popcorn, and veggie chips that are popped, instead of fried or baked. Popchips are available in over 15 flavors – including Chili Lime and Salsa. But we did an informal post-workout taste-test the other day and our favorites – in order – were Original, Sweet Potato, and Ranch.
Now, we all have our cravings. For some, it’s sugary sweets – but for us, it’s salty, crunchy carbs (please don’t tell Jillian – she might make us drop and give her 10). But if you’re going to eat chips, Popchips are the way to go, with half the fat of regular chips, and none of the transfats, cholesterol, additives, and gluten that make snacking so unhealthy.
Click here for more information and tickets to Jillian Michaels’ 28-city nationwide Maximize Your Life Tour, which kicks off in Denver this Tuesday. And be sure to pick up some Popchips™ at your local grocer today!
Now that we’ve rung in the New Year, it’s time for some resolutions. Instead of “Happy New Year,” let’s embark on a “Healthy New Year.” But be wary of setting Biggie-sized resolutions. Why? To avoid setting yourself up for certain failure. Research shows that six out of ten people quit their health clubs after the first 30 days of membership. Here are some guidelines for establishing goals geared for success:
- Start with “Bite-Sized” resolutions. For example, “Get my body in shape” is very broad and ambiguous. You need to break this goal down. Perhaps you want to do something about belly fat. Start in January by focusing on your abs and getting your 10,000 steps in.
- Next you need to equip yourself with the necessities for carrying out your goals. Join a gym, if necessary, or purchase some basic exercise gear.
- Establish a support group for yourself – find some workout buddies, or involve your family and friends in your exercise quest.
- Map out an entire year’s worth of healthy habits that you can take on alone or with the help of your support group. Choose activities that are enjoyable and attainable. Also, include both physical and nutritional elements, as well as spiritual and mental components. For example, our monthly resolutions look like this:
- January – Cut the “junk” and move to the tune of at least 10,000 steps per day, five days per week. Resolve to get plenty of sleep (7-8 hours per night).
- February – Play in the snow. Shovel it, snowshoe in it. Get outside on those brisk winter days and snag some Vitamin D. Increase our water intake.
- March – Focus on abs and back while strength training, and increase fruit intake. Get massages and facials.
- April – The weather’s still a bit “iffy” here in Colorado during April, so we’ll do circuit training in the gym and reduce our sugar intake by snacking on carrots and hummus.
- May – Get our arms and legs swimsuit-ready through gardening, landscaping and yard work. Increase our veggie intake, especially leafy greens.
- June – Bike to work and explore local biking trails. Substitute processed foods for fresh, locally grown produce at the Farmers Market.
- July – Entertain “actively” outdoors. Play badminton, volleyball, croquet, and bocce ball. Grill fresh fruits and veggies on the barbecue.
- August – Play tennis and golf with our workout buddies and snack on locally grown melons.
- September – Hit the local hiking trails and increase fiber intake with homemade, high-fiber trail mix recipes.
- October – Rake our leaves and wash our windows. Enjoy daily walks and runs outdoors while enjoying the fall foliage. Snack on pumpkin seeds and nuts.
- November – Indoor circuit training in preparation for holiday overload! Experiment with recipes for healthy treats to serve during the holidays.
- December – Cardio at the mall while shopping and ice skating at the local rink. Pace ourselves at the holiday buffet parties.
You’ll find that when goals are attainable and enjoyable, you’re much more likely to stick with your resolutions. Healthy New Year – here’s to a fit and happy 2014!
Sugar and spice and everything nice – that’s what little girls are made of.
Except…
When they’re playing in the dirt at the LoziLu Women’s Mud Run! Races for cures are a dime a dozen these days. Bib number, T-shirt, after party – bada boom, bada bing, on to the next 5K.
The LoziLu’s different – WAY different. Promoted as a “filthy 5K festival,” the LoziLu Mud Run is part race course, part obstacle course, and the common denominators throughout are MUD and FUN. The cause is worthy – helping young patients with leukemia and lymphoma look forward to a future of fun.
The LoziLu Mud Run is the perfect girls’ day adventure for all fitness levels and Denver’s Race is coming right up on October 12, 2013, at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The LoziLu organizers have provided our clients and followers a $12 off savings coupon. Register today and save with code: T2FJBU3VS.
We’ll be there – gettin’ dirty for a great cause! Come on out – let’s play in the mud!
Little Coach Stacy playing in the dirt
I was hired to speak at an organizational in-service training a few weeks ago. During the Q&A I was asked, “What is your number one piece of fitness advice?” My answer? Regular physical activity; everything else is gravy.
I stumbled upon an interesting statistic yesterday. Women who exercise three or more times per week earn 10% more than their “couch-potato colleagues.” The theory is that exercise makes people more productive, and therefore, more likely to enjoy financial gain. However, increased earning power is only the tip of the iceberg where the benefits of physical activity are concerned. Here are nine more reasons why “When you’re moving, you’re improving”:
- Physical activity helps to ward off life threatening illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s.
- Regular exercise improves cognitive performance, memory and creativity.
- Movement helps reduce stress.
- Exercise improves mood and reduces depression.
- Regular physical activity increases one’s energy.
- Exercise helps you sleep better.
- Working out improves confidence, body image, and self esteem.
- Exercise reduces susceptibility to chemical addiction.
- Regular physical activity helps to control your weight.
So there you have it. Regular physical activity makes you look good and feel good – if they sold that in a bottle, we’d all be skinny and live to 100. So get up and get active already. It’ll do you a world of good!
During the 1980s May was proclaimed National Health and Fitness month. Fast forward 30 years to the recession, continued budget cuts, and the looming fallout from sequestering – and we find wellness programs consistently showing up on employers’ chopping blocks. But fitness and wellness don’t need to be casualties of your employer’s ongoing financial woes. Why? Because you are about to become your organization’s MVE – Most Valuable Employee – by introducing a FREE and EFFECTIVE corporate wellness initiative which will lead to happier, healthier and highly productive employees all around.
The program is the Global Employee Health and Fitness Month, or GEHFM. Not familiar with GEHFM? Here’s a little background. For over 25 years, the National Association for Health and Fitness (NAHF), which I’m proud to serve as Vice President, has worked with non-profit organizations, governments and business leaders across the country to bring about a more physically active nation. As part of our continued efforts, NAHF and ACTIVELife, an Austin-based non-profit organization dedicated to organizing the movement for healthy change in America and the world, have worked together to create GEHFM. From May 1st to 31st, 2013, employers everywhere are invited to participate and challenge their staffs to create “Healthy Moments,” form “Healthy Groups,” and develop a “Culminating Project.” Participants will be able to log their various physical activities and steps toward better health on the GEHFM website (www.healthandfitnessmonth.org) throughout the month of May.
According to NAHF President Diane Hart, “This is a national and international observance of health and fitness in the workplace and invites and encourages workplaces to engage in wellness activities. The goal is to promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle to employers and their employees through workforce health promotion activities and environments. Joining Global Employee Health and Fitness Month is the best place to start or rededicate your organization’s efforts to the imperative cause of health becoming the norm in our world. We have tremendous scientific and economic evidence that worksite health promotion is a sound business strategy.”
It’s hard to believe, but May is just around the corner, so now is the time to begin rallying your organization toward the great cause of health and fitness. Check GEHFM’s website — www.healthandfitnessmonth.org, order some fun products at http://www.jimcolemanltd.net/ and pass the health on to your co-workers and employees. Good luck and thank you for your participation in GEHFM!
For more information about GEHFM or sponsorship opportunities, contact:
Diane H. Hart, President
National Association for Health and Fitness
518-456-1058
COACH STACY'S HEALTHY U 