I was embarrassed when I looked at my last post and realized it was nine days ago! I wondered for a second how I’d managed this when I technically have more time now than I have had since starting school in August.
And then I remembered: it was my hundredth post! I wanted to post something snazzy, enlightening, funny, worthwhile…something unique and something I hadn’t really done yet on this site. I’m pretty sure it was my inability to sit down and really think up a good idea that prevented me from posting. And nine days later, here I am.
Though this idea isn’t particularly original, I thought it fitting that I post some fitness related tidbits. Coming up with 100 on my own is somewhat daunting- and I’m not convinced the entire list would be read. So I’m sticking to 50 since it’s half of 100 and at the end of the day we’re all young at heart.
It’s also well timed to be making lists around New Years. The beginning of a new year seems to beg for lists: resolutions, promises, changes, new outlooks. So here I go!
GETTING FIT
1.) Do things you enjoy to stay active.
2.) Skip machines at the gym; your own body weight and dumb bells are ten times better.
3.) Set a goal, preferably something other than weight loss. Weight tends to come off when it’s not your primary focus.
4.) Try something new. On my list? TRX
5.) Drink more water. It really makes a difference!
6.) Workout with friends- the time will fly by.
7.) Turn errands into exercise: walk further, clean the house, cook, play with your kids. It all counts!
8.) Find some good music to motivate you.
9.) Add variety to your workouts.
10.) Warm up, cool down, and stretch. These under rated things are essential for injury prevention.
FUN FITNESS FACTS
11.) You would need to drink a quart of milk every day for three to four months to drink as much blood as your heart pumps in one hour.
12.) In one day, about 4000 children and teenagers take up smoking.
13.) Underwater swimming is the only time you should hold your breath while exercising.
14.) Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end.
15.) If all 600 muscles in your body pulled in one direction, you could lift 25 tons.
16.) If the 300,000,000 tiny air sacs (alveoli) in your lungs could be laid out flat, they would cover a home swimming pool.
17.) If you weight 100 pounds on earth, you will weigh about 264 pounds on Jupiter.
18.) There are 206 bones in the human body. One fourth of them are in your feet.
19.) The human body has 45 miles of nerves.
20.) A person breathes 7 quarts of air every minute.
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS
21.) Exercise is about burning calories. Far more important: exercise is about improving strength, endurance, and immune function.
22.) Weight lifting is the most effective activity for fat loss. While weight lifting does have it’s own benefits, fat loss is not number one. More closely related to fat loss is a healthy diet and cardiovascular activity.
23.) Running a mile and walking a mile burn the same number of calories. You’d have to walk further and longer to reach the same number as running one mile.
24.) Exercising causes you to eat more. Research seems to suggest this is a myth and that exercise actually encourages people to eat healthier.
25.) Running wears out your knees. It may lead to shin splints, but has no added significant problems on knees.
26.) There is one “best” workout. Inevitably, your body adjusts and you’ll need to find something new.
27.) You need at least an hour to have an effective workout. Wrong: you only need 10 minutes! I talked more extensively about this here.
28.) You need a gym in order to exercise. I haven’t had a gym membership since May. Between home workouts and sports, there are plenty of other ways to stay physically active.
29.) Exercising gives you an excuse to eat unhealthy. It won’t cancel out the negative health consequences of bad food.
30.) Sleep doesn’t matter when setting fitness goals. Quite the opposite: it is critical to your ability to achieve them.
SELF ESTEEM
31.) Wear flattering clothes when you exercise. It makes a difference!
32.) Stay positive when doing something challenging. It can take a while to work up to big successes
33.) Surround yourself with supportive friends and family
34.) Listen to yourself. You know what works and what doesn’t. Make changes and lean on others to help you.
35.) Get prepared. It’s hard to be confident in yourself if you don’t think you’ll do well at something. Keep trying!
36.) Change something small. Set a reasonable small goal. Wake up 10 minutes earlier. Set 10 minutes aside for yourself. Just start small.
37.) Empower yourself with knowledge. Read about the things that interest you so you can make informed decisions about your own health and wellness.
38.) Eat better. This will do wonders for self esteem.
39.) Look in a full size mirror and pick five things that you are looking at that make you feel good. Enlist a loved one to help. Focus on these things and stay positive!
40.) Did I mention dress well? Whether you are in or out of the gym? Oh yes, this is probably the thing that is most key.
DIET
41.) Eat more fruits and vegetables. This will keep you full on healthy snacks.
42.) Stop counting calories. Pay more attention to the total nutritional content of what you are eating.
43.) Substitute a cottage cheese and milk blended mixture for heavy cream.
44.) Choose one unhealthy eating habit to cut out; eg- no food after 8pm, no more mindless snacking
45.) Don’t go extreme. It sets you up for failure
46.) Eat what you love… in moderation.
47.) Sleep more. I said this earlier, but this seriously helps curb cravings.
48.) Think more about what you can add to your diet and less about what you can take away.
49.) Use non-food alternatives to cope with stress.
50.) Having trouble? Try working with a nutritionist; they are trained to help you with your unique dietary needs.
Many of these I came up with on my own. Some tidbits came from other sources, so I included links to those where appropriate. What are some of your fitness tidbits?
Happy New Year!!!
Filed under: Health (things to know), My Life (sometimes I need to share)
