Working out is never a purely physical exercise.  We've already discussed the exercise benefits to staying focused during a workout.  Here's another article discussing how to prepare yourself for a healthy dose of fitness.

The endurance to overcome everyday scenarios isn’t as easy as flipping the light switch or channel surfing one assumes as predetermined. ... Mental stamina is a learned trait and like physical fitness exercises requires practice and diligence.

The article focuses on three aspects of mental preparation: (1) getting enough sleep, (2) staying positive, and (3) personalizing a workout plan.  Take a look at the tips and see if they can help you better prepare for a fitness regime!

For many of us, eating before or after working out is pretty standard.  Some of us even eat while we work out, snacking on the many energy gels and prepackaged fitness foods that are increasingly common.  But is all this eating really necessary?  This article suggests that many people overestimate how much food they really need proportional to a workout, resulting in extra snacking that hurts more than it helps.

Moderate athletes need to eat and drink after the workout, she [Dr. Nancy Rodriguez, a sports nutritionist at the University of Connecticut] said, but a healthy meal with plenty of fluids is sufficient. Indeed, for most of them, the most common error is to eat too much.

Ultimately, most people can benefit from following the advice that Dumbelle promotes--listen to your body, and be aware of what you personally need.  Dr. Dan Benardot, a sports nutrition featured in this article, explains this view succinctly: “You have to let your body adapt...and you have to find out what works for you.”

We wish you happy, healthy exercising!

-Dumbelle Personal Training

Hey, joggers!  Want to be more efficient when you workout?  If you're anything like us, you don't want to feel like you're wasting your time or putting yourself at risk during a workout.  So why not try listening to your natural form?

We recently posted an article about paying attention to your body, rather than forcing yourself to fit every exercise expectation in the book.  Here's another article, this time about jogging, arguing that people can naturally adjust their form and workout to make their movements efficient and effective.

A timely new study suggests that new runners eventually settle into better running form — just by running more.

...

“You can optimize your gait naturally,” she [Isabel Moore, a researcher at the University of Exeter] says, “by becoming more conscious of your running movement and how it feels.” Your body, at least in the early stages of becoming a runner, can be a fine and knowledgeable coach.

Conclusion: remember to pay attention during your workouts.  Even during a 30-minute run, your body may be telling you to move in a different way and increase your running efficiency.  So get out there and MOVE!

-Dumbelle Personal Training

Why do you workout?  Is it to look better, feel healthier, or decrease stress?  Whatever your reason, most people require motivation to sustain a long term exercise regime. This article explains the importance of focusing on the immediate benefits of exercise, rather than a future gain.

Now research by psychologists strongly suggests it’s time to stop thinking of future health, weight loss and body image as motivators. Instead, these experts recommend a strategy marketers use to sell products: portray physical activity as a way to enhance current well-being and happiness.

...

Based on studies of what motivates people to adopt and sustain physical activity, Segar (a research investigator at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at the University of Michigan) is urging that experts stop framing moderate exercise as a medical prescription that requires 150 minutes of aerobic effort each week. Instead, public health officials must begin to address “the emotional hooks that make it essential for people to fit it into their hectic lives."

So instead of thinking about how you'll feel or look in three months, think about how you benefit now.  Stay motivated and  committed, and remember--no excuses!

-Dumbelle Personal Training

Never thought of playing frisbee as a workout?  Well, get ready to vary your routine! This article offers tips on increasing motivation and commitment to healthy workouts.  One of its primary suggestions  is to keep your exercises different and interesting:

Vary your activity. Run one day, play basketball another and hit the weight room the next. One benefit to a varied routine is keeping you interested, but it’s also great for your body. Different activities use different muscle groups, meaning a varied workout helps you become more comprehensively fit and can help you avoid overuse injuries. “Focus on being an athlete rather than a specialist,” says Sutter [a former professional football player].

Remember, we all need motivation from time to time.  So grab your family and friends and get moving!  It's time to use non-traditional workouts in a meaningful way--to stay HEALTHY, FIT, and FOCUSED.

It can be challenging to convince yourself that going to the gym is worth it, especially when it's boiling hot out.  But remember these tips to keep yourself committed! From the article:

Plan Ahead
Even something as simple as going to the gym must be planned ahead of time. Knowing that you have an “appointment” to go to the gym will make you feel more obligated to go.  Make a schedule of your daily routine, including your time for work and doing chores. Pick the best time for going to the gym, and make sure that is a time when you are not likely to be disturbed.

Invite Friends and Family
Having family or friends with you at the gym will make it more pleasant and fun. It will feel more like a bonding activity rather than a hard workout. Your family and friends will also be able to motivate you during those times that you don’t feel like working out.

Sound familiar?  That's because we've suggested working out with friends several times in the past.  So pick a friend and get out there!

Getting tired of the focus on salads as health foods?  Me, too.  As much fun as I have making the recent seaweed salad and chilled corn delight, I'm ready for some summer desserts!  Luckily, this New York Times article explains how to make several tasty sorbets that incorporate fun local fruits and interesting cooking ideas.

Here's the recipe for the Raspberry Rose Sorbet.  Consider picking your own berries on Sauvie Island, or any number of other pick-your-own locations in the Portland area.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup water
  
• 65 grams (about 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon) sugar
• 33 grams (about 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons) corn syrup 
• 680 grams raspberries 
• 1/2 teaspoon rose water (available in most Middle Eastern markets)

Instructions

1. Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
2. In a blender, purée the raspberries with the syrup, corn syrup and rose water. Taste and add a few more drops of rose water if desired. Strain into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight. 
3. Chill a container in the freezer. Blend the mixture for 30 seconds with an immersion blender, then freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to the chilled container and place in the freezer for 2 hours to pack. Allow to soften in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.
   

Yield: 4 servings

Nutritional information per serving: 175 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 43 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams dietary fiber; 7 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein

I recently posted about the benefits of trying to fit short exercise bursts into a busy week schedule.  For any doubters, here's another article suggesting that even limited periods of working out are overwhelmingly beneficial.

“For people who think that 30 minutes of exercise is too hard or takes up too much time, we can say, just do 10 minutes” three times during the day. And, conversely, if someone is tempted to dismiss a mere 10 minutes of walking as too meager to be meaningful, “it seems clear that, at least for blood pressure control, fractionized exercise is actually more effective” than a single 30-minute bout.

So don't try to put off exercise just because you don't have a large block of time available.  Keep working frequently, and no excuses!

Seaweed is an amazing food.  Just take a look at the health benefits--"seaweed is a great source of vitamin A, C, E, K, and B-vitamins. It’s also rich in many minerals including iodine, selenium, calcium, and iron."  On top of that good news, wakame seaweed (one of the most popular options available in grocery stories) only has about "4 calories per 10 g of raw seaweed."

Since seaweed tends to be high in sodium it can be hard to imagine a healthy seaweed dish.  However, recipes abound for delicious and health-conscious seaweed options. This particular seaweed salad recipe is fantastic, and it gave me a perfect chance to shop at the local Portland Farmer's Market for the cucumbers I needed.  Here's the variation I tried:

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 3/4 ounce dried wakame seaweed (whole or cut)
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
  
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cucumber
  
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions
Soak seaweed in warm water for 5 minutes. Drain, then squeeze out excess water. If wakame is uncut, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips.

Stir together vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar in a bowl until sugar is dissolved. Cut cucumber into 1/4-inch dice and add to dressing with seaweed, tossing to combine well. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.