Are You Tired of Feeling Tired?

Well, if you said yes, you are not alone, you answered the same as most people do. That is because we are living in a society where we are always on the go, a society where we never take the time to care for ourselves. This type of constant strain inevitably takes a toll on each of us, and often the effects strike when we least expect it. The results of this lifestyle? Simple, fatigue, resentment, premature aging, poor health and the inability to function properly on a daily basis. Simply put, we are trying to pour out of an empty cup day… after day… after day. Do you try to drive your car without gas or proper maintenance? You can't so what makes us all think we can drive our bodies on poor maintenance and low fuel?

I want to talk about this topic today because it is easily one of the biggest complaints I get from my clients and prospective clients when inquiring about how they can get healthy and fit. They reach out to me for help because they are tired all the time and feel fatigued.

Today I am going to give you three simple tips on improving your energy and, in doing so, improving your health for years to come!

1). Sleep is a Priority

When I talk to clients about being tired one of my first questions is always on not only quality of sleep, but also quantity. How much are you sleeping each night, and how well are you sleeping? Believe it or not, chronic sleep deprivation can wreak havoc with your brain chemistry and cause all sorts of long term and seemingly unrelated problems. The first step is to pay attention to when and how well you are sleeping.

Some great tips for better sleep include:

• Limiting screen time before bed. Studies show that exposure to blue light before sleeping can change brain patterns and make restful sleep harder to achieve.
• Creating a restful environment. Removing distractions from your sleeping space can help you relax and achieve a more restful sleep. Use lavender spray on your pillows, this is one of my favorite little rituals before bed!
• Exercise! We will talk more about this in a minute, exercise works to make the body tired and ready to recharge in a healthy way, unlike fatigue from constant stress on the mind and body. A tired body sleeps better and you will wake feeling more refreshed for a new day.
• Limit alcohol before bed. Alcohol may seem to help you fall asleep initially, but it will disrupt the second half of sleep which is the most important because it interrupts REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Disrupted REM sleep can cause drowsiness, poor concentration, sleep apnea and will throw off your overall sleep patterns.

2). Make Time for Yourself!

Many times, when I ask my clients what they are doing for themselves, they aren’t quite sure how to answer. This is mostly because in our culture doing something for yourself is equated with being selfish. My friends this is not the case! You are not really beneficial in any family, business or group activity if you are too mentally tired to function.

Let me ask it this way. How can you continue to care for everyone and everything around you if you are constantly trying to pour out of an empty cup? Here’s another thought. If you will not take care of yourself, how do you plan to take care of others?

It’s something to think about!

Ways to add self-care to your day:

• Take time to do something you enjoy every single day. Even if you just carve out 15 minutes to walk around the block and clear your head, sit outside and read a book, it will help you relax and focus on the demands of tomorrow.
• Mediate or stretch before bed. These activities help to calm and focus the mind which improves sleep quality while also offering a sense of well-being.
• Take a Yoga class. Yoga, and other similar forms of exercise, provides you with a one-two punch in terms of your health. Not only do they work to burn calories and tone your body, but they also clear your mind and help energize you for the rest of the day.

3). Exercise! 

What many people don’t realize is that exercise provides so many benefits beyond simply getting your body up and moving. It releases endorphins which relate to mood. It also improves practically every major system in your body, making them function more effectively as you improve your overall health. It improves the quality of your sleep and it has the ability to greatly improve your energy as your body grows leaner and stronger.

Working exercise into your busy day can include:

• A 15-minute brisk walk around the block during your lunch break.
• Joining a gym, taking classes or working with a trainer. Most trainers offer 30-minute condensed fitness sessions that pack a major fitness punch and are easy on the wallet too!
• Finding a set of exercises videos, you enjoy and can follow in the comfort of your own home.

I WANT you to feel GOOD! I don’t want you to just burn a few calories and go on with your day, I want your quality of life to improve as you grow stronger and start getting more out of life. Take control of your day and you will start to take control of all areas of your life. Being fit and healthy is about the mind, body and soul!

If you have any questions about how we can work to improve your energy and quality of life, please reach out. I would love to hear about your goals and help you make a plan to achieve them!

www.fithealthyandfabulous.com

Staying Active and Healthy

Today during my daily meditation, I started thinking about the things I really love in life. The people, the activities, the events and even the work that keeps me moving and keeps me excited about seizing each new day as it comes. For me, spending time focusing on what I love doing and who I love being with motivates me. It pushes me forward in a way that nothing else can, and I bet that you might be the same way.

So, let me ask you. What do you love? Who do you love to be with? Thinking about these things should make you smile! It should make you happy and bring you joy to think about the very best moments that life has to offer. Therefore, the question now becomes, how do you get more of it?!?!?!

When I talk to people about incorporating exercise into their daily routine, it often isn’t something they love to talk about. In fact, those conversations often tend wobble along with shrugs, nods and sighs as people shake their head and admit that they need to exercise more.

“Yeah, that’s definitely something I need to do more of. It’s just…….” Then fill in the blank. I don’t have time. The kids schedule is too crazy. I’ve gotten out of the habit. I don’t feel like it. I’m too tired. I feel too sore afterwards.

Truly the list is long, and we’ve all come up with our own version of “fill in the blank” at some time or another. But here’s the thing, making exercise a part of your daily routine is one way you can work to enhance your life and improve your health. And better health means having the chance to enjoy more of all the things you love about your life.

As we age it gets harder and harder to do things that once came easy. If we want to maintain our physical strength and stamina, then we have to work for it. Maybe once upon a time we could go out and run a few times a year and it still wasn’t hard to knock out a few miles. But then one day we strap on our running shoes with good intentions and find that we are huffing and puffing before we make it to the mailbox, much less all the way to the end of the street….and back.

What once came easy now takes more effort. But here’s the thing…. it’s worth it! Because exercising and living a healthy lifestyle can mean the difference between spending the day at Disney with your grandkids or having to stay back at the hotel because you can’t handle the walk. It can be the difference between keeping up the hobbies you love or watching other people enjoy them on TV.

The short answer? Living a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise, good food choices and a positive outlook will benefit all areas of your life and it allows you to keep doing the things you love.

So get moving and stay moving! I recommend at least 150 minutes of cardio per week along with a mix of strength training to keep your muscles strong and your body lean. This can be hiking, walking, biking, swimming, dancing or anything else that gets your heart pumping.

Staying Active is a sure way to be healthy and when you feel discouraged, just think about all those things you love doing, it will give you all the motivation you need to stay focused and to keep moving forward to a more productive healthy life!

www.fithealthyandfabulous.com

Stay Fit Together!

Stay Fit Together. The studies have spoken! Couples who exercise together and make healthy choices to eat right have healthier, happier relationships.

Working out together is good for your heart, your mind and your soul. Working out together helps your relationship stay healthy, happy and positive. You will create a closer bond because will you get to spend more quality time together, you will also look better, choose healthier food options together and keep each other motivated and on track.

When your romantic partner is also your workout partner, they completely understand and respect you and your health and fitness goals. They understand why going to the gym or getting in a fitness routine anywhere that you choose is a priority for you. Couples who work out together already have the commitment and accountability to each other, this is just another area of a relationship where commitment is needed all they need to do is commit to be fit together. It’s harder to make excuses with your significant other there to account to, with the benefit of your sweetheart cheering you on you will keep each other motivated to stay on track. One of the benefits of couple training is that they can do exercises that were developed for two, such as partner push-ups and core ball tosses.

You’ll look amazing together! Fit, toned and confident with a healthy glow When you are active, exercise regularly and eat right you will have better circulation and overall body function which will give you that healthy, vibrant look.

Your sex life will benefit too. Couples that exercise regularly and are physically fit tend to have more self and body confidence. Countless studies show fit couples report that their sex lives become far better after they get physically fit. Exercise reduces stress, and as many will agree, stress is a huge libido crusher. Being fit increases your energy, strength, endurance and flexibility which certainly doesn’t hurt in the bedroom. You strong, sexy thing you!

Couples that are committed to a fit, lifestyle tend to choose better food options and cook healthy meals together. Spending time in the kitchen cooking becomes a team effort and a great bonding experience. It allows for quality one on one time together, learning how to live healthy, creating new and exciting dishes as a couple is fun and allows for creativity to flow. Couples who plan and cook meals together tend to be happier than those who constantly order take out or frequent restaurants for meals, which as we all know take out and restaurant foods are undisclosed calories and added ingredients that we cannot control. PS: Don't forget to do my favorite part of couple's healthy lifestyle training in the kitchen, crank up the music, drink a "little" high quality, healthy wine and dance in between all the healthy cooking. Yes, wine is good in moderation!

There are so many activities that you can add to your health and fitness lifestyle every week. A few examples are pre-and post dinner walks, gardening, hiking, walking around the city, visiting museums, you can even join local charity runs and marathons too.

As many of you know I love dogs! I rescue and volunteer with dogs and I am happy to say that walking your dog has been proven very healthy too. The North American Association on the Study of Obesity shows that dog-owners were healthier and fit, they also had more fun losing weight by walking their furry friend and were able to keep the weight off longer than non-pup-owners do. If you do not own a dog you can volunteer together at a local shelter to walk shelter dogs while they are waiting for their forever homes.

Wishing you success in your fitness goals, a fit and healthy body and lots of love!

www.fithealthyandfabulous.com

Self Healing and Energy Work

Do you know about self healing with energy work?

Today 80% of diseases are caused by stress. A high stress life actually blocks our major energy sources which in turn causes poor circulation and inflammation within the body.

Here are a few symptoms that have been shown to be caused by blocked energy:
*Chronic pain
*Joint stiffness
*Digestive issues, constipation
*Lack of concentration
*Trouble with concentration, feeling brain fog or heavy minded
*You get sick easily and have frequent colds
*Depression and anxiety issues

These are just to name a few!

There are ways to reduce many of these symptoms which will in turn lead to a healthy, happy more positive life!
Reiki Energy, Tai Chi, Yoga, Meditation and proper nutrition all help to remove blockages in your energy channels and can reduce the risk of and help symptoms of an unhealthy lifestyle.

www.fithealthyandfabulous.com

Aging And Weight Training

It is NEVER too late to get healthy!  

Weight training is a simple addition to your daily routine and does not require a lot of time. However, it is the most important exercise that you can incorporate into your health and fitness routine!

As we age, there are a number of physiological functions that decline; this increases your risk of developing osteoporosis, arthritis, type 2 diabetes and loss of muscle mass. 

Strength training 2–3 days a week can help prepare you to fight these effects of aging. It is a MUST!

It’s never too late to create new habits. Strength training for many people isn’t as fun as walking, spin class, yoga or playing sports. But the short and long term benefits of picking up those weights have proven benefits. 

Such as:
Increased bone density
Stronger ligaments and tendons

But the benefits do not stop there. Muscle allows us to continue to be active, functional and healthy. It’s critical for activity and movement, simply put weight training is critical to our happiness and long term health!

www.fithealthyandfabulous.com

Simple Fitness Tips For A Successful New Year Resolution

Happy Holidays. Bring on 2017!

Here we are once again, the time of year when all those delicious foods, sweet desserts and fancy drinks are everywhere we turn. But there is no need to worry, you can still enjoy them all in moderation, tasting something and not over indulging is key and with a calorie burning workout to keep the weight gain down you can simply enjoy your holidays with family and friends.

I believe in a smaller, intimate one on one approach to fitness. I am dedicated to staying focused on my clients individually to help each one reach their health and fitness goals and to keep them on track moving forward to an actual lifestyle change. It is not just about “reaching” the goal at Fit, Healthy and Fabulous, LLC it is about reaching it by learning how to live a healthy lifestyle along the way and keeping it. I want my clients to feel that they are top priority and to be comfortable coming to me with any health or fitness concerns that they may have. The end result should be that they feel fit, toned, have more flexibility and a positive outlook everyday when they get out of bed!

The Following Are a Few Simple Fitness Tips For A Successful New Year Resolution:

Choose an attainable goal for yourself. Choosing to make a fitness resolution year after year that you have been unsuccessful at in the past only sets you up for frustration and failure. The average success rate for New Years resolutions is 20% but there are ways to assure that you will be in that 20% category. Here are a few of my own ideas to get you on your way to your own personal success and how to enjoy exercise and a healthier lifestyle. First of all, I believe that fitness needs to be a part of your everyday life and that you need to give yourself a break and realize that results take time and a lot of effort on your part, most experts agree that it takes about 21 days to create a habit and six months for it to actually become part of your everyday life and you need to mentally prepare yourself for your fitness success. Most people focus on the SCALE and the number that they see for their weight, this is considered one of your “ BAD” habits and it should be the FIRST resolution that you make and keep. It will make you lose focus on your goal when you are too focused on the negative thoughts of your weight.

My advice to people who really want to achieve their fitness goals for 2017 is to start training now and not wait until January when you already have overdone all the extra food, holiday cheer and parties that come with the holiday season, do not wait until you feel bad about your weight and all the excess calories. Avoid going into a fitness resolution full force, this is where the 20% group succeed because they do not start off too accelerated, they start out gradually and make the necessary adjustments that it takes to succeed with their fitness goals. So enjoy the holidays and begin your exercise program now by exercising as you go through the season’s festivities. When 2017 is here you will be ready for the NEXT level of your fitness goal!

Happy Holidays and don't forget to schedule your Holiday Survival Fitness Routines!

www.fithealthyandfabulous.com