Wellness Blog

You always want to challenge yourself and have a great workout - right? But do you ever feel like some days you just don’t have the same energy as other days? Having a great workout is all about being mentally focused and energetic. The best way to feel great during your workout is to prepare well for that workout. Here are some pre- exercise recommendations that will help you optimize your performance:

1)     Your preparation should start the night before your workout. Make sure that you get yourself to bed at a reasonable hour! Devoting 7-9 hours to sleep the night before a workout will give your body and mind the rest and recovery they need for optimal performance. On the flip side, your workout will help you fall asleep easier and get a more restful night sleep the following night.

2)     Schedule your workout. You need to have a set time devoted to exercise in your schedule so that you aren’t rushing and thinking about what you have to do afterwards during the workout. Being able to clear one’s head during exercise is one of its greatest benefits; don’t rob yourself of this by trying to squeeze workouts into short time slots.

3)     Plan and visualize your workout. Know what you are going to do for exercise before you come to the gym. This allows you to prepare yourself mentally for the workout ahead. 30-60 minutes before exercise, lets say it’s a run, start thinking about your stride/pace and the route you are going to take. Visualizing your workout ahead of time drastically improves your readiness to perform the activity and allows you to show up focused and ready to go at the start.

4)     Stay hydrated. A dehydrated body is often lethargic, fatigued, and cramped. Not exactly what you want for exercise. A hydrated body will feel more energized, be able to regulate body temperature better, and allow for optimal performance during the workout and optimal recovery after the workout. Make sure you are drinking water throughout the day and especially make sure you replenish lost fluids after exercise.

5)     Eat for energy! Your body needs energy from food to do exercise. If you’re running on caloric fumes when you pull in for a workout, it’s not going to be a very good one. Make sure that you eat some food 1-2 hours before working out. Not a huge meal, just a small meal or snack that has both carbohydrates and protein. Carbohydrates are the fuel that powers our muscles during exercise and protein helps your muscular tissue repair itself after exercise. This will increase your energy levels and allow you to work harder and make the most of your exercise. Consider that what you eat you will use, and the increase in intensity of your workouts will help you burn more calories during and after exercise. You’ve got to stoke the fire before you can really get it burning!!

If you follow these recommendations I guarantee you will feel better, perform better, and enjoy your exercise much more. If you’re going to take the time to work out, take a little extra time to make it a great one every time.

Live Well,

Marc

As we all know this beautiful weather will not last- so get out and enjoy it while it’s still here! Exercising outside can be very motivating and a nice change of pace if you’ve been cooped up inside all day. Here are some of the benefits of exercising outdoors:

1.      You can do it anywhere. The track, a trail, the park, sidewalks, your lawn… All you need is a good pair of sneakers and the motivation to go out and push yourself. Don’t miss workouts just because you can’t make it to the gym- having outdoor workouts in your arsenal will allow you to get a workout in anytime, anywhere.

2.      Exposure to the ultraviolet rays from the sun stimulates your body to produce vitamin D. Sufficient vitamin D helps to prevent various forms of cancer, bone degeneration, and depression. It is nearly impossible to get the necessary amount of vitamin D from fortified foods so getting daily exposure to sunlight is important.

3.      It makes us feel youthful. Everyone remembers playing outside when they were kids. As we get older, most people end up spending more and more time indoors and have fewer opportunities to “play” outside. Getting outside and moving around stimulates positive memories from when we were younger and can invigorate your energy levels.

4.      The variety of terrain available outdoors (especially in Ithaca) offers changes in intensity for walkers and runners. The challenge provided by hills and uneven surfaces increases your metabolism and thus increases your caloric expenditure.

5.      It’s beautiful out! The sun, fresh air, and beautiful views provided by nature all make us feel good and brighten up our day.

Here are some ideas for outdoor exercises and activities:

·         Walking/power walking/hiking

·         Jogging/running (include hills and/or bleachers)

·         Road/mountain biking

·         Kayaking/canoeing

·         Wind sprints/vertical and broad jumps

·         Pushups, sit ups/crunches, planks, squats, lunges

·         Calisthenics

·         Pickup sports

Wellness Clinic members: I encourage you to get out and enjoy the opportunity to exercise outdoors while this beautiful weather is still with us. Ask your trainer for help devising an outdoor workout or join in on one of our group exercise classes being held outdoors! The clinic will be here waiting when old man winter shows up. 

Live Well.

Spring into Fitness!

If you block out the cold, wind, and snow and listen really closely you can hea rthe birds singing of spring. Yes on paper it is spring, even though Mother Nature is no tco-operating. That means it is time to give up on all those road blocks to exercise that are a natural part of the winter season (see below).

Most people gain about five pounds over the winter months. If that wellness hibernation, which includes lack of exercise and inappropriate eating, continues into spring and beyond, you don’t need to be a statistician to understand how it can become 10, 15 ….

For many people spring is when they are motivated to get back “into shape.” Many of the roadblocks that we all must overcome in the winter come down in the spring – holiday season, bad weather, shorter days, cold and flu season, football season, etc. So the “rebirth” of spring should apply to you and getting re-motivated about taking care of yourself.  No one else can do it but you. If you find what works for you and what you enjoy, maybe it will be something you can carry through next winter and we won’t have to talk about it again next year.

If you need help to grow your fitness this spring contact us at the Wellness Clinic at 274-1301 or wellness@ithaca.edu or stop by and talk to one of our Fitness Specialists in person.

Believe it or not the rest or recovery from exercise is as
important as the training stimulus. This allows the body to
adapt to the workouts/stress you have been subjecting
it to and become more fit.  Too much training without proper rest will lead to
Overtraining or Staleness.  Such signs or symptoms of overtraining
could be fatigue, lethargy, insomnia, loss of concentration, performance decrement,
injury or illness.

The best thing to do is listen to your body. If you are getting some of these
signs or you all of a sudden are having difficulty getting motivated then you
need to change up what you are doing, decrease the volume or intensity of
your workouts, do something different or take a day or two off to re-energize your batteries.

Remember you should look forward to working out and feel energized from
it. If not it is time for a break.

With that being said I hope you all enjoy Spring Break in some way.

Frank

So I am definitely not a cutting edge guy as far as
technology goes, or most anything else, and as a matter
of fact I am proud to think of myself as being old school in most
things I do. It takes too much time and energy (not to say money)
to know that I have to have an I-Phone or Pod or that I need to take my
daughters to a Hanna Montana concert.

You would think I would know what the hottest new supplement is or what class is the
one you have to be in if you really want to get fit. But is being on the cutting edge necessarily being in the know, especially when we are dealing with health and fitness? Usually those people who are on top of the fads as far as diet and exercise goes are those that eventually drop out until the next fad sweeps them up a year or two later.

So I thought it might be a good idea to use cutting edge methods (although
blogging is probably back page news to many of you) to get the old school
mentality out to the IC community in regards to health and fitness.

We know what it takes to lose body fat safely for example. Will eating appropriately and exercising consistently work as quickly and effectively for you? Maybe not, but taking the new “magic potion” may not only not work but it could be dangerous. In most cases it comes down to a little cutting edge knowledge and a lot of old school consistency and dedicated to reach our fitness goals.

Desire needs no gimmicks!

So what do you think? The Wellness Clinic will put out a blog every Monday

on some health/fitness related topic at www.ithaca.edu/wellness to help our community be informed and be well. Please respond with comments and questions to wellness@ithaca.edu

Frank