Author: joanfitandfree@msn.com

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Is your DNA your Destiny?

Will your DNA predict you Destiny?  The latest research is showing that exercise can change your future health.  I find that very encouraging for those that think they will suffer the same fate as their parents or grandparents.
Your lifestyle choices REALLY matter.  While you may not be able to stop all health risks, it certainly is in your best interest to make choices that greatly reduce your risk factors AND add quality to your life.
There’s evidence today to show that exercise may have as much effect on your health as your genes do.  Today I’m going to talk about 5 different benefits you may be looking for in your life, and how exercise plays into that.
  1. If you’re looking for more energy – then be sure to do some form of exercise at least 3-4 days per week.  You should notice increased energy in as few as 4 weeks.  Stella Volpe of Drexel University stated, “Physical activity increases the size and number of your mitochondria, which are the cellular powerhouses that help your body operate efficiently.”
  2. If you want to stay out of the doctor’s office – then focus on getting your steps in each day.  The easiest way to increase activity is to strap on a pedometer and start walking more throughout the day.  Research shows that the less you move, the greater your health risk factors are.  “Sitting is the new smoking.”  Start where you are today and set appropriate goals that will get you up closer to that 7,000-10,000 recommended daily steps.
  3. If you want to lessen a chronic health condition – start slow and work with a professional.  Did you know that exercise can help to reverse high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes?  It can also reduce the pain of arthritis by increasing blood flow and promoting the release of our feel-good brain chemicals, known as endorphins. Start with 5-10 minutes at a time, several days per week and work your way up safely.  Also, hire a certified personal trainer if you’re not sure what’s right for your situation.
  4. If your goal is weight loss and maintenance – you’ll need to do both strength training and cardiovascular work.  Of course you’ll also need to reduce your caloric intake for weight loss, but exercise is key to getting and keeping weight off.  Aim for 2 strength training sessions per week, along with 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week.
  5. If you want to reduce stress and improve your mental outlook – try to get in aerobic exercise several days per week.  Exercise just makes you feel good.  A Duke University study done in 1999 showed that depressed adults who did 45 minutes of aerobic exercise three times per week improved their mood as much as those who took Zoloft instead of exercising.  Exercise also increases serotonin and endorphins, which are mood-boosting brain chemicals, while lowering the levels of cortisol, one of our stress hormones.I also found lots of research around this topic while doing my undergrad degree in psychology.  I think it’s fascinating that something as simple as a walk in the sunshine can change our brain chemicals naturally.
The fact that it’s summer makes it so much easier to get outside in the fresh air and sunshine and find an exercise you enjoy.  Consider taking a walk or bike ride today.  If you just don’t know where to start or what to do, take advantage of my free 30 minute consult.  I want to help you live your best life ever.
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Discover the Miracle Drug for your Health

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If there was a miracle drug that you could take that was the key to health, wellness and longevity would you ask your doctor to prescribe it for you?

 This prescription is a key component of you living longer, healthier, and with lower medical expenses.  It will also help you sleep better, be more productive during the day, improve your mood, and greatly reduce your risk for developing most chronic diseases.  And, it works for almost everyone that takes it, whether young or old.  Every dose is 100 effective and has few or no negative side effects.  It’s the most powerful, easily available drug known to mankind.  And, the best part is that it’s free!

This drug is exercise!  Over the past 60 years, scientific research have provided irrefutable evidence of the medicinal value of exercise.  “A 2016 study of more than 1.4 million people showed regular exercise decreases the risk of 13 types of cancer, including breast, ovarian and colon cancer.  Type 2 diabetes – which costs hundreds of billions of dollars per year and affects nearly 30 million Americans – is both preventable and treatable with regular exercise” (Metzl, 2017).

Everyone can exercise and the American College of Sports Medicine recommends the same 150 minutes of exercise per week as does the Surgeon General.  That translates to 30 minutes, most days of the week.  You can cut that time down if you do high intensity interval training.  I do high intensity interval workouts on days I’m short on time.  As a personal trainer, I can help you create appropriate workouts for your body.

Dr. Jordan D. Metzel, a renowned sports-medicine physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York says that “We must embrace exercise as preventative medicine, because what we’re doing now isn’t working.  Every year, Americans spend more than $3 trillion on health care, and most of that goes towards treating diseases. In America we now have an average life expectancy of 78.8 years, the U.S. ranks 43rd among all nations in longevity and population health.”

No matter your age or where you live, it’s time to take exercise seriously as preventative medicine to enhance the quality of your life.

So you need to get moving, keep moving, and do it for the rest of your life!

What do you see yourself doing for exercise?  And, when will you start?
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Hello world!

Hello fellow health and wellness enthusiasts.  In my blog posts I’ll focus on sharing ideas to help you enjoy a greater quality of life by living more purposely and by showing ways you can get healthier without it taking up hours every day.

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4 Green Superfoods to Start Eating Now!

Did you know that leafy greens are some of the most powerful super foods you can consume?

Did you know that simply eating these 4 greens can elevate your energy levels, give you a quicker mind, and can help protect your body from disease?

Today I’ll be sharing these 4 superfoods that are a standard part of my diet to help me be my healthiest. Greens help with cancer prevention and heart disease prevention. Why not stop at the grocery store and try at least one of these in the next few days. Consume organic sources whenever possible. Costco sells the organic kind at a good price.

Kale – This leafy green is full of vitamins A, C, and K. It also contains carotenoids, and flavanoids, which are helpful cancer fighting ingredients. Kale has more iron than many red meats have. You can eat kale chopped up raw in salads or you can try chopping it up into bite-sized pieces and then saute it in toasted sesame oil with fresh garlic. Sauteeing it with sesame oil and garlic was what made me a fan of kale. Now I’ll eat it just like lettuce or chop it up and add to my smoothies.

Parsley – You’ve probably seen sprigs of parsley set on a plate in a restaurant as garnish, which gets tossed most of the time. But did you know that it’s a powerful herb that is full of vitamin K, C, and A, as well as folate. It contains many volatile oils and flavanoids which make it a ‘chemoprotective food’ that helps to minimize carcinogens in the body. It’s easy to simply toss some into a smoothie or add to your salad. I’m working on eating more of this herb.

Spinach – This leafy green is much more common in people’s diet. Did you know that it’s so powerful that it can reduce skin cancers, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer. It’s full of vitamins A, K, D, and E, and minerals manganese, potassium, and magnesium. Spinach contains a substance called apigenin, which has been shown to help with several cancers. It’s also a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids, and it supports bone health. Spinach is an easy addition to salads, smoothies and scrambled eggs. I eat a lot of spinach and use it in cooking. You can even chop it up and add it to vegetable soups.

Arugula – This green is full of magnesium, potassium, and vitamins A, C, and K. Arugula contains phytonutrients which help keep you cancer free. I think arugula has a stronger taste so I tend to mix it in with other greens in a salad.

Here’s a recipe for a Mediterranean Kale Salad that I think sounds yummy. Let me know if you try it.

Ingredients:

  • 12 cups chopped kale
  • 2 TBSP lemon juice
  • 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 TBSP minced garlic (can use the stuff in the glass jar)
  • 1 TSP soy sauce (I use Braggs Liquid Aminos for this)
  • Salt and Ground Black Pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Place a steamer insert into a saucepan, and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Cover, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the kale, recover, and steam until just tender (7-10 minutes, depending on how thick it is).
  2. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, salt, pepper in a large bowl. Toss steamed kale into dressing until well coated.
  3. Enjoy!

Are you ready to make 2018 a healthier year for yourself? Then start by scheduling a totally FREE CONSULT to improve the quality of today and your future.

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How to Create a Life You’ll Love!

I saw this quote on a friend’s website and thought it was so appropriate for my first post in the New Year. Setting New Year’s resolutions can feel negative and like something is wrong with you that needs fixing. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that’s a very healthy place to be emotionally. Most of us go to negative self talk automatically. What if we changed the focus to thinking about what we want to attract into our life instead.

A new calendar year is the perfect time to reflect over the past year and acknowledge what worked and what didn’t last year. Starting today, it’s more about moving away from “what was” and moving towards “what could be”. I think a gratitude journal is a great way to remind yourself of all that is good in your life. I try to jot down 2-3 sincere things each day that I am truly blessed with. It can be as simple as appreciating a morning that you don’t have to race out the door and enjoying a warm cup of coffee or tea a bit longer than normal. It’s the little things in life that typically give us the most pleasure if we’ll stop to notice.

What thoughts do you need to let go of? Do you need to offer forgiveness to someone? Harboring anger towards another person is emotionally draining and hurts you more than them. What positive affirmations could replace the negative things you’ve let take up space in your head rent-free? My thoughts are something I work on intentionally. When I find myself going into negative thinking, I try to ask myself how this thought is going to make me feel. Maybe I pray about the situation but then I am trying to replace the things I can’t control with thoughts and things I can do something positive with. I also love using meditation to keep me grounded and remind me of what’s important in life.

I use a tool with clients that has them consider their current satisfaction level in the following areas:

  • Joy,
  • Social Life,
  • Relationships,
  • Home Environment,
  • Home Cooking,
  • Physical Activity,
  • Health,
  • Education,
  • Career,
  • Finances,
  • Creativity, and
  • Spirituality.

This can be really helpful to see where their life is out of balance, and it is also helpful for setting ‘Life Affirming’ goals that really matter.

I get to help people take the first steps to discover and reach their dreams. And, I try to do the same thing for myself. Each year and periodically throughout the year I think about new goals to get me where I want to be in body, mind and spirit. We only get one body to live in and only one life to live. What do you want to be true for you by the end of 2018? I’m going to start working on my 500 hour yoga training, and taking more yoga classes plus teaching more yoga. I am also focused on being intentional on a daily basis on how I fuel my body so that I look and feel my best. What do you want to focus on in 2018 for your own wellbeing?

Maybe now is the time to change your future. Schedule a FREE CONSULT to improve the quality of today and your future.

PLEASE SHARE THIS EMAIL WITH YOUR FRIENDS SO THEY CAN ALSO ENJOY A HEALTHIER 2018.

Let me know how I can help you be your best self.

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