Stretch it ALLLLLLL out!

I head into surgery sometime Tuesday for my left total knee replacement so say a few prayers for me. I have been doing physical therapy in preparation along with taking my supplements and trying to eat as perfectly as possible. My tech girl and competition partner Gail will tally the week's results if I can' think straight afterward. 

And of course I have chosen a challenge I should be able to do during my first week post-op. Our challenge for this week is to stretch for at least 10 minutes per day. You can include this as part of your daily exercise minutes or do it in addition to your minutes but begin to include daily stretching in your physical routine. For every day that you stretch at least 10 minutes you can claim 5 bonus points. And yes you can stretch on Sunday too- for a total of 35 possible bonus points. There are lots of wonderful charts on how to stretch if you do a google image search. 

If you have been inactive for any length of time, chances are you have lost a percentage of the range of motion associated with your joints. This range of motion is commonly referred to as flexibility.

How We Lose Flexibility

As we age, flexibility diminishes within the joints through lack of stretching and physical activity. . 

Benefits

Stretching is a physical activity that elongates connective tissues, muscles and other tissues. The benefits associated with stretching include:

Reducing muscle tension and relaxing the body

Improved coordination and freer movement of body and limbs

Increased range of motion in the associated joints

Prepare the body for physical activity

Preventing injuries from tight muscles during physical activity

Creating a mind body connection

Promoting circulation

Reduce the risk of back problems

Reduce muscle soreness after exercise

Ten tips on how to stretch

1. Do everything slowly.

2. Hold the stretch for at least 10 seconds prior to exercise (warm-up) and for at least 30 seconds post exercise (cool-down).

3. Breathe normally and relax while holding the stretch to the point of pain.

4. NEVER, EVER do any bouncy stretching, always hold and relax.

5. Focus on the muscle you are trying to stretch and then try to lengthen it.

6. If a particular muscle group is tight, then stretch it in stages. Stretch as far as you can, then relax it and stretch again. This is most important during cool-down.

7. Move slowly out of the stretch.

8. Remember to stretch both sides of the body.

9. Increasing the range of movement around a joint will help the blood flow to the muscles surrounding the joint and increase circulation that will carry away any lactic acids that may build up in the muscle.

10. Do more stretching in addition to just warming-up and cooling-down. As we get older our muscles shorten naturally, and it is vital for everyone that stretching becomes part of your normal everyday life. Gyms that offer stretch-classes or Yoga, where the aim is to permanently and progressively increase your flexibility are well worth considering if time and money allows.

10 minutes of sweet relaxation

Many of us are stress eaters and one way to overcome our life time habits of over eating is to find alternatives to turn to during times of stress. Exercise is a great one and so is meditation.

As you can imagine most of my effort this week is getting ready for my total knee replacement surgery next week. One of the tools I have been using daily is a guided meditation in preparation for this surgery. There are so many guided meditations available and I'm sure you can find one that fits your needs perfectly. Or you can meditate without a guided audio.

How meditation may help us manage our weight

Just as meditation can help us with stress, sleeping, focus, and much more, it can also have an impact on our relationship with eating and managing our weight.

When it comes to losing weight, we typically think of taking a spin class or opting for the salad instead of a burger for lunch. Consequently, it may seem counterintuitive to consider sitting in one place and focusing your thoughts, and doing a meditation for weight loss. These sorts of perceptions are only viewing part of the picture. Keep in mind that weight loss is not simply physical, and it’s not simply black and white. . 

Consider a 2017 meta-analysis of 19 different studies that found that typical weight loss methods (diet and exercise) work in the short term, but eventually the study participants’ weight was gained back after the programs ended. On the other hand, weight loss protocols that included mindfulness interventions such as meditation (in addition to eating well and exercising), were seen to be more effective in reducing weight and keeping it off among study participants.

So, why is it possible that meditation helps when it comes to weight loss, exactly? There are physical and psychological factors at play. Another 2017 meta-analysisfound that generalized meditation helped reduce cortisol and C-reactive protein levels. If our cortisol levels are consistently high, this is connected with the persistence of obesity over time, according to a 2017 study. 

Psychologically, research shows that meditation may help squash overeating. A 2014 review compared 14 different studies and found that using mindful meditation as the #1 intervention decreased binge eating and emotional eating. Meditation has been shown to lower our stress levels. In fact, Headspace reduces stress in 10 days. This is important because stress is a contributing factor, causing many of us to overeat. Meditation teaches us to sit with and observe our emotions without passing judgment, instead of resorting to our go-to coping mechanisms like overindulging on food. 

So how do you meditate?

Simple Meditation in 5 Steps

When times are stressful everyone could stand to take a minute to stop and breathe. During meditation, you harness, calm, and essentially turn off the “thinking” portion of your mind so that you open yourself to a deeper state of relaxation and awareness. With regular practice, you become able to do this anywhere, anytime you feel the need to stop and breathe.

Simple meditation in 5 steps described in this post can help alleviate stress and countless ailments, including lowering high blood pressure, decreasing muscle tension and headaches, enhance the body’s immune system, easing symptoms of arthritis and allergies, and more. For those of us seeking calm from the storm of daily stress, meditation allows you to have greater control over not only your emotions but your reactions to occurrences (if you are quick to anger over small things, for example). With practice, you become more aware of your surroundings and what goes on in your mind, thereby preparing yourself and your body for a calmer, less reactive response.
Anyone can stand to gain from meditation, and better still, anyone can do it.

1. Make time to meditate daily.

As with most things, meditation mastery doesn’t happen overnight. Meditation is a lifelong endeavor and treatment, and its benefits are most noticeable with regular practice. You can meditate at any time of the day. Begin by setting aside 10 minutes for focused meditation. 

2. Sit comfortably in a quiet, relaxing environment.

Avoid things that will distract you, like the TV, your cell phone, noisy appliances (like the refrigerator), kids, and the like. I love meditating while wearing my noise canceling headphones. I usually listen to meditations that I find at 

http://www.mythoughtcoach.com/ There are several free ones on this site. Go and download one for your own use. They are wonderful! Stin (who provides the meditations) is a member of my faith and I just love her voice. I actually have a membership to the site but it offers several free meditations too. If you don't listen to one of these prepared meditations you might want to play soft, repetitive music that won’t disrupt your concentration. Some people enjoy sitting in a grassy field or forest or even near a stream and letting the sounds of nature help to soothe them.

Make sure the place you are sitting or lying is comfortable. A cushion or yoga mat can help. If sitting you don’t need to cross your legs into the lotus position if this is painful; you only need to sit comfortably with your back straight so as to make it conducive to healthy breathing. You may at first need to concentrate on proper posture; try sitting on a the forward edge of a thick cushion or rolled up towel to tilt your pelvis naturally forward and imagine a thread pulling the top of your head up so your spine is straight. If lying position yourself so that your head is supported and your muscles are all in a position to relax. 

Keep your hands and feet relaxed; don’t worry about position. Consider starting out with letting your hands lie on your thighs or hanging at your sides. 

3. Relax.

Close your eyes and look for parts of your body that aren’t relaxed, like your neck, the muscles near your forehead or eyes, your knees, hands, spine, etc. Adjust your posture accordingly. Focus on them and imagine your blood running through that part of your body so it warms and relaxes.

4. Focus on your breathing.

With eyes still closed, focusing on your nostrils as you breathe. This sounds silly, but focusing on this single part of your body allows you to focus on how breathing feels and quiet the chattering of your mind. Imagine that with every exhalation, you’re breathing out negative emotions that are causing you pain, stress, and tension. Imagine you’re breathing in relaxing, positive air when inhaling. Preparing for meditation like this is part of the process and you’ll adjust more quickly with practice.

5. Focus on nothing.

Once you’re able to focus on your breathing alone, focus on nothing. Clear the mind by focusing on your breathing and then casting the thought of it from your mind. Enjoy the peace

So to earn your daily bonus points this week you need to find 10 minutes for quiet meditation. 

Math homework

As you know I try to focus our 8 week competitions on building healthy habits. Yes we weigh and measure ourselves and of course we hope for results there, but we focus mostly on building healthy habits hoping they will lead to a healthier life. However I do believe that among our healthy habits we should occasionally take a serious stock of where we are with our body weight. 

The average American women weighs an average of 170.6 pounds (lbs), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . Height-wise, the average adult female is 5 feet 3.7 inches, and her waist measures 38.2 inches. So according to the BMI Calculator the  average American woman is overweight and on the edge of obesity. And according to the ideal body weight charts she should weigh about 120 pounds so she is about 50 pounds or 40% over weight. 

Oh how I wish I could push a button and all of us would be at, and stay at our ideal body weight. Ideal body weight is the optimal weight associated with maximum life expectancy for a given height. 

Along with how long we live we are concerned for how healthy our life is. Body weight has a huge affect on our health and susceptibility to disease. Being over your ideal body weight increases the chance you will suffer:

• Diabetes (Type 2)

• High blood pressure

• Coronary heart disease

• Stroke

• Certain cancers

• Gallbladder disease

• Reproductive problems

• Gout

Besides the threat of disease, extra weight can also cause musculoskeletal issues including joint, back, knee pain and plantar fasciitis. 

I want you to think of the weight you most usually weigh. Not what you weigh at your heaviest or after a solid 8 week challenge but the weight you have spent most of your days and months weighing. Now let's check how close it is to your IDEAL BODY WEIGHT. 

There are many formulas used to calculate ideal body weight.  One of the simplest is the HAMWI formula, which is used for adults over 5 feet tall. For women, it's 100 + 5 lbs for every inch over 5 feet. Add 10% if person has large frame, subtract 10% if person has small frame. 

You can calculate your frame size by wrapping your fingers around your wrist. If your thumb and index finger overlap, you likely have a small frame. If the two meet, your frame size is probably medium and you are large boned if they do not meet.

There are a lot of other sources to help find your ideal body weight including the site
https://www.inchcalculator.com/ideal-body-weight-calculator/  

 
Another way to determine a healthy weight for yourself is to see how you are on the BMI Chart https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.html

So this week's weekly challenge is a math problem. I would like you to:
1. Determine your frame size
2. Use the site in blue above to pull up the ideal body weight charts 
3. Use the link in red to calculate your healthy BMI
4. Determine what weight puts you at least in the middle on both charts 
5. Determine how much extra weight you have been carrying around for most of your life and how much too much you are carrying around right now. Subtract your ideal body weight to determine how much extra weight you are now or most usually carry around. 
6. Find something that weighs about how much extra weight you have been carrying around and heft it. 

Yes health is more than what your scale says. Sure there are some heavy people healthier than some lighter people. But will your health most probably be blessed as you journey toward your ideal body weight AND STAY THERE? Yes. 

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Let's Get Geared Up!

 

As we begin a new year we are naturally led to thoughts of new year’s resolutions and fresh starts. One important focus is your personal health habits. Good health habits can bless you not only your health but can also increase your energy, clear thinking and ability to better accomplish the other goals you have set for yourself this year.

So as we begin together again let’s spend this first week preparing and focusing on what we will accomplish together.

1. If you have not already done so join myfitnesspal.com and begin journaling your daily food and water intake and exercise. This is a tool I hope you will continue to use long after we have completed this competition. 

2. Contact your partner and communicate about how you will support and help each other through this competition. If you live nearby you might want to exercise together. You can encourage each other with texts, e-mails and phone calls. You can review each other’s food journals and share recipes and ideas. 

3. Print up and use the daily sheet (I’ve e-mailed it to you)  if you need it to keep track of your efforts. 

4. Stock Your Kitchen with Healthy Foods

A first step in eating right is getting prepared. Go through your fridge and pantry and toss the super-unhealthy stuff you want to eat less of. Then, get ready to cook up healthy meals by stocking your pantry with healthy-cooking essentials.

5. Hide Tempting Foods

One study found that keeping unhealthy food hidden can help you eat less of it: when secretaries were given candies in clear dishes to place on their desktops, they helped themselves to candy 71 percent more often than a similar group that was given the same candy in opaque dishes so that the candy wasn't visible. At home, stash tempting treats inside a cabinet where you can't see them-or better yet, get rid of them altogether and keep the apples-and other healthy eats-out on the counter. 

6. Plan Your Exercise and get equipped

If you wait for the mood to strike or for a lull in your day, you might not get in an optimal amount of exercise so make a plan ahead of time. If you like to exercise at the gym renew your membership if needed and check the schedule of classes. Plan now for what ones you plan to attend. If you prefer to exercise out of the gym start thinking about what is available as far as biking, running, skating etc. Begin to formulate your plan,

7. Spiff up your equipment Do you have what you need? A good water bottle that has markings to track your intake, measuring spoons and cups and a good food scale, exercise bands, good quality walking/running shoes (Did you know athletic shoes are only made to last 350-500 miles? They often still LOOK great but the cushioning is shot and they are no longer safeguarding your feet and joints) swim goggles that don’t leak, work out bands, floor pad etc. I’m not going to REQUIRE you to purchase anything but good equipment can inspire effective work outs so take an inventory of what you might need.  One of my favorite tools is my personal scale that measures not only weight but percentage of body fat. 

OK ladies let’s get geared up. You can earn your 35 weekly bonus points this week by looking at the list above and taking care of what you need to be totally focused on 8 weeks of healthy living