Here at Hilton Head Health, our goal is to help you reach your weight loss and wellness goals and ensure that you achieve long lasting results through nutrition education and personalized programs. We believe that achieving your goals is not a process that happens over night. It involves squeezing small healthy habits into your everyday routine. Here are 5 healthy habits that will enable you to practice everyday wellness.
1. Start your day by eating a healthy breakfast. This sets you up to be less hungry by lunch and dinner and stops your from potentially overeating at those times.
2. Plan on eating 2-3 healthy snacks a day. Healthy midmorning and midafternoon snacks keep your metabolism revved and this prevents you from feeling deprived.
3. Stay hydrated throughout the day. Start off in the morning with a big glass of water when you wake up and repeat every 2 hours. This will give you about eight glasses per day. Dehydration can mask itself as hunger initially; instead of reaching for a snack, have a glass of water first.
4. Get extra steps in. Park farther away from the building where you work, take the stairs instead of the elevator, plan a noontime walk after you have your lunch and when you get home at night, eat dinner and then go for a 10 to 15 minute walk or go outside and play with your children. Instead of meeting friends for happy hour, meet for spin class or a run. Not only will you get more activity in your day but you will have a lot of fun doing it.
5. Get enough sleep. One of the most important factors in any wellness program is sleep. Aim for seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. Try to keep your sleep times the same throughout the week. Turn off the TV, cell phone and computer and keep your sleeping area cool, dark and quiet. Your body needs to go through all the sleep cycles to regenerate itself so the fewer distractions in the bedroom the better.
With proper hydration, nutrition, sleep and motivation, any time is a good time to stay fit, lose weight, and practice everyday wellness! Remember, that “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”-Confucious.
Showing posts with label Chris Varano. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Varano. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Friday, May 30, 2014
Friday Fitness: Office Fit - 7 Exercises to Do at Your Desk
During the week, how much of your time is spent sitting?
For some, getting up early to work out or trying to find the time after work, with family or household commitments, is challenging. Wouldn’t it be nice to actually get some of your workout in during the day at your desk and leave more time after work for family or other activities? These exercises won’t take the place of a regular cardio or strength training program but they will help to keep muscles toned and relaxed. Here are 7 exercises that can be done right at your desk with no equipment needed.
1. Shoulder circles - to relieve stress that can result from hunching over your keyboard:
Sitting tall, roll shoulders up by the ears and slide the shoulder blades down your back 10-12 times. Then do the same with a forward motion, trying to open the space between your shoulder blades.
2. Knee raises - to tone your thighs and stabilize your core:
Pull knees up to your chest, alternating legs. Try to pull up with the quadriceps and stay sitting tall to keep the core muscles activated.
3. Leg extensions - to strengthen thighs and stretch hip flexors:
Sitting in your chair, keep knee bent and raise your right foot up a few inches from the floor. Extend the leg straight out in front of you, thigh in line with your hip. Return to start for one repetition. Aim for 10-12 on your right leg and repeat with your left leg for one set.
4. Tricep dips – (in your chair) to strengthen the back of the arms:
Put your hands on the arm rests of your chair and raise your body up and off the seat, pushing through the backs of your arms. Raise and lower without coming all the way down to a seated position for one repetition. Repeat 10-12 times for one set.
5. Knee to elbows - alternating side to side to work the obliques:
Sitting tall, rotate to the right side and bring your left elbow toward your right knee. Rotate to the other side bringing your right elbow towards your left knee for one repetition. Aim for 10-12 repetitions on each side for one set.
6. Spinal stretch: to alleviate back tightness and enhance spinal flexibility.
Sitting tall in your chair, rotate to the right by lightly placing your hands on the right arm or the back of your chair. Then turn to look over your right shoulder, keeping shoulders down and relaxed while rotating through the waist.
7. Neck and ankle circles: to enhance ankle and neck mobility and alleviate tightness.
Sitting tall with your shoulders relaxed, slowly rotate the head all the way around 10 times and repeat in the other direction. The same can be done with the ankles, keeping the foot and ankle relaxed.
Extra Office Fit Tip: Try to walk around every two hours or so to not only get more steps in but prevent blood pooling in the lower extremities and be sure to keep hydrated during the day. Just these few changes and exercises can keep you happier and healthier at work.
The answer is probably too much.
For some, getting up early to work out or trying to find the time after work, with family or household commitments, is challenging. Wouldn’t it be nice to actually get some of your workout in during the day at your desk and leave more time after work for family or other activities? These exercises won’t take the place of a regular cardio or strength training program but they will help to keep muscles toned and relaxed. Here are 7 exercises that can be done right at your desk with no equipment needed.
1. Shoulder circles - to relieve stress that can result from hunching over your keyboard:
Sitting tall, roll shoulders up by the ears and slide the shoulder blades down your back 10-12 times. Then do the same with a forward motion, trying to open the space between your shoulder blades.
2. Knee raises - to tone your thighs and stabilize your core:
Pull knees up to your chest, alternating legs. Try to pull up with the quadriceps and stay sitting tall to keep the core muscles activated.
3. Leg extensions - to strengthen thighs and stretch hip flexors:
Sitting in your chair, keep knee bent and raise your right foot up a few inches from the floor. Extend the leg straight out in front of you, thigh in line with your hip. Return to start for one repetition. Aim for 10-12 on your right leg and repeat with your left leg for one set.
4. Tricep dips – (in your chair) to strengthen the back of the arms:
Put your hands on the arm rests of your chair and raise your body up and off the seat, pushing through the backs of your arms. Raise and lower without coming all the way down to a seated position for one repetition. Repeat 10-12 times for one set.
5. Knee to elbows - alternating side to side to work the obliques:
Sitting tall, rotate to the right side and bring your left elbow toward your right knee. Rotate to the other side bringing your right elbow towards your left knee for one repetition. Aim for 10-12 repetitions on each side for one set.
6. Spinal stretch: to alleviate back tightness and enhance spinal flexibility.
Sitting tall in your chair, rotate to the right by lightly placing your hands on the right arm or the back of your chair. Then turn to look over your right shoulder, keeping shoulders down and relaxed while rotating through the waist.
7. Neck and ankle circles: to enhance ankle and neck mobility and alleviate tightness.
Sitting tall with your shoulders relaxed, slowly rotate the head all the way around 10 times and repeat in the other direction. The same can be done with the ankles, keeping the foot and ankle relaxed.
Extra Office Fit Tip: Try to walk around every two hours or so to not only get more steps in but prevent blood pooling in the lower extremities and be sure to keep hydrated during the day. Just these few changes and exercises can keep you happier and healthier at work.
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