Physical exercise – Page 4 – Jenna Jamieson, Author

Conquer the first 5 minutes of your workout!

By Jenna Jamieson | April 24, 2014 | Comments 0 Comment

Sometimes starting your workout is the hardest part of your actual workout. You may be tired from work or overwhelmed by all the things on your “to do” list. There are three small tips/tricks that I use each day that might help you conquer starting your workout and make you feel better: 1) Eat an energy snack no more than two hours before your workout. 2) Look at working out as a challenge each day that you will accomplish. 3) Warm up – conquer your first 5 minutes to find your rhythm and get your heart rate up.

I find that eating an energy snack one to two hours before my workout is a great way to fuel my workout and give me that extra dose of energy that I need to make my workout more enjoyable, push me to my limit, and make it less exhausting. Eating my energy snack two hours prior to my workout works best for me, but I suggest you find a time that works best for you based on your schedule, routine, and body. My pre-workout snack might be carrots and cucumbers, almonds, craisins, apple slices, rice cake snacks, or an almond/dark chocolate chip/craisin trail mix.

I am a disciplined and dedicated person once I set my mind to something so I love to look at my workout as a new challenge for me to accomplish each day. Looking at your workout as a new challenge is a great way to get your mind in the game and change your mindset from “I don’t want to do this” to “I can and I will do this”, which is a great attitude to take with you to the gym each day! This attitude will help motivate and inspire you to put forth the effort necessary to meet your challenges and overcome obstacles while you workout.

It’s all about warming up and getting the first 5 minutes under your belt! Conquering the first 5 minutes of your workout, getting started, and allowing your body to get warmed up will give you the energy and motivation to keep going without giving up! It allows your body to get in the mode of working out, which in turn allows your mind to adjust to the needed increase in energy to fuel the workout. Once that occurs, you get into the rhythm of your workout, maximizing your success! 🙂

I know taking the plunge to start your run, jump in for your swim, or beginning your cardio or strength training workout can be difficult, but I promise that finding small tricks to help you ease in and make the start less overwhelming or dreadful will provide a small sense of relief! So, get to finding ways that will help YOU start your workout…use my tips, find alternative tips/tricks, and more than anything get off the couch and start your workout! 😉

~jj

Are you a statistic? Don’t be…instead, be the BEST you!

By Jenna Jamieson | April 16, 2014 | Comments 0 Comment

When I was exercising this week, I was thinking about what lit a fire in me to make working out and nutrition such a big part of my life. I have, for the most part, been mindful of my mind and body, but sometimes life gets busy and we don’t care for ourselves as much or as good as we should. In high school, I played tennis during the fall and considered what I put in my mouth occasionally, but the less than healthy lunch options were something I ate too frequently without much thought. Once I got home from school, I usually ate a snack which often consisted of unhealthy microwave foods such as pizza rolls, bagel bites, or hot pockets. While I may not have been fat, my eating choices weren’t nutritious and I was heading down the wrong road. Believe it or not, I actually weighed about 20 pounds more when I was in high school than I do now. I was not considered overweight or obese, but I wasn’t exactly in shape either.

So what sparked the change? It’s quite simple and can be said in one sentence: I didn’t want to become a statistic. I was getting ready to enter college and didn’t want to gain the “Freshman 15.” For those who are not familiar, this is the extra 15 pounds college freshman tend to put on when they go off to college because of dorm food, cooking for themselves, and eating out with their friends in between classes, on weekends, and frequently when drinking. Further, the change in schedule and the new college lifestyle typically contributes to poor food choices and irregular workouts. That wasn’t the only thing that spurred the change within me. While I was not overweight or obese, I was not in shape and that bothered me. At 18 years old, I was not fat, but more than anything I was not in shape. I could run several miles and I could play tennis, but I wasn’t in shape and I wanted to change that. I wanted to get in shape and not become a statistic. Statistics that are heard and read all the time such as increased risk for heart disease and stroke, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or even Type II diabetes.

I was bound and determined not to become a statistic. In fact, I still am. I refuse to allow myself to become a statistic that defines, determines, or tells me my choices are killing me. You should consider the same thing and what impact it has on your body (i.e. eating junk food, smoking, texting and driving, etc.). Choices that I can control are choices I will continue to try to sway in my favor to make me be in shape and stay in shape! Like me, use statistics and negative health facts (i.e. Freshman 15) to spur your own health goals. How did I go about making the changes I needed to get in shape and stay in shape to keep from gaining the “Freshman 15”? I made nutrition, exercise, and wellness my way of life. This was not a temporary fad or diet, but a permanent lifestyle change.

Now, I don’t eat overly processed foods as much as possible, my diet consists heavily of fruits and vegetables, and I eat scheduled meals that include diverse foods (spinach, sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, hummus, grilled chicken, etc). It doesn’t mean I do not splurge and eat cookies or ice cream or some of my favorite foods such as Pad Thai or pizza, but I eat these foods in moderation and my pizza is homemade and loaded with veggies! 🙂

I wrote this long blog that either bored you to death or hopefully inspired you from beginning to end to make fitness, working out, nutrition, and wellness a way of life! A life changing decision that you choose to embark on to make yourself a better you!

~jj

Weight is a number…healthy bodies = all shapes & sizes!

By Jenna Jamieson | April 2, 2014 | Comments 0 Comment

I missed posting last week. Not intentionally, but because I didn’t have any inspiration for a post and didn’t want to post just to post. I like to find a passionate topic to talk about each week and last week for some reason nothing came to me. So to my routine readers, I apologize for the missed entry. Maybe if you’re lucky I will post twice this week! 🙂

I have been thinking about weight, body image, and how much we judge ourselves (and others) by weight. We even tend to judge people more by their weight than their personality, pretty typical, but we often say, “Don’t judge a book by the cover and don’t judge a book by its movie” so why don’t we follow this same rule when it comes to people? More than judging others, we even judge ourselves by the number we see on the scale. We use that number to decide whether we want to lose weight, how much weight we want to lose, and how perfect (or not) our body is because of our “ideal weight” goal. So how do we get past this idea of judging ourselves by the number on the scale? I will share a little secret with you. I got rid of my scale about 13 years ago. It’s one thing that I changed and I haven’t looked back since. I do not own a scale, I do not know how much I weigh other than a guess and I always ask my doctor to refrain from telling me my body weight. Why? Because I don’t want to be able to judge myself by the number staring back at me on a scale. Instead, I can easily tell how my body weight is doing by how my clothes fit, what foods I am putting in my mouth, and how much physical exercise I am getting in comparison to my daily caloric intake.

So I talked about judging ourselves and judging others, but I didn’t really connect the two. We know that we judge ourselves and others, but now we must realize that we judge without knowing the health choices a person makes and the lifestyle they lead. My point is to convey the differences in people and to realize that “healthy” for one person isn’t going to be “healthy” for another person. Think of it like this: “our” healthy is our own unique “setting” similar to how we look, our personality, our characteristics and traits, goals, aspirations, etc. While we are all unique in that aspect, we are also all unique in what “our healthy” is and means. For example, my “healthy” as a 26 year old female might be exercising 5 days a week on my own, high metabolism, few genetic health concerns, but another 26 year old female’s “healthy” might be to exercise in a group class 3 days a week because of her lifestyle, steady, but not fast metabolism, and several genetic health concerns. My point is that each person’s individual “healthy” is different hence different body shapes and sizes.

Try to remember that healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Often we think or believe that if you are thin, slender, or skinny that the person must be healthy and if a person is large, curvy, or plus-sized that they are fat and unhealthy. This is so stereotypical and false. A large person can be healthier than a thin person and a thin person can be healthier than a large person. Healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes, I cannot say and reiterate this enough. Physical exercise, eating and nutrition habits, family history/genetics all contribute to a person’s overall health and well being. It’s something that the world must realize to move forward. Not only will it make you feel better about yourself, it will make the world a more accepting and less judgmental place.

So, next time you see someone thin, large, slender, plus-sized, etc remember that healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes because all bodies are unique and different. I will also suggest that next time you consider stepping on the scale that you reconsider and instead use your clothes to judge how well you are meeting your health goals.

~jj

A healthy {March Madness} competition with yourself!

By Jenna Jamieson | March 23, 2014 | Comments 0 Comment

I was thinking about the blog and March Madness (well, mostly March Madness) because I love sports. Tennis, basketball, football, soccer, baseball (in person), if it’s on, then I want my television on, but sitting and watching television for hours (let’s face it, sports games aren’t always short…at least 2 hours or more) is not exactly healthy. Several weeks ago I was working out and thinking how much I enjoy a little competition with myself. I am not a huge competitor against others (I don’t like comparing myself to others) when it comes to exercising, so running against others or entering events that are timed races are not my cup of tea. However, I DO love a great competition against myself. What exactly does this mean? I love improving the amount of reps I do when I exercise. For example, if I do 3 sets of 50 crunches, then next time I want to do 3 sets of 60 crunches. I like the extra push and how I feel once I have surpassed my previous amount of reps.

So, now you might be thinking how does March Madness and having a healthy competition with yourself fit together? One involves a lot of sitting and the other involves health and competition. As an avid sports freak and exercise lover, I thought it might be fun to put them together and have a little game against yourself during March Madness. Why? Because it’s a great opportunity to combine March Madness and health without allowing yourself to sit for hours at a time!

My challenge to you is to make an exercise bracket when you make your March Madness bracket. For example, lunges versus squats, see which one you can do more of in a 1 minute interval. Consider push-ups versus crunches, burpees versus jumping jacks and so on. Fill out an entire bracket with exercises competing against each other. I suggest placing the exercises you choose on an actual bracket and have your March Madness basketball bracket with it because here’s how it will work: You will do each exercise that you have corresponding to the game on your basketball bracket. For example, if Oklahoma State and Gonzaga are playing, you would have two exercises written next to them. Lets use squats and lunges for this game. At some point during the first half you will do squats for 1 minute and write down how many you achieved and once the second half begins, you will do lunges for 1 minute and write down how many you were able to do. Like with the basketball games, whichever exercise got the most reps during the 1 minute wins and moves on to the next round! 😉 Keep doing this until you have a winning exercise. Get creative, there are lots of exercises you can use, you might consider one yoga pose versus another. Remember, it’s all in good fun AND it is all to get our butts up off the couch as we sit and watch the upsets and unpredictable outcomes of March Madness unfold!

Here’s an example of an exercise bracket if you are having a hard time coming up with exercises or can’t quite picture it. Remember you will do the corresponding exercises with the corresponding game that’s on your March Madness basketball bracket (one first half and one second half). You can either do each exercise for a one minute interval and count the reps for each or choose a goal and see which one meets or comes closest to the goal. Have fun with this and realize it’s to keep you from sitting the entire time during March Madness!

EAST (yoga): high plank hold v. low plank hold, cobra v. downward dog, spinal balance right v. spinal balance left, tree pose right v. tree pose left, triangle pose left v. triangle pose right, warrior pose left v. warrior pose right, bird of paradise left v. bird of paradise right, staff pose v. mountain pose

WEST (strength training): pushups v. squats, bicep curls right v. bicep curls left, tricep curls right v. tricep curls left, lunges v. wall sit, bicycle crunches v. floor crunches, side pushups right v. side pushups left, right leg balance v. left leg balance, shoulder raise left v. shoulder raise right

MIDWEST (cardio): high knees v. butt kicks, jumping jacks v. burpees, mountain climbers v. russian twists, pogo right leg v. pogo left leg, squat jumps v. plank walks, side2side squat heel touch v. side2side ski jumps, scissor runs v. standing leg kicks, one arm push up left v. one arm push up right

SOUTH (misc): jump rope v. hula hoop, arm circles front v. arm circles back, standing calf raise left v. standing calf raise right, chair left lift right v. chair leg lift left, left arm punches v. right arm punches, wall pushups v. marching in place, right leg lift and hold v. left leg lift and hold, right leg kick v. left leg kick

Hope this provides some March Madness inspiration! Happy bracketising! Enjoy your exercise bracket and your basketball bracket. Hope your basketball bracket is doing better than mine! 😉

~jj

To workout or not? …WORKOUT!

By Jenna Jamieson | March 15, 2014 | Comments 2 comments

Do you ever have one of those days where you aren’t sure whether you want to workout or not? Of course you do, because we all do at one point or another. The point when you say to yourself, do I really want to workout today or should I take the night off. It’s one of life’s burning questions! Well, maybe not exactly one of life’s burning questions for all of us, but you know what I mean! 🙂 You get off work at 4:30, the kids have soccer practice at 6:30, and you aren’t sure whether you have time to fit in a workout, shower, and get the kids fed before practice. Trust me, time management will allow you to do it and you will thank yourself later! Skipping workouts is one of the worst things you can do for yourself because it takes you out of your routine. Even if you can’t do your regular 30-45 minutes of cardio, strength training, or yoga, go ahead and fit in a small workout whether it be a walk or 30 minutes of stretching and at home exercises (i.e. jumping jacks, lunges, squats, push-ups, etc). Maintaining a routine will help encourage you to stay on track, reach your fitness goals, and make you feel healthier and happier (aka less stress)!

The question at hand: Should you workout today? Answer: See the infographic to the left! There aren’t too many reasons that will get you out of the workout, so if you are looking for an excuse you will need to look elsewhere! There are too many benefits of working out! If you are considering skipping a workout this infographic will reaffirm to you why you SHOULD get up off your butt and go workout!

It’s March, which means it is time for 5k runs, outside workouts, yard work, walking on trails, swimming, etc so no excuses! Go WORKOUT! Why? Because you will thank me later (and yourself too)! Plus, your physical and mental health will be happier as well!

~jj

Find your “happy workout” :)

By Jenna Jamieson | March 9, 2014 | Comments 2 comments

What is a “happy workout”? A “happy workout” is finding a routine or exercise that you are tremendously passionate about and love so that you can enjoy your workout and what it has to offer you! One important thing to remember about being consistent with your workouts is making sure you have a workout routine or exercise that you look forward to rather than dread. The key to being consistent is trying different workout routines and exercises and finding one you feel comfortable with, works the part of the body you want to improve, and makes you look forward to working out. For example, you might consider zumba classes, cross training classes, walking, running, swimming, yoga, etc. Once you find an exercise or routine that you enjoy, stick with it. Don’t feel like you need to change it, especially if you are considering changing to a routine or exercise you don’t like to do. You are far more likely to give up or not follow through if you don’t like your workout, leaving you frustrated and stressed.

If you become bored with your workout and no longer look forward to it, you know it is time to change it and find something new to keep you going. You don’t have to keep the same workout every day or every week, but I do suggest that you find a workout routine or exercise that makes you look forward to it. This will encourage you to workout each day and increase your chances of seeing success. It may be a workout routine that lasts 2 years or it may be a workout routine that lasts 2 months, but either way it is to your advantage to not only find something you love, but something you love with a passion. It can be something as simple as jumping rope, a routine you do with an app on your smartphone, a YouTube video, or a routine of pictures you found online. No matter what it is, if you enjoy it and find it to be something that helps you relieve stress and break a sweat, then you have found “your” workout. A workout that you have a passion for and look forward to doing sometime during your day.

So, get EXERCISING, have fun, and make sure you LOVE it! If you don’t love it, then ditch it and find something new (such as some of the options above)!

~jj

Small pieces to the health puzzle…

By Jenna Jamieson | February 22, 2014 | Comments 0 Comment

Need a few quick tips to keep you going through your workouts? Here are a few things I continuously keep on my radar to ensure I can get through my workouts without feeling tired or bored.

1. Get yours zzz’s. Sleeping is vital to ensure you feel refreshed. It helps get you through the whole day, and that includes your workout! Try to get 7-8 full hours of sleep each night.

2. Stretch. Just do it. Even if you are short on time, stretch before and after your workout. If you don’t think it will help, read last week’s post and it’ll help convince you! 🙂

3. Eat more fiber. Your body will thank you now and later. I promise!

4. Drink water, and plenty of it. What is plenty? At least 64 ounces each day! That’s eight 8 oz. glasses. It’s easy. Spread it out throughout the day…before meals, with meals, and between meals. Trust me, it’s worth it. Drinking plenty of water also helps give you a full feeling in your stomach, typically causing you to eat less.

5. Make your meals rather than eating out or on the run. You eat less healthy food when you eat on the fly. You tell me you don’t have time to make food? Pre-plan and pre-make food ahead of time. Fruits and veggies can easily be sliced and put in a container with water and lemon juice to keep them fresh, sandwiches can be pre-made, whole wheat crackers are an easy throw in. No excuses!!

6. Find a way to control your stress. I cannot emphasize this one enough. Stress is not good for your mind or body. What’s my way to destress? Working out and exercising, of course! 🙂

7. Drink…water, not lots of sugary drinks and alcoholic beverages. Bummer, right? Not necessarily. I am not saying give them up, just don’t over do it. Everything in moderation!

8. Try to limit how often you let your sweet tooth win AND find sweets that are “healthy” sweets. I sound crazy, right?! Not exactly. For example, eat a slice of whole wheat bread with Nutella or cinnamon sugar, chocolate mousse pudding, strawberries dipped in dark chocolate, etc. rather than a huge bowl of cookie dough ice cream or chocolate cake.

9. Exercise regularly. Not when you want to lose weight or because swimsuit season is coming. Those are great motivators, but exercising and maintaining your health is a continuous process. You can’t “diet” for a month, decide to go off the diet, and then back to your previous eating habits and expect to keep your results. You have to watch what you eat all the time. You don’t have to restrict your diet of all sugars or all carbs, but eat in moderation instead. You also can’t decide that you want to lose 20 pounds and then decide it’s time to start walking everyday or going to the gym. Exercise is a life long commitment. Why? Because exercise and eating properly keep your body happy and healthy. I promise.

These are little things I try to remember. Not things I just occasionally think about, but truly have engraved into my brain. Things that are in my phone and on my bulletin board, so they can’t escape my mind. When I am struggling during a workout, I think about what it’s doing for me. When I am not drinking plenty of water, I remember, it is what helps get me through my workouts and keeps me focused. When I want something sweet, I may go ahead and let myself eat something sweet, other times I don’t eat anything sweet at all. Try limiting yourself to having sweets a certain number of times each week. You don’t want your body and mind to become accustomed to getting something sweet after every meal or whenever you feel like it.

~jj

Burn v. Pain & Stretching

By Jenna Jamieson | February 14, 2014 | Comments 0 Comment

Exercising is great, but one important thing to realize about exercising is that there are times when you should keep going and times when you should stop and days when you should take the day off and days when you should push through.

Often times, people feel burning sensations in their muscles when they are exercising. I hear this frequently from people actually. Burning sensations while exercising (not pain) are completely normal and mean you are pushing your body and muscles during your workout. When your muscles and body get past the point of burning and feel pain then it is time to stop. You should not be exercising if your muscles and body hurt or you feel pain. Exercising should not hurt or evoke pain, AND yes, I will repeat that again…exercise should NEVER be painful or hurt. Burn, yes. Burn that leads to soreness, yes to that, too. In fact, I encourage you to exercise until you feel the burn in your muscles to maximize your results. Short, intense periods of heavy cardio and exercise are great for you. This may create sore muscles later in the evening and the next day because of the burning sensation that your muscles feel, but this is normal and actually good for you. If you can’t walk the next day from soreness, then you probably felt the burn at some point during your workout ;-)! I stress though that you should NOT be in pain. Pain is not something that should be associated or linked to exercise. Exercise is a pleasurable, stress reducer, not a pain inducer! 🙂

Where does stretching come in? To help alleviate soreness from exercising, remember to stretch, stretch, and then stretch some more. Stretching is one of the most essential and beneficial ways to not only warm your body and muscles up, but to increase your flexibility and therefore push your exercising capabilities even farther. Stretching is something that is easy. It is also one of the BEST things you can do for yourself to progress through workouts so that you can challenge yourself and get better. The more flexible you are, the better. This is because the strength you gain from stretching and increasing your flexibility will allow you to push through your workout and workout even longer. With the above discussion of pain in mind, stretching out before and after your workout will help ease soreness, prevent pain, and allow you to hold exercises longer when you feel burning.

If you aren’t convinced stretching is as great as your actual workout, you should think again! It will help wake your mind and body up before you hit the intense part of your workout. I stretch as soon as my feet hit the floor in the morning. It’s one of the best things I can do for myself to help wake up. I touch my hands to my toes to stretch my back muscles, and touch my feet to my butt to stretch my legs and thighs. Nothing too crazy or over the top, but simple exercises to help get me going. The same can be seen as I go throughout the day. I frequently stretch 4 or 5 times a day because it helps loosen up my body, destress, and makes me feel refreshed in as little as 2-10 minutes! How awesome is that?!

So, start thinking about what your body is telling you whether you feel pain or burning and remember that stretching is a great way to prevent soreness from exercise. I say, get STRETCHING! 🙂

~jj

Do it for your heart health!

By Jenna Jamieson | February 9, 2014 | Comments 0 Comment

Happy HEART HEALTH month! Let’s talk about some important statistics and discuss what you can do to make sure your heart is strong and healthy. This is a particularly important topic that I hold close to my heart (no pun intended)! 😉 I worked collaboratively with the American Heart Association (AHA) for 2 years and it opened my eyes to the wonderful initiatives and projects of the AHA as well as the severe concerns regarding heart health that face the United States today.

According to the AHA, heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States, claiming more lives than all forms of cancer combined (heart.org). While this stat is geared toward women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States, but heart disease is preventable and controllable (cdc.org). These stats alone should be enough to make you strive to exercise at least 30 minutes each day so that you can spend many moons making fun memories with friends and family! Remember, heart disease impacts all shapes and sizes, big or small, as well as every age, young or old.

What can YOU do to help prevent heart disease?

-Eat and maintain a healthy diet.

-Exercise regularly.

-Keep a steady, healthy weight.

-Don’t smoke.

-Regularly check your blood pressure and cholesterol.

For additional or more specific information, visit heart.org (AHA), millionhearts.hhs.gov (CDC), and cdc.gov/features/heartmonth (CDC).

I hope you recognize that the tips, advice, and stories I post each week are to help encourage people to “exercise2behealthy” for this very reason. Not because I am concerned with the outside of each person, but because I care about the inside and the health concerns such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, etc. that can be side effects of poor health choices. Hence, there is no time like the present to get moving and start making healthy dietary choices for you and your family!

~jj

Reps & sets…count your way to success!

By Jenna Jamieson | January 27, 2014 | Comments 0 Comment

I was thinking about the blog while I was working out this week to determine what might be a good entry. My inspiration came from my actual workout because I am a strong believer in counting reps and sets so that I can track and see my improvement over time. For example, I make sure I do 3 sets of 50 reps of crunches each day. Then the following day I make sure I do at least equal to that or more.

Further, sets and reps can be a great way to improve over time and keep you on track so you don’t lose progress that you have made due to fluctuation in the number of reps you achieve during each set. For example, doing 100 reps one week, 150 the next, and then 90 the following week. It is important to try to build upon your workout and one way to do that is through continuous counting of reps and sets. I do an abundance of cross training, trail hiking, and walking. One thing I always do when I am cross training is make sure that I do 3 sets of reps. So, if I do jumping jacks, squats, lunges, etc I do 3 sets. Rather than doing 3 straight sets of 40 reps when I do jumping jacks, squats, lunges, etc I do a “warm-up” set, “build up” set, and a “cool down” set. First, I usually have a specific number for my total set goal such as 150 reps. I then split my total set goal into reps per set. For example, my “warm-up” set might be 1-50, followed by a “build up” set of 51-115, and my “cool down” set of 116-150. I find this particularly helpful because it allows me to warm myself up to the exercise, then really push myself to the max to build my strength, and then cool down during the last set so that I can be prepared to push myself when I start my next set of exercises.

When I do trail hiking or running, I try to set a distance or amount of time that I will run and I make sure that I meet that goal so that I am not going out for a run without having a distance or time goal set. This helps push me farther and work harder to run or walk longer than I initially might have anticipated if I were to go without setting a distance or time goal.

So, next time you workout, remember that counting your reps and sets is a great way to track your progress, conquer your fitness goals, and help you increase your strength.

~jj