BlogCommunity. Support. Health. Are you looking for fun exercises, motivational prose, fitness tips, clean eating recipes, and other information and feedback relating to general health? You’ve come to the right place. We cover all types of topics geared towards a healthy lifestyle. The StrongBoard Balance team is committed to sharing their knowledge with you in support of whatever journey you are on.  If you have any questions or would like to read about a certain topic please email info@StrongBoardBalance.com.

Ease Into a New Fitness Routine

Not Every Workout Needs to Be a Killer When You're Just Starting Out! StrongBoard Balance Board
Not Every Workout Needs to Be a Killer When You’re Just Starting Out!

It’s that time of year when you see the gyms get busier, classes get crowded, our normal running or cycling paths get swamped with new riders. Unfortunately, that can lead to more accidents, people getting sick from overdoing it, and injury. No one wants this! Taking time to ease into a new fitness routine will help you in the long run.

If you’re planning to hit that New Year’s Resolution hard, please take the following into consideration. Your body will thank you!

  • You Don’t Need to Hit it Hard Every Single Time

Yes, we all love muscle soreness. We feel like we have to hit 110% to be on our way to serious results. This just isn’t the case. With a consistent workout plan, you really only need to up your resistance every three weeks. Soreness can also indicate a muscle strain and potential injury. Extreme soreness and Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) will typically pull you out of your routine for a few days, so isn’t it better to bump up your workout gradually? Try having a moderate workout in the beginning of the week, a harder one in the middle, an easier one, and then a harder one. You’ll feel more motivated to hit the gym consistently and won’t have to regress your training plan.

  • Take Recovery Days

Every athlete takes a rest day. Whether that means a slow, easy bike ride, a long walk, some gentle yoga, or simply putting something else important in your life as a priority, taking a day of rest is essential to your health and well-being. Schedule one or two days off each week to rest, recover, and rejuvenate. Muscles need recovery time to get stronger and leaner.

  • Mix It Up

No matter what your fitness goals are, it’s imperative to incorporate cross training. Triathletes do yoga, bodybuilders go running, and boxers use cardio machines. If we do the same thing every time, our bodies will adjust and our workouts will become easier, and not necessarily better. Using your muscles in different ways will prevent them from getting worn down by one sport. Mix up your routine by adding classes, at-home workouts, or new machines at the gym. You’ll notice a difference!

  • Stretch

Gentle stretching is just as important at the end of a workout as it is at the beginning. Stretching will help to prevent injury by increasing blood flow to your muscles and help limit muscle fatigue and soreness. Plan to stretch the working muscles for at least 5 minutes after you’ve completed a workout. Add some calming music to the end of your playlist so you won’t forget.

  • Sleep

Believe it or not, but our bodies burn calories while we sleep. During this time our muscles get to repair themselves and recover faster, because we aren’t asking them to move. Poor sleep will negatively impact your results. If you’re feeling too tired to workout when you first start exercising, skip it, and get some rest. Lack of sleep can result in overtraining, bloating, weight gain, and decreased motivation. Plus, when we are sleepy, we tend to overeat. Who wants that?

  • Listen to Your Body

If you feel sick, dizzy, nauseated, uncomfortable, or too hot- Stop Immediately. These are signs that you are working too hard. If we push too hard, our bodies will rebel. If you start feeling any of these symptoms or generally don’t feel well, find a seat out of the way and have some water. Only return to exercising once these feelings stop, sometimes this will take 5-10 minutes. If it takes longer than 10 minutes, end your workout and go back when you’re feeling better. Once you get more used to working out at a certain level these will start to go away.

Happy New Year!

Stay Balanced.

 

A Well Balanced Diet: Spotlight on Superfoods – Lemons

StrongBoard_Balance_Board_Lemons_Superfoods
superfood!

Once Beyonce completed the Master Cleanse, lemons came into the spotlight for being an essential fruit used in natural detoxing. Here are some facts about lemons and why you should be including this superfood in your diet.

1) The citric acid naturally present in lemons will aid in digestion, urination, and elimination. Citric acids help produce digestive juices to assist in these processes. This reduces bloating and helps the body rid itself of toxins. It can also increase blood vessel function.

2) Lemons balance the body’s PH levels and create a more alkaline environment. A PH-neutral or alkaline state is the best way to ward off disease. Alternately, diseases such as cancer and diabetes thrive in bodies which are acidic.

3) Lemons are high in Vitamin C which helps the body absorb iron, and fight skin damage from environmental pollution and sun exposure. Vitamin C is essential in collagen production as well and can give the appearance of reduced cellulite and radiant skin. Vitamin C has also been known to naturally reduce inflammation and contain high levels of antioxidants.

Fire up your digestive tract by squirting some lemon into some warm water or tea or add to sparkling water to energize you during the day.

Stay Balanced: Holiday Cocktails to Delight and Diminish

Healthy Cocktail! StrongBoard Balance Board

With a well-balanced diet and regular workout plan, some of us make a little room for reasonable alcohol consumption. There have been multiple studies suggesting the consumption of one alcoholic beverage per day can have health benefits. During the holiday season, however, many people overdo it. Not only could this lead to regrets, alcohol can really derail your diet plan and fitness goals. Alcohol will affect your balance and make balance training very difficult, even the next day! (Trust us, we teach Saturday morning classes!) Plus, alcohol contains seven calories per gram, and it’s mostly refined sugar which is immediately stored as fat. With that opening, you may decide not to drink at all. But if you are like us, you want something easy on the diet plan! Here are 3 low-sugar cocktails that will please your guests, your palate, and in moderation, won’t diminish your workout.

 

  • Bright & Bubbly

1/4-ounce elderflower liqueur

Champagne

Lemon twist to garnish

Chill or direct pour elderflower liqueur into champagne flute and top with champagne.

Garnish with lemon twist

 

  • Mistletoe

5 sprigs rosemary

4-6 whole cranberries

1 tsp. agave nectar

1.5 ounces gin

Dash lemon juice

4 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

Soda water to taste

Mix first 3 ingredients into a shaker and stir until fragrant (about 10 seconds)

Add ice, gin, lemon, and bitters.

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass over fresh cubes. Top with a splash of soda water or serve as a martini

 

  • Winter Warmer

2 oz. bourbon

1/8 or 1/4 cup spiced apple cider

4 ounces boiled water

Orange peel or wheel to garnish

Combine all ingredients into a mug and garnish. Enjoy responsibly!
Stay Balanced, friends!!!

Ways to Give Back This Holiday Season

Giving Back! StrongBoard Balance Board

This Holiday Season, we at StrongBoard Balance are focusing on gratitude. What are you most grateful for and why? As one of the ways we can increase our appreciation for what we have, we can give back to others. Rather than focusing on that “to do” list that tends to take over after Thanksgiving, let’s think of ways that we can share our time, talents, and good fortune with those in need. Here are some ideas how:

1) Donate food at a shelter or local food bank. Many grocery stores have bins just for this. If you purchase just one more food item and place it in the bin every time you shop this month you could feed an entire family!

2) Clean out your closet. Donate the clothing to a local organization or sell to a second hand shop and donate the funds. Here are some great national organizations:
http://www.dressforsuccess.org/home.aspx
http://www.planetaid.org/your-local-planet-aid

2) Give the gift of fur babies in need. Animals are known to reduce stress and lower blood pressure, what a perfect time to bring a pet into your home!
http://www.vftafoundation.org/rescue_adoption

3) Take a clean-up walk – Put on some gloves, grab a back and a shovel and clean up any litter you find in your community. You’ll get some exercise and keep your streets clean.

5) Become a Charity Racer – Many running clubs organize races that donate proceeds to charity. Sign up, stay in shape, and create a healthy holiday tradition with friends.

6) Volunteer at food bank or homeless shelter
http://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank/

7) Spread cheer – Call your local hospital and hospice centers and see if they need child gifts, carolers, or donations

Feel free to leave any other suggestions in the comments section! Happy Holidays!!

Your Body and Sugar

Sugar and Your Body! StrongBoard Balance Board

The holiday months tend to be the worst for our diet, and mostly because of the increased amounts of refined and processed sugar available to us. Cookies, cakes, pies, and other holiday treats tend to overwhelm our homes and work spaces. We tell ourselves it’s a special occasion and suddenly we’re way off track from eating clean- promising ourselves that come January 1st we’re back on the wagon. Well, as you can gather, this isn’t what a healthy, balanced lifestyle looks like. Here are some facts on sugar and how we can wean it out of our diets without feeling deprived.

At four calories per gram, sugars are naturally present in fruits, dairy products, and vegetables in the form of fructose, lactose, and glucose. These natural, unprocessed, and unrefined forms of sugar are easily recognized by the body and broken down in the small intestine to deliver energy and nutrients to support various cells in our bodies.

Refined sugar has quite the opposite effect on our bodies and is added to MOST processed foods including sauces, spreads, beverages, dried fruits, and other packaged foods. Refined sugar is chemically treated and engineered. Some example are high-fructose corn syrup, table sugar, and maltose. However, our bodies don’t get the same nutritional benefits, (fiber, calcium, vitamins and minerals, etc.) when we consume them.

All sugars are difficult to digest and in excess can cause disruption in our digestive system and because they contain no health benefits our bodies simply store them at various fat sites, commonly the waist, thighs, and chest. According to the American Council on Exercise, an excess of sugar in our diets can not only increase our risk of obesity but has also been known to impair memory, concentration, increase appetite, increase joint inflammation, decrease energy levels, and is directly correlated as a leading cause of Type 2 Diabetes. It is recommended that the average American consume no more than 30 grams of sugar per day. Here are some tips to help you cut back on sugar.

1) Don’t go cold turkey! Snack on fruits and allow yourself some dark chocolate for the first couple of weeks while your body adjusts.

2) Get lots of rest. Typically when we cut out sugar, we can get cranky and irritable- just like withdrawal from many drugs. Give yourself an extra hour of sleep while you adjust your energy levels naturally.

3) Stay hydrated. Often times when we need a “pick me up”- we’re simply dehydrated. Always keep a bottle of water on hand, and if you’re tired of water- try sparkling water with lemon or unsweetened iced-tea. Avoid using unnaturally flavored waters or chemical-sweetener because they cause the same glycemic effect as sugar and can have been found to increase sugar cravings.

4) Get it out of the house. Toss or donate any candies, cookies, or sweets so they aren’t around you and replace with healthy and low-sugar snacks.

5) Up your fats and proteins. Fats and proteins when combined with carbohydrates keep you full and slow down the absorption of the sugars in carbohydrates. Stick with whole grain carbohydrates (brown rice, sprouted wheat, sweet potato) because they have more fiber that will also slow down the absorption and help you feel fuller, and less likely to reach for sweets.

6) Limit consumption of processed foods, (avoid anything out of a can, bag, or jar). Sugar is used to make processed foods taste better. Sugar can be found in soups, beans, and many pre-packaged “healthy foods”. Try using spices to add flavor and make your own foods. Replace pasta sauce with actual tomatoes or use lemon or non-balsamic vinegars to top your salads or lean meats.