Sarge Sez: Don't mistake activity for achievement
Motivation:
It's never too late to richly live the moment you're in. Don't let regrets about the past destroy the unique opportunity you have right now.
Do you feel frustrated by your lack of progress? Then tap into the energy of that frustration to bring yourself fully to life in this moment that you now have to work with.
Today, you are more experienced and knowledgeable than you've ever been. Today, you can be more motivated than ever before to reach in and connect with your own special goodness.
And today you can put all of what you have into making real and positive progress. Today you can connect in a new and fulfilling way with what matters most.
You've already made an amazing journey to get to this moment. You've brought yourself here for a reason, so let yourself live that reason.
Make life the best it can be right now by doing something truly meaningful with it. Whatever you've come through, wherever you've been, it is never too late to feel the beautiful joy of being alive and making a difference.
Healthy Lifestyle:
Exercise Myths
Sustainable fitness plans are hard to come by, and they're so highly personalized that generalizations rarely serve us well. Before settling on a regimen, revisit these popularly held misconceptions. Then decide what makes a truly good fit for your body and lifestyle.
MYTH: 'No pain, no gain'
A workout does not have to feel bad to do good. In fact, when you feel any pain during a workout -- not fatigue, but pain -- it's best to stop immediately. Pain signals that something is wrong, and ignoring the signal can result in injury. Soreness can be expected 24 to 36 hours after a tough workout but is not necessarily an indicator of progress.
MYTH: 'Abdominal workouts burn the gut away'
Crunches and other "belly blasting" exercises will indeed build and strengthen abdominal muscles, but you'll never see the results if there's a lot of fat around your midsection. To have well-defined abs, you'll need to get rid of the fat covering the muscles. It's very difficult to target specific areas for fat-burning. Instead, launch an exercise regimen that reduces overall body fat, best achieved with a mix of aerobic exercise and a diet rich in fiber and lean protein. Once the fat burns away, you can admire the washboard ab muscles beneath.
MYTH: 'Stick to your regimen'
We all tend to favor the exercises that come most easily, and as a result may make a habit of repeating particular routines. But as muscles accustom themselves to specific actions, they become more efficient at the exercise. A consequence of efficiency is energy conservation -- which means your body will burn fewer calories. The essence of cross-training, by contrast, is to work different sets of muscles, overcome weaknesses, and reduce the physical strains caused by repetition. To build more muscle and burn more fat, consider small but challenging modifications to your fitness routines.
MYTH: 'A productive workout lasts about one hour'
It's a physician's job to help you set guidelines for the duration, frequency and intensity of your workouts, so don't hesitate to get your doctor's opinion before establishing a regimen. Health authorities, including the Mayo Clinic and the American Heart Association, suggest an exercise plan along these lines: If you're under 65 and in good health, try to engage in 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity -- walking, swimming, riding a bike -- five days every week. Those capable of more rigorous conditioning should strive for at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise, such as running or stair-climbing, three days per week, plus two days of strength training.
MYTH: 'To burn more fat, work out on an empty stomach'
With all of the low-carb diets popular today, it's easy to forget that carbohydrates provide the body with fuel. The amount of carbs present in your system should be commensurate with the amount of energy you will expend in the short term. So, while a bowl of pasta before bedtime will leave you with an unhealthy surplus of calories, the same meal before exercising provides the energy needed to burn fat.
The size and ideal timing of a pre-workout meal will vary from one person to the next. Start with small portions of carbs or carbs and protein about half an hour before exercise, then modify incrementally as needed. Smart choices include whole grains, fresh fruit, trail mixes of nuts and dried fruit, nutrition bars with about 5 grams of protein, and cereals with fiber.
MYTH: Swimming provides all the exercise a body needs
Few fitness experts would argue against swimming. Our natural buoyancy permits low-impact movement, minimizing the stress and pounding associated with most other physical activity, and a good swim stroke employs all of the major muscle groups. A few laps in the pool make demands of the respiratory system that are terrific for increasing lung capacity, too. However, swimming is not especially effective in burning fat. Because a swimmer's body is supported by water, it doesn't have to work so hard against gravity as in land-based exercises such as running or lifting weights, and therefore fewer calories are burned. Swimming nonetheless remains an unparalleled aerobic exercise and helps prime the body for metabolizing fat effectively.
MYTH: Treadmills are the equivalent of running outdoors
Convenience and personal preference are the factors that govern most runners' decision when choosing between a treadmill and an outdoor workout. Given a predominantly flat outside course, the exertion and weight-loss benefits are comparable; a treadmill set to a 1 percent incline makes up the modest difference. But several other factors come into play. When joint pain or injuries are of concern, the cushioned tread on a machine provides less impact than pavement or packed dirt, and the rotating tread further assists by sweeping your feet behind you. If you enjoy creature comforts while exercising -- temperature control, a television for entertainment -- a treadmill is a good choice. Still, the human body is optimized for being self-propelled through space, and anyone who enjoys a head-clearing run in fresh air finds it tough to beat. An outdoor run is generally better suited to natural movement, and terrain challenges, including downhill stretches (impossible to replicate on a treadmill), provide opportunities to burn extra calories.
Exercise:
How Much Exercise is Enough to Lose Weight, Reduce Inflammation, Reverse Diabetes, Lower Risks for Cancer and Heart Disease?
Most of us know that we need to exercise. Mamma said it, daddy said it, our teachers and coaches said it, our friends and even our doctors say it.
Everywhere we turn, we hear that we need to exercise.
However, exercise hurts. Yes it does. When we exercise, we feel varying degrees of pain. Sometimes it is a raging pain in the side, or in our feet, or legs or even in our chest and arms. Our lungs hurt, our stomach muscles and our back hurt. Yes, exercise hurts... at least at first.
If you want to get the benefits of exercise without the pain, then there is one simple rule to follow -- start out slowly and increase your program length just a bit, only a few minutes, everyday. You'll never feel the pain, and before you know it, you'll be able to exercise a full 45-minutes or even longer with any discomfort.
After you'll steadily increased your daily exercise session lengths, you'll get to the place when you're able to perform a brisk walk for an hour and actually NOT GET TIRED, and YOU WON'T FEEL PAIN. In fact, it will feel wonderful. You'll get really energized, instead of sore and tired. Every time you go for your "power walk" or your treadmill session, or your bicycling, and you'll come back with MORE ENERGY than you started out the day with! Exercise gives you energy.
Daily Exercise Required for Health: Just 45 minutes of moderate walking ― at a rate that raises your heart beats to at least 70% of its "maximum heart rate", will produce dramatic, rapid improvement in your health.
To find your own 70% heart rate level, use our Target Heart Rate Calculator to the right. How big can this improvement be, and how fast can the changes happen? Even major metabolic disease conditions can change fast if you take these simple changes. For example, a 2004 research program done by UCLA scientists proved that at least 50% of men with diabetes or metabolic syndrome could actually
reverse type-2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome with a combination of moderate daily walking and a reasonable diet that lowers sugars, controls saturated fats and raises high fiber, high antioxidant vegetables. This peer-reviewed scientific study astonished experts around the world, many of whom had thought their patients were facing a lifetime disease. _
The published, proven results amazed many doctors and patients alike: All important tests for metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes were lowered dramatically in only 21 days by these simple changes. By the end of just three weeks, over half of the participants had lower LDL cholesterol, lower inflammation, higher HDL cholesterol, lower blood pressure, normal blood sugar control, lower fibrinogen and other markers for diabetes and metabolic syndrome. See our report Reversing Diabetes in 3 Weeks.
HAVE A GREAT 36 HOUR LEAVE....Sarge!!!
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