Top 5 Reasons to Love A.M. Exercise

Top 5 Reasons to Love A.M. Exercise

1. Exercising early in the morning “jump starts” your metabolism, keeping it elevated for hours, sometimes for up to 24 hours! As a result, you’ll be burning more calories all day long–just because you exercised in the morning.
2. Exercising in the morning energizes you for the day–not to mention that gratifying feeling of virtue you have knowing you’ve done something disciplined and good for you. (Much better than a worm!)
3. Studies have shown that exercise significantly increases mental acuity–a benefit that lasts four to ten hours after your workout ends. Exercising in the a.m. means you get to harness that brainpower, instead of wasting it while you’re snoozing.
4. Assuming you make exercise a true priority, it shouldn’t be a major problem to get up 30 to 60 minutes earlier–especially since regular exercise generally means a higher quality of sleep, which in turn means you’ll probably require less sleep. (If getting up 30 to 60 minutes earlier each day seems too daunting, you can ease into it with 10 to 20 minutes at first.)
5. When you exercise at about the same time every morning–especially if you wake up regularly at about the same time–you’re regulating your body’s endocrine system and circadian rhythms. Your body learns that you do the same thing just about every day, and it begins to prepare for waking and exercise several hours before you actually open your eyes.

Exercise Extra: More than 90% of those who exercise consistently have a morning fitness routine. If you want to exercise on a regular basis, the odds are in your favor if you squeeze your workout into the a.m.

How to Accept a Really, Really Bad Gift

I came across this article, and it reminded me of a bad gift exchange that happened a few years ago. In light of Route 40’s gift exchange happening soon, I thought this was a great story to share. Remember, appreciate the gift of giving.  It is not about the gift; it’s the thought that counts.  Does anyone have a really, really bad gift story that they would like to share?  Here is one of mine:

Every year, my friends and family have a Girls Only Holiday Gift Exchange. Each of us buys a girly gift with no particular person to give it to. We meet at someone’s house (it has been Tina’s house for the last 3 years), and put our nameless tagged gift under the tree. Numbers are put into a hat, and each of us randomly draws from the hat. Whatever number we receive is the order in which we pick a gift from under the tree. We have a choice of either picking a gift from the tree or taking someone’s gift that has already been opened. However, you have to decide beforehand. You can’t pick a gift and decide you don’t want it and then take someone else’s. Anyway, my sister-in-law, Marleen opened her gift, and it was a really nice gift that she loved. Unfortunately, the last person of the group took Mar’s gift from her, so Mar had no other option but to take the last gift from under the tree.

Everyone was watching as she opened the gift, and once it was opened, we were left wondering what it was. It was a flat tire kit. Oh, if only you could have seen the looks on everyone’s faces. Everyone started bursting with laughter, yelling – “What the @#%* is that?,” and it went on and on. Now, meanwhile, the person that bought the gift is just sitting there red-faced and embarrassed. I was actually embarrassed for her and felt bad because no one was holding back from letting it be known how bad of a gift it was. She thought it was a good idea since most women don’t have those things in their car. In her defense though, this was the first time that she had been to our holiday gift exchange and really didn’t know what to expect.  Needless to say, that person now knows that we are girly girls when it comes to our annual girls holiday gift exchanges. ~ Liz

P.S.  That flat tire kit came in handy a few months ago when my sister-in-law, Shelly, discovered a flat tire while she was at Marleen’s house.  It turns out that really bad gift was not a bad gift after all.

How to Accept a Really, Really Bad Gift

by veryirie

Introduction

If there is a really, really bad gift under the tree, it’s always addressed to me. I’m a bad gift magnet; I’ve come to accept it and so can you. This article will show you how to overcome badgiftaphobia and learn to accept a really, really bad gift.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need

• well-meaning friends, family and co-workers with extremely bad taste (everybody has at least one and one is all it takes) OR
• friends, family and co-workers who have extremely bad taste and think their gifts are funny

Steps

Step One

First, practice making a poker face. Never, ever open a gift and expose your true feelings. When Aunt Bitty gives you a neon blue glowing brain lamp, say something like, “I could always use more brains.” Of course it’s a lame thing to say, but you have to be a quick thinker. Trying to diffuse the awkwardness is the kind thing to do.

Step Two

Secondly, get it over with fast! Unwrap that god-awful jar of pickled turkey gizzards and the sooner the better. This is not the time to be lollygagging around. If you wait too long, the perspiration on your face is a dead giveaway and the second cousin twice removed who got your name in the family gift drawing will surely be disappointed.

Step Three

Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice your facial expressions, your whole body language. Practice being gracious. Practice being a good sport. Perfect the art of lying. Go to this website, www.badgiftemporium.com, and look at their emporium of really, really bad gifts. Be resourceful; these guys allow you to showcase your tacky treasures and even sell them free of charge!

Step Four

Most importantly, when you receive a really, really bad gift, don’t ask yourself “why?” You should remember that it’s not our place to ask why, just to accept. There will always be really, really bad gifts out there. The best thing you can do is be prepared. Picture the worst gift imaginable and hopefully, it will be better than that. Won’t it?

Tips & Warnings

• Don’t donate these bad gifts to charity; they don’t want them either.
• Re-gifting a bad gift is in poor taste. It’s like a double poor taste sort of deal. This is cruel and kind of weird too.
• You’re probably in Aunt Bitty’s will, so choose your words carefully!

21 Ways to Slim Down Your Thanksgiving Feast

Comfort Foods Without All the Calories
— By Stepfanie Romine, Staff Writer

From the cheese ball and crackers before to the pumpkin pie after, Thanksgiving meals can weigh in at more than 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat, according to the Caloric Control Council. That’s more than twice the number of calories most of us should eat in an entire day, and enough dietary fat for more than three days!

But Turkey Day needn’t leave you feeling so stuffed that you need to loosen your belt at the end of the day. If you’re cooking this Thanksgiving, then you’re in control of your own destiny because you can decide how much butter, cream and sugar goes into each and every dish. By making some smart substitutions for each recipe, you can easily save calories and fat without sacrificing flavor.

Here are plenty of quick tips and recipe ideas that will slim down your favorite holiday dishes!

Roasted turkey may be the star of the show, but it doesn’t have to be a heavyweight. Turkey tends to be a lean meat—moderate in calories and low in fat. One 3-oz serving of light or white meat typically contains 140 calories and 3 grams of fat. Dark meat is more caloric (160 calories and 7 grams of fat) but it also contains twice as much iron—about 15% of your daily recommended intake.  Use these tips to slim it down even more:

• Remove the skin before serving. Save 15-20 calories and 2-3 grams of fat per serving.
• Baste your bird with low-sodium chicken broth or white wine instead of butter to cut calories and fat.
• Let the turkey rest for 30 minutes before you carve it. If you immediately carve the turkey, the juices will run out, drying out the meat. A moister bird means less need for fatter, greasy gravy.

Stuffing is as much a Thanksgiving tradition as the turkey itself. One 1/2-cup serving typically contains 180 calories and 9 grams of fat. Boost the nutrition and cut calories with these ideas:

• Swap low-sodium chicken broth for most of the butter in your stuffing. Save at least 50 calories per serving and cut the fat in half.
• Add more vegetables to your stuffing. Onions, water chestnuts, carrots and celery are all tasty (and low-calorie) additions to the bread in your stuffing. So are mushrooms!
• Bake stuffing in muffin tins for instant portion control.
• Use whole-wheat or multigrain bread instead of the traditional white bread. These high-fiber whole grains will help fill you up faster.

Green bean casserole is a high-fat side dish that’s often loaded with sodium, too. One 1/2-cup serving typically contains 120 calories, 8 grams of fat and 550 milligrams of sodium. Here are more ways to make it healthier:

• Use low-sodium or reduced-fat varieties of cream of mushroom (or cream of celery) soup. Per can of condensed soup, you’ll save 120 calories and 16 grams of fat by going with reduced-fat version. Choose low-sodium, and you’ll cut nearly 1,000 milligrams of sodium (per can) from your recipe.
• Use water, skim milk or low-sodium chicken broth instead milk to dilute the soup.
• Use reduced-sodium canned green beans, or thoroughly drain and rinse green beans to wash off extra salt.

Mashed potatoes boast about 220 calories and 8 grams of fat per 1-cup serving. But they often contain butter, cream, whole milk and lots of salt. Try these lower-calorie flavor additions as well:

• Heat skim milk (not whole milk or cream) with some herbs and add just enough to thin the potatoes.
• Use low-fat or fat-free varieties of sour cream, cream cheese or yogurt for added creaminess. (My mom adds roasted garlic and low-fat cream cheese. It’s delicious!)

Gravy is, well, the gravy of the Thanksgiving meal! It blankets mashed potatoes with its silky deliciousness, and helps hide overcooked or dried-out turkey. Unfortunately, gravy is often little more than grease and fat, at 100 calories and 4 grams of fat for a 1/4-cup serving. It needn’t do as much damage if you use these tips:

• Significantly cut calories by skimming the fat from your pan juices. (An inexpensive kitchen tool known as a “fat separator” or “gravy separator” can make that job easier.) Skimming the fat can reduce your gravy to a low 25 calories (and less than 1 gram of fat) per serving.
• Short on time? Carefully lay a paper towel on the top of the juices to blot the fat, or add some ice cubes to the pan juices, which will help the fat congeal faster. If you have plenty of time, put the juices in the refrigerator, then scoop off the coagulated fat when it has cooled.
• The key to tasty gravy is using all the drippings from the roasting pan (with the fat skimmed off). This gives the gravy plenty of flavor without added fat or calories. Forgo added butter, which really bumps up the calories and fat.

Cranberry sauce, often from a can, is full of sugar, corn syrup and other sweeteners. A 1/4-cup serving contains about 110 calories. Homemade cranberry sauce usually has more nutritional value, less sugar, and just 20 calories per quarter cup.

Pie makes a nice finish to a Thanksgiving meal. When cut into 8 slices, one slice of traditional apple pie (with a lattice crust on top) contains 400 calories and 21 grams of fat. Pumpkin pie has 13 fat grams per slice, but fewer calories: 240 to be exact. Desserts are extras and portion control is essential. Follow these tips to indulge in a decadent slice of pie without regretting it later:

• Ditch the top crust. Besides saving time, you’ll also shave 112 calories and 7.5 grams of fat off each slice of apple pie.
• Ditch the bottom crust. You’ll save 112 calories and 7.5 calories per slice.
• Use egg whites or egg substitute instead of whole eggs in your pies. Most recipes will be unaffected. You’ll save 30-40 calories and 4 grams of fat per egg.
• Slightly reduce the sugar (keep at least half the sugar that the recipe calls for) in your fruit pies. Save 440 calories for every 1/2 cup of sugar you eliminate.
• Cut the pie into smaller slices for automatic portion control and fewer calories per slice.

Remember that Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, be grateful, and enjoy the company of loved ones. You don’t have to go overboard to celebrate this special holiday. By using just a few of these many tips and recipes, you’ll be able to take part in the tradition without feeling guilty.

WOD – 070208

Yesterday was our run day. The team did an outstanding job on the new path. We ran a total of 3 miles and people who thought it was shorter also got a dose of “Oh wow, I could do this”. The answer is “Yes” and as long as you give 110% all the time, the results will be mind-blowing.

1. 3 miles total: Includes run/walk/jog/hill sprints

2. One-legged squats (Alternating legs for each repetition)

3. Curb squats (One leg on the curb at a time REPEAT X 2 SETS)

4. Flutter kicks/scissors kicks/bicycle kicks rotation (REPEAT X 2 SETS)

Next week we’ll venture into Montgomery County..just kidding!!!

RUNNING TIPS

1. Use Vaseline or BodyGlide wherever things rub. They will help prevent blisters and chafing.
2. Do not increase your mileage more than 10 percent per week.
3. Guys: Band-Aids before the long runs. Your nipples will thank you in the shower afterwards. -aka- MIPPLES
4. Log your mileage for your legs and your Shoes. Too much on either will cause you injury.
5. If you are prone to shin splints and lower leg pain try running soft trails for your Training runs and save the asphalt for race day.
6. Do not run two hard days back-to-back.
7. Ice aches and pains immediately.
8. Pay attention to your form. Try to run lightly to minimize impact that could lead to injury.
9. Neosporin (or another antibiotic cream) is good for chafed areas (if you didn’t use your BodyGlide!).
10. Make sure you cut your toenails short enough so they don’t jam into your Shoes!
11. Put some BodyGlide between your toes on long runs.
12. Be careful about running on paths that force you to run consistently on a slant. It’s hard on the hips knees and IT bands.
13. Don’t stretch before a run (ie. static stretches). (We do dynamic stretches). Warm up by walking briskly or jogging slowly for several minutes.
14. Do not ice for more than 20 minutes at a time.
15. Do not use the hot tub after a race. It will increase inflammation and hinder healing.
16. Frozen peas make a great ice pack for aches and pains. A thin towel wrapped around them makes the cold more comfortable.

WOD – 070208

Yesterday was our run day. The team did an outstanding job on the new path. We ran a total of 3 miles and people who thought it was shorter also got a dose of “Oh wow, I could do this”. The answer is “Yes” and as long as you give 110% all the time, the results will be mind-blowing.

1. 3 miles total: Includes run/walk/jog/hill sprints

2. One-legged squats (Alternating legs for each repetition)

3. Curb squats (One leg on the curb at a time REPEAT X 2 SETS)

4. Flutter kicks/scissors kicks/bicycle kicks rotation (REPEAT X 2 SETS)

Next week we’ll venture into Montgomery County..just kidding!!!

RUNNING TIPS

1. Use Vaseline or BodyGlide wherever things rub. They will help prevent blisters and chafing.
2. Do not increase your mileage more than 10 percent per week.
3. Guys: Band-Aids before the long runs. Your nipples will thank you in the shower afterwards. -aka- MIPPLES
4. Log your mileage for your legs and your Shoes. Too much on either will cause you injury.
5. If you are prone to shin splints and lower leg pain try running soft trails for your Training runs and save the asphalt for race day.
6. Do not run two hard days back-to-back.
7. Ice aches and pains immediately.
8. Pay attention to your form. Try to run lightly to minimize impact that could lead to injury.
9. Neosporin (or another antibiotic cream) is good for chafed areas (if you didn’t use your BodyGlide!).
10. Make sure you cut your toenails short enough so they don’t jam into your Shoes!
11. Put some BodyGlide between your toes on long runs.
12. Be careful about running on paths that force you to run consistently on a slant. It’s hard on the hips knees and IT bands.
13. Don’t stretch before a run (ie. static stretches). (We do dynamic stretches). Warm up by walking briskly or jogging slowly for several minutes.
14. Do not ice for more than 20 minutes at a time.
15. Do not use the hot tub after a race. It will increase inflammation and hinder healing.
16. Frozen peas make a great ice pack for aches and pains. A thin towel wrapped around them makes the cold more comfortable.

Quick Workout Tips

1. Incorporate interval cardio at the beginning or end of your workouts and especially when doing only cardio. In one research study participants who engaged in 90 sessions of traditional (long and boring) cardio over a 20 week period lost 1% bodyfat, while participants who engaged in 25 sessions of moderate intensity cardio then 35 sessions of high intensity cardio over a 15 week period lost 3% bodyfat. Additional studies have shown that participants who engaged in short high intensity training lost 9 times more fat than those who performed long low intensity training. The numbers speak for themselves.

2. Have a weekly or monthly challenge. Working out for the sake of staying fit and looking good isn’t half as effective as fitness with a goal. When you infuse your fitness routine with purpose you tend to train at your full potential which leads to more visible results faster. Set a weekly goal, for example 45 minutes of challenging hiking, 10 sprints up and down a steep hill or set of stairs, a tennis match with a tougher opponent, or a workout that you never thought of trying like striptease aerobics or boxing. Challenge yourself weekly and you’re more likely to train hard and stick to it.

3. Fine tune your diet. Do you reward your hard work in the gym with caramel machiatto’s and cheeseburgers! That’s o.k. but only occasionally! You have to support your workouts with good eating habits. That means eating healthy 90% of the time. Eating 4-5 small meals consistently day in and day out. Keeping your body hydrated. Cheating only once or twice a week. Eating most of your calories before 3 p.m. Cutting back on alcohol and sugar big time. If you’re not doing all these things together then you’ll be fit but you won’t look fit.

Quick Workout Tips

1. Incorporate interval cardio at the beginning or end of your workouts and especially when doing only cardio. In one research study participants who engaged in 90 sessions of traditional (long and boring) cardio over a 20 week period lost 1% bodyfat, while participants who engaged in 25 sessions of moderate intensity cardio then 35 sessions of high intensity cardio over a 15 week period lost 3% bodyfat. Additional studies have shown that participants who engaged in short high intensity training lost 9 times more fat than those who performed long low intensity training. The numbers speak for themselves.

2. Have a weekly or monthly challenge. Working out for the sake of staying fit and looking good isn’t half as effective as fitness with a goal. When you infuse your fitness routine with purpose you tend to train at your full potential which leads to more visible results faster. Set a weekly goal, for example 45 minutes of challenging hiking, 10 sprints up and down a steep hill or set of stairs, a tennis match with a tougher opponent, or a workout that you never thought of trying like striptease aerobics or boxing. Challenge yourself weekly and you’re more likely to train hard and stick to it.

3. Fine tune your diet. Do you reward your hard work in the gym with caramel machiatto’s and cheeseburgers! That’s o.k. but only occasionally! You have to support your workouts with good eating habits. That means eating healthy 90% of the time. Eating 4-5 small meals consistently day in and day out. Keeping your body hydrated. Cheating only once or twice a week. Eating most of your calories before 3 p.m. Cutting back on alcohol and sugar big time. If you’re not doing all these things together then you’ll be fit but you won’t look fit.