The Picture of Health
Provides an overview of eating habits across the world.
Anatomy of Walking
Discusses the many health benefits associated with walking. Simple exercise, but huge benefits.
Monthly Archives: April 2013
Greatest Comforts
List The Things That Make You Feel Healthy
Walk by Riffo
Sleeping early and waking up early
Having a good breakfast
Fruits and vegetables
Drinking water
Having me time
Praying
Eating healthy meals and avoiding fast food
Working out
Inspiration
This post is part of a series on my blog called ‘Inspiration’. I post several things i found inspiring that week including art, quotes, tips, websites, books, people, and music. It is a place to reflect on the week and give a shout out to things that pushed me in the right direction. To check out other ‘Inspiration’ posts follow the tag: inspiration.
Quote:
“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.”
― Cynthia Ozick
Website:
Tip:
Address small problems. They will become big problems.
Legs and Abs Workout Routines
Day 5 of my weekly strength training exercise routine is ‘Legs and Abs’ day. Here are some strength training exercise routines that target various leg and core muscles while improving overall fitness. I will be rotating the different workout routines each week.
Lean Legs Pyramid (squats, lunges, toe touches, wall sit, jumping jacks)
Butt wortouts ( Squats, bridge, Lunge, Donkey Kick, Pistol Squat)
Sexy leg Workout (Calf raises, sumo squat, leg raises)
Over 40 Different Abs Exercises (Plank, bicycle crunch, crunches, russian twist)
Lunge Hop and Kick Butts
Back and Biceps Workout Routines
Day 3 of my weekly strength training exercise routine is ‘Back and Biceps’ day. Here are some exercise strength training exercises that i will be rotating on those days. I will probably modify till i can build up to them.
Sculpt a Beautiful Back in 15 Minutes (Pull overs, superwomen, push up row, and lat pull down)
Biceps Curl
Continue reading
Chest, Shoulders and Triceps Workout Routines
Day 1 of my weekly strength training exercise routine is ‘Chest, Shoulder, and Triceps’ day. Here are some exercise strength training exercises that I will be rotating on those days. I will probably modify some such as the basic push up till i can build up to them.
Basic Push Up
Triceps workout routine (Triceps Dips, One Arm Dumbbell Extension, Dumbbell Kickback, Overhead Triceps Dumbbell Extension)
Strength Training Exercises Weekly plan
I have been focusing mainly on cardio for the last few weeks. I need to add strength training to my regular work out routine. Strength training helps maintain and boost muscle mass. It is great for weight loss and can give you the very lean shape we’re all after ;). It also helps build stronger bones which especially important to do from a young age where it has a bigger impact on the long run.
I’m going to post exercises soon for each groups, to make easier to navigate during busier weeks when i have less time to plan.
Weekly strength training plan (Click for full size)
What you will need:
Your body weight!
How-to and exercise plans for each day:
List The Ways in Which You Can Love Others
I can call people more often
Courtesy of xtomatolove
I can respond others when they reach out to me
I can hug my friends
I can smile at my loved ones
I can my best around them
I can forgive
I can ask for forgiveness
I can offer to help a friends out
I can tell them ‘i love you’
I can spend my time with them
I cam make what matters to them important to me
Inspiration
I am starting a new series in my blog called ‘Inspiration’. I post several things i found inspiring that week including art, quotes, tips, websites, books, people, and music. It is a place to reflect on the week and give a shout out to things that pushed me in the right direction. To check out other ‘Inspiration’ posts follow the tag: inspiration.
Quote:
“Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”
― Mark Twain
Health:
Tip:
Whenever you feel like giving up, remember why you set this goal in the first place.
Apple Store Games I am Currently Enjoying
I spent quite a bit of time this month in waiting rooms and what better way to pass the time than with games? Thought i would share the games i have been enjoying recently. I enjoy puzzles, adventure, and run type games usually. I play on my ipad, but i do think that they also work on the iphone.
Run Sheldon
Jewel Mania
Worm Run
CrazyBill
BeaverKarts
List What You are Grateful For
Courtesy of 4dreamer
My family
My friends
The opportunities i have had
The chance to go to university
The chance to travel the world
The memories with my grandpa
A warm and welcoming home
Inspiring parents that i grew up looking up to
People that touched my life in more ways than i could have ever imagined
Peace in my life
Work Out Routines
The less work I have to do before I work out the more likely I am to actually go through with the work out. I love seeing those work out routine images all over the Internet because the provide an instant motivation to work out and make it easy with a pre-maid work out plan. I am posting a compilation of the work-out routines I have used. Some are specific to body part such as legs, others are more cardio or strength training, but they provide a wide variety of work-out routines.
The Drop 10 Workout
The Sexy Leg Workout
Lean Legs Pyramid
How to Exercise Illustrations
I usually forget what a an exercise’s name refers to or how to do the exercise properly. How-to images make it a lot it easier to follow the exercise over written instructions that i have a hard time imagining.
Reverse Plank:
Butt exercises (Squats, Bridge, Lunge, Donkey Kick, and Pistol Squat):
Inspiration
I am starting a new series in my blog called ‘Inspiration’. I post several things i found inspiring that week including art, quotes, tips, websites, books, people, and music. It is a place to reflect on the week and give a shout out to things that pushed me in the right direction. To check out other ‘Inspiration’ posts follow the tag: inspiration.
Quote:
“Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.”
— Anne Lamott
Art:
Courtesy of Aljoscha
Tip:
Show up.
List of Low GI (Glycemic index) Foods
I recently I wrote about low GI diets and how I am attempting to incorporate more and more low GI foods in my diet. This is a list of low GI I compiled during my research. I am better about adding some in my diet (fruit) and pretty bad with adding others (vegetables).
FRUITS
- Apples
- Apricots
- Berries
- Cherries
- Clementines
- Grapes
- Grapefruit
- Kiwi
- Melon
- Nectarines
- Oranges
- Peaches
- Pears
- Plums
VEGETABLES
- Artichoke
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Collard greens
- Eggplant
- Green beans
- Lettuce
- Mushrooms
- Okra
- Onions
- Peppers
- Snow peas or sugar-snap peas
- Spinach
- Summer squash
- Tomatoes
- Turnip
- Zucchini
DAIRY, EGGS
- Plain yogurt, regular or 2% fat
- Milk (1% or 2%)
- American
- Cheddar
- Cottage cheese
- Feta
- Mozzarella
- Ricotta
- Swiss
- Regular eggs or egg whites
MEAT
- Chicken breast
- Turkey breast
- Turkey sausage
- Haddock
- Lobster
- Salmon
- Sardines
- Scallops
- Shrimp
- Squid
- Tuna
CANNED FOODS
- Artichoke hearts
- Beans (black, pinto, garbanzo, etc.,)
- Fruit (unsweetened)
- Green chilies
- Olives
- Roasted red peppers
- Salmon
- Sardines
- Soup
- Tomatoes
- Tuna
- Water chestnuts
GRAINS
- Barley
- Brown rice
- Couscous (whole wheat)
- Millet
- Pasta in various shapes/sizes (prepared from dry noodle, not canned)
- Quinoa
BREAKFAST CEREAL
- Oat bran
- All-bran
- Rolled oats
- Special K
- Natural Muesli
- Porridge
WHOLE GRAIN BREAD
- Pumpernickel
- Rye
- Whole wheat
- Soya and Linseed
SPREADS
- Almond butter
- Cashew butter
- Guacamole
- Hummus
- Peanut butter
MISCELLANEOUS
- Tofu, tempeh and other soy products
- Dried fruit
- Nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, peanuts, pistachio)
- Seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame)
Good sources for more info:
Low GI (Glycemic Index) Diet
I am pretty bad with specific diets, but i need to change that way i eat. I was considering a low carbohydrates diet, but after some research i think a low glycemic index diet would be much more appropriate for me. I realize that carbs are part of a healthy diet, but i have a pretty unhealthy relationship with them. I can happily live my life on carbs alone! Unfortunately that is unhealthy and unsustainable. I am currently working my way through a lot of reading and research about low GI diets.
The glycemic index provides a list of foods and rates them based on how fast they make your blood sugar rise. Since insulin resistance might be an issue for me, it makes sense to try and prevent sharp blood sugar spikes. I posted a list of low GI foods i hope to incorporate in my diet.
Resources that i am currently exploring:
Books:
- The Low GI Diet Revolution: The Definitive Science-Based Weight Loss Plan by Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller
- The GI Diet by Rick Gallop
- The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss
- High Protein, Low GI, Bold Flavor: Recipes to Boost Health and Promote Weight Loss by Fiona Carns & Dr Jennie Brand-Miller
Websites:
Hello World!
It has been a while! I feel guilty for neglecting the blog so soon after i started it. Spring semester has been rough. To be honest things are only going to get crazier after spring break, but i want to do my best. I am re-motivated to focus on my health goals. I worked out almost everyday for the last couple of weeks which feels great! I’m trying new things that i will probably post about soon. I don’t want to create unrealistic posting goals for myself so i’ll be back when i can 🙂
21 Day Challenge
It takes 21 days to form a habit. Every 21 days i would like to choose a health and fitness related challenge to work on. I will try to follow my challenge for 21 days in the hopes of creating a lifestyle change instead of short term changes.Goal: Exercise everyday for 21 days:Starting date: April 7th
- Day 1: 30mins on the treadmill
- Day 2: 30mins on the treadmill
- Day 3: 30mins on the treadmill + 10mins strength training (legs and butt)
- Day 4: 30mins on the treadmill + 10mins strength training (arms and abs)
- Day 5: 30mins on the treadmill + 10mins strength training (legs and butt)
- Day 6:
- Day 7:
- Day 8:
- Day 9:
- Day 10:
- Day 11:
- Day 12:
- Day 13:
- Day 14:
- Day 15:
- Day 16:
- Day 17:
- Day 18:
- Day 19:
- Day 20:
- Day 21:
Gluten Free Diet
The biggest trend those days seems to be the gluten-free diet. I personally know a few people that do not eat gluten due to allergies and have always seen it as a medical necessity over a weight loss solution. When ever i mention that i am try to eat low carb or low GI people assume that i plan on cutting gluten out of my diet. Right now i am avoiding bread for the most part, but i have no intentions of going gluten free. The more changes i add to my diet the harder it gets and the easier it would be to go back to bad eating habits. The minute i completely exclude something out of my diet the more i want it. Since i know a few people that avoid gluten thought i would share some things about a gluten free diets:
What is it: A gluten free diet excludes all gluten products. Many people that maintain a gluten free diet do so due to celiac dieses or gluten sensitivities Others feel that the diet has helped them lose weight and gain more energy.
Where is gluten found:
- Barley (malt, malt flavoring and malt vinegar are usually made from barley)
- Rye
- Triticale (a cross between wheat and rye)
- Wheat
What can i eat:
Meat, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. Be careful of cross contamination and processed foods.
Grains:
- Amaranth
- Buckwheat
- Finger millet (Ragi)
- Millet
- Montina (Indian rice grass)
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Sorghum
- Tef (or teff)
- Wild rice
- Flax
- Soy
Some resources if you are interested:
Weight Loss Goals
Time for spring resolutions:
Changes i plan to make and follow during April 2013 to accomplish my weight loss goals and create a healthier lifestyle:
Diet:
- Eat more fruis and vegetables
- Drink more water
- Eat low carb/ GI
Exercise:
- Cardio
- Strengths
Forever Asleep 