Elite Physique

Slow traffic. Screaming children. A job interview. A crumbling marriage. Any of these could be a stressful situation. We all face stress in our lives, and some days are more stressful than others. Stress can take its toll on our physical and mental health. Learn more about stress and its effects by taking this multiple-choice quiz.

Click Here:Stress Test

Now that you had a chance to gauge your stress level here are 4 easy ways to help reduce it.

1. Exercise: Surprise, surprise….yes we recommend exercise! Aerobic exercise or strength training can greatly reduce your stress level. Natural endorphins (feel-good hormones) are released when you exercise. It’s also a time where your brain can focus on something other than your worries. You can get in tune with the movements of your body, your breath, and your muscles.

2. Sleep: One of the most common reasons for stressful behaviors is lack of sleep. If you aren’t getting the proper amount of sleep, your body doesn’t have time to recover from the day and therefore can feel tired and sore. This tired and sore feeling can cause physical and mental stress throughout the day, making anxiety more prevalent.

3. Eat right: Another surprise, huh?! If you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed it’s easy to reach for the quickest (which tends to be the fattiest) food. Try to plan ahead by cutting up fresh fruits and vegetables and grilling extra chicken breasts on the weekend to have ready to throw on top of salad or into a wrap. Trust us you will feel so much better eating something healthy, than the greasy, to-go foods. We know personally if we eat badly when we’re stressed, then we feel fat AND stressed….not a good combo !

4. Relax: Many people are so focused on work, family, and other responsibilities that they forget to relax. Relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, and massage therapy have long been known to reduce stress levels. People often forget that relaxing is a part of a healthy lifestyle and by skipping this aspect, people often cause more stress and feel the effects of stress more profoundly. So just BREATHE!

Hope you find these tips helpful. We’re here for you, just let us know what we can do to help!

Yours in health,

Colleen & John

It seems most of the emails we are receiving deal with confusion about nutrition.  With this in mind we wanted to attack some of these myths or wive’s tales if you will. Here are 3 common myths that we see all the time. These were taken from Spark People.com and if you would like to see more click on http://www.sparkpeople.com

Certain foods, like celery, have ‘negative’ calories:

Truth: The idea that there are negative calorie foods–foods that are so low in calories that simply digesting them burns more calories than they contain–is nothing more than wishful thinking. Certain low-calorie, water-rich foods like celery or cucumbers are often touted as negative-calorie foods. However, digesting and absorbing everything you eat each day uses just 10% of your total calorie intake each day (about 180 calories for someone who eats 1,800 calories per day). It is great to include low-calorie, high-fiber, and water-rich foods in your daily diet; these foods add nutrients, bulk, and volume to your diet, but they still contain calories and should always be included in your calorie count. No food is a “free” food. Eating too much of any food can cause weight gain or inhibit weight loss.

When going to a restaurant, the best choice for weight loss is usually a salad.

Truth: Salads can run the gamut of healthiness, depending on what is in them. Although that big bowl of greens may be packed full of antioxidants and fiber, it can also be laden with fat, cholesterol, and sodium–not to mention an overabundance of calories. Some restaurant salads can even contain more calories than a cheeseburger! That means ordering salad is no guarantee that you’re eating a healthy meal.

Bananas are so high in sugar that they cause weight gain.

Truth: One medium banana (approximately 7 inches long) provides 0 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber, 105 calories, and 27 grams of carbs—and it’s cheap. Those specs mean that bananas make great snacks, even for people with diabetes who need to follow special diets.   Why bananas are being called “fattening” or high in sugar compared with other fruits is a mystery. They do have a few more grams of carbohydrate than apples and oranges, but that does not mean they should be off-limits!

Thank you for being our loyal readers and we hope this helps.  Keep the great emails coming!

Yours in health,

John and Colleen.

P.S. Look for Colleen on the Ann Varnum Show on WTVY this Sunday, 4/18/10 at 9:30-10:30 central time.

Some of you may not know, but I like to race my bike. This past weekend Florida Cycling held the State Championships in Ocala.  This is a race I look forward to every year.  After many training rides with countless pedal strokes the day finally arrived.  This year the race started at 1:30 in the afternoon and the heat and humidity was insane (the kind that leaves you dripping just by standing there).  The pre-race jitters had set in; my stomach was in knots.  I went over my final preparations in my head, checked and re-checked my bike, and finally it was time to line up.

The race started like many do, you get the guys that want to take off and show how fast they are.  But soon all the riders got into a rhythm and things start to settle down a bit.  I knew with the heat, the biggest challenge was going to be dehydration.  I drank water and sport drinks until my eyes felt like they were floating.  As we headed around the five mile loop for the 6th time, I felt a sharp pain in my left calf (the kind of pain that would normally send you screaming for your mother).  My left calf was cramping and it was right in the middle of a climb.  It felt like something jumped up and bit the back of my leg.  This was the moment of truth, as they say.  I could fight the instinct to stop the pain and give up, or fight through it and continue on. Fortunately, I picked the latter and was able to get up the hill and hold onto the back of the peloton.

I’m not telling you this story to brag. I’m sharing this story to let you know you can do more than you think you can.  Even when the pain is unbearable you can fight through it and come out the other side.  Sometimes this fight will be as small as finding the time to exercise, or cooking a healthy dinner after a long day.  But these small battles within ourselves prepare us for the big challenges life is going to throw at us.  The easy thing would have been to pull over and cry about how I could not finish the race, but I chose to fight.  I know if you look inside yourself when the pain comes you can do the same.  Pain is temporary and pride is for ever (Ha Ha).  I didn’t end up winning the race.  I took 9th place, but more importantly I got the satisfaction that comes with winning the fight within me.  And that’s a victory I’ll take every time… and so can you!

Just a side note during the race a  few fellow racers were hurt very badly in a crash, so when your head hits the pillow tonight please keep them in your thoughts for a speedy recovery.
Yours in Health,

John Riddle

John@ElitePhysiquePT.com

Colleen@ElitePhysiquePT.com

www.ElitePhysiquePT.com

www.NewMommyMakeover.com

I hope you all enjoyed last week’s blog on preventing the flu with a healthy lifestyle.  This week, with the hint of Fall in the air, we are going to talk about spending some good, quality family-time outside.  It’s time to turn off the TVs, PlayStations, and other distractions, get out and enjoy the crisp air. It’s important to lead by example for your family.  If you make exercise a focal point, you are setting your children up for a successful healthy lifestyle in the future.

For us, this is one of the best times of the year for outdoor activities. We live in a wonderful place and there is plenty to do; most are even free.  The obvious ones are walking, biking, and hiking, but there is so much more.  Go to a park and throw a Frisbee. This is a great way to get the family moving while having fun (this is the key).  People tend to exercise more when they don’t know they are doing it.  Grayton Beach State Park is a great place to be outside. We rented a canoe there and had a blast and got a great upper body workout. YOLO boarding is another great workout while playing on the water. Here is there link http://www.yoloboard.com (let them know we sent you).  And if you don’t live by the beach, one of the best things about exercise is you can always find a place to do it if look hard enough. So as you can see what you do is irrelevant; it’s who you do it with. With a little planning, water, and snacks you can almost guarantee yourself a good time. So get your family out there and start moving and feel young again!  Exercise is contagious once your family gets a taste they’ll want more.  Let us know what some of your favorite outdoor activities include!
We look forward to seeing you out there!