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Source http://refineryfitnesspdx.com/sit-less-stand-more/

Recently,  I attended a Continuing Education Class on reducing chronic inflammation in the body through nutrition.  The speaker was Dr. Michael Lara, a doctor who specializes in the treatment of mood, anxiety and memory disorders through an integrative approach to health. Dr. Lara combines traditional psychiatric approaches with innovative, evidence-based strategies that include nutrition and exercise prescriptions.

He was a wealth of information about the causes of chronic inflammation in the body and the significant damage it can cause if left untreated.  Even with all the very clinical and evidence based information he provided in this class, I thought his most profound statement had to do with the language he uses with his patients.  He said that instead of talking to his patients about exercising more, he asks them to think about sitting less.  I love this idea because for many, the idea of exercise seems like a daunting task but most everyone can think about sitting less.  (He said even people who cannot physically stand can think about moving any part of their bodies they can.)  The trick is to avoid staying stationary for long periods of time.

Research is beginning to show that even people who have a regular exercise routine in their life but spend the rest of their days sitting, are more likely to suffer heart disease, diabetes, cancer and premature death. Moving around activates…

Source http://zenhabits.net/optimism/

By Leo Babauta

I think we’ve all been there: we’ve signed up for the gym, signed up for a class, bought an ebook … and then not used it.

We’ve had hopes of learning to draw, to program, to play a musical instrument … and then promptly failed to do so.

We’ve had the best intentions for a project (maybe starting a blog or writing a book). We’ve had the best intentions for our day, to be productive and kick some butt.

And then our plans fall apart. We fail to live up to our hopes.

Why is this? What’s wrong with us?

In my experience, there are a few key obstacles:

1. We are overly optimistic. We think we’re going to be able to do about 2-5 times what we can actually do. We only have so much capacity, only so much energy, only so much time in the day. But we are not very good at estimating any of those, and we also think the things we want to do are going to take way less time than they’ll actually take. Optimism beats us every time.
2. We don’t account for the little things. This goes hand-in-hand with the optimism, but when we’re thinking about our plans, we don’t think about all the tiny things, like maintenance tasks, that need to be done in order to accomplish our plans … or even just to live. We don’t think about showering, brushing our teeth, getting dressed, cooking, eating, clean…

Source http://nextlevelfitness.com/get-out-of-your-comfort-zone/

The weekend before last some friends and I participated in the Navy SEAL extreme challenge, located in Cosby, TN. Despite loving the outdoors and sports in general, this was my first “adventure race.” Adventure races have become popular in the last several years, and there are plenty to choose from. However, this one is rated the hardest 5K in the southeast. Inclines that you have to use climbing techniques to get through, declines so steep and slippery that you need to slide down, walking across logs, crawling under lines, wading through icy cold water, scaling climbing walls, etc.

It was FUN!

Why am I telling you this? To brag? Heck no – I didn’t win the race; I just finished it. But I have to tell you that it was an extremely rewarding experience that came with a great sense of accomplishment. When was the last time that you got out of your comfort zone and challenged yourself with something like that? For some of you, it was today. For others….well, you might have to think a while.

So get off your butt and live! Sign up for an adventure race, try a new sport, book some tickets to New Zealand, whatever. Is it possible you may get hurt? Yep. Are you going to look back one day and wish you had stayed home? Probably not.

Please lea…

Source http://www.personaltrainingco.com/personal-trainer-advice-how-to-prevent-gerd-and-the-more-serious-health-problems-that-may-spring-from-it/

Sixty percent of the adult population will experience some form of it within a 12 month period… And 20 to 30 percent will have weekly symptoms according to a

2008 Statistical Brief by The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project.

It’s called gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD for short. But it’s more commonly known as heartburn – even though heartburn is actually a symptom of GERD. Other symptoms include a dry cough, having trouble swallowing and asthmatic-related problems.

It results when the muscles at the entrance of the stomach are relaxed allowing a back flow of food, stomach acid and digestive enzymes to flow up your esophagus.

And while heartburn is unpleasant, the more pressing reason to avoid GERD is that it can lead to more serious health problems such as asthma, pulmonary fibrosis and even esophageal cancer.

Here are some tips on how you can reduce your chances of experiencing GERD and what you should do if you suffer GERD-like symptons.

First off, avoid fatty foods. They tend to relax the stomach muscle entrance area. Foods like chicken wings, french fries, deep dish pizza, donuts, brownies, chocolate, mint, potato chips, creamy salad dressings and so on should not be on your menu. Also say “no thank you” to fried foods. And if you experience GERD-like symptoms, avoid spicy foods.

Stay away from acidic type foods like citrus fruits (especially oranges, gr…