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Keeping fit is definitely part of the KEWL lifestyle. Check back soon for our Fitness Tips which will keep everyone chasing YOU! For now, here's one that was in the mag... |
Thoughts Are Things!
Did you know that your thought patterns can determine whether you succeed at your health goals?!? It’s true! Negative thoughts can keep you from achieving anything, and that’s especially true for fitness and eating habits! It’s time to turn those negative thoughts around and turn them into positive thoughts!
Thinking thoughts like “I hate exercising” certainly won’t help you get up off the couch, and only you can stop you from thinking those thoughts! Start out easy by gently reminding yourself that you love feeling healthy. You like to be strong and coordinated and the feeling of having plenty of energy, so why not repeat those things instead? Also, simple things like taking the stairs or asking your parents to away from the mall are simple ways of working a little more exercise into your daily routine. Start small and build, and feed your brain positive thoughts to reward yourself for healthy choices.
When it comes to healthy eating habits, thoughts like “I already ate 2 slices of cake, a sundae and 4 cookies, what does it matter if I drink that soda?” aren’t helpful. One less sugar bomb is always one less! Just because you eat something unhealthy doesn’t mean that you’ve ruined your nutrition! But always eating unhealthily does, so take the chance to make a change instead of giving yourself another chance to beat yourself up with junk food. Why not keep healthier snacks with you at all times. If you always have some carrots or a protein bar your locker or backpack at school, you’ll have no excuse not to reach for the right thing when hunger hits!
Start thinking that every little thing you do can help lead you into a healthier lifestyle! Each time you do something healthy, think to yourself, “I did good again!” Pretty soon you’ll have a lot more positive and healthy thoughts swimming around up in your head, and you might just end up being healthier AND happier!!!
(photos: morguefile.com)
Winter Sport Fitness
The most important muscles to strengthen for all of these sports are your thigh muscles – front and back! The muscles on the front are called the ‘quadriceps’ or ‘quads’. Quad is Latin for ‘four’, and that’s because there are four muscles on the front of your thigh that work together. Two of them are on the sides and stabilize your knee from the sides. One of them goes down the center, and handles both pulling your knee towards your chest and the straightening of your knee! Then there’s one more deep central one that helps out in the pulling your knee towards your chest movement.
To strengthen these muscles, you can sit on the edge of your bed (or a sturdy desk) with your thigh completely supported by what you’re sitting on, sit up straight, and slowly raise your shin until your leg is straight, tense and hold for a count of 2, and slowly lower back down. (The muscles actually work harder on the way back down, so do this as slowly and smoothly as you can for the best training!). See if you can do 3 slow sets of 10 repetitions with a 1 minute break in between. If it’s easy, you can always add more reps to each set.(Our intern Jonelle is helping out!)
To stretch these muscles, stand up straight with one hand holding something sturdy (nothing that might fall with you!). Bend your foot towards your behind, and grab it with your other hand. Pull the foot closer to your behind to stretch. To increase the stretch (if you’re bendy), try to scoop your behind down and to the front (like a bad dog with its tail between its legs).(Jonelle should have her knees closer together here!)
The back of your thigh includes the muscles of your rear end. They all have pretty technical names that no one ever remembers (except the gluteus maximus…or your behind!), so we’ll just focus on what it does. The long lean muscles on the back of your thigh are responsible for pulling your calf towards your thigh (so are some of the calf muscles), and the ‘gluts’ are responsible for making us stand up straight, instead of having your behind stick out. Because it helps us stand up, it is known as the ‘most human’ muscle, and it’s also the biggest in the body!
To strengthen these muscles, try some squats! Place your feet hip wide apart and facing straight ahead (lots of people flare their toes out or in – don’t do it!). Imagine stretching out your behind to sit down on a chair behind you. To stop you from falling over backwards (!), stretch your arms and whole upper body out in front of you for balance. Your knees should always stay behind your toes to protect your knees. Once you’ve slowly gone as low as you can with your heels on the ground and knees not shooting ahead of your toes, then come slowly back up to standing, and then squeeze your behind at the top.The more you stretch out your behind, the lower you can go. Reps are same as above: 3 sets of 10, and build as you have more strength.
To stretch these muscles, place your feet hip wide and facing straight forward. Then bend over forward from the hips (not your back!) until you feel the stretch. Think of it as making a sway-back, then leaning over as far as you can without losing it. This way, you can be sure you’re stretching your leg muscles and not just your lower back. If you can’t go very far, you can use a chair to hold on to while you stretch. After a while, this stretch will grow and you should be able to touch the floor with ease. (Jonelle needs to flatten out her back here! It's a good idea to check out your form in a mirror to be sure!)
Remember! Always check with a parent and/or doctor before starting a new exercise routine! Always go slow with new movements, and if something hurts, stop immediately and seek help!
Tune in next time for the insides and outsides of our thighs!
(photos: Eric Shimohata/KEWL)
Two Good Deeds in One!
Do you like to walk in nature? (The correct answer is "Yes"!) Even if you live in the city, there are usually some parks you can walk in, or lakes, rivers or oceans you can walk along the edge of. How about a nieghborhood tree you can stare at and hug?
Getting out and getting moving as we move towards spring is really important! Not only is it good for your body, but your mind will improve too! Movement gets you breathing, and breathing brings oxygen to the blood, the muscles get the blood moving around, and pretty soon you've got lot's of oxygen going to your brain, and Viola! You feel refreshed and smarter! And who doesn't feel like they've let the pressure out of a cola can once they've had a good trek outside after a day of being cooped up at school or at home?
So find your favorite place for a good long walk, and add this: a big trash bag and rubber gloves... and maybe one of those trash picker uppper things if you can find one! You guessed it! Now, you can clean up your favorite outdoor area, and make it an even better place to hang out in!
It's best to take a grown-up along on these kinds of expeditions, as they can decide what you should not attempt to touch, and what's fine to pick up and trash with rubber gloves on!
Gotta love nature!
Opposing Muscle Workouts
Did you just spend a whole bunch of time doing sit-ups, or calf-raises, or push ups, and now you’re wondering how come your body hurts so much?!? Exercising isn’t something that can be done once a week, or once a month, but should be a habit that you keep up with at least three or four times a week! Keeping moving will keep those “new movement” muscle aches down to a minimum… but there are other things you can do to keep your body more balanced as well! Exercise your opposing muscle groups!
Did you just spend most of an afternoon playing tennis on your friends Wii? And now you’re wondering why your arm, shoulder, and maybe even neck, back and waist hurt? You’ve got ‘repetitive motion strain’! Doing the same movement over and over again, without taking the time to stretch or to balance your body by working the opposite side! Getting the idea now?
Think of every part of your body as having a top and a bottom, or a back and a front if you like. Let’s take your lower leg for an example. The front is the shin, and you flex the muscles there by raising the top of your foot towards it. The back would be your calf, and you flex the muscles there by pointing your toe down in the opposite direction. Two sets of muscles, two opposite movements. So if you do a lot of calf-raises (like in ballet), you’ll want to try and work the front of the leg too, to even things out. You’ll also want to stretch the calf muscles, but did you know that by working the opposing muscle, your body automatically triggers a relaxation of the first muscle? It’s true! It’s like a safety mechanism in our bodies so we don’t tear an opposing muscle just because we’re working the other one! Back to the lower leg: when you flex your calf muscle (point your toe), the muscles on your shin have to stretch, or they’d break, so the body takes care of it with an automatic nerve impulse. Pretty kewl, huh?
So, if you’re feeling sore, don’t just stretch the muscles that are hurting, but also find a way to work the opposing muscles to balance things out! It may take a little brain work, and actually trying out the moves, but you’ll figure it out soon enough!
And just remember, for real injuries, there’s nothing that replaces a doctor and a physical therapist to put you on the right path back to health!
Replacement Foods
Just because you want to eat healthier, doesn’t mean you have to starve to death! And it doesn’t even mean you’ll never have something tasty to eat ever again either! Relax! And learn to substitute healthier, calorie lighter options for the ones you’re currently binging on! It will require some shopping, and that you prepare the foods yourself instead of just eating whenever and wherever you like! Hey! There’s something that made you read this article, and I’m betting it’s a sneaking feeling that you could be eating better than you are!
So here are some indulgence replacement tips to get you off the bad stuff and into better eating habits! So enjoy!
- Ice cream
Try some low-fat vanilla yogurt mixed with fat-free Cool Whip for some sweet and creamy fun!
- Cookies
Low calorie, high protein granola bars
- Pizza
A whole grain pita covered in spicy marinara sauce and low-fat mozzarella – just toast it in your toaster oven, and you’re back in the pizza business!
4. Chips
A large handful (not two) of salted mixed nuts should take care of those salt cravings – and you get some healthy fats and protein in the mix as well!
5. Pasta
Use whole wheat pasta, add fresh tomatoes, some spices, and some feta cheese! Makin’ me hungry!
6. Chocolate
If you gotta, then go with dark chocolate! It should be at least 60% cocoa, and then you’ve got some heart healthy food! It’s pretty intense, so approach the bar with caution!
Now see if there are any other ideas you can come up with at home to replace your ‘less than perfect’ food choices with ones that are healthy! One step on the way to a happier you!
