MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF EXERCISE

Snow Snow Go Away!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you think exercise is only good for developing a lean body, strong muscles and a strong heart?  Well, think again about Health and Fitness!  Physical activity has been shown to help with being emotionally and mentally fit also.

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While the majority of fitness research efforts focus on the physical and health benefits of exercise, there is a growing body of work demonstrating that exercise promotes wellness and mental health.  Researchers at Duke University studied people suffering from depression for 4 months and found that 60% of the participants who exercised for 30 minutes three times a week overcame their depression without using antidepressant medication.  This is the same percentage rate as for those who only used medication in their treatment for depression.

You don’t have to be suffering from a clinical or diagnosed Mental Illness to get substantial mental health benefits from exercise and fitness.  One study found that short workouts of 8 minutes in length could help lower sadness, tension and anger along with improving resistance to disease in healthy people.  Many people exercise to boost confidence along with reducing anxiety and stress, all of which contribute to psychological health and well-being.  So, exercise can be viewed as a preventative or wellness activity that may actually help prevent physical and emotional conditions.  By the way, even short bursts of activity help individuals feel better, which means that you don’t have to spend hours at the gym to gain real mental health benefits.

Judith Easton, personal training director and instructor in mindfulness meditation at Galter Life Center in Chicago, noted one reason for the feelings of well-being that are generated during and after exercise: the body’s natural release of endorphins.  These chemicals released by the brain are the body’s natural painkillers and can lead to an increase in feelings of happiness.  “Exercise leads to an increase in energy and to better sleeping patterns, which may also explain why it is so helpful to people with depression.  Low energy and poor sleep are common symptoms of depression.”

Clinical psychologist Eliezer Margoles, Ph.D. stated that feeling joyful and the pleasure of being in one’s body is very beneficial.  He urged people to “take time out, and instead of saying no to exercise say no to something else.” He also cautioned against a “punitive mindset” in which some people engage during exercise, viewing it as a task or punishment instead of a pleasure.  Instead, he recommends that you view movement as an affirmation of living and a function to maintain wellness.

Meditation and yoga, though more nontraditional, also lend themselves to using the body to achieve optimal levels of mental health.  Both “answer the need to have down time along with the need to quiet down and look within” according to Judith Easton.  This is especially important, she noted, because “in the year 2000 people absorb more information in one day than a person in the 1400s absorbed in an entire lifetime”. Easton noted that “technology, including cell phones, faxes and computers, along with the mentality of moving quicker and constantly doing things, tends to lead to people forgetting that this inward focus is necessary and vital to mental health”.  Yoga participants often say they feel more centered and calm, along with the physical benefits of stretching and building strength.

With this information, it is easy to see how exercise is not only beneficial for the body but for emotional and mental health as well.

Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.
Emerson, Ralph Waldo on Destiny

Ask yourself…If 2010 was going to be MY BEST Year Yet….What would it look like?

It is time to sow thoughts for 2010..then jot them down.. later in the week I will send you more advice what to do next.

In 2010, consumers will seek out educated, experienced fitness professionals, according to the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) top fitness trends survey.

A down economy, coupled with the increase in organizations offering accreditation for fitness professionals, was credited for making this the top trend for next year.

“Consumers are more conscious of their finances than ever,” Walter Thompson, lead author of the fitness trends survey, said in a statement. “If they’re going to work with a fitness professional to improve their health, they’re going to do their homework and find someone who’s educated, experienced and certified by a reputable organization such as ACSM.”

The fourth-annual ACSM survey was based on feedback from 1,500 respondents. Some 37 potential trends were given as survey choices, with the top 20 ranked and published by ACSM.

Strength training was listed second in the rankings, which is an indicator of the increased focus on strength training for various populations, survey authors noted.

ACSM’s top 10 fitness trends for 2010 are:

1. Educated and experienced fitness professionals

2. Strength training

3. Children and obesity

4. Personal training

5. Core training

6. Special fitness programs for older adults

7. Functional fitness

8. Sport-specific training

9. Pilates

10. Group personal training

Thank you Omaha for your votes

The measure of your quality as a public person, as a citizen, is the gap between what you do and what you say.-Ramsey Clark

A new study finds 15,000 potential recruits fail the military’s physical fitness test every year. Photo by Spc. Michelle Waters, 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.
WASHINGTON, DC — Some 27 percent of young people in the United States are too overweight to join the military, a report finds.

And nearly 15,000 potential recruits who take the military’s physical fitness entrance exam fail each year because they are too heavy.

The report, titled “Ready, Willing and Unable to Serve,” was released Thursday by Mission: Readiness, a nonprofit organization of 89 senior retired military leaders aimed at increasing youth education in America.

“Unfortunately, the number of young Americans who have high school degrees, are in good physical shape and are without criminal records is declining,” retired Gen. Henry “Hugh” Shelton, U.S. Army, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a statement. “To keep our country strong and safe, we need to ensure all young Americans get the right start in life. We need more investments in high-quality early education.”
Some 75 percent of Americans aged 17-24 are unfit to join the military when other reasons are included, such as inadequate education and criminal history, Curtis Gilroy, the Pentagon’s accessions policy director, testified in March.

About one in four young Americans lack a high school diploma, and 30 percent of potential recruits who have a high school degree fail the Armed Forces Qualification Test, the report finds. In addition, one in 30 men aged 20 to 34 in the United States is behind bars.

Increased spending on recruitment bonuses during this difficult economic period helped the military meet its fiscal year 2009 recruiting goals, but report authors cautioned against relying on a continued economic downturn to staff the military.

“During economic downturns, higher numbers of well-qualified candidates seek to enlist, and the military can temporarily rely less on waivers for those with academic deficits or criminal records,” the report stated. “But a weak economy is no formula for a strong military. Once the economy begins to grow again, the challenge of finding enough high-quality recruits will return.”

Mission: Readiness is encouraging Congress to pass the Early Learning Challenge Fund to grant states $1 billion annually for 10 years for early childhood development programs.
I say Praise GOD it is about Time!

Here’s a great list of 20 reasons to exercise regularly!
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1. Regular exercise increases your metabolism so that you continually burn more calories every day.
2. Increases your aerobic capacity (fitness level). This gives you the ability to go through your day with less relative energy expenditure. This enables a “fit” person to have more energy at the end of the day and to get more accomplished during the day with less fatigue.
3. Maintains, tones, and strengthens your muscle. Exercise also increases your muscular endurance.4. Decreases your blood pressure.
5. Increases the oxidation (breakdown and use) of fat.
6. Increases HDL (good) cholesterol.
7. Makes the heart a more efficient pump by increasing stroke volume.
8. Increases hemoglobin concentration in your blood. Hemoglobin is part of the red blood cell that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
9. Decreases the tendency of the blood to clot in the blood vessels. This is important because small clots traveling in the blood are often the cause of heart attacks and strokes.
10. Increases the strength of the bones.
11. Causes the development of new blood vessels in the heart and other muscles.
12. Enlarges the arteries that supply blood to the heart.
13. Decreases blood levels of triglycerides (fat).
14. Improves control of blood sugar.
15. Improves sleep patterns.
16. Increases the efficiency of the digestive system which may reduce the incidence of colon cancer.
17. Increases the thickness of cartilage in joints which has a protective effect on the joints.
18. Decreases a woman’s risk of developing endometriosis by 50%.
19. Increases the amount of blood that flows to the skin making it look and feel healthier.
20. Exercise, in addition to all the physiological and anatomical benefits, just makes you feel GREAT
Personal Training in Small Groups for as little as $15 per session!

“When we exist without thought or thanksgiving we are not men, but beasts.” M.F.K. Fisher (1908–1992)
American writer

Now Really you can eat the turkey… just do your best at chosing good choices and how much you will be eating!

Got Leftovers?
Use that leftover turkey for more than just sandwiches this year. You can put your thanksgiving surplus to good use in this hearty chili, featuring corn and turkey. A virtual cornucopia of beans, this hearty meal has 13 grams of fiber and 29 grams of protein in a single serving. Wind down after hectic holidays with this one-pot comfort food.

Three-Bean Chili
with Corn and Turkey
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
• 3 cans (15 oz. each) of 3 different types of beans (such as kidney beans, black beans or chickpeas), rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen or drained canned corn
• 1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup low sodium tomato or vegetable juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 cups (about 1 lb.) diced cooked turkey
• Hot sauce (optional)
• 4 cups cooked brown rice
In large, deep pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Stir in onion, garlic and bell pepper. Saute‚ about 4 minutes, stirring often, until onion is translucent, garlic is golden and bell pepper is softened. Add chili powder, cayenne, cumin, oregano and cinnamon and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in beans, corn, tomatoes and tomato juice. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently, partially covered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Stir in turkey and simmer until heated through. Adjust seasonings by adding more salt and pepper and hot sauce, to taste. Serve over cooked brown rice.
Makes 8 servings.
Per serving: 435 calories, 8 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 62 g carbohydrate,
29 g protein, 13 g dietary fiber, 581 mg sodium.