5 Tips To Get You Energized (01/03)

Aloha readers! 

The holiday season is slowly starting to wrap up, and some of you may be struggling to get back into the routine - or building a new routine that helps improve your health and fitness. 

Here a few quick tips - simple things that you can do on a daily basis to help you feel recharged and energized. 

1. Replace soda with water. A quick caffeine boost from an espresso may help you with your workouts, but consistently loading your body with caffeine throughout the day isn't healthy. It can have the opposite effect - caffeine crashes or withdrawal - and leave you feeling even more tired. Water will help you stay hydrated, flush out toxins, and boost your energy levels. 

(http://www.prevention.com/health/healthy-living/your-body-diet-soda-infographic)

2. Eat less salt and processed foods. Salt retains water, and can make you feel more bloated. This bloating feeling can contribute to fatigue. It can also increase your blood pressure if consumed in high, excessive amounts for long periods of time. 

3. Get more sleep. Lack of sleep, or good quality sleep can decrease energy levels. Aim for 6-8 hours of good quality sleep each night. 

(http://www.pinterest.com/pin/424886546067639345/)

4. Adjust your posture. Good posture is key. How do you feel when you're hunched over your desk, back-rounded, compared to sitting upright and doing your work? Not only does your energy level improve, but it can also help engage your core muscles. 

(http://restoremyposture.com/2013/02/06/susy-russell-physical-therapy/)

5. 20 minutes of cardio or active moving each day. It can help you recharge and refresh your brain. This can be done in 2 10 minute intervals if you spend a big part of your day sitting. 

Not so bad, right? Leave a comment below and tell me what you like to do to feel energized after giving yourself an extended break. 

Cheers!

xoxo

You Don't Like to Exercise - But You Want To Start Working Out (01/02)

Aloha readers! 

We're two days in to the new year, and many of us have set new goals and resolutions for the new year.  You've come to my blog probably because you're searching for ways to be more physically active and be more healthy in 2015. 

But exercise may not be "your thing", you say. You've tried going to the gym regularly, maybe you've even tried purchasing expensive, yet ineffective, programs, detoxes, or exercise equipments. Only leaving you feeling unmotivated and disliking what you're doing. 

So what do you do? And how are you going to do it? If you're starting a new exercise program, your goal shouldn't be to become super buff, or lose a tremendous amount of weight (without the guidance of a trainer or a health professional). The first step should be getting to a point where you don't hate exercise anymore. Consistency will lead to results, and with that, you'll be more encouraged to work harder. 

Choosing a program that's very hard or super challenging may seem logical at first, but soon you may find yourself struggling and quickly losing motivation. It's not necessarily about choosing a challenging program, but rather choosing one that you CAN do, allowing you to STICK to the program. 

Once your fitness level starts improving, you'll enjoy the activity of exercising a bit more, and then you can venture off to try new things. But until then, choose something you KNOW you can do, and STICK TO IT. Like Nike said, JUST DO IT - whatever it is. Do it regularly - no excuses! Keep it simple, fun, and energetic! 

(http://www.pinterest.com/pin/502925483358444596/)

Here are 9 tips for starting and sticking to an exercise program that you choose. 

1. Find and build consistency. Like previously mentioned, make a commitment to your program and do it consistently. If you can't do it consistently, re-evaluate the program and make it more suitable. 

2. Take baby steps. Ever tried to jump too far, fell, and scraped your knee? It's the same idea for working out - except you're hurting your motivation and self-esteem. Progress a little bit each time, and do a little bit more each time. 

3. Choose something fun. Workout programs or routines don't always have to be dumbbells and treadmills all the time. Yoga classes, dance classes, martial arts, mediation classes - there are so many FUN options to choose from! Find your fun! 

4. Bring a friend. Motivate and compete with each other. Workout partners are great for keeping each other accountable, and it can feel less scary if you're trying out something new.

(http://womenshealthency.com/articles/bodybuilding-in-the-female-world/)

5. Join a sport team. It could be a new sport, or a sport you've played before. What can be even better than exercising with a friend? Exercising with a group of friends! Not to mention the socializing component too if you're trying to expand your network. 

6. Build an energizing playlist. Music can take you a long way. Do some searching online to create your own playlist, or download a pre-made one. Songza app has hundreds of playlists to choose from. If you want to go the extra mile, create a "pumped up" playlist and another playlist for when you're working out. 

7. Get a caffeine boost. Whether it may be first thing in the morning, or after work, a bit of caffeine can be your best friend to get some energy pumping through you. 

8. Upgrade your wardrobe. Workout shirts, pants, headbands, shoes, gym bag, etc. Pick up something new! There's something about getting new gear and wanting to take it out so you can flaunt it. 

(http://theberry.com/2013/12/21/daily-motivation-25-photos-341/)

9. Reward yourself. Doing something consistently requires a lot of hard work, time, and patience. It's an accomplishment worth celebrating, even if the tasks are small. Give yourself a pat on the back, reward yourself with a little something, and continue to work hard! 

I've went from not wanting to exercise, to having my fair share of struggles with being consistent with my health and fitness, but these tips are going to help both you and I make progress on being consistent too! Share with me in the comments below what you did / are going to do to start exercising!

Cheers! 

xoxo

8 New Year Workout Tips (01/01)

Aloha readers! Happy New Year! 

May the new year be a year of rewarding, hard work for you, allowing you to achieve the things you want! For many of you, you may be taking the first steps to making those New Year Resolutions into a reality. 

These new year workout tips has helped me in the past to start off the new year right, and I hope you'll find them helpful too! 

1. Be Realistic - Take a good look at your goals. Are they realistic? If not, re-evaluate them. Set obtainable goals, and start off slowly. Take baby steps each day towards your goal(s). To learn more about goal setting, check out my S.M.A.R.T. Goal setting article. 

2. Plan Ahead - If you fail to plan, plan to fail! 

3. Outline Your Plan - List the top 2 things you want to achieve in 2015. Then list what steps you're going to take, what you're going to do to express those steps, and write them all down. A planner will come in handy for planning out goal deadlines, and keeping yourself on track. 

4. Talk About It - Get excited! Tell your friends and family members, share you resolutions on social media! Use this as a method to keep yourself motivated and accountable. 

5. Track Your Progress - The scale may be the first method to use, but other methods like measure body circumference and before and after progress pictures are equally as effective. In fact, they may be better than relying on ONLY the numbers on the scale.  

6. Don't Beat Yourself Up - If you fail or have slip ups, get up and do it again. Don't give up on trying. No one accomplished anything by giving up after their first try. 

7. Stick To It - If you're doing something you've never done before, it will take some time to build it into a habit, especially with workout out. You may feel sore for the first few days, but don't let that stop you from keep doing it. Be sure to get plenty of rest. It can take up to 21 days for a new habit to become a solid habit. 

8. Enjoy Your Workouts - If you don't like it, why are you doing it! You should be liking / enjoying what you're doing. getting tired of the treadmill? Try the rowing machine! Or ditch the machines and pick up a pair of dumbbells! No really sure what you're doing, or if you're doing it right? Get a customized workout program from a trainer! This may also help you get guidance on the goals you've set! 

Leave a comment below and tell me what your resolutions are, and what you're going to do to achieve them! Have a great new years weekend! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

How to Jump Start Your Fitness Routine (12/22)

Aloha readers! 

The New Year is quickly approaching, and many people are starting to make New Year resolutions. If you're one of the many to include weight loss, eating healthy, being more active on your resolution list, then you'll find this article helpful! Often we wait until last minute to make a new year resolution, without really making a plan on how we are going to achieve those goals. 

By planning ahead of time, you'll be ahead of the game and that much more closer to obtaining your new year resolution!
"If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail." 

1. Create a routine - Create a routine that will work for you. You can research for hours what worked for other people, but if it won't work for you, then it just won't happen. Set a time to workout when you know you will have the time. If you're a morning person, maybe working out in the morning before work is best. Or do you have a hard time not hitting the snooze button more than 3 times in the morning? If that's you, then maybe an after-work or later evening working is more suitable for you. Set small, but specific goals. To read more about goal setting, check out my S.M.A.R.T Goal Setting article. 

2. Plan your schedule out ahead of time - Do you ever find yourself scrambling in the morning trying to figure out all the things you have to do that day? The way to avoid that is to plan your schedule out ahead of time. This can be the night before, or even a few days ahead. Take 10 - 15 minutes the night before to list out the tasks you need to do, and what time you're going to tackle each task. Did I mention the satisfaction of crossing things off a to-do list? 

3. Make time for exercise - Make it a priority. Treat it like an important meeting with your boss - yourself! You wouldn't skip out on a meeting with your boss, so why should you skip out on your own workout? We all have the same 24 hours in a day. The difference is what you do with those 24 hours - what you make as your priority and how you're going to make time for it. 

4. Start slow - Evaluate your fitness level and find an activity that's suitable for you to start with. We want to start slow and start building up on it - rather than trying to go too fast and fatiguing ourselves out. Too often we want to jump into activities that may be too intense to help us reach our goal faster, but that can do more harm than good. 

5. Adjust your nutrition - You'd be surprised how changing your nutrition even the slightest bit can make you feel better. Like with exercise, start off slow. You don't have to change everything at once - simply cutting back on that drink or soda pop at dinner is a good starting point. Then progress on to replacing those drinks with water or milk at other meals. This way, you can slowly introduce more nutritious foods in to your diet while substituting out the less-nutritious foods. 

6. Build a support system - This is probably one of the most important parts! Tell your friends and family this new adventure that you're going to start, and get them to keep you accountable and support you - or even better, get them to join you! A big difference can be seen in people who workout together rather than by themselves in terms of motivation and progress. Post your workouts or workout selfies on social media to keep your accountability! You may even inspire some distant friends and family members to get off the couch and start moving! 

I hope you find these tips helpful, and that they'll help you in setting your new year resolution goals! Leave your goals below in the comment section to keep yourself accountable! 

Cheers!

xoxo