Florida Rocks!

Hello everyone!!!!

I have officially lived in Florida for 2 months now! I really do love it here! The weather is great, the people are great.

Now that I am in a warmer, more humid climate, I must absolutely, 100% stress the importance of proper hydration!!!

I went out "hiking" around a Disney theme park one day, and didn't think much of it. Until I realized I was dangerously close to suffering heat stroke. It took me a full week to recover. Make sure that if you are out and about in humid weather that you are hydrating and sticking to the shade as much as physically possible.

Now, onto the fun stuff:

What can we do to be as fit as possible here?

Well, I'm glad you asked. The weather here is so great that we can EASILY go walking every single night!!! If it's raining, it's actually even nicer!

Another great thing you can do here? Outdoor yoga!!! There is something about doing yoga outdoor that takes your practice to a whole other level. There's a primal connection between your body and the earth. When practicing outdoors, don't use music. Enjoy the sounds of nature. Bring your breathing in line with the energy of the world around you. Breath through the poses, feel your feet make contact with the earth, feel the connection between every life. It is an absolutely uplifting and energizing experience!

If you haven't yet, don't forget to check out our website at 4aHealthierYou.fitness.

Have a glorious day, all!!!

Namaste

Get Walking!

The US surgeon general has issued a call to action! America, we need to get walking! We need our communities to be more "walkable". This means that we need to have better access to sidewalks, we need to have conveniences within walking distance.

We as a society have gotten so very sedentary. Our jobs are sedentary, our pass times are sedentary. I understand that we all work long, hard hours and we want to be able to relax when we're not working. However, all of this inactivity is literally killing us! It's leading to a whole list of health issues, both physical and mental!  

We're not asking you to go to the gym and become a gym rat, we're asking you to try and start walking when you can. 

I am lucky, I currently live a quarter of a mile from a gas station and half a mile from a Dunkin Donuts. When I want something that I don't have in the house, I walk to get it. If I lived closer to a grocery store, I would walk to the grocery store as well. 

We need to demand that our communities become more walkable. People, obviously, won't walk if it isn't safe. The number of housing developments I have seen that have been built, recently, without sidewalks astounds me! These developments are great places for walking! Most have closed loops that are easy to maneuver. This means that if there were sidewalks, people could walk safely and get more fitness in! 

Check out these great websites to help you get your communities walking: Every Body Walk! Collaborative, America Walk Collaboration, Stroller Strides, Walking School Bus, Walk at Home and Walk with a Doc . 

Simply walking has so many health benefits. It helps ease anxiety and depression, it has been shown to help those with neurological diseases such as dementia and Parkinson's. It also helps control both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, it is great for reducing your chance of heart attack, or stroke. 

Another reason walking is great is that it doesn't take much. Put on comfortable shoes and clothes that are appropriate for the current weather and head out the door. It is also something that you can do with friends, that is easy to enjoy. 

It is such a small thing. Walking. You don't need special equipment, it is relatively low impact.

Get out there, start walking. Talk to your community leaders. Stress the importance of walkability!

Hiking

Last week, I talked about how when the weather is blah, it makes the people cranky and blah as well.

Let's move forward and start to think about it not being so blah out. Let's start thinking about how nice it's going to be soon, how we're going to want to spend more time outside soon.

That being said, who wants to be cooped up in the gym on a gorgeous summer day? Not too many people that I have met! We don't want to lose all of those hard earned health benefits either, though...what is a poor soul to do?

Flowers from when I first moved to the Midwest

I know! Get all exercisey while enjoying the outdoors! Yay!!! And the best part of outdoors exerciseyness? It can be so much fun that you don't even think about it. So much fun that the next day you wake up sore in spots you didn't know you could be sore, and you just smile!

Hmmm, now what are some outdoor exercisey things to do? You could go for a run, but unless you really enjoy running, that's not really a way to "enjoy" the wonderful summer weather. I know! Go hiking! You don't have to live in the wooded hills to go "hiking". You can go urban hiking, and hike around your town.

Yes!!! Bring your camera along, not your cell phone, walk and take pictures. Take a friend with you, hike around, explore your environment. Just spend the day wandering around!

Half Dome, Yosemite, CA

That sounds like so much fun! If you are urban hiking, you don't even have to bring your lunch with you, you can try out that new bistro that you've been dying to try. Wandering around the city with a friend, or two, or three, with your camera ever at the ready, conversation flowing, you'll rack up those miles without realizing it. Just make sure that you wear good shoes, and sunscreen, skin cancer is no laughing matter, as a matter of fact you need to reapply ever so often, so bring it with you.

If you are going to be hiking in the wooded hills, there are some very important things to remember. Wear sunscreen, and bring it with you to reapply. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes. Since you are going to be out in the wilderness, you are also going to want to make sure that you are wearing an insect repellent, make sure that it repels ticks and chiggers, not just mosquitoes, since ticks spread Lyme disease.

Old Mining Equipment, Hunter's Valley, CA

You aren't going to be able to just stop and grab an iced tea from the local food distributor if you are out and in the woods, so bring plenty of water, as well as a first aid kit. Actual wooded hills hiking takes a bit more planning. It is also a good idea to make sure that someone knows where you are going to be. If you don't want to call someone just to tell them that you are going on a hike, leave a note in your house somewhere prominent, say on the refrigerator, so that if something does happen, they know where to start looking for you. You should also dress in layers, or at least bring a long sleeve top and some long pants with you for emergencies. It is always amazing, and slightly startling, how much chillier it can be in the densely wooded areas.

If you have never hiked in the area you are going to, make sure that you have researched it as thoroughly as possible. You don't want to be hiking and wander upon a rattlesnake, or a bear, and not be prepared.

Stream, Oakhurst, CA

Visit the American Hiking Society for more hiking tips and suggestions, as well as some first aid pointers.

I hope that this week, I have inspired you to step outside, both of your comfort zone and your home. Take some amazing pictures and share the beauty that is found in both the cities and the woods.

Until next week

Midwest Weather has Got Me Down

Hello all,

I know that it has been a while since I have last updated. Sorry for that! Things around my neck of the woods are a bit crazy.

Since the weather here in Wisconsin has NOT improved, people are still cranky and irritated. The worst thing was that we did have about 3 days of nice weather. Now people are super moody.

How do we make ourselves happy when this happens? Well, I'm glad you asked. We get all exercisey, yes, that's now a real official word, and sweat some. Remember, when we get all exercisey, see told you it was now a real word, we get these awesome things called endorphins running through our system. Endorphins are our friends because they play around with the part of our brains that codeine and morphine play with. That's right, they make you a little high. So if you get exercisey, you get a little high. (That's what causes the elusive "runner's high").

Another way to help make ourselves healthy and happy when the weather gets us down, is to get our vitamin C on! Head on over to the local produce department, buy fruit, lots of it! After get exercisey, eat yourself some fruit. You'll recover the lost carbohydrates, and feel more Spring/Summerish.

We equate fruit with summer, and the smell and taste of the fruit will bring on good time feelings.

Want to take it a step further? Turn on some amazing summer tunes, and get exercisey to them. You'll start thinking about the sunshine and better weather, your endorphins will get you a teensey weensey bit high, then you'll eat your fruit to recover, and voila you're healthier and happier!!!

I hope this has helped all of you that are struggling with the lack of sunlight feel a bit better. Love and hugs to all of you out there in cyber land!!!

Drinks!!!

Hello All!

Normally, I would tell you that in our never ending quest to be as healthy and happy as we can be,  don't drink your calories. Normally.

Now, I believe that occasionally we need to imbibe. We need to enjoy ourselves. Today, I felt the need to have a Pina Colada. But, I hate to waste the calories. Today, I made the BEST pina colada I have ever had, in my life.

Seriously guys, this drink is great. And although it has booze in it, I don't feel as terrible drinking it.

The recipe is so super simple.

Here it is:

In a blender:

6 oz Parrot Bay Coconut Rum
4 cups pineapple juice
1 can coconut milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
4 cups frozen pineapple

Blend until smooth and frothy.

Pour into glasses and go forth and enjoy your afternoon.

Meal Prep

Hello All!

I have just finished our meal prep for the week. Let me say, meal prep makes life so much easier. If you plan out your weeks meals and snacks, then prep them all at the beginning of the week, you don't ever have to worry about what you're going to eat. This makes it less likely that you'll make poor decisions. No having to stop at the local fast food joint on the way home because you don't know what's for dinner. No having to buy a burger at lunch time because you weren't sure what to bring with you. No more grabbing a candy bar during the dreaded 3 pm slump.

It is important to remember to plan healthy meals and snacks! Snacks get you through the day. A small handful of nuts and a stick of string cheese make a perfect snack! Another great snack is a sliced banana with all natural nut butter.

This week, we're having whole milk plain Greek yogurt, topped with a bit of honey, mixed nuts, and a bunch of fruit: sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, blackberries, apples, and oranges. So yummy! You could throw all of this into the blender with a bit of almond milk and have a tasty smoothie, which makes it easy to enjoy on the go. I usually feel much more satisfied when I eat it as a bowl though, so bowl it is this week.

For lunch, we bought a lot of spinach, kale, and other dark green leafy mix. We're topping it with chickpeas, bell pepper, avocado, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, hard boiled eggs, and I'm sure I'm missing some veggies. To dress it, we're mixing some Italian herb olive oil and pomegranate balsamic vinegar. Remember, you need to use fats to help your body to absorb the nutrients that are in the nutrients that are in the vegetables you consume, balsamic vinegar is amazing at helping your metabolism!

Dinner this week, honey lime chicken with grilled asparagus and quinoa. Later this week, we'll be eating grilled tilapia and salmon with roasted butternut squash and brown rice. Both of those meals are so yummy, filling, and satisfying.

Our snacks this week will be bananas with all natural nut butter and chopped vegetables with ranch dressing.

Remember, your health is 80% nutrition and 20% fitness. Controlling your diet is so much harder than exercising. But keep it up, and you'll see a lot better!!!

Technology and Health

Hello, again!

I hope that you are all feeling well and energized. I know I am. I mean who wouldn't be. We've been dancing it out. Doing our push-ups and squats. Our diets are slowly improving. Why wouldn't we start feeling better?

Today, I want to take a tiny bit of time to talk to all of you about resources that can help you feel better and be better.

I hear people say that they can't figure out where to get information about health and wellness. I can't figure out what they mean! The internet is full of information. But, Kris, how do we know that the information we read on those websites is truthful and accurate. Ok, fair enough.

Let me let you in on a little secret. Amazon has this e-reader called the Kindle that you can download literally thousands of Health, Fitness, Diet, Nutrition, etc books for free onto. But, I don't want to buy another piece of technology that I use for just reading those things. Neither do I. That's what I love about it, I have the Kindle App on my laptop, my tablet, and my phone. My entire e-book library is shared across my devices and it knows when I have stopped reading on one device and continued on another. And I have spent a grand total of zero dollars on the reading material. It's pretty awesome. I have holistic manuals, aromatherapy manuals, cross fit manuals, diet and nutrition books. And the best part is that there are so many different books available that you can read through all of them and figure out what meets your needs the best! Seriously, check it out. All you need is an Amazon account an a way to access the app. If you're reading this blog, you can have the Kindle app!

Happy reading. Remember, knowledge is power. Keep healthy my friends.

The First Month Is Almost Gone!

Hey everyone, how have you all been?

I hope that you have had an excellent first month of the year. I can't believe that it is almost February already!!! That means the temperatures are slowly going to start rising, the ground might start defrosting soon, and we may actually be able to get outside and enjoy ourselves.

I know that we're still stuck inside, and although we've been having dance parties which are an awesome way to get our cardio in, we want to start to get some toning. I mean, eventually we are going to be going out in tank tops and want to be able to rock strong backs and arms. Am I right? You know I am.

Well, how are we supposed to start toning when our bodies tell us that all we should be doing is hibernating? Hmmmm. I know, let's start small. Let's do some push ups. If you can't do standard floor push ups, don't drop those knees, lift your hands. Place them on a step, the edge of the couch, the counter, or even against the wall.  It will train you to be in proper form throughout your muscle chains. Keep those abs engaged, keep your back, your butt, and your legs engaged. Proper plank position is a must, your booty can't sag, nor can it be sky high. Alright now, inhale as you lower yourself to within 2 inches of the floor (step, wall, etc), keep your entire body engaged. Exhale and press your body back to the starting position. Repeat for 10 - 12 reps. Rest. Do 3 sets. As they become easier, drop your hands to a lower surface. There a so many variations on push ups that you can find on the internet that can help you work different muscle groups, it's insane!!!

Whoo, we're working those core muscles and upper body muscles. Looking and feeling great!!! But what about our booties. We know we want to be able to rock those shorts and jeans right. A strong lower body is the answer. What should we do? Squats! I can hear your groans from here, but come one! Squats are great for your lower body. And they don't take a long time to do. You can totally look up the easiest squat options. Again, do 3 sets of 10-12.

What, you want to make things really, really hard? Sure, let's do some burpees.

How are those eating plans coming? Hopefully, you have found some wonderful tasty and healthy recipes. We had some yummy bean soup this week and a yummy roast with roasted vegetables.

Have an excellent couple of weeks. I'll see you soon.

Happy 2016!!!

Happy 2016, everyone! Are you as excited as I am? I don't believe in the whole "a new year, a new me" mumbo jumbo, but there is just something so exciting about knowing that your year is starting out fresh and new.

I hope that we are all healthy and happy. I am sure that a lot of you are here simply because you have decided that THIS IS THE YEAR. It is the year that you are going to finally stop eating unhealthy food, the year that you are going to start working out every day, the year that you are going to get your health under control. Well, congratulations!!!

The decision to get in shape is a great decision. But, we all know that it isn't as easy as all of that...If it was easy, everyone would do it. Am I right?

Now, every year, it seems like everyone and his grandmother says that this year they are going to get in shape. And by January 15, they've given up. Why, is that you ask?

Well, thank you for asking, it's because people try to make a huge drastic change to their lifestyle all at once. And it's tiring, and overwhelming, and then they get really, really frustrated, then they eat a cookie, then they give up altogether. Yes, I know that is a run on sentence. I did it for dramatic emphasis.

If you try to jump into a new lifestyle all at once, of course it's going to be ridiculously hard. If you change the way you eat, the way you do everything, you aren't going to be enjoying it. Isn't enjoying life the reason we want to be in shape anyway?

So, how about this year, we slow it down. Get in shape in a realistic manner. I'm not saying to go ahead and eat processed junk and never exercise. I'm saying small transitions.

Now, let's start talking about exercise. Exercise seems to be such a loaded word. Everyone is like I HATE exercise. No, you don't!!! You just haven't found the exercise that you like.

Let's face it. Right now, it's cold out. It's winter. We ALL are cooped up inside and want to be active. Some of us have gym memberships, some of us don't. If you have a gym membership, you can go to the gym listen to some tunes and workout. If you don't, you can do what I love to do: put on some really fun, upbeat music and have a dance party in your living room. You can follow choreographed workouts, which are a lot of fun, get some dance party/workout games for your gaming system and dance it out while trying to get a high score, or just crank up that cd and dance however feels right. All of these are great ways to burn calories and put a smile on your face. And if you're an "adult" like me that owns their own furniture, you can even add some difficulty to your dancing by dancing on the couch!!! Seriously, I do this all the time. I tend to hop on the couch and dance around, the springiness of the couch adds a lot of difficulty, imagine walking on sand, but a lot more fun. After a good 20 or 30 minute dance party, you'll be dripping with sweat and smiling from ear to ear.

Even if you're a big tough dude, you can dance it out. Close the curtains and dance your heart out.

Onto nutrition, since 80% of getting into shape is eating healthy. Don't swap everything out!!! I cannot stress how important this is. I am sure that people will tell you that you have to quit it all cold turkey, that's just wrong. If you do that, YOU WILL have withdrawals. I'm not being overly dramatic. Our bodies actually become addicted to the fats and sugars in processed foods. If you quit it all cold turkey, you will suffer. You will have crazy cravings that seem to get worse, because they do.

Instead, pick a few things that you are willing to swap out. And make the switch. When it becomes natural to you to maintain those items, pick a few more and slowly transition your diet. And once you start eating a mostly healthy diet, you'll start feeling a lot better.

Remember, eat a rainbow. Choose fruits and vegetables of every color to eat. The reason they are different colors is that they are filled with different nutrients.

Eat brown rice, quinoa, and legumes (beans and lentils). This will give you tons of fiber and proteins.

Well, I think this is a great start for the year. I'll see you guys soon with more helpful hints and ideas.