Give your health a spike with a hike

Yesterday I woke up feeling broken. The night before I was commited and excited at the perspective of going for a hike at Shampoeg Park with Chris and his dad. When I woke, my tail bone felt broken and my shoulders and upper back felt like it had been beaten and bruised. I almost talked myself out of going for the hike, but I am so happy that I didn't.

Chris helped motivate me by letting me know that the pain was probably due from me sitting for such long hours at work and school, so I decided he was right and that I should take some IBuprofen and suck it up.

It was a beautiful and perfect day for a hike; sunny and warm, with a cool breeze. The further we walked, the looser my muscles and achey body became. Stress began to melt away and a feeling of relief spread over me. I felt as if I could walk forever. The pain was being stretched away. A smile naturally began to form on my face and all my worries seemed to disappear. Yeay Endorphins!

I was so happy to be able to get past the hump of not wanting to work out and go out and be rewarded with a body that felt good. I could breathe better, smile easier, and positivity seemed to surround me. Exercise, especially stretching and walking is one of the best ways to get rid of pain (Not every pain falls under this category, so ask a doctor or physical therapist if you are uncertain). I wish that I could go hiking at places like Shampooeg park every day.

Remember that exercise doesn't always have to be mechanical and routine, mix it up a little bit. Go swimming, play soccer or volleyball, try a new dance class, play tag, do something fun that you enjoy and you will be sure to stick with a great physical activity that burns calories and fat.

When to eat, When not to eat.

I've always wondered should I eat before I work out or after? So finally I got a straight answer from a little pamphlet that came with my 'Hip Hop Abs' DVD's. So this paragraph says: Don't eat just before you work out or right before bed. You want your body in "fat-burning mode" when it looks for energy. Even avoid energy bars and soft drinks in the hour before you exercise, as they encourage your body's "carb-burning mode" instead.

It's the secret enemy of exercise: the wrong food at the wrong time. While your overall diet is important, it's also important to maximize the effect of exercise to burn stored fat. Controlling the foods you eat before you work out is the one step most people don't know about. And it is amazingly effective.

Your body has two main sources of energy: stored fat and stored carbohydrates. When you eat or drink substances like energy bars or sports drinks, which are generally high in carbs, your body's insuline levels rise to cope with the additional carbohydrates in you system. That means, during the time you process those carbs through your bloodstream, your body's hormones are focused on burning that type of fuel for energy. Thus, if you consume those carbs before you workout, you will be in the mode to burn carbs in your body more than the stored fat around your waist and thighs! That's why it's highly recommended to put your body in a semi-fasting state, meaning you are working out with little to no food in your digestive system. For hydration, don't use sports drinks, use water. Your body will then be in "fat-burning mode," and the results from your effort will be maximized.

According to some high-profile dieticians and trainers, if you exercised for a month and didn't see the fat reduction you wanted, it's probably due to your insulin levels being too high while you were working out. That means your body wasn't attacking the fat stores, even though you were working your hardest.
So if you limit your carbs before exercise and before sleep, your body has more time to function as an effective fat-burning machine!
Pretty cool information huh? It's just nice to know why they tell us certain things to do or not to do. So hooray! I'm starting today!!!

Good health

Okay so I've totally been more aware of my health too since Janet's trip to the hospital as well as my own mom going in last year needing 4 units of blood. She had a colon problem. so I right away started eating more oatmeal, vegetables everything healthy. Then with Janet going in I started thinking about heart health and cholesterol. So now I'm exercising almost daily and trying trying to eat right and lose weight. I don't want to end up in the hospital!!!! Since I've started Hip Hop Abs I've lost 2 inches off my abs and lost a couple of pounds. And when I start exercising like I could totally be in a bad mood or not wanting to exercise but the endorphins are so obvious. All of a sudden I'm in a way better mood, have more energy, and feel like I can conquer the world. And I do have to conquer things in my world, and I do!!!!!!

Welcome

This is a blog that was motivated by mom's emergency visit to the hospital. I, like many of you, want to be a healthier individual. I don't like it when the people I love are threatened by their poor health and I like it even less when that threat could be fatal. I want to be a healthier individual that can also help others by motivating and informing them while undergoing and experiencing my own personal journey towards good health.

So please, feel free to blog about your successes, your failures, your healthy recipes, your personal thoughts, motivational thoughts and feelings, things that exercise our minds, physical exercises or exercise routines that work well, things that exercise or strengthens our spirits, or whatever fits into the category of good health.