In Trying Times . . . Live the SWEET Life!

I seem to know many people going through trying times right now. Some of the most stressful times of our lives, with exception of surviving a natural catastrophe, are birth & death, wedding & divorce, and changing jobs or houses. I seem to know people going through each of these stressful experiences right now!

When I have times of great stress, like above, I really focus on living the SWEET Life because it helps me get through the tough times.

SLEEP: In trying times, you are probably not sleeping enough because your mind is overflowing with ideas and you are too busy to go to bed at a decent hour. However, the busy-ness and overflow of ideas is exactly why you need ample sleep! Your mind needs time to assimilate all these concepts, which is what it does while you sleep. Sleep will help solidify your ideas and refresh your mind and body for the next day.

WATER: When you are stressed, you are probably thinking about drinking either coffee or alcohol rather than water. However, stimulants and/or depressants are NOT what your body needs in times of stress. These beverages also dehydrate you. Even mild dehydration causes fatigue, irritability, and loss of focus, three things that you already have plenty of if you are stressed and certainly don't need more of! What your body needs is the plain hydration that water provides, to dilute toxins, keep body systems running smoothly, maintian mental clarity.

EATING: Who thinks about what they eat when they are stressed? Even the healthiest of eaters will grab whatever comfort food is closest in times of stress. Some of us eat more when stressed, and some of us eat less. In either case, your body needs to be properly fueled to combat stressful times! To get through your day, to accomplish what you need to accomplish, your body needs the energy that healthy food provides in order to function, physically, mentally and emotionally.

EXERCISE: Exercise is amongst the first things to go when we are overly busy or stressed out. However, exercise releases "feel good" hormones, along with giving you strength and stamina to help your through the trying times, physically. Even a 30-minute walk can help relax you, take a break from all your stress, and let your mind wander, all of which are needed.

TRANQUILITY: How is it possible to have tranquility when you are stressed out!? Well, that's exactly why you need to focus on getting some tranquility, at least 30 minutes a day. Exercise is a great form of tranquility. So is chatting with a friend. Reading a good book can help distract you from your stress for a little while. Taking a bath instead of a shower might help you relax for a bit.


Cortisol is the stress hormone that your body releases. Human bodies are not designed to withstand long periods of stress; we are designed for short bouts of "fight or flight". When we are too stressed for too long, we gain weight, lack focus, lower our immunities, and get out of shape. All of these effects are negated by living the SWEET Life.

Live the SWEET Life for just one week . . .

• Sleep - 7-8 hr/night
• Water - drink 8-10 cups/day
• Eating - a variety of nutrient-dense foods in small portions
• Exercise - 30-60 min/day
• Tranquility - 30-60 min/day

. . . and see how much better you feel!

New Month = time for a New Goal

So what's your goal for March? Good goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant & Timely. "Lose weight" is always a bad goal because it's NOT Specific, Achievable, Relevant or Timely. Some examples of good goals are frequencies and aptitudes.

Frequencies are things like: run 3x/week or live the SWEET Life 5x/week. They give a Specific, Measurable number of times and that number of times should be Achievable (otherwise, you need to set it lower). Just make sure the goal is also Relevant and Timely.

Aptitudes are things like: be able to run a 5k or be able to wear my skinny jeans comfortably. I sometime call them BAT goals because they refer to something you will Be Able To do by the end of the month. Because they are aptitudes, they are necessarily Specific and Measurable. Again, you have to make sure to set an Achievable goal that is Relevant to you and Timely.

My goal for February was to start my 1/2 marathon training habit. As a frequency goal, it's Specific and Measurable (30-minute runs Mondays & Wednesdays, an easy walk Thursdays, & a longer run on weekends). Since I'm registered for the See Jane Run 1/2 Marathon in June, my goal is Relevant, and the training program I'm using had me start 17 weeks ahead of time (Feb. 9), so my goal to start training is Timely. After 3 weeks I can say I "started" but it's not a "habit." I have to force myself to do it most of the time. I've run 1-2x/week; I've walked a couple times, and I've done a longer run every weekend. It took a week or two to work out the kinks in how the training schedule would fit into my own schedule in order to make it Achievable. That's always an issue with setting a goal: how to make the time needed to accomplish the goal, fit into your already-busy schedule. For March, of course, I'll need to continue my training.

After a weekend of over-eating and drinking on President's Day weekend, which followed 2 months of holiday over-eating and drinking, I set a longer-term SMART goal of fitting back into my clothes again. As an aptitude goal, it's Specific & Measurable: Do my clothes fit comfortably? Considering I gained the weight in 2 months, I should be able to Achieve my goal of losing the weight in 2 months. It's Relevant and Timely because I want the clothes I own to fit and now they don't. So, for the past 2 weeks, I've been tracking my calories on Lose It! and tracking how well I live the SWEET Life. Hmm, accountability always seems to work! Studies show that the more accurately people track their calories, the more weight they lose. I figured out a way to get around two obstacles of the Lose It! application. I try really hard to stay under the program's calorie intake because (1) it gives a bright red line for eating even one calorie more than the specified calorie intake! Then, at the end of the day, when I've eaten more calories than it says I should have, I add in my exercise for the day, which almost always takes me down below the specified calorie line because (2) it subtracts calories burned in exercise. After 2 weeks, my clothes fit better, but not great yet. My long-term goal date is April 5, the day we leave for Hawaii.

So the results of my February goals are:

• I'm not as tired during the day as I used to be.
• My clothes fit more comfortably
• I see the beach more often by running along it.
• I'm enjoying endurance cardio (running), which is different from the exercise I usually do.
• My body's adjusted to eating smaller meals & feels more comfortable with it.
• I have a better understanding of how many calories are in the foods I eat.

 Now, for March . . . What's your SMART goal?

GO Fitness $99 Special Rate for March

GOAL-ORIENTED FITNESS is offering a special you’ve never seen before:

* -ONLY in March 2010, starting Tuesday, March 2 at Krusi Park
* -ONLY TuTh 8:30-9:30 a.m. (8 classes)
* -ONLY $99
* -ONLY $90 if you refer a spouse or friend (who pays $99 for the month)
* -Babysitting is available at Krusi Park (add’l fee)

GOAL-ORIENTED FITNESS is the perfect exercise program for you, or someone you know, if:

* -you work late at night, sleep in, or have a flexible schedule
* -you need a jump start
* -you need a routine to follow unconsciously
* -you’ve hit a plateau in your current exercise routine
* -you need a group to meet to get you to do it
* -your baby/toddler prevents you from exercising

GOAL-ORIENTED FITNESS is a total body workout, improving your cardio endurance, muscular strength, flexibility and balance.

We are also a supportive group of all fitness levels to motivate you to achieve your goal.

Instructor Suzanne Fong is a Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor who progressively increases the difficulty of the exercises, while focusing on proper form to reduce the risk of injury.

Check out the website for details: http://g-o-fitness.com/

The program starts 8:30 a.m. TUESDAY, MARCH 2 at Krusi Park.

To register, email Suzanne@BalancedHealthyLifestyles.com or call 510-85-GOFIT

Olympic Motivation to Exercise

Watching the Olympics is great motivation to get off the couch. Seeing the speed, agility, power and grace that Olympians exhibit, makes us strive for more from our own bodies. Here’s an online article about the Olympic Effect:  Do You Need Exercise Inspiration? Watch the Olympics

 GOAL-ORIENTED FITNESS is the perfect exercise program for you, or someone you know, if:

• you need a jump start
• you need a routine to follow unconsciously
• you need a group to meet to get you to do it
• you don’t have the time or motivation to exercise after work
• your baby/toddler prevents you from exercising
• you’ve hit a plateau in your current exercise routine

GOAL-ORIENTED FITNESS is a total body workout, improving your cardio endurance, muscular strength, flexibility and balance. We are also a supportive group of all fitness levels to motivate you to achieve your goal. Instructor Suzanne Fong is a Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor who progressively increases the difficulty of the exercises, while focusing on proper form to reduce the risk of injury.

SCHEDULE: The next, one-month programs start MARCH 1 at Krusi Park.

-MWF 6-7:00 am (Get your workout done before getting ready for work)

-TuTh 8:30-9:30 am (Babysitting is available at Krusi Park (add’l fee))

PRICING for March:

MWF = 12 classes = $180

TuTh = 8 classes = $120

10% off if you register by the 24th

25% off if you bring a spouse or friend (who pays for the month)

Email Suzanne@BalancedHealthyLifestyles.com

Website: http://g-o-fitness.com/

Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants -- Michael Pollan

I've been hearing a lot lately about eating habits. I was forwarded a video about a speech from chef Jamie Oliver about the children's obesity crisis and that had a link to a video of a speech from Dean Ornish on the World's Killer Diet. At the same time, I've been tracking my calorie consumption in order to get it under better control, using Lose It! as well as tracking my eating habits on my SWEET Life Plan to make sure I'm eating a variety of food groups.


Just a couple days of tracking my calories has taught me two things: First, they add up fast! Second, all those little nibbles here and there are very difficult to track, but add up to a lot of extra calories! I think that anyone who starts tracking calories first ditches the little nibbles, mostly because they are difficult to track and count the calories. It's much easier to calculate the calories in 1/2 cup yogurt than in a bite of this and a bite of that. At the same time, studies show that people who track their calories are far more successful at weight loss than those who don't.

Tracking my eating on my SWEET Life Plan helps me make sure to eat enough from all the food groups. If I want an afternoon snack, I check my SWEET Life Plan to help me decide what to eat. "Well, I haven't eaten much fruit today; I'll have an apple for a snack." 

In the end, what am I trying to say? Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants. --Michael Pollan
This link is the most important one posted here. Check out the article, then answer this question: Is this how you eat?

Why do Outdoor Fitness in the Rain?

During the 1996 Olympics I watched amazing athletes, who'd recovered from unbelievable injuries to compete, again, at the Olympic level! I'd previously thought my running  days were over due to knee pain. But after seeing these Olympians compete, I thought myself a wimp for giving up on a 3 mile jog, while still in my 20's. So, on New Years Day 1997, I resolved to run everyday, no excuses. "Just get up and do it," I told myself. And so I did. And it was January, so it rained. I did some trial and error to figure out how to dress comfortably while running in the rain, for I'd told myself to run everyday, no excuses, not even rain. And I did it: I ran, every day, in the rain. If you were in the Bay Area that year you know: 1997 was an El Nino year.

So why should you sign up for an outdoor fitness class during this 2010 El Nino winter?

• Well, first of all, I won't have you running in the rain. We do have an indoor studio to use if it's raining. And for those of you who don't like indoor aerobics classes, there's a reason I don't usually teach them: I'm not good with choreography and music, so my choreography is very simple and may or may not follow the music. But you'll always get a great workout! 
• Second, your dog needs to play. Some of my participants bring their dogs and play fetch with them in the park after class. They say it saves them time, compared to going home and then having to take the dog out.
  
• Third, lots of rain in the Bay Area means lots of snow in Tahoe. The ski & snowboard season may last longer than it has in recent drought years. GO Fitness is a great class for getting into shape for skiing & snowboarding, specifically for leg strength, balance and cardio endurance. 
• Fourth, January is the time for bridal fairs as June brides start their preparations, and the rest of us make our plans to attend their weddings. I had some promotional materials out at a trunk show at Lilac recently because all brides want to get in shape. Everyone sees your back during the ceremony, and most dresses show off your arms and chest as well. GO Fitness is a great all-around workout to get your body slim and toned for your wedding and honeymoon (where you'll show off even more of your body than in your wedding dress!)
  

• Fifth, Goal-Oriented Fitness focuses, not only on exercise, but on overall health, integrating the five essentials for a balanced healthy lifestyle: Sleep, Water, Eating, Exercise & Tranquility.

So, as much as you just want to curl up on the couch watching a movie or reading a good book when it rains, believe me, you'll feel much less guilty about doing so if you've already had a good workout! February signs ups are right now! Go to http://g-o-fitness.com/ for details.

Gift of Health and Fitness

Enjoy the holidays!

Then jump start your New Year’s Resolution with GO Fitness!

GOAL-ORIENTED FITNESS is a monthly program, combining an exercise class with a support group

to motivate and attain your personal fitness goal. It’s designed for all levels of fitness.

The exercise class meets 2-3 times per week and integrates cardio, toning, flexibility and balance for a complete body workout.

The motivational support comes from group discussions during the exercise class and a blog to stay connected outside of class.

JANUARY PROGRAM: Jan. 4-29

MWF 6:00-7:00 a.m. (early-bird)

TuTh 6:00-7:00 a.m. (early-bird)

MWF 8:30-9:30 a.m. (after school-drop-off)

TuTh 8:30-9:30 a.m. (after school-drop-off)

All programs meet at Krusi Park (or indoors when it rains) and are subject to minimum enrollment.

PRICING for January:

MWF = 11 classes = $165

TuTh = 8 classes = $120

DISCOUNTS (choose one):

10% off if you register before Christmas!

20% off if you pay for 3 months in advance

25% off if you bring a spouse or friend (who pays for the month)

GIFT CERTIFICATES are available – a great stocking stuffer!

Email Suzanne@BalancedHealthyLifestyles.com

Website: G-O-Fitness.com