Your Post-Holiday Workout!

We all party a bit too hard during the holidays.  I mean, it’s the one time of the year that it’s socially acceptable to dress however you want and do whatever you want, so why not?  Unfortunately, all that candy and alcohol takes a pretty big toll on our bodies.  It’s great to have an awesome night out with your friends, but now it’s time to put your butt back in gear and rejuvenate!

First, let’s talk about your diet.  For the next few days, hydration is key.  Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it increases urination.  You definitely need to be drinking at least 8-10 ounces of water for a few days to get your energy back up.

Don’t skip any meals.  Skipping meals will lower your caloric intake.  Calories = Energy.  Without sufficient calories, you won’t have the energy to do anything productive, so be sure to get all your meals in!  Also, now more than ever your body needs to be recharged with nutrients, considering how many you lost (especially the micronutrients) from consuming alcohol.

Choose the right foods.  Eating a bag of chips will probably make you feel better short-term, but it isn’t the best option.  Going for whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and lean cuts of protein will give your body the right nutrients it needs.  Plus, you’ll feel a lot better about yourself long-term because you chose to eat the right things!

Let’s move on to the workout I put together.  It’s only 16 minutes long, making it a perfect workout to do if you’re still a little hungover.  It incorporates cardio and strength, exhausting all the muscles in your body so that you get that perfect body you’ve been working on all semester back.  There are a total of 4 moves, so it’s easy to remember and easy to do!

1.   Push-ups.  The standard push-up is one of the best full-body exercises. Starting in plank position, lower your body by bending at your elbows until they are forming a right angle.  You can modify by putting your knees on the ground or putting your hands on a bench/chair for an incline.  Do a set for 30 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds before moving on to…

2.   Split Squat Jumps.  Think of these as just alternating lunge jumps.  Start in a lunge with your dominant foot in front.  Then, jump and switch so that you land in a lunge with your non-dominant foot in front.  Make sure your knee never goes in front of your foot; keep it aligned with your ankle.  These are great for tightening your core, butt and thighs. Again, do a set for 30 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds!

3.  Jump-in, Jump-outs.  Starting in a downward dog position, jump and move your legs in closer to your arms.  Then, jump back out into downward dog.  It’s really simple, but so effective!  Like the others, do this for 30 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds.

4.   Leg Scissors. Lying on your back with your hands under your butt, raise your legs about one foot off the ground. Lift your shoulders as you start to alternate one leg over the other.  This works your core and legs like no other!  Do a set for 30 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds before going to the last move.

Repeat this cycle a total of 6 times! In no time, you will have your pre-Holiday body back!

Fitting Your Health into Your Busy Day

Days like today are when I realize why many people let go of their health. I was up at 6:30 just so I can start my workout before the busy day ahead of me (and it's summer vacation). If I was in school right now, I probably would have called today my day off and just watched what I ate. So how do most Americans deal with busy days? I think the problem is time management. People don't take the time to really plan everything out. Here are my tips to help you guys out!

1. Before you go to bed at night, make sure everything is ready for the next day including your outfit, your lunch, etc.
2. Make sure you plan your day out. Every Sunday, I plan out my next week minute to minute.
3. Give yourself time to relax. If you have some "me time," you are more likely to want to do more for yourself (like exercise)
4. MAKE LISTS. My laptop is filled with sticky notes that are filled with lists. I have lists for short-term goals, long-term goals, what I need to do today, and what I need to do by next month. 
5. Avoid procrastination by setting deadlines for yourself. Even if it is to go get contact solution, make a deadline so that you actually get some before you run out!

I hope these help you. These tips help me stay organized this summer and still get workouts in at least 5 times a week!

Do you need to see a doctor before starting an exercise program?

I see this question come up a lot with beginners who just want to start going for walks. They don't see the purpose in asking their physician if this exercise program is the right one for them. Maybe they feel as if they know their body well enough. Unfortunately, that usually isn't the case.

Your physicians know your medical history and can see if anything may happen if you start a certain kind of training. For example, I have juvenile arthritis in both knees. So, if I want to train for a 5K, I need to go see my doctor and ask if my knees can take that pressure. If he says yes, I also need to know if I can follow a certain x week plan or will that be too hard for my knees. Can I go faster than this plan entails? Should I go slower? He knows more than I do that my knees are very delicate and need proper care in order for me to run a 5K. 

Even though it is important to speak with your physician, there are 7 questions you can ask yourself before making the appointment. If you answer NO to every question, it is assumably safe to start the exercise program. If you answer YES to ANY question, it is advised to see a medical professional before beginning.

Here are the seven questions:

1. Has your doctor ever said that you have a heart condition AND that you should only do physical activity recommended by a doctor?
2. Do you feel pain in your chest when you do physical activity?
3. In the past month, have you had chest pain when you were not doing physical activity?
4. Do you lose your balance because of dizziness or do you ever lose consciousness?
5. Do you have a bone or joint problem that could be made worse by a change in your physical activity?
6. Is your doctor currently prescribing drugs for your blood pressure or a heart condition?
7. Do you know of any other reason why you should not do physical activity?

If you do answer each question with a "No" make sure you know the risks you are taking. It is really important to go speak with your doctor before starting an exercise regime. 

I'm Thirsty

The past few weeks, I have heard way too many people say it is too hot to exercise outside. Even if it is just a half hour walk, my mom is the first person to use the high heat and humidity that has been engulfing our summer air here in New Jersey to stay inside and watch Dr. Oz (we already know how I feel about that). My cousins and I are the first generation to be born here in America, so for my family (native to the scorching hot Dominican Republic) to say it is too hot to go outside is just ludicrous. So why the excuse? Why the sudden need to use bearable weather (at least for our family) as means to stay inside? Obviously a lot of factors go into this. Laziness is one of them, but again, I already wrote about that. Another factor is the sports drinks industry, and here's why.

For the past 20(ish?) years (I don't know exactly, I'm only 19), the sports drinks industry has been marketing that humans need to say "ahead of the thirst" to be properly hydrated during exercise. Really, they just want you to drink their product before, during, and after your exercise. You need to be putting electrolytes back in your body and giving yourself the proper hydration because you "lose" so much of it with sweat that it could be potentially dangerous! (Please reread that sentence with a bit of sarcastic humor in your voice.) I'm going to bring up a newly published article at bmj.com (literally published like, today). Written by the awesome Timothy David Noates, this article brings up how and why being overly hydrated is more dangerous than being dehydrated. I bet you didn't see that one coming.

Let's start with dehydration. When does dehydration become a serious health risk? Well, once the total body water content drops 15% or more is when. How much time does it take for your body to decrease in 15% of its total body water content? Well, it actually only takes 48 hours in a desert with absolutely no water! So now you might be asking why is it that many distance runners and athletes collapse when it is just "too hot" outside to be exercising? Here's the common misconception. Because of marketing of sports drinks, many think that dehydration is the cause of an athletes' collapse but, that usually isn't the case. Commonly, a collapse due to exercising in the heat is because of exercise-associated postural hypotension, or low blood pressure due to exercise. That, my friends, has very little or just about nothing to do with hydration.

Now we can go on to hyperhydration, or water intoxication. An increase in total body water by just 2% can lead to serious health risks like edema (when there's excess water in cavities and tissues of your body). A greater increase can cause hyponatremic encephalopathy, a really scientific way to say cerebral edema, or excess water in your brain. If untreated, this can cause death by respiratory arrest. Less severe (but still pretty severe) health conditions also caused by hyponatremic encephalopathy can be confusion, seizures, and coma. 

The truth is, humans have evolved to regulate their body temperatures during long bouts of exercise in dry heat (how do you think our ancestors hunted?). We don't need to replenish and regulate our fluid balances during exercise at all really. When you feel thirsty, it's because you probably broke a sweat (yay, you burned some calories! CONGRATULATIONS!) but it is no need to drink something. At least, not yet.

What I really wanted to say, was that when it is really hot outside, you can still go out and run/jog/walk/ whatever in this heat. You won't faint from dehydration. You might sweat a lot, but all of that water loss can be replenished at your next meal. Don't fear the heat, embrace it! And if you do feel dizzy or nauseous, lay on your back with your feet higher than your head!

T.D. Noakes Article