As 2010 rolls around, we all want to change/improve something about
ourselves, but we might be overwhelmed by the amount of things we want
to add/delete to become the new us. However, MJ Ryan author of
AdaptAbility says "Making ONE change enables you to see the
possibility for more significant change in other areas of your life”.
Here is a list of "little" changes that can make a big impact on your
overall well-being

1) Changing up our daily outine can really do wonders for our psyche.
I like to play the “negative energy scavenger hunt” game where you
find all the things that drive you crazy and work to get rid of it.
This "cleaning out" process gives you an instant lift

2) Our thought patterns create neural pathways in our brains. You can
TRAIN your brain to think positively. Constantly reminding your brain
to think positive can become your natural way of thinking. Negative
thoughts consume a lot of our energy, so list three things you’re
grateful for every day

3) Little things add up: small changes can really make a big
difference when it comes to the shade of green! Switch to online
bills, use a reusable tote for groceries instead of plastic, don’t
waste water and turn off the lights when you leave the room

4) Save a life: give blood

5) Meditate in the morning. Starting with a daily dose of peaceful
practices will set a much better tone for your day than watching the
news, which usually tend to make you depressed. This may seem like
such a drag for a lot of us, but if you don't think of it as a chore
and think of the benefits that go along with meditation or just
setting a positive tone for the day, then you'll be more likely to get
out of bed early and actually look forward to it.

6) Turn down the noise: don’t answer every email the second it
arrives, watch less TV. Write down what you really want to do, because
writing bridges the subconscious with the conscious.

7) Meet new people: bringing new people into your life leads you to
new experiences and new ideas. You never know who might be of help in
the future. Keep in contact with everybody. Remember their birthdays
(or write it down if you are like me with no memory), their likes and
dislikes, memories you had together, inside jokes etc. It feels great
to receive a birthday or a holiday card from someone you haven’t
spoken to in a while, especially if the card includes a personal
message, a memory, an inside joke. Brings back good memories.

8) Hug someone every day. “Hugging decreases levels of stress hormones
and lowers blood pressure”. For all you animal lovers, cuddling with a
pet counts! But pets do the magic by their mere presence.

9) Fidget-cise: Keep moving throughout the day: squats while you brush
your teeth, push-ups on the counter while waiting for your toast or
tea kettle. This boost circulation throughout your body and you get a
mini workout!

Don't forget change is eternal, perpetual, immortal. You can't escape
it, so just roll with it and have a FABULOUS 2010!!!

After a long and torturous kick-boxing class, I realized that this is happening more and more throughout the gyms everywhere - multitasking your workouts. Americans have gotten so used to multitasking on the daily routines: operating a vehicle, cell phone to their ear, coffee in their hand, trying to have a simultaneous conversation with a clerk lady through the drive-thru window. It's insane how much brain power we need to fuel two conversations at once and think about which road we are going to turn on next or which train we need to catch. So, why not apply the same concept when it comes to toning your body?

We strategize throughout the day without even realizing it ... how to get the most value out of the least amount of time. We want to accomplish so much in a day and still have the energy to come home and be able to cook dinner, talk to our significant others/roommates or/and friends.

Multitasking usually keeps you fired up throughout the day, but you may be drained by the evening. You might think a lot gets done when you multitask, but a study conducted by Stanford researchers Eyal Ophir, Clifford Nass and Anthony Wagner says it isn't so.

The researchers are still studying whether chronic media multitaskers are born with an inability to concentrate or are damaging their cognitive control by willingly taking in so much at once. But they're convinced the minds of multitaskers are not working as well as they could.

"When they're in situations where there are multiple sources of information coming from the external world or emerging out of memory, they're not able to filter out what's not relevant to their current goal," said Wagner, an associate professor of psychology. "That failure to filter means they're slowed down by that irrelevant information."

So even though when it comes to texting, reading a book, watching TV and trying to pay attention to a conversation might be a bad idea, when it comes to exercising, it's beneficial to multitask throughout your workout. The multitask workout includes the moves that combine muscles in the upper body and lower body simultaneously, while putting you a little off-balance for core strengthening. Then you can add cardio intervals between moves for a total body workout.

These moves will cut your work-out time in half.

1) Leg Lunges and Bicep Curls

Start with 15 right leg lunges forward (be sure to step far in front, landing heel-then-toe and keeping the right knee directly over the ankle as you lower.) It becomes a multi-tasker by adding front bicep curls when you come back to a standing position. Use weights heavy enough for you to feel challenged after 15 reps. Keep your abs tight. Lower the weights as you lunge forward again.

2) Leg Lunges and Tricep French Press

Do 15 left leg lunges forward while lifting one or two heavy weights overhead into a tricep french press. You do this by bringing your weights together overhead and bending the elbows. The weight is now behind your neck. Lunge forward. As you bring the left leg back to stand tall, lift the weight back overhead by extending the elbows. Be sure to keep the arms right next to your head and elbows pointing forward, not out to the sides.

3) Plea Squat Shoulder Press

Assume a plea squat position by standing with feet wider than shoulder width apart and toes pointed out to the sides. Bend knees at a 90 degree angle so that your knees are directly over the heels and your waist is almost at knee level. Engage your abs, start a shoulder overhead press with the weights in your hands, palms facing forward, in line with your ears. Straighten the elbows and press weights to the ceiling as you straighten the legs. Bring weights back down and end at your ear level, as you squat back toward the floor, taking care not to bounce weights into your shoulders. Do the plea squat shoulder press for 15 reps.

Do one minute of jumping jacks or simulated jump rope between each numbered move. Repeat 1-3 for a total of 3 sets. You will work quads, glutes, triceps, biceps, shoulders, inner thighs and abs.

4) Outer-Thigh Lift and a One-Arm-Outside Bicep Curl

The first move is an outer-thigh lift and a one-arm-outside bicep curl. Balance on your right leg, lift the left straight leg to the side, this gets the hip abductor working.

At the same time, lift the right hand holding a heavy weight to the side for an outside bicep curl. Feel the abs engage. Do 15 reps and repeat on the other side.

5) Upperback, Abs and Outerthighs

The next move works upperback, abs and outerthighs. Get down on your hands and knees. Use medium-sized weights and balance on them. Lift your right arm out to the side while lifting your bent left leg out to the left side (we call this the hydrant, get it?).

Do 15 this way, then switch and lift the left arm and right leg at the same time. Notice how your abs have to contract as you lift.

6) Bench Press

Finally, lay on your back with heavy weights in your hands, elbows bent at 90 degrees. Align your wrists directly over your elbow, getting ready for a bench press. (Your arms should look like goal posts.) You'll simply straighten the arms to lift the weights towards the sky, and then bend the elbows back to 90 degrees, keeping the wrists above the elbows. At the same time.

Bend the legs and put your feet flat on the floor. As you lift the weights for a chest press, you will engage your glutes, quads and abdominals to lift the hips as high as you can off the floor. Lower hips and hands at the same time. Do 15 reps.

Finish with another set of jumping jacks or jump rope!

You can really get creative and strategize your workout to fit your needs. If you have your own favorite upper body exercises, mix them in with you not-so-favorite lower body moves, so the good will offset the bad. By the end of the workout, you might realize you actually LIKE what you didn't before. Your brain will not be so focused on the not-so-favorite while you are mixing in the fun moves.

Have a blast!

 

Sex is everywhere in the media but in some cases it’s still looked at with disgust or in other cases a bit of embarrassment. Not many of us realize how our sexuality adds to our life and enhances our life and our health. According to experts, sex promotes both our physical and psychological health.

 

Good sex in a healthy, stable, monogamous relationship can only better our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well being. Here are just a few reasons (out of 237 reasons collected by University of Texas researchers and published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior) to hit the sheets tonight. Each one of these benefits is backed by scientific scrutiny.

 

• Stress relief – Sex increases levels of oxytocin and stimulates the feelings of warmth and relaxation. What better way to unwind from a tough day than sharing its most climactic moment with your special someone? According to Stuart Brody, professor of psychology at the University of the West of Scotland. Brody's team monitored 24 women and 22 men who were exposed to stressful situations, such as speaking in public and doing verbal arithmetic, and kept records of their sexual activity. Those who had intercourse had better responses to stress than those who engaged in other sexual behaviors or abstained. Yet other research found a link between partner hugs and lower blood pressure in women.
• Weight loss – Forget torturing yourself with the latest fad diet or hours on the elliptical machine when you can burn about 85 calories in 30 minutes of sex! Lovemaking lends itself to improved strength, flexibility, muscle tone, and cardiovascular conditioning. Plus, there’s something super sexy about getting to sleep with your very own “personal trainer.” “Sex is a great mode of exercise.” says Patti Britton, PhD, a Los Angeles sexologist and president of the American Association of Sexuality Educators and Therapists.
• Pain management – Forgo popping a pain killer and opt for something a bit more “au naturel.” Sex has been shown to offer migraine and menstrual cramp relief, as well as alleviate chronic back pain thanks to the endorphins and corticosteroids released during sexual arousal and orgasm.
• Immune booster – Having sex several times a week has been linked with raising levels of the antibody immunoglobulin A (IgA), which helps ward off colds, according to researchers at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Stop spending late nights at the office! Sexually active people take fewer sick days, giving the phrase “working late” an entirely new meaning.
• Better heart health. A little bit of heart and soul in the sack should be part of every doctor’s orders when it comes to cardiovascular care. English researchers found fear of a stroke during sex is groundless. They followed 900 men for 20 years and found no connection. On the other hand, they found that the men who had sex at least twice a week reduced their risk of a heart attack by half compared to men who had it less than once a month. Sex may help lower cholesterol and the risk of a heart attack!
• Increased self-esteem and intimacy. When sex is consistent and involves mutual pleasure, it can increase bonding since the surge in oxytocin at orgasm stimulates feelings of affection, intimacy, and closeness. When spiritual in nature, sex can lead to an even better quality of life and stronger relationship. Is it any wonder that good sexual energy in a positive relationship can make you feel better about yourself, your partner, and life in general? "Oxytocin allows us to feel the urge to nurture and to bond," Britton says.
• Better sleep – Oxytocin is at the forefront again — it helps both men and women sleep, which in turn promotes healthy weight and blood pressure. There’s no need to count sheep when sex, including masturbation, helps insomnia. Plus, making love sure beats tossing and turning your way to zzzz’s.
• A better, younger looking you – Sex keeps you looking and feeling younger and, according to some research, may lead to shiny hair, a glowing complexion and bright eyes. This is because it increases the youth-promoting hormone DHEA (dehydroepiandrostone). And feeling more attractive charges your sex life even more. The snowball effect definitely applies here: the more you get, the more you want J
• Mood lifter – Sex releases pleasure-inducing endorphins during arousal and climax that can relieve depression and anxiety, and increase vibrancy.
• Longevity – There is a significant relationship between frequency of orgasm and risk of death, especially with men. Men who orgasm two times a week have a 50 percent lower chance of mortality than those who climax one time per month.
• Decreased risk of breast cancer – One study of women who had never given birth found that an increased frequency of sexual intercourse was correlated with a decrease in the incidence of breast cancer.
• Reproductive health benefits – According to at least one study, sex appears to decrease a man’s risk of prostate cancer, and the prevention of endometriosis in women. It also promotes fertility in women by regulating menstrual patterns.

 

In a nutshell, the health benefits of sex in a good, solid relationship are practically endless. Yet, in planning our New Year’s resolutions, how many of us are declaring, “I think I’ll have more sex with my lover” in fulfilling any 2010 health and self-improvement goals?

 

While exercise on a regular basis is important to your health, sex can do so much more for you and your relationship. So before signing any dotted line for a new gym membership, consider how time allotted to an athletic club could be far more effective in your boudoir.