Health and Nutrition That Is AboveNBeyond

In recent articles, I talked about the importance of getting active. Ok, now I am going to put you on the spot here.
Are you one that goes to work every day, come home, watch TV and/or go out with the guys/girls now and then? Is that kind of what describes your week? You can still do that, but, why not change your activity? Getting active can be even more intense if you do it with a group of people. There is more to activity than just the hand and elbow coordination at your local bar or where ever. I’m not suggesting to stop certain activities, though that would be a bonus.

Regardless what you are doing each week, there are many ways to get active and have a great time. Wouldn’t it be neat to find an activity that you have fun doing and burn calories at the same time especially if it is with a group of friends? Not to say that you can’t do something by yourself, but with some friends it only magnifies it’s effectiveness. This is one of the reasons why I like running in races. I run with lots of people and it’s competitive too.

If you are able to get active with friends, you are even more likely to continue getting active then if you are doing it alone. Though, that never stopped me. Think of the calories you’ll burn off during your activities.

So, regardless of your activity, doing it solo or with friends, getting active can really aide in loosing those pounds thus helping with weight management. Best of all, some activities don’t cost a thing to do. It doesn’t cost me anything to go for a run except the time it takes to do it.

So, what’s your next move?

A lot of the times when I am running, I am also training for my next race. So, if you feel that your activity is lacking something, perhaps, you should consider kicking it up a notch and add racing to your activity. Racing an be advantageous in many ways. You can make new friends, help with your fitness goals and more. You don’t have to be a runner, to take part in racing. Biking and kayaking are other ways to get involved in racing. Not sure what to do, just google it. By adding racing to your sport or activity, you make it more fun and worthwhile to do. It then becomes more of your life than just doing it for the sense of fitness. There is also Trail Running & Racing to add even more of a spice to racing. This adds more challenges to more than just running on the pavement. Now, you don’t have to jump right into marathons or huge races. Start small, like 5k’s for running or other small courses and then build yourself up. When I started racing, I only did 5k’s for a while until I got brave to advance to 10k’s.

If you’ve never raced before and in this case, for runners, after paying your entry free, you’ll get a FREE T-Shirt or other item as suggested by the event of your choice. Usually, those who placed by age group get an award for 1st, 2nd or 3rd place finishers. Some events even have door prizes. Some races have food and refreshments at the end of the race (usually water, fruit’s & bagels).

Racing adds competitiveness to your sport and makes it a fun and exciting workout to take part in. Who said fitness had to be boring? Oh, and by the way, how old is to old to race? I was in my mid 30’s when I was a newbie to running in races.

When it comes to being active, Winter is kind of like a weekend for some. Lots of people slow down this time of year. While the weather can really interfere with outdoor events and activities, if you can’t be out, stay in! There are ways to continue to staying active. Treadmills, and other machines plus weights and other accessories. I don’t get out and run as much, but, I still get out when I can and when I can’t I stay in for my workouts. This can be a good time of year to begin building up for the rest of the year. What a better way to beat the winter blues. You don’t have to be a runner to get active this time of year, indoors or out. For indoors, you can weight lift, exercise, use an Ab-Lounger, Treadmill, jump rope etc. There are many options. You can find other ideas on such sites like Runners World and Men’s Health / Women’s Fitness.

You don’t have to be a runner to get active. There are plenty of other activities to do in order to burn those calories. I’m a runner, and everything I do tends to gravitate to the sport of running. But, you don’t have to be like me, just be yourself! When trying to find something to do to get yourself active, you need to consider what you want and if others you know (or don’t know) are doing it. I chose running and none of my friends are into it. so, I end up running by myself all the time. If being by yourself is ok, then that is fine, but you need to think about that when making your choice. There are plenty of different types of activities or options to choose from ranging from joining a gym/health club, basketball, biking, racquetball , volleyball, swimming etc. The list is actually endless with the possibilities out there. If you are not sure what you want to do, just google it and find something that interests you.

Think you don’t have time? How long does it take to ride a bike, take a walk or go for a run? The answer is that it’s up to you! Just start out slow and easy and you may just surprise yourself. Don’t let the thief of time rob you of your passions. Excuses are just words and don’t have any weight unless you accept them.

There are many forms of addiction, and some are not that bad. In fact, there is one addiction that is actually really good for you. The addiction that I’m talking about is the one that comes from “Getting Active”. Here is a true example and this one is about me:

In 1995, I joined a local gym because of being depressed and needed to get out. It did help a little, but, it wasn’t until I discovered running that the real cure came. I can’t promise that this works for everyone, but, it sure did for me. Running for me had such an effect that it became addictive. In 1997, I started to race in local 5k and 10k races as the addiction grew. Talk about the feeling of being revitalized. Now, over 14 years later, I’m still running and racing and have no intentions of stopping anytime soon.

By getting active, and not necessarily with running, you actually find that your lifestyle starts to change. After a while, I stopped drinking beer and eating all the food that goes along with that sort of thing. With being active and making specific changes, your overall perspective, health, weight starts to change for the better. Now, I am not indicating that you give up all the foods that you like. Now and then I still eat pizza, I just don’t live off it With some foods, like Pizza, you need to start thinking about them as though it’s a treat to have now and then and not all the time. Some really like candy, but, can’t get enough of it. Candy isn’t meant to have every single day, for, it’s a treat to have. I love chocolate, and even consider myself to be a choco-holic, but I don’t have it all the time despite my love for it.

You see, by getting active, changes start happening. You start to get a picture of yourself going in a new direction and you start evolving that way. So, if you realize that you need to make some changes, how about start with getting active. You may just plant a seed that sprouts into something you can’t even imagine now.

This is a topic that effects nearly everyone in some way or another including myself. Motivation is the fire that gets one into action no matter the subject. Without motivation, nothing happens.
There can be more to Motivation than just the word:
M..Making the decision to get started
O..On going life style / not a diet
T..Training or some exercise, helps burn fat
I..Invest in yourself for a healthier You
V..Victory can be yours with consistent and sustained efforts
A..Action taken today can pay huge dividends tomorrow.
T..Testing yourself by pushing your boundries
I..Input….You are what you eat, you heard that before
O..Output….Your results in the lifestyle you choose
N..Nutritional needs met by a new lifestyle

Staying the course will get you closer to your goals and eventually you’ll make the shot!

While one could come up with other meanings using the letters from motivation, you can see the meaning of it. Whether it be weight loss, skin care, or some other personal topic, motivation can play an influential role in what you decide. It’s something though, when we think of investing, we rarely think of investing in ourselves. It’s usually stocks or bonds or something.