How alcohol affects health and fitness

In this science episode, we discuss alcohol. It’s a topic that comes quite often when I deal with my clients. They ask whether they can consume alcohol in their health and fitness journey. The answer, that isn't really an answer for this question is “it depends.”

A March 2013 study found that the chronic alcohol consumption reduces testosterone and increases cholesterol, both of which are not good for muscle growth and muscle retention. Therefore, chronic use of alcohol is not recommended. Moderate alcohol consumption may be okay. But you need to understand what is moderate. Just to give you a number, something less than 7 drinks a week should be okay.

There are other studies that may help you set your strategy. A March 2015 study on “Alcohol, Obesity and Loss of Strength” found alcohol use reduces our strength. Another 2015 study on “the lifestyle factors in associated with successful weight-loss” found that losing weight is co-related with a healthier lifestyle which includes drinking less alcohol.

After seeing results like this, it may seem like it is best to quit drinking entirely. But that may not be practical. So, the goal should be to build healthy habits that we can keep over time. Gradual changes of habits are more sustainable, which will lead to a healthier lifestyle.

So, an individual needs to determine what is going to work for him or her. One perfect way to deal with alcohol is treating it like sugar. Sugar is one of the things that create fat in our body. Alcohol works almost exactly the same way.

Links for further reading:

Nutrition and Metabolism Article

Springer Article 

T and F Online

Now you are better informed of how you should deal with alcohol in your health and fitness journey.

The fountain of life – water

Music used for the podcast Intro and Outro: http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

Emotional roadblocks in health and fitness | Ellen Shuman

Ellen Shuman is an emotional eating recovery coach who specializes in removing emotional barriers to achieving health goals. Her work focuses on teaching emotional regulation tools to those who have trouble being present and following through.

Sometimes people experience emotional roadblocks that threaten to derail their progress in achieving their health and fitness goals. This issue is not simply a case of laziness. Conversely, many people who experience these roadblocks are hypervigilant in other areas of their lives.

The issue is more often about having the ability to tolerate moments in one’s life—feelings, tasks, disappointments, stress. When these roadblocks are not well-tolerated, there can be difficulty in following through with an exercise routine. When people experience these problems, they feel the need to distract themselves from the present moment. And exercise is actually a totally mindful act—one in which the participant must be fully present. The resistance comes from the desire to disconnect. They don’t want to be mindful, and that desire is stronger than the desire to follow through on their health goals.

So how can people overcome these roadblocks and this desire to disconnect?

Get connected first thing in the morning

Make your bed. Adopt a meditation routine. Take a simple action that will make you feel a sense of accomplishment, which will turn on your mindfulness switch for the day.

Do a daily self-check on goals

Use PENSO: physical intention, emotional intention, nutritional intention, spiritual or social intention, and outstanding/other/opportunity. Address each area once per day.

Feel competent and confident

Feel confident that you can create the day you want to create.

The need to go mindless dissipates when you are mindful. If you are willing to tolerate being in the present moment and live mindfully, it will increase your possibility of following through.

Want to learn more about Ellen Shuman and removing emotional roadblocks? Learn more at www.aweighout.com or join her free telephone seminar on Sundays at 4pm ET. You can also reach her directly at (513) 321-4242 for a free assessment for coaching.

Habits and failure

Music used for the podcast Intro and Outro: http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

Your brain on exercise

What happens to your brain on exercise?   Scientists and doctors have long speculated the relationship between physical fitness and cognitive function.   Recently published studies helped to clarify the relationship between physical fitness and its impact on long-term cognitive function.

As you age, improving cardiovascular fitness is critical and if you are not taking steps to improve it you are selling yourself short in many ways.   A part of your lifestyle as you get older is your ability to function mentally, so by improving your cardiovascular fitness, you will also support a healthy cognitive state.

One way to get started is with a walk.   A simple walk where your heart rate is up but yet you can still talk is a great place to start. As you get more fit, you may need to increase the intensity or volume of the work, but you will see consistent improvement with consistent effort.

Also, test your current cognitive level with puzzles or using opposite hands for simple daily tasks, taking into consideration how easy or difficult it is for you. For example, if you normally brush your teeth with your right hand, try doing it with your left hand.   These mixes will help your cognition but will also help you understand where you are today. and then you can take the steps necessary to make improvements.

The studies have shown that you will benefit your brain on exercise. This concept is life changing, and as we get older, we want to be able to maintain our mental faculties and I encourage you to get out there and get moving and adding cardiovascular work such as walking to your daily health and fitness routine.

Music used for the podcast Intro and Outro: http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

The secret to successful weight loss and fitness

What is the Secret to Successful Weight Loss?   Why is it that we often don’t succeed in our fitness and weight loss journey?   Perhaps we should consider the words we use and emotional connections we experience on the weight loss and fitness journey.

We have all been there before.   We make a resolution and run out of the starting gate with great resolve and strength, only to fail after a few weeks. Do you know that 92% of resolutions fail? The link below takes you to a Forbes article that tries to help you be in that 8% but these are slim odds. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2013/01/01/just-8-of-people-achieve-their-new-years-resolutions-heres-how-they-did-it/#2a0a15c4304c)

Often we blame ourselves for failing the fitness journey, saying we are weak or have no willpower. Yet willpower is finite and the more we rely on it, the more we are destined to fail. Here is a link to a recent article in Wired on willpower

http://www.wired.com/2012/10/mf-willpower/.   And why can’t we stay motivated to work out and exercise?

Consider the word “commitment”.   A commitment comes from an emotional base and it is an internal, deep feeling which is felt deep within our hearts and soul. Getting healthy and fit is 10% physical and 90% emotional. Connecting with the emotion behind your commitment is the secret to successful weight loss.

Commitments often have anchors which set us up for success and accountability.    Anchors are things like ceremonies, rituals or symbols, such as wedding rings, Valentine’s Days, births and family traditions.   Setting personal anchors in which you are emotionally bound and make sense for you is key to weight loss success.

Commitment is what transforms us, and the emotional binding to that commitment is the secret to successful weight loss.

https://40plusfitnesspodcast.com/3-ps-health-fitness/

Motivate Me | Lynette Renda

Music used for the podcast Intro and Outro: http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music