Me Fit Health for the Future
GET YOUR FITTEST FIT EVER!
LIFE, KIDS AND BRAIN INJURY: ONE MOM’S JOURNEY TO BE HEALTHY
ARE YOU A BEACHBODY BODY? GLUTEN FREE OR WHEAT BELLY FREE?
Get Your Fittest FIT Ever!
Table of Contents Get your fittest FIT ever!
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A guide to achieving a fit mind and body with tips on how to stay on track and make this lifestyle change as easy as pie. The non-fattening kind of pie. By Leslie Carlyle.................................................................33
A Mom’s Journey to be Healthy
One woman’s battle to come back to a healthy lifestyle after suffering from a traumatic brain injury. Her story on how to take it one step at a time and be successful. From the Editor..................................................................65
Are you a Beachbody body?
The latest craze for exercise. Beachbody. A quick and easy guide on how to get a beach body and be ready to put on that bathing suit and enjoy summer fun. By Chevy Morrison...........................................................22
Gluten free or wheat belly free?
What are the benefits of following a gluten free diet. What are the drawbacks if you are not gluten intolerant. By Emily Poseneck............................................................40
How healthy are your kids’ lunches?
Ever wonder which is better? Pack your kid their lunch or have them eat in the school cafeteria. This will help guide you to making sure your kids’ will eat a healthy lunch. From the Editor..................................................................60
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Life, kids and Brain Injury: One Mom’s Journey to be Healthy
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icture this… it’s 3:00 pm… you are sitting on your couch watching TV when suddenly you realize that you forgot to pick up the kids at school. Then you realize that you forgot to feed the dog and clean the house and start making dinner. Can you imagine how frustrating that would be as well as overwhelming? This is something I go through everyday… because I have a brain injury. Memory loss is the number one symptom of my injury that I deal with every day. Constantly making lists, constant “ding” from reminders on my phone. And above all of this, when do I have time to exercise… you know that thing you are supposed to do to stay healthy?
About Me
Let me give you some background first. A few years ago, I was a fitness star, or at least I felt like one. I exercised every day, slept well most nights and ate as healthy as I could. Then in one instance, my life changed. My husband and I were getting our then, three year son ready for preschool. As I am gliding around the house, something I did every morning, I tripped over a baby gate and hit the kitchen floor. My husband reached out to grab me, but that effort was moot. My face bounced off of the floor and my body laid there stiff, like a sack falling on the floor. I suffered a concussion, the first one which caused (continue to page 65)
xercising is an important way to stay healthy and fit. You need a clear diet plan which consists of healthy green and protein to allow your body to adjust to the healthy toxicants’ that salads and chicken/fish can bring to your diet. Exercise is also an activity that should be done daily, at least 20 mins. a day. It’s essential that your body get a good amount of exercise in order to release endorphins, which allow you to sleep better and feel better every day. To get the fittest fit ever, our experts suggest a daily regime of walking, cardio and/or strength training to maintain a balanced, healthy lifestyle. You first must begin with the right mindset to begin your exercise routine. Start with the right attitude. Remember that your mind is a muscle, which is very strong. Believe that you can begin a healthy lifestyle and make it happen. Try incorporating your exercise regimen into your life…make it a habit. Keep track of your progress and be proud of all you have completed. Use a fit journal, it will help you with your progress and allow you to see results. Watch what you each day and log it. If you feel a little lousy, then look at what you have eaten and chose whether or not to eat that food again. If you overindulge…don’t beat yourself up. It happens and just adjust your intake of calories each day.
Committed Goals Next, commit to yourself that you will have a goal and you want to meet it. If you say to yourself that you will walk for 30 mins. a day, then commit to that. Make the exercise fun and think of different ways on how you can get in some daily exercise. Think about walking, running, exercise tapes and even bowling will increase your heart-rate. Also think about getting
a partner to workout with. The more people that you exercise with, the more fun it will be. Work on your schedule and even think about putting together a money pot to make your goals even more interesting. Remember to make your exercise routine your daily routine. Think about changing your daily schedule. Instead of taking the bus, consider walking or riding a bike. Consider walking your dog more often, which not only gives your dog more exercise, but also allows you to get outside and moving. Cleaning your house is another way of increasing your flexibility and keeping i n shape. Cleaning bathrooms and kitchens on a regular basis can get your heartbeat up. Try putting on music and dance a little while you do it…but make sure the neighbors aren’t watching.
Other Activities At hand Extracurricular activities are another way to exercise. Think about joining a sports team in your community and/or with other people. Meeting weekly with a team encourages consistency with your workouts. Do not forget during your exercises to stay hydrated. Your body need fuel, especially water, so consider drinking at least six to eight bottles of water each day. This allows your body to re-energize your body. Eating right is also an important factor with getting fit. Consider eating whole grains, because it is very healthy and delicious. Look into eating a good amount of daily vegetables and fruits. Try making each meal contain half vegetables and fruits. Eat lean proteins, which include seafood at least once a week, beans, eggs and leant chicken and turkey. These are healthy heart meals that you can add to your diet. Remember to stay away from the sugar! If you eat foods that are high on
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Think about meeting with other members on a regular basis to help each other meet your goals. There are some gyms that cost little to nothing for a membership.
consider getting goofy with your routines. Check out local mud runs or color races in your area. Mud runs are runs that you run in mud. It’s a messy activity, Within a gym, you can use equipment which but a lot of fun with friends. Color races are themed tracks your distance and calories burned while runs where you get splattered with brightly colored watching your favorite program. Most paint. This is a different way to increase gyms have televisions accessible to “Believe that your heartbeat while having fun. users to watch while completing your you can begin Body Tone workouts. Some bikes come equipped with shows to watch as well as mock a healthy To tone all over, considering creating trails to ride or walk. This allows the a strength routine. For two to three lifestyle user for a more real life experience. times a week, try a strength routine, and make it consisting or several weights to work While at your gym or exercising on your own, think about how technology can the muscles of your body. Start with happen.” help you. In today’s advancements, there an overhead press, which works your are wearable fitness trackers that that can monitor hamstrings, butt, abs, quadriceps and shoulders. your progress as you move through your goals. There To complete this routine, stand with your feet are also Fitbits, which can monitor heart rate, calories shoulder-width apart and your elbows bent with burned and distances. When you are unsure on the a 5 lb. weight in each of your hands. Then lower amount you are putting into your workouts, try using yourself into a squat position and hold. Lift your one of these devices to help your progress. You can elbows up, bending and do 15 reps of each for 2 sets. also track how many calories are burned through the A bicep curl is another fantastic way to get fit. Stand computer, which can also track weight loss each week. with your right foot on a sturdy bench with your 5lb While you are working on your exercise routine, weights in your hand, then lift your right foot so that the glycemic index, your fat cells will store the sugar rather than the healthy fats that you should be eating.
exercise, at least 30 seconds in between to give your body a break. Short bursts of exercises can elevate your serotonin levels, which perk up your mood. It has been studied that depression can be decreased by walking, jogging or biking for 30 mins three times a week.
Keep your house stocked with the right food. Cravings are evident, but if you have almonds in your cupboard instead of junk food, then you are more apt to eat healthier. Try drinking water before you eat. Professional Trainers & Gyms Sometimes water will crush those cravings and make Consider hiring a trainer as you begin your you feel fuller. Don’t forget to let your “A good workout regime. If you are newcomer to body rest. Determine how many hours you fitness, you may need even more guidance should be sleeping. Go to bed at the same trainer on your way to being healthy. A good time, which aides in your daily routine. can make trainer can make you more accountable If you do not get enough sleep, then your increase your motivation. The cost of immune system is more apt to getting you more and a trainer could be expensive, however the sick. Sleeping too little is also linked to overeating. Do not deprive yourself from accountable benefits will most likely outweigh the money. sleep. Sleep gives you energy, which will If a trainer is not the way you want to go, and increase then help you for your workouts the next day. consider joining a health club. There are several clubs around the world that your Another way to get fit is through weight and cardio training. Circuit training is motivation.” have amazing gyms with state of the art equipment. When you enter a gym, you a great way to get your heartbeat up. Try enter a family of other people who have the same goals jumping rope by counting to ten, then do 10 pushups are you. As you begin to frequent these places more, followed by 10 crunches. After you do this for a week the people and workers begin to know your name and or so, consider increasing the repetition to twenty they understand your goals and what you are working jumping jacks, followed by 20 push-ups and 20 toward. They may also understand your struggle. crunches. Make sure you take a break in between each
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(Life, kids and Brain Injury: One Mom’s Journey to be Healthy continued from page 4) frontal temporal lobe damage. My brain had literally hit the front my skull and bounced back to the back of my skull, who knows how many times. The next year was a blur as I lost sleep, memories from my past and basically felt like I lost my mind. Six months later I suffered another concussion, smaller though continuing to cause damage to my brain. I also gave up on exercising. I lost my will to stay healthy. I began eating junk food, fast food, stopped cooking healthy for my family and completely gave up on any type of healthy lifestyle. My life changed mentally and physically and I could not deal with the idea of eating healthy. Who does this, I thought? Not me! And then it was summer, and I realized the weight I had put on and how bad I was eating. I chose not to give up on my health, especially since I felt that my brain had given up on me. So I thought…how can I get healthy again while taking care of my brain? Hmmmm… maybe I could walk? Could I do that?
you raise your left thigh. Do this for 15 reps as well for 2 sets. The superman pose will work your back and butt, toning them by doing 3 sets of 15 reps each. Lie face down on the ground with your arms and legs extended. Inhale as you raise your arms and legs as high as you can, then exhale to the starting position. This tightens and shapes well if consistently done.
Beauty Sleep & Rest As mentioned above…sleep is an important part of the exercise…get fit process. Try and get at least eight hours of sleep each night. Exercise is good for improving the length and depth of your sleep. Try some type of cardio between 5 and 7 in the evening for at least 30 mins. By doing this, you can increase your endorphins and allow for a cool down before bedtime, which allows your body to relax more. How can you stay motivated while maintaining your exercise routine? Think about a goal, like a 5K or 10K that you would consider running in the future. Make exercise a habit. Get up earlier and lay everything out for a morning routine. If you are consistent with waking up every morning and getting out of bed, this will give you the initiative
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to follow through. Try not to hit the snooze button as research suggests that a few extra mins after you hit the snooze button will make you more tired. How long will it take you to make a routine a habit? Research suggests that it takes 21 days for something to become a habit, though many personal trainers disagree and say it takes longer… more like six weeks. They say that if you continue to stick with an exercise routine, you will be more opt to continue following that routine after you see results. Seeing the results and the changes to health and body increase your self-esteem and give you a natural high, which you will appreciate more. Good luck on your fitness goals and remember to never give up on your dreams and your healthy attitude towards life. By Leslie Carlyle
Yes, I can do that. In the span of two months, I lost twenty pounds. It felt amazing! I had my waist back and I was feeling so much better about myself. It was beautiful walking up stairs and not being out of breath. If you are a mom, you know how strenuous it can be to run around after children each day. So how did I do this? It took a lot of will power and a schedule with healthy choices. The main change was my lunches which used to consist of pizza rolls or huge pasta dinners. Now I turn to almonds, cheese and soup and salad. But exercise was the most difficult part! Where do I start? It began with walking, walking, and more walking. I attempted Beachbody workouts, but they were too much for me to follow. My brain injury caused confusion and concentration to be very difficult. Watching the workouts and trying to keep up became very difficult for me. There was too much going on for me. So I walked. I walked every single day for an hour and suddenly I realized I had a waist and my legs were getting in shape…it was amazing! This was also something I could control.
during that time. I would day dream and watch the birds and leaves fall. It was peaceful and because I stayed with it, I ended up losing the weight. I made simple changes to my daily routine and it worked. Whether you are in my situation or not, this plan can work for you. I know as a mom that we all run very busy and crazy lives. I have overcome some many life changing obstacles and I’m still writing my own journey every day. If you make simple changes to your life, then you can do it to. When you go through something so traumatic, it is difficult to get yourself back up and go for it. Think of how amazing you can feel…just by taking a walk. If you cannot workout in front of the TV, then try other ways to get healthy. You can roller skate, walk, jog, bike ride and even go bowling! I have learned through this process that if you put your mind to and stick to a routine that you will get the results. It’s a routine that is key. So if you are going through something right now, know that you are not alone and you can come out of it healthy and happy and be able to walk up those stairs without feeling out of breath. Change a little bit of your diet, and always stay positive. If I could do it…so can you! From the Editor
My days consisted of getting the kids to school, breakfast, which consisted of an omelet, then walking. The breeze felt amazing in fall and the snow, though challenging to walk through, felt like crystals. Walking was something I could get away from and clear my mind. It was simple and did not allow me to, honestly, “use” my brain. I had nothing to concentrate on, which allowed my brain to be at rest, which is what I needed
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