every day is every day is NEW YEAR'S DAY stop starting over

Let me guess: you

hit the road running in the new year and now find yourself back at square one, sitting on the couch, sore from head to toe and feeling defeated? One of the most common mistakes people make in the start of the new year is flipping a complete 360 on their nutrition and exercise, which then turns into a flop. So now what? Get off your couch and focus your energy on creating an individual plan built for gradual progressions so that you are able to sustain the shifts you are incorporating into your life. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so expecting a complete body transformation overnight is impossible. Stop starting over!

Every day is New Year’s Day which allows you to begin a healthy lifestyle at any moment. Our society has become overly fixated on a date to make significant changes. However, some individuals are not adequately prepared, or may have under-anticipated what is required to successfully sustain a healthy regimen. According to Forbes magazine, only 8 percent of people who make New Year’s resolutions are successful in maintaining exercise on a regular basis. Also, did you know that most individuals fall off the “resolution wagon,” on Super Bowl Sunday? So, when the Vikings make the Super Bowl this year, I can only imagine how many of you will be living it up, well most of you anyway (keep in mind I am a positive thinker and hoping that when you read this, my prediction is correct). Listed below are tips to help you design a program to help you burn fat, increase energy and look/feel like the beast you want to release from the inside out. #noexcuses

Nutrition

1. Meal Prep

Chop your vegetables immediately after grocery shopping and plan for your protein ahead of time. Most healthy meals on average take between 7-15 minutes to prepare, when planned in advance.

2. Eat every three hours (breakfast, a.m. snack, lunch, p.m. snack, dinner)

3. Balance a protein-fat-carbohydrate for every meal/snack (blood sugar stabilization)

4 Always pack a meal-readiness kit for your snacks and lunches (knocking out the “hangry” monster)

5. Drink water consistently throughout the day

EXERCISE Variation is Key

Find what exercises you enjoy while incorporating other classes or training that your body may be craving. Plateaus usually occur when an individual gets stuck on a set point of what they are doing for an exercise program. Imagine your body being put on cruise control and not being forced to adjust speeds. If your exercise of choice is walking on a treadmill at 3 mph for 60 minutes daily, yes, it is great for your heart along with additional health benefits. However, your body has become accustomed to train at the same workload and has no other choice but to eventually plateau. If you choose to train the same, your body will stay the same. Check out some of the upcoming events that you could participate in to not only improve your health, but also to raise awareness within the community.

Adequate Sleep

Without adequate sleep your adrenal gland, which is part of the endocrine system, suffers; thus preventing the five systems in your body from running effectively. Lack of sleep prevents proper metabolizing of nutrients and will slow down fat loss. Sleep is essential, so turn off zombie mode and crank up the fat burning machine by maximizing your time on the pillow.

Each of the above components will help you reach and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Remember every day is New Year’s Day, so stop starting over and start moving forward. [ aw ]

5K CHAKRA WALK / RUN

If you are looking to set a new short-term goal, check out the inaugural 5K Chakra Walk/Run, which I’ve had the pleasure of co-organizing with Sue Bertsch. The Chakra Run’s mission is to raise awareness for domestic violence and abuse. Strengthen your body while strengthening your community! Cheers to owning the moment, taking control of the day and your life.

TO REGISTER OR TO LEARN MORE about the Chakra Run go to chakrarun.com

Five dollars of each registration fee will be donated to the Fargo Police Department’s Unity Program for youth. We appreciate your support.

HEART ATTACK SIGNS in women

As with men, the most common heart-attack symptom in women is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/ vomiting and back or jaw pain, says the American Heart Association.

Even though heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States, women often chalk up the symptoms to less life-threatening conditions, like acid reflux, the flu or normal aging.

If you have any of these signs of a heart attack, call 911 and get to a hospital right away:

• Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.

• Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

• Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.

• Other signs, such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

GO RED for WOMEN LUNCHEON

Learn how to reduce your risk of heart disease while helping raise money for the American Heart Association at the Go Red for Women luncheon on Feb. 15 in Fargo.

Essentia Health is a major sponsor of the Heart Association’s event that features speakers, a vendor fair and a silent auction. Mary Wentz is among the heart attack survivors who will share their stories.

The luncheon begins at 11 a.m. in the Radisson Hotel, 201 Fifth St. N. in Fargo. The event supports the Heart Association's life-saving research, education and community programs that benefit women in North Dakota.

Tickets cost $100. Go to heart.org/FargoGoRed.