8 Things Healthy People Do

We all envy the members of the Healthy Club.

The Healthy Club?

You know, that elite group of healthy people who have discovered the elusive secrets of nutrition and fitness. They probably meet in an underground lair and bask in each others’ healthy glow. Jillian Michaels, JJ Virgin, and Shaun T are totally in it, obviously…and can’t forget about those beautiful celebrities, like Matthew McConaughey or Scarlett Johansson.

Politicians are invited too, like Michelle Obama (have you seen those arms?). And I’m pretty sure my neighbor is secretly a part of it. He just runs way too often. It’s unsettling.

We at Inspiyr had our own personal spy at the Healthy Club meeting. Sorry, our spy won’t tell where it is. He’s worried for his own safety if he’s discovered…who knows what those healthy people would do to him.

1. Healthy people go to the gym regularly…

Yes, that’s right! Our spy informed us of the shocking truth: that healthy people do, indeed, get off the couch sometimes and go to the gym. It turns out that in order to be healthy, you do have to move sometimes and get your heart rate going. To think I was trying to work off those calories by watching Netflix all day! Silly me.

2.  …but they don’t only pound away on the treadmill.

These elite healthy folks incorporate cardio, for sure. However, not just cardio. They lift weights, they bike, they swim, they move their bodies in whatever way their heart desires. But most times, they don’t just run.

Related: Why Burst Training is Your Best Fat Burning Workout

3. Healthy people don’t starve themselves…

Wow, you mean Jillian Michaels eats more than a cube of cheese and a grape for lunch to get that bod?

Yes, it’s true: healthy people eat. And they eat a lot. It turns out that your body actually needs fuel and can’t run off oxygen and dreams alone. And since these healthy people work out, their bodies need extra fuel, so they need to eat even more to replenish their bodies and help their sexy strong muscles regenerate into sexier, stronger muscles.

4. …but they also don’t eat processed “products”.

Our spy was shocked to learn that this elite, untouchable group did not eat more of those 100-calorie packs of Oreo-like cracker…things. They ate—brace yourself—unprocessed, natural foods. Fruits, veggies, and protein, oh my!

Related: Healthy Eating – The Benefits of Real Food

5. Healthy people get a good night’s sleep.

Turns out your body also needs to rest sometimes. God, it needs food and sleep? Unbelievable. Bodies are so needy nowadays.

6. Healthy people do all this stuff consistently.

Astonishingly, healthy people actually do this stuff all the time. Or at least, most of the time. They don’t just go to the gym when they’re feeling inspired, once a month or something. They go when they’re tired, when they’re feeling unmotivated, because they view it as something their body needs.

And they consistently eat well—they don’t just have a salad every so often and then wash it down with a bowl of mac and cheese. Apparently, the body reacts well to consistency.

Related: 7 Ways to Get Motivated to Exercise

7. Healthy people listen to and embrace their body.

Self-loathing is so totally not in right now. In the Healthy Club, members actually care about their bodies and view it as something amazing. After all, it does enable you to, you know, live. So they take care of it and love it, every part of it, every curve and every quirk, because it makes them unique.

8. Healthy people occasionally treat themselves.

In order to be part of the Healthy Club, members actually don’t have to sell their soul and their happiness and their first-born child. Guess they took that bit out of the requirements or something. Now, healthy people are allowed to have a cookie occasionally (without bursting into flames).

Related: How to Get in Shape in 5 Simple Steps

The Takeaway

Here’s the thing, folks: though it might feel like it sometimes, there isn’t an elite group of nutritious, healthy gods and goddesses who look down on you through their perfect noses for occasionally skipping a gym day (though I’m still not so sure about that neighbor of mine). Nor are there a set of secret codes to being fit, healthy, and trim. You can be healthy just by hitting the gym (but not just cardio!), eating lots of healthy food, and giving your body rest. But remember to treat yourself and love your body along the way.

 

15 Minute Full Body Workout

 

Try it out today!

 

10 Ways Fruits Fuel Weight Loss

Fill the bread basket with fruit instead, and you’ve made a smart move. With heart-healthy fiber, disease-fighting phytochemicals and zero cholesterol, fruit is a delicious way to improve your health. And better yet, it may also help you lose weight. Read how:

Eating to lose

Research shows that following positive weight-loss messages or diets that promote eating more of a certain food provide better results than following negative messages or diets that promote eating less of a certain food.

The best weight-loss plans let you eat as much as you like while satisfying hunger and reducing calorie intake. The trick is to choose foods with a lower energy density, or fewer calories per gram weight of the food. The more water and fiber in a food, the lower its energy density, and the more it helps you stay full as you reduce your calories consumed.

One of the best ways to fill up on foods with low energy density is to eat more fruit. But not just any fruit will do. Canned fruit packed in heavy syrup has twice the energy density of canned fruit packed in light syrup. Dried fruit has four times the energy density of fresh fruit, because almost all the water has been removed. The best choice is fresh, whole fruit for the least amount of calories and the highest amount of fullness and satisfaction. The top fruits for weight loss include grapefruit, melons (watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew), berries (strawberries, raspberries and blueberries), papaya and peach.

10 easy tricks to boost your fruit intake

According to MyPyramid.gov, women should aim for at least two cups of fruit per day; more if they’re physically active. Here are some suggestions to help you boost your fruit intake to healthier levels and you might just lose a few pounds along the way.

We know you’d rather order the cheesecake, but we’ve come up with a fair compromise. Many restaurants serve fruit dishes with a tasty indulgence like a sugar cookie, a scoop of sorbet or a selection of cheeses on the side. Opt for that.
Feast away on apple slices throughout the day, and you’ll be less tempted to hit up the vending machine to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Are late-night ice cream cravings your diet downfall? Snack on frozen grapes instead. They’re sweet, crunchy and cold and they’ll make you forget about that pint of Ben & Jerry’s in your freezer.
When eating at fast-food chains, order a fruit cup instead of fries.
Doughnuts and bagels may be the usual morning snack at work, but wow your colleagues with a parfait of frozen berries, yogurt and low-fat granola.
If you usually eat chips with your lunchtime sandwich, try eating grapefruit instead. Peel and section a grapefruit in the morning before you go to work, and toss it in a plastic zipper bag.
Jazz up your breakfast by tossing a handful of berries on cold cereal or adding sliced peaches to oatmeal.
Need to whip up a tasty dinner party dish? Try making a fruity dessert. Slice strawberries and mix with raspberries and blueberries. Top with a quick syrup: Simmer 1/2 cup water with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon amaretto until reduced to 1/4 cup. Cool and pour over the fruit for an out-of-this-world finale.
Appetizers can be a dieter’s downfall, packed with calories and loaded with fat. Amaze your friends with a delicious, colorful and low-calorie fruit kabob appetizer. Cut a variety of fruit to skewer on a bamboo stick, including red and green grapes, pineapple chunks, strawberries, sliced bananas, cubed pears…the sky is the limit! If preparing in advance, drizzle the fruit with lemon juice to prevent the bananas and pears from turning brown.
Keep a bowl of fresh fruit on your kitchen counter. You’re more likely to grab an apple, tangerine or peach if it’s in sight.

Abs – Beginners Workout

Your Ideal Weight: What is the First Step in Getting Fit?

The first step is the hardest. This saying is especially true when applied to fitness. Bodies in motion tend to stay in motion, and bodies at rest tend to stay at rest. But the good news is this: Once you get moving, you’ll stay moving! The first thing to do when getting started with fitness is determining where you are. Consider the five starting points, described below, in terms of your level of activity in the last 12-18 months.

What’s Your Starting Point?
From least intensity to most intensity:

RPR: Rehab/Post Rehab. You have suffered some type of injury, trauma or breakdown of body tissues that may or may not have required surgery. While the underlying problem MAY have resolved, there has been no real effort made to bring the tissues (or the body as a whole) back to any level of strength. Your daily activities and life are affected and compromised by this problem.
ADL: Activities of Daily Living. You are healthy and live a normal life, but you haven’t done any dedicated exercise in the past 12-18 months.
GF: General Fitness. You have done some specific, dedicated exercise in the past 12-18 months. It might not have been anything like seen on weight-loss reality shows, but it was specific and dedicated.
SPG: Specific Physical Goals. You have gone beyond a typical exercise routine. At some point in the last 18 months, you’ve also dedicated yourself to weight loss or fat loss or some other physical goal, such as running or riding a bike for a certain distance or lifting a particular amount of weight.
AA: Athletic Achievement. You have trained to compete in some athletic endeavor in the past 12-18 months.

Here’s the twist: Now that you have figured out where you’re at, you’ll start at the level just below. That way you can bring your body back to the level you were at when you were at your peak in the past 12-18 months. This might seem like a step back, but it’s not: Starting a little easier than you think is appropriate will never hurt you, and you can progress quickly. And if you’ve misjudged a little, at least you’ve erred on the side of safety. You have plenty of time!

By way of example, here are some ideas on places to start and where I would rank them.

Walking. People in the GF or ADL categories should start here. It might seem a little slow, but walking is good for you. If you want to figure out why the human body is built the way it is, get up and walk—you will have your answer. People in the RPR category may want to get cleared by their doctor first, depending on their condition.
Home activities. Cleaning the house, walking the dog, home repairs, landscaping, gardening and the like are all ways get active. They are especially good for people starting in the GF, SPG or ADL categories. Even the RPR folks have to take care of the house. Studies show this kind of activity makes a marked difference in one’s health!
Recreational activities. Jogging, cycling, soccer, softball, golf and the like are all good activities that you can do in small groups or by yourself. These are appropriate for GF, SPG, and AA folks. People in the RPR and ADL categories might find these activities too intense to do for long periods of time.
Specific interest activities. Yoga, Pilates, martial arts, kickboxing, ballet, hip-hop dance, rock climbing—the list goes on. Some of these are appropriate far all levels, even the RPR folks (yoga, pilates), while others, like rock climbing or martial arts, may be for the SPG and AA folks only.
Gym activities. I put this in a separate category simply to illustrate how many other ways there are to start exercising without hitting the gym. The gym has something to offer people at any fitness level, but it is not for everyone. It’s a great place to start, but not the only place!

S.M.A.R.T. Goals
Now that you’ve figured out where you are fitness-wise, and where you might start, let’s figure out where you are going. That means setting some goals. Here is the S.M.A.R.T. goal system I learned from Peter and Lorna Francis, and I think it will help you.

S – Specific goals. The more specific your goals, the easier it is to reach them. “I want to get in shape” is a general goal. “I want a smaller waist, thinner thighs, and a stronger upper body” are specific goals. The more specific the goal, the less likely you are to let yourself off the hook when it comes to reaching them.
M – Measurable goals. Your goals must be measurable. Think of the difference between saying “I want to lose weight” versus “I want to lose 20 pounds.” With a measurable goal, there is a number to measure success. As “The World’s Greatest Strength Coach” says: that which is measured IMPROVES.
A – Action-oriented goals. Your goals must call you to action. For example, saying you want to eat right IS NOT an action goal. Saying you will eat breakfast every day and eat 6 servings of fruit and vegetables every day IS an action goal.
R – Realistic goals. If you have gained 50 pounds in the last year, setting a goal of losing it in 3 months is not realistic. This may be the most important aspect of goal setting, because unrealistic goals set you up for failure. Failure leads to apathy, resignation and acceptance of your current state as all there is. Be real with yourself.
T – Timetable Goals. Set a realistic, concrete timeline for your goals. “Someday” is not on any calendar I have ever seen.

Get F.I.T.T.R, Stay F.I.T.T.R.!
The great Dr. Kenneth Cooper says fitness retained is easier that fitness regained. Great words of wisdom. Let me go one step further is explaining how fitness is attained. Here is a basic primer using the time-tested F.I.T.T.R principle.

Frequency. This is how often you apply a specific “stress” to the body. Yes, exercise is controlled, dedicated and specific stress to the body for the purpose of causing the body to adapt and change. Frequency is usually measured in the number of times per week. More frequency is correlated with greater and faster results, but only to a point. More IS NOT better beyond a certain level.
Intensity. Intensity is not how “intense” or “hard” a workout is. Intensity refers to the amount of work done compared to the amount of work possible. For cardiovascular training, it is usually measured in a percentage of your maximum heart rate. For strength training, it is usually measured in a percentage of your one repetition maximum resistance for a particular exercise.
Time. How much time did you spend jogging? How much time did you spend lifting weights? (Technically, it is time under tension that counts, which, like time jogging, is also known as volume. Standing around shooting the breeze with your friends IS NOT time under tension.)
Type. For the beginner, this is a simple concept. Cardio or weights? The first is aerobic in nature, while the second is anaerobic. That is what allows some people to do both on the same day.
Rest. How much time between sessions do I need for my body to recover and improve? Remember this: you don’t improve during a workout, you improve when you rest between workouts. No rest? No improvement!

These principles relate to each other. The more intense a workout, the less time it should take, the less frequent it should be and the more rest it is recommended. (And vice-versa.) The type is also a relating factor. Cardio can be done more frequently that weight training (usually) but you need rest from both. Depending on your goals, high intensity workouts may not ever be necessary for you. In the end, you have to have goals and listen to your body.

Now, go back and review your goals in light of this info. I’m guessing they have changed a little. When in doubt, err on the side of less. Remember, if you start out with too much F.I.T. you may get hurt, and then you are nowhere. But if the workouts are too easy, you can always advance quickly.

5 Tips to Get You There
Here are 5 tips that will increase your chances for success.

1. Learn the difference between pain and injury. Any exercise that produces results will involve discomfort and sore muscles. Remember what I said about exercise being stress? As time goes by you will learn that pain can and should be momentary. And if you follow some of the rules I have outlined above, you will reduce your risk of injury significantly.
2. Train smarter, not harder. You don’t always have to train to the point of pain and exhaustion, depending upon your goals. Even the most advanced exerciser has to pick and choose when to go hard and when to back off. Sometimes it’s best to train at the same intensity, just do less time.
3. The 1% solution: In order to make progress, your body must be forced to adapt. One way to ensure continued adaptation is the 1% solution. It’s simple—try to do 1% more each time you exercise. If you exercise 3-4 times a week, you can see how that will add up over a year or two.
4. No TRAIN, no GAIN. Exercise is not like money—you can’t exercise really hard for a couple of years and live off of it for the next three. After about 100 hours of inactivity, your level of fitness starts to decrease.
5. Partner up. Finding a partner to train with is one of the best ways to stick with it. If your partner is counting on you, it’s more likely you will not let them—or yourself—down. And, it’s just more fun when someone else is there to motivate you!

Whatever exercise you choose, choose to start today—and good luck!

 

Dolvett’s 5-Minute Interval Workout

Dolvett’s 5-Minute Interval Workout

Need a quick fix for the workout slump?
Dolvett has the answer with his 5-Minute Interval Workout!

The Scientific 7-Minute Workout

Exercise science is a fine and intellectually fascinating thing. But  sometimes you just want someone to lay out guidelines for how to put the newest fitness research into practice.

In 12 exercises deploying only body weight, a chair and a wall, it fulfills the latest mandates for high-intensity effort, which essentially combines a long run and a visit to the weight room into about seven minutes of steady discomfort — all of it based on science.

Interval training, though, requires intervals; the extremely intense activity must be intermingled with brief periods of recovery. In the program outlined by Mr. Jordan and his colleagues, this recovery is provided in part by a 10-second rest between exercises. But even more, he says, it’s accomplished by alternating an exercise that emphasizes the large muscles in the upper body with those in the lower body. During the intermezzo, the unexercised muscles have a moment to, metaphorically, catch their breath, which makes the order of the exercises important.

The exercises should be performed in rapid succession, allowing 30 seconds for each, while, throughout, the intensity hovers at about an 8 on a discomfort scale of 1 to 10, Mr. Jordan says. Those seven minutes should be, in a word, unpleasant. The upside is, after seven minutes, you’re done.

This work GREAT for traveling! You can simply download the application to your iPhone or other device and best of all it’s FREE!