by admin | Jun 5, 2022 | Mind
Achieving Emotional Balance
In a dynamic world like ours, life can get so stressful and no matter how positive we try to be, unexpected turns sometimes happen, leaving us overwhelmed. Emotions are an essential part of our being, and how we deal with both negative and positive emotions plays a major role in shaping our life. This is why emotional balance is important.
It is the ability to stabilize our feeling and reaction in the face of unpleasant circumstances, rather than reacting automatically. Being emotionally balanced does not mean you don’t have unpleasant feelings; it means you can control your reaction towards them. If you have been feeling elevated levels of anxiety and confusion about how to handle them, there are simple, actionable steps you can apply to better control your emotions.
So let’s have a look at what you can actually do towards improving your emotional balance.
Steps to Achieving Emotional Balance
Being overly swayed with negative emotions will leave you anxious, stressed and cause unhealthy reactions. Furthermore, it can also develop unhealthy coping mechanisms, which is something you don’t really want. No matter how much you struggle with this, you can achieve emotional balance by applying the following strategies.
1. Be Self-aware
Being self-aware helps you identify your weak spots, cultivate healthy habits, and let go of the not-so-good ones. This helps you recognize the emotions you are feeling and the reactions they trigger which is essential for better emotional health. Once you recognize these emotions, acknowledging the negative feelings rather than suppressing them is a way to deal with them.
This way, you start to brew a healthy relationship with your emotions and are able to catch any automatic reaction of yours. It is helpful to verbalize how you feel at that instant, e.g. “I am angry at this situation”, “I feel scared”. Naming your emotions nullifies their power and makes you react more consciously. If you find this difficult, try journaling, this is another way to let out your feelings.
2. Develop a Healthy Sleeping Habit
Inadequate sleep can put you in a foul mood, which means that the body requires sufficient sleep for emotional and physical wellbeing. Though some circumstances can cause you to promote insomnia, it is crucial to find ways to increase your chances of a good night’s rest.
If you have difficulty sleeping, there are some routines you can start to improve your quality of sleep. Try to develop a sleeping pattern and stick to it, reduce caffeine intake, and avoid taking your devices with you to bed. Also invest in the setup of your bedroom, great lighting, and comfortable beddings, as well as pre-bed meditation and breathwork.
3. Practice Gratitude
Finding things to be thankful for will improve your outlook on life. It could be difficult to see the good in inconvenient situations but focusing on the positive, no matter how little, improves your emotional state. Pause at intervals throughout the day to identify things you are grateful for.
Make sure you are genuine with your feelings, and if you don’t have something to be thankful for currently, think about any moment in the past you loved. This is a good way to achieve emotional balance.
4. Learn to Manage Stress
Identifying the signs of stress and devising effective management techniques help with emotional balance. When distressing situations occur, try to spot your reaction, and learn to pause before responding. Your breathing can serve as pointers to your stress level if you find yourself breathing irregularly or erratically, and take deep breaths to regain control.
Meditation and yoga are also perfect stress management strategies, as it is a great tool for emotional balance through self-reflection and self-discovery.
Conclusion
Remember that the difficult times are only temporary, and are a normal part of life. The onus then lies on you to acknowledge these feelings and find the right balance to work through them. If you are having a hard time controlling your emotions, practicing the tips in this post will help you become more emotionally balanced, so do consider those!
by admin | Jun 5, 2022 | General
Why You Should Document Your Fitness Journey
As you begin your quest to be fit and healthy, you may want to document the entire fitness journey. The hard work and dedication put into working out and engaging in any physical activities should never go unrecognized. You also have to keep track of your nutrition as you chase your fitness goals. Below are some of the reasons why you out to document that entire process:
Accountability
Documenting your fitness journey makes it easy to be accountable to yourself. You put yourself under a strict routine that you are supposed to follow religiously. There is no need to have a partner to keep you motivated. All you got is you. Therefore, you have to put in the work to achieve your fitness goals. That is why you ought to document everything you intend to as much as staying fit is concerned to remain committed and focused.
Know Your Progress
It is very important to assess if your fitness journey is paying off. This means you have to monitor your progress and get to identify areas that need improvement. As a result, you can make changes to your workout or nutrition so that you can easily get that fit body you have been yearning for.
For Comparison
Is it not a good thing to just stop for a moment and appreciate how far you have come? This is the case when you document your fitness journey. You can easily compare your before and after. This will not only make you proud of yourself but will give you the grit to continue with your fitness challenge.
Stay Motivated
The challenges you go through to have a fit and healthy body should never be ignored. You have to record every workout session. Take measurements of your weight, body mass index, and waist circumference at some stipulated time, just to see your progress. This is a very uplifting approach that will motivate you to keep going once you see what you have achieved. In the same spirit, you may decide to make necessary changes to your meal plans and physical activities so that they are in line with the fitness goals you want to achieve.
Follow Your Plan
Respecting your fitness routine, means you follow everything that you have highlighted in your plan. This gives you the commitment to wake up every day and hit the gym or engaging in the physical activities of that day. As you do this every day as expected, you will witness tremendous improvement in terms of your body composition and fitness levels. Failure to stick to your plan will definitely give you unsatisfactory results.
Conclusion
You need a plan and routine if you really want to achieve your fitness goals. This requires you to document your entire fitness journey to identify where you might need to make improvements, track your progress, stay motivated and just appreciate what you are doing all through. Therefore, it is important that you follow your plan to the latter.
by admin | Jun 5, 2022 | Fitness, Mind
Training & Nutrition as tools | Realizing Your True Physical & Mental Potential
We live in times where fitness has become a massive trend and paradoxically, fewer people consider it important, giving way to other things to get on top of their priority list. The collective paradigm about health, nutrition, and fitness has been warped beyond belief. This therefore leads to more people than ever getting lost in a vicious cycle of non-sustainable physical, nutritional and mental habits.
And while getting fit and starting a diet is just a “Someday” goal for many people, the truth is that it is the natural way the body should work.
The Modern-Day Lifestyle
Humans as a species have been on this planet for at least 200,000 years and for the most part, it has been a survival game. It has only been the last 30 years that we’ve had easy access to such an abundance of foods, which can even be delivered to your doorstep! So, you see where this is going, right?
We are way beyond our natural human patterns of movement and nutrition, working sedentary jobs and eating heavily-processed, nutrient-poor foods. What we now call training is actually the way things worked for most of human existence.
Here’s The Best Part Though
Your HEALTH determines your performance in every other aspect of your life. Think about it, too many people often get to the point where neglecting their body becomes habitual, rather than a choice. This usually leads to an overall decrease in the quality of life, where they feel mentally and physically exhausted just a couple of hours into the day. As this happens, it gets harder to focus and perform well on your other activities.
This is where physical, nutritional, and mental practices come into play.
Fitness & Nutrition as tools
By now you should know that the best thing you can do to improve your performance in every aspect of life, is to keep your body & mind healthy. And quite frankly, the physical part of it is really simple – Using your body’s active components (training) and granting fuel for performance & recovery (food). As we mentioned above, the modern-day lifestyle imposes us to an environment where EVERYTHING we need is right around the block.
The question is, are you going to go to the gym or the pub?
Are you going to go to the grocery store or the burger joint?
Making all the right choices that will nurture all the various functions of the body, will ultimately set you up for a clear vision and good performance in all aspects of life. The goal is to create a plan you can adhere to and bring into your older years, to live a healthy and fulfilling life.
Physical & Mental Practices Anyone Can Use
Now that we have a firm grasp of the fact that taking care of your body is the least and easiest thing you can and should do, let’s have a look at actionable steps you can take towards that.
1. Bring diversity in your nutrition
Nowadays, more often than not, there are fad diets that overwhelm people trying to set up a concrete nutrition plan. Should you do keto, paleo, low-carb or intermittent fasting? The short answer is – Use whatever you can stick to in the long term. But when building out your nutrition plan, consider this: A balanced approach to nutrition is the best way to go, as each and every macro and micro nutrient has its own purpose in your physiology.
Eat some meat, some fish, grains, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, nuts and any other whole foods you may have in the local store. Remember that the different colors of food simply show the different nutrients available in that food. In this case, the more colorful your plate is, the better.
Enjoy food not only as a functional component of your health & recovery plan, but also a form of enjoyment and art.
2. Include endurance, strength & functional training
Your body is a complex biological machine that has a musculoskeletal system, used to move in the environment in a variety of ways. As we mentioned in the beginning of this article, the modern-day lifestyle robs us of most movements which we would otherwise do. This is exactly why, it is best to use as many functions of your body as possible. Contrary to popular belief, your “fitness” is not just about going to the gym and lifting weights.
It is much more than that. Your body can run, swim, climb, crawl, jump, pull, push, etcetera… Think about it – Each of those movements engages a different set of active components (muscles) The more of those components you frequently engage in challenging training sessions, the better your overall development will be. This is mostly valid for people who are not athletes, as competitive sports would require a different approach, the goal of which would be to maximize on a couple of physical properties.
3. Take care of your recovery
Whether you are doing light cardio or grueling strength training, leaving a window for recovery before the next session is always mandatory. It is this exact recovery window that allows the trained muscles/functions to reach the state of supercompensation. Supercompensation is essentially the point during recovery, at which the exercised muscles/functions have a higher working capacity than they did prior to the training bout.
This is what progress actually is – Your body preparing for bigger challenges! Here are our best tips to optimize your recovery:
- Get 0.8-1g of protein per lb. of bodyweight
- Eat 0.45g of fat per lb. of bodyweight
- Consume a solid amount of carbohydrates
- Hydrate yourself well (Avoid excessive thirst)
- Sleep 6-8 hours a night
- Let each muscle group rest at least ~72 hrs between strength training sessions
- Rest at least 24 hours between prolonged aerobic (cardio) sessions
- Get frequent deep tissue massages
4. Breathe more!
Besides robbing us of movement, the modern-day lifestyle often instills passive stress into the mind. If your mind is stressed, so is the body and we all know that chronic stress has long-term side effects that manifest in many aspects of our lives. And quite frankly – You don’t want that. This is where breathing exercises come into play.
Now, breathing is normally an autonomous function… until the moment you think of it. And this is actually good!
Consciously controlling your breathing pattern can have massive benefits on your autonomous nervous system (ANS) right away. Just 5-10 deep, slow inhales and exhales can instantly act as a powerful signal for the body.
That exact signal tells the ANS that it is time to relax and recover, thus allowing many glands in the body to secrete health-nurturing substances. The step-by-step breathing practice we have for you below, can be used daily to manage any type of stress and bring harmony back to the heart & brain.
Breathing practice
- Sit down comfortably and close your eyes, preferably on a quiet spot
- Place your hand on your chest and shift your attention to your heart
- Inhale slowly through your nose and into the belly, then up to the chest
- Exhale slowly through your nose, releasing any bodily/mental tension
- Repeat and focus your attention to your heart and breathing
This is essentially a meditation practice which has powerful effects even when done for a couple of minutes per day. The main goal is to focus on your heart & lungs and induce a powerful self-regulation signal. If any intrusive thoughts come to your mind, don’t follow and multiply them, just let them go and return your attention to the heart and lungs.
To Wrap It Up
Doing regular physical/training activity, eating well and practising mindfulness shouldn’t really be considered “goals”. These are rather just the tools you can and should use to set yourself up for better performance in any other aspect of your life. Modern-day cities provide everything you need for a complete biological optimization, right at your fingertips. But the catch is that they also make it easy for you to create a full-on biological disaster. The question is, which route are you gonna go? Choice is yours, make the rest of your life the best of your life.
by admin | Jun 5, 2022 | Health, Fitness
Shoulder Injuries & The Rotator Cuff | Part 2 – Preventing Shoulder Injuries
In the first article of this series, we gave you a basic overview of the shoulder anatomy and made a couple of things clear:
- The shoulder is a mobile, but vulnerable joint
- It is comprised of superficial muscles (deltoids) but also deep, stabilizing muscles (the rotator cuff)
- The shoulders are involved in all upper body movements in some way, further increasing the probability of injury
We also had a look at some common shoulder injuries, such as rotator cuff tears, dislocations, bursitis, and shoulder socket inflammations (frozen shoulder). In this second article, we are going to tell you more about how you can prevent these unpleasant injuries and enjoy sustainable upper body training for years.
Without further ado, let’s get to it!
How To Prevent Shoulder Injuries
In most cases when people think of shoulder training, the first things that come to mind are weighted exercises like dumbbell presses and front raises. And while those are certainly good picks for developing strong deltoids, they give the rotator cuff very little work to do. As you lift heavier and heavier on those movements, the cuff is imposed to progressively greater amounts of stress, making it far more likely for an injury to occur.
Below are our best tips that you can use to minimize the risk of a shoulder injury.
Tip #1 Train your rotator cuff!
As we just said, the traditional shoulder exercises do not really emphasize the rotator cuff, which is a detrimental element of shoulder health. Implementing resistance band rotator cuff exercises in your routine is a perfect way to exercise all shoulder functions and keep the joint healthy.
Furthermore, this type of exercise is a good way to warm up the shoulders and prime them for the heavier lifts in your workout. Here are the 4 best resistance band exercises for your cuff, with written exercise steps:
1. External rotation
Attach the resistance band securely on a pole/anchor at the height of your belly button. Stand next to the band and hold it with your outside hand, with an overhand grip. Maintain an upright torso position, keep the back straight and avoid hunching your shoulders. Pull the band, opening the arm to the outside (external rotation) – Do this slowly to maintain tension. Go back to the initial position slowly, keeping the tension on the shoulder.
This exercise can also be done on both arms simultaneously, by holding a band closely with both hands and stretching it out with the same external rotation. NOTE: Keep the upper arm closer to the body!
2. Internal rotation
With the same initial position, hold the resistance band but this time with your inside hand. Step away from the resistance band so that it starts generating tension. Close the arm in, pulling the band towards your belly button. Again, use an even pace that is relatively slow, on both portions of the movement.
NOTE: Don’t let the band lose tension
3. 90-Degree External rotation
Attach the band to a pole/anchor at lower chest height and stand in front of it. Move to the side, so that the band is right in front of your working arm. With that same arm, grab the band and take a step back to generate tension. Raise your arm up so that the upper arm is parallel to the ground, with elbow bent at 90-degrees. Pull the resistance band back, raising the arm to a 90-degree vertical angle. Go back down slowly, maintaining the tension on both portions of the movement.
NOTE: Do this movement on both sides!
4. Downward Pull (extension)
Attach the resistance band to a higher spot, so that it is anchored above you. Stand in front of the band upright then grab it with a neutral grip (palm facing to the opposite side). Take a step back to generate resistance, keeping the arm straight and parallel to the ground. Pull the band down to the side of your hip slowly, then return to the initial position.
NOTE: Again, do the movement slowly on both sides – Even pace.
Tip #2 – Manage Your Workout Split
As we mentioned, the shoulders are engaged in all upper body movements. This is exactly why your training split should allow them to recover properly, before having them engaged heavily again. To do so, you can:
- Avoid direct shoulder training the day before chest training
- Place a lower body or rest day in-between upper body training sessions
- Combine all pushing muscle groups in 1 workout with lesser volume
By carefully distributing your heavy pushing movements across your workout plan, you will allow all tendons and muscles to recover and perform optimally, thus reducing the risk of injury.
Tip #3 – Manage Your Workout Intensity
If you go all-out on every single upper body workout, odds are that sooner or later a shoulder injury will occur. This is exactly why managing your workout intensity (working weight) is of prime importance for shoulder health (and joint health in general). Higher intensity by nature is more demanding and thus, requires more time to recover from.
To manage your intensity, you can:
- Leave a couple of reps in the tank – Don’t go to failure on every set
- Program higher intensity days & moderate-intensity days
- Every now and then, use lower weights for more reps
In doing so, you will allow all shoulder muscles to become stronger from workout to workout.
Tip #4 – Use Compound Movements
The more you isolate a muscle group, the bigger the chance of tendon inflammation and/or tear is. This is exactly why, compound movements that utilize a variety of muscle groups, are a viable injury prevention tool. These exercises will allow secondary muscle groups to engage in the movement, thus supporting the shoulder and its muscles.
In doing so, you will not only take away from potentially harmful tension of the shoulder joint but will also be able to lift heavier to maximize shoulder development.
Here are our best compound movement picks:
- Standing barbell overhead press (uses the shoulders & triceps, back muscles stabilize the torso)
- One-Arm dumbbell overhead press (uses the shoulders & triceps, engages the rotator cuff more to balance the arm)
- One-arm dumbbell lateral raises (uses the shoulders & trapezius, reduces peak contraction angle leading to less pressure on the joint)
Tip #5 – Warm up, warm up, warm up!
Last but not least, warming up before heavier lifts is of prime importance for shoulder health. A good warm up will kick up your heart rate, warm your body up and activate the muscles you’re going to target in your workout. Generally, if you combine low-intensity cardio (5-10 minutes) with the resistance band exercises you are good to go. Additionally, it is recommended that you gradually increase the working weight on your first couple of sets, in order to work your way up to higher intensity.
To Wrap It Up
The shoulder is a complex, very mobile joint that generally lacks stability, making it vulnerable during high exertion. For this reason, key elements of your workout plan are important to consider, in order to prevent an injury. Those are your warm-up, exercise choice, recovery periods between upper body training sessions, as well as proper integration of auxiliary, strengthening exercises for the rotator cuff. By making sure you have all these key points in check, you make it far less likely for a shoulder injury to occur.
by admin | Jun 4, 2022 | Fitness
How To Create A Fitness Plan
Keeping fit is very crucial to your health. By working out and engaging in physical activities you reduce your susceptibility to chronic illnesses such as heart attack and obesity. However, you need to have a reliable plan to ensure you achieve your fitness goals. To create a fitness plan that is very efficient and effective, you will need to do the following;
Define Your Fitness Goals
As you embark on a fitness journey, you need to have set out goals you want to achieve. Do you want to gain muscle? Or do you want to lose weight? By defining your goals and learning by heart the ultimate results of working out, you stay committed to your fitness journey.
Have A Routine
A great fitness plan should spell out the time to engage in a workout or a particular physical activity. You cannot exercise the whole day. There has to be a reasonable schedule for both light and intensive training fitness exercises. Schedule all your fitness activities and follow that routine religiously to keep you motivated in your quest to stay fit.
Begin Slowly and Build On As Time Goes By
As a beginner, you do not go lifting heavy weights with immediate effect. You must start slowly. In case you have a critical medical condition or injury, consult your doctor to help you in the process of creating your business plan. You can then start building on your physical activities as time goes by alternating among several activities such as strength training, swimming, walking, and biking. Also, include high-intensity training and activities to be undertaken within specified intervals.
Time To Recover
The fitness plan should also create room to relax and recover. You just cannot spend the entire day training. There are possibilities you might get injured or get bored with the entire exercise. In fact, some people who start training in high spirits end up quitting along the way due to sore joints and muscles. This is why it is very important to have those breaks to allow your body to heal.
Monitor Your Progress
As you follow your fitness plan, you must also monitor your progress. You need to know if the plan you put in place is viable or a waste of time. This is why you constantly have to measure your pulse rate, body mass, determine the number of push-ups you can rack up and your waist circumference. In doing so, you monitor your body composition, flexibility, muscular and aerobic fitness to determine if the changes are in line with your fitness objectives or not.
Conclusion
A fitness plan acts as a guide to help you stay fit and healthy. You need to know when to workout, the kind of workouts suitable to you when to rest, and make any changes to your plan. Therefore, every fitness enthusiast should get to easily define their goals, create a routine for training and list the physical activities to engage in, rest, and monitor their fitness progress. Those are important factors that influence any fitness plan.
