Author: Ridge Personal Trainer Annie Barber

Type 2 Diabetes is a common disease that can harm your health in many ways. In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is critical for the body to use glucose for energy (fuel!). A study done by the National Institute of Health showed that these 5 lifestyle factors can help to lower your diabetes risk. Take charge of your health and encourage those around you to do the same.

Healthy Diet- A healthy diet consists of adequacy, balance, moderation, calorie control and variety.
• Receiving adequacy from foods means having the proper amount of nutrients, fiber and energy in the foods one eats
• Balance in a diet means to eat the appropriate amount of food in each food group and receive the right about of nutrients
• Moderation in a diet is eating foods that don’t provide excesses in fats, salt, sugar and other unwanted constituents
• Calorie control is learning to have control of your energy intake (what you’re putting in your body)
• Variety is choosing to eat foods from all areas of the food guide and differing up foods everyday

Maintain an ideal body weight
• Your ideal body weight is a weight that your body is functioning best at. We are all different shapes and sizes and ones’ ideal body weight differs from person to person. Age, height, gender, build and amount of muscle must all be taken into consideration.

Engage in physical activity
• The American College of Sports Medicine recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity 5 days and week and/or 20 minutes of vigorous activity 3 times a week. I often recommend 45 minutes of moderate exercise because it takes 5-10 minutes for your body to warm up and cool down.

Do Not Smoke
• Enough said!

Limit Alcohol Use
• Everything in moderation.

To eat or not to eat

Author: Ridge Personal Trainer Annie Barber

No I can’t have another cookie.. I shouldn’t eat breakfast because I’m going to have a big dinner.. I can’t have another serving because I already had one.. Do these sound familiar? Holiday eating can be very stressful for many people. We all dread the “holiday pounds” and most of us find ourselves eating too many Christmas cookies! Don’t let food and eating get you down during this wonderful time of year..

Intuitive eating is when you listen to your body and honor your hunger. Evelyn Tribole, the author of Intuitive Eating has a few helpful tips that I want to share to help you enjoy the great foods of the season and to not beat yourself up for wanting to savor them!

Here is the Intuitive Eating Bill of Rights-

1. You have the right to savor your meal, without cajoling or judgment, and without discussion of calories eaten or the amount of exercise needed to burn off said calories.

2. You have the right to enjoy second servings without apology.

3. You have the right to honor your fullness, even if that means saying “no thank you” to dessert or a second helping of food.

4. It is not your responsibility to make someone happy by overeating, even if it took hours to prepare a specialty holiday dish.

5. You have the right to say, “No thank you,” without explanation, when offered more food.

6. You have the right to stick to your original answer of “no”, even if you are asked multiple times. Just calmly and politely repeat “No, thank you, really.”

7. You have the right to eat pumpkin pie for breakfast.

Let’s all take care of our mind, body and spirit during this time of year and ENJOY the holidays!

So, you would like to lose twenty pounds. Here is the first step to success that many people skip entirely: visualization.

Throughout your day, visualize what 20 pounds lighter would look and feel like and quit thinking about the negative thoughts associated with being 20 pounds too heavy. Here’s an example of a negative thought that you should change into a positive thought: “Oh my gosh, my a** looks so huge in these jeans! I have to get to the gym ASAP after work so I can try to get through 60 minutes on the freakin’ elliptical trainer.” Positive replacement: “Soon, I will put this pair of jeans on and they are going to be too loose, thanks to all my dedicated gym time and healthy nutrition.”

Every time you start to negatively talk to yourself about your weight, you are just reinforcing the state of being too heavy. Squelch those negative thoughts immediately with positive, uplifting thoughts about your body!

Author: Ridge Personal Trainer Jackie Corcoran

Does this weight loss scenario sound familiar?. . .

“Must lose a couple of pounds! Tomorrow is a day of discipline–no thought out eating plan–just very few calories and absolutely no junk food no matter what!”

Breakfast is skipped–lunch too. While the feeling of empowerment is strong, the feeling of hunger is just around the corner.  You get home and realize some food should be had–maybe due to hunger, maybe reward for the great show of discipline.

Both the body and mind are in need of fuel so the most appealing food now is calorie dense–high in fat, sugar or both. Something quick (therefore highly processed.) Not only will this satiate the body quickly, it will send out feel good chemicals from the brain that encourage the hand to get more food into the mouth quickly before the maniac behind the curtain decides to go on another diet.

This eating pattern is often followed by gas, indigestion and lethargy and, if practiced habitually, can lead to weight gain and even obesity.

The moral of the story is, listen to your body. Feed it regularly when it is hungry with whole foods (not processed) that are nutrient rich. Get savvy about serving sizes. Prepare food for tomorrow today so you are not left grabbing for the easy fix.

That is how to lose weight and keep it off forever. As an extra bonus–your body will have a better chance fighting off the cold and flu this winter.

Thank you for joining my class and for working so hard! For this week, I want you all to run 2 miles before race day then take the rest of the week off! You will want to run today or early tomorrow at a lighter pace. You truly want your body to be resting this week so you can give it your all on Thursday!

Thursday we will meet on right by the front entrance of the museum at 8:50 am!!! The race starts at 9:15 am. We wont all be at the same pace but it would be fun to see you all before the race starts. Also, the weather will be fairly nice. It’s suposed to be in the 40′s! The trail will be a little icy so be careful. You should come dressed in layers so that you are more warm than having the possibility of being cold. Hats, gloves, wind resistant light jacket, and a base layer are recommended! 

You will definitely want to warm up before the race so jog some laps around the area to get warmed up!

Thanks again and I will see you Thursday!!!!

Live Well Pledge

Today, I will try to feed myself when I am hungry.

Today, I will try to be attentive to how foods taste and make me feel.

Today, I will try to choose foods that I like and make me feel good.

Today, I will try to honor my body’s signals of fullness.

Today, I will try to find an enjoyable way to move my body.

Today, I will try to look kindly at my body and to treat it with love and respect.

Signature ____________________________ Date____________________________

Hello everyone!I cant believe this is the last week of class! The following program is just for this week, I will post one more blog the week of Thanksgiving. I hope you are all feeling good about what you have done so far! I was so glad everyone did so well last week even after we ran in the dark! Continue to run as much as you can outside!

Week Seven

Hello! Only two weeks left until Huffing for Stuffing! This week on Tuesday the 8^th we will meet at the Museum of The Rockies to run the race course instead of meeting at the Ridge!!!!! Please come prepared by layering up your clothing and having some sort of reflective gear or headlamp!!!!

Week Four

Trainer Tip:  To best prepare you for Tuesday evening, make sure you drink at least 80 oz of water throughout the day. Also, eat a carbohydrate based snack about an hour to 2 hours before you run. You will be hydrated and have the energy to power through our 3.26 miles!

Weekly Quote: “Run Forest Run!” Jenny from the movie Forest Gump

Sometimes all you need is a little motivation or a quote to help you get through your day, through a rough time or just through a moment. Here are 10 “wellness” thoughts from Whole Living magazine with a little of my perspective..

1. Take the guilt out of pleasure. Sometimes the thing you want most is just what you need.

*So you had a piece of chocolate cake..instead of cursing yourself for wanting it and eating it: enjoy it, savor it, and move on. No harm done.

2. You can’t force flexibility. It’s about releasing and opening gradually.

*Whether this means yoga class or changing up your routine: let it happen slowly. Life is a marathon, not a sprint!

3. Invest in experiences, not just objects.

*To reward yourself we often turn to food or shopping, instead, go for a walk, take a hike, or a bike ride in nature (before it gets crappy out!)

4. Don’t overthink: Some happy moments are best left unanalyzed.

*Enough said : )

5. Real intimacy is expressed not with more words but with meaningful ones.

*A little can go a long way..

6. Try a little less housework and a little more sleep.

*Start going to bed 5-10 minutes earlier each night, and before you know it you’ll have an extra hour of sleep!

7. To find your strength, push past your comfort zone.

*We sometimes have to do the things we think we cannot do in order to BELIEVE we can do them!!

8. Rather than just beautifying your skin, nourish it.

*Check out the Spa Ridge, eat foods that promote healthy skin, and take care of your body… we are only born with one.

9. Finding answers to your health issues won’t come from feeding your fears.

*Hire a trainer, make annual appointments with doctors, see a nutritionist: you deserve to give yourself the best care! (don’t avoid “it” until its too late)

10. Sometimes getting lost is the only way to figure out where you really are.

*I was recently on jury duty for 5 days and felt like my world was going to end because I had to cancel all my clients and my schedule was screwed up for days… and now I can say it was a wonderful experience, I am full of knowledge and I have a whole new appreciation for what I do and what others do!

Hello everyone! We sure have been lucky with the weather for our runs and let’s hope it stays that way! I was very impressed with your progress last week. We ran two miles on Tuesday and everyone did so well. Each week the length of our running intervals will increase, you are all on your way to doing great on your first 5k so let’s continue to come to class and work hard!

Week Four

Trainer Tip:  Here is a reminder about injury. I have had multiple individuals ask me about shin splints. If you are experiencing pain along the shin after or during running, you should ice your shins and take an anti-inflammatory. I recommend buying some paper Dixie cups, filling them half full of water, and then rubbing them along the shin for about ten minutes. This will reduce the swelling and pain!

Weekly Quote: “Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.”