Fit for Life
NTH@C Wellness Newsletter - April 2017
Maintaining Mental Health and Wellness
Six Benefits of Mental Spring Cleaning
It's Spring! Flowers are blooming, birds are singing, the sun is shining and faces are smiling. There is nothing quite like it!
Spring is often the time of year when you engage in some spring cleaning; getting rid of what's been stored over the winter that you doubt you will ever use again, cleaning the yard and around your home ridding yourself of the debris that has built up over the winter, and creating more order in your cupboards and closets.
What about your mental debris? You know, those limiting beliefs, those skewed expectations, that internal dialogue -- that story -- that is just not serving you any longer. What do you do with that? Most of us simply let it sit; like the filters in our furnace, these mental filters stay filled with dusty debris -- much of which we no longer have use. Yet those beliefs, expectations, and thoughts influence every aspect of your life. They influence not just how you interpret what you experience, but they influence what you notice (and what you don't).
In the spirit of spring and of cleaning, here are six reasons for more mental hygiene (the acronym is HEALTH):
Holism: Every part of you is connected to every other part of you. Your body, your cells are listening to your thoughts. Think about the message you'd like the rest of you to receive. Send that one.
Energy: Constructive, positive thoughts create energy. If you want more energy (and I cannot say I have met anyone who said they didn't), you need to ensure you nourish your brain and your bloodstream with chemicals like dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin...natural, effective, healthy 'dope' for your brain!
Assurance: The only way to be sure (as sure as you possibly can) you will be mentally healthy/psychologically well is to take preventative, deliberate steps to be mindful of your mind (thoughts). When I first engaged with mindful meditation, I was surprised at some of the thoughts I had that were holding me back from fully experiencing my life.
Life: Your very life depends on your psychological health. Without a healthy brain -- one that serves you -- your very life is at stake. (Not to be overly dramatic -- but, really, think about it!!)
Trust: Cleaning out the debris in your brain -- the negative thoughts, the limiting beliefs, the unrealistic expectations, the life-sucking story -- will inspire trust in yourself and others' trust in you. You'll be the kind of person other people want to be around. And that increase in social connection will nourish your brain, which relies on it!
Harmony: In a world filled with epic disasters (planes disappearing, ferries sinking, extreme weather destroying homes and lives) and stories of people losing control of their psychological well-being (murder, suicides, workplace shootings, violent rampages) Mental Spring Cleaning will help you to add some peace, some harmony to the world. That's something that will surely benefit us all.
What's your favorite mental hygiene habit?
Adapted from Deri Latimer
The Power of Focus
Love this awesome motivational talk by Tony Robbins. Become your best self.
Peak Physical Fitness with Exercise and Nutrition
The TABATA Revolution Explained: The What, Why, and How to TABATA
A Tabata is a high-intensity workout protocol that has fitness and weight-loss benefits. It is also a very short workout. Is it like CrossFit? Is it like circuit training? It is a bit of both. Tabata training is attractive because it saves a lot of time for people. It offers the maximum benefit with the least amount of time used to get those results.
The name Tabata comes from the man who invented it - Dr. Izumi Tabata, a Japanese physician and researcher. He conducted a study using an interval-based training model. His objective was to see if athletes would benefit from a 20/10 session repeated eight times. 20/10 means 20 seconds of all-out exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest. This adds up to four minutes total.
Dr. Tabata took two groups and put them on an exercise program for six weeks. The control group did one hour of moderate-intensity exercise five times a week. The other group did the high-intensity Tabata-style training. That adds up to 1,800 minutes of training for the control group versus 120 minutes of training for the Tabata group over the six-week period. The results speak for themselves. The Tabata group improved both its aerobic and anaerobic fitness levels. The anaerobic fitness level increased 28%.
Interval training is not new, but it has gained popularity in recent years. Intervals were originally designed for running. An example of Tabata training for runners is 20-second sprints and 10 seconds of rest. This will improve cardiovascular fitness. The Tabata protocol can be used for core strength as well as weight training.
Whatever exercise you use, Tabata training will raise your metabolism and heart rate immediately. Since you are performing these exercises at a very high intensity, your body will have to work much harder to keep it up. This will cause your heart to pump fast and your metabolism to jump, which you want if you are planning on losing fat. Your metabolism will stay at that high not only during the workout, but after the workout as well. This means that your body will be burning fat for hours after.
Many exercises and types of equipment can be incorporated into the Tabata protocol. You could use push ups, planks, squats, stability ball exercises, resistance bands, weights, or a bench. To start, use four exercises per Tabata.
Tabata Workout Example:
1. Push Ups
2. Squats
3. Medicine Ball Slams
4. Jumping Rope
How to do it: Do 20 seconds of push ups, then rest 10 seconds. Do 20 seconds of squats, then rest 10 seconds. 20 seconds of ball slams, and rest. 20 seconds of skipping rope, and rest. And then do that whole cycle again – eight more times.
This would bring you to a total of approximately 16 minutes. Once you get the hang of things, you could create two or three different Tabata routines with up to twelve different exercises and run through two different routines a session. With a five to eight minute warm up and cool down, you’ve got an effective workout. Those 20 second intervals may not seem very difficult but at your maximum capacity, those 20 seconds will seem like the longest 20 seconds of your life.
Warm up properly with dynamic exercises as opposed to static stretches. Be prepared to sweat! It’s effective, as Dr. Tabata’s study showed, and ultimately improves endurance. It teaches your body to tolerate lactic acid. When you train in a high-intensity zone, your threshold becomes higher. It also keeps your metabolism running on high gear. One of the greatest benefits of anaerobic training is that your body keeps burning fat for 24 hours after your workout. So the amount of fat that can be burned using Tabata training is what draws many people to using it. As a weight loss tactic, Tabata is a great tool.
Here is a list of exercises to try:
- Mountain climber
- Burpees
- Sit ups
- Pull ups
- Squats
- Crunches
- Bicep curls
- Triceps dips
- Sprints
- Stairs
- Shoulder Press
- Flys
- Leg raises
- Calf raises
- Bench press
- Deadlifts
Whichever exercise you choose, your choices should use a large number of muscles to get maximum benefit. It is normal to feel some soreness during the first week of Tabata training. However, your body will adjust and you will only feel slight to moderate soreness after the beginning.
Make sure to add a sound nutritional program into your Tabata routine for the best and fastest results possible if losing weight is your goal. Nutrition is an important component of stay fit and being active. If you have poor nutrition, then your fitness goals will not be achieved. You will also not have the energy needed to workout at this level and intensity.
Cautions About Tabata Training:
- Tabata training is not for beginners. Tabata training involves high-intensity exercise, so beginners need to be aware of their heart rate. The intensity accumulates, peaking near the end. It's easy for the intensity to become too challenging if you're not used to this type of training.
- If you go all out during the high intensity intervals, the 4-minute cycle will feel like the longest, most uncomfortable 4 minutes of your life. It may be too intense for some people.
- There is always a greater risk of injury when you're doing high-impact, high-intensity exercise. Minimize that risk by ensuring you're fit enough for this type of training. This would include working your way up to the intensity and duration. Also make sure you completely warm up before you start into your Tabata routine.
- Four minutes of the same exercise, even with rests in between, can get monotonous and quickly fatigue your muscles. This can cause your form (and motivation) to suffer if you aren’t mentally prepared!
Adapted from breakingmuscle.com
A Day in the Life of a Fit Foodie
14 Keys to a Healthy Diet
Breakfast
This yummy breakfast can be made ahead of time and warmed up in the microwave.
Mid-Morning Snack
Lunch
Low in calories and rich in protein, this salad combines the sweet with the savory using a mix of avocado, red apples, jalapeno pepper, pecans, and other tasty ingredients.
Afternoon Snack
Let's take a look at almond butter.
Almond butter is very versatile in its use and is nutritionally rich. It tends to have a delicately sweet and pleasant taste, which adults and kids alike will love. Because almond butter is mostly made with almonds, it is seen as an overall healthier choice than traditional peanut butter. Although because of this, almond butter is often sold for upwards of $8 a jar. But fret not, as it is also very easy to make at home with a food processor or high-speed blender. Check out a recipe later in this article!
As with most foods, there are two main kinds of almond butter: Refined and unrefined. Unless you make your own almond butter at home, there’s a chance that what you find at the store will have some level of processing involved. By eating almonds or almond butter, you’re getting vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium, and phosphorous. Almond butter provides healthy fat not typically found in foods high in saturated fats Almonds are high in calories, but they are such a nutrient-rich food that, unless your diet is high in calories or full of empty calories and processed foods, this isn’t something you need to worry about.
Almond butter provides 6-8 grams per 2 tablespoons of protein, and is rich in vitamins such as E and B2. It is rich in minerals like magnesium and manganese, and finally, is also rich in phytonutrients like antioxidants. To benefit from this the most, it is always best to make your almond butter using raw almonds. If you do decide to buy your almond butter, always read the label, because some almond butters have oils, salts and/or sugars added in, and some may try to get creative about flavoring by adding flavoring agents and the like.
Dinner
Here are 11 Proven Facts about Quinoa:
- It is High in Fiber, which will keep you full.
- It is EXTREMELY high in protein and amino acids.
- It has a low glycemic index. Great for diabetics.
- It is high in important minerals, like iron and magnesium.
- It contains the plant compounds, quercetin and kaempferol. These are flavonoids that act as anti-inflammatories, anti-cancers, and anti-depressants.
- It is a seed, which makes it VERY nutritious and filling.
- It positively effects the metabolic rate.
- It is gluten-free.
- High in antioxidants, which help fight aging and disease.
- It may promote weight loss.
- It is easy to cook and incorporate into your diet.
Read more about quinoa here.
Healthy Chicken Parmesan Quinoa
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
1 green pepper, diced
1.5 cup mushrooms, diced
½ cup yellow onion, finely diced
3 cups Marinara Sauce (any kind of spaghetti sauce will work!)
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 egg
2 tablespoons flour (I used white whole wheat, but white or gluten-free will work, too!)
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons garlic powder
4 large chicken breasts (or 6 medium chicken breasts)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375ºF and spray a casserole dish with coconut oil cooking spray.
2. Prep veggies by dicing a whole green pepper and 1.5 cups of mushrooms. Finely dice ½ a yellow onion (~1/2 cup).
3. Place 1 cup of uncooked quinoa on the bottom of your casserole dish and then layer on veggies.
4. Add 3 cups of marinara sauce, 1 cup of chicken broth, and a tablespoon of minced garlic to the casserole dish and mix everything together. Set aside.
5. In a medium size bowl, mix together flour, shredded Parmesan, and garlic powder. Then, crack an egg into a small bowl and whisk.
6. Prep chicken breast by dipping into the egg and then into the parmesan mixture making sure everything is generously coated. Place chicken breast on top of quinoa mixture
7. Finally, sprinkle on the leftover parmesan mixture and even more cheese if you desire. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
8. Bake at 375º, uncovered for 20 minutes. Then, cover with tin foil and bake for an additional 40 minutes or until the quinoa is fully cooked.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ⅙ Calories: 353 Fat: 9 Carbohydrates: 32 Sugar: 9 Fiber: 3 Protein: 31Dessert
Sneaky Sweet Potato Brownies
Ingredients
Wet
3 eggs, large
½ cup maple syrup
1 cup sweet potato puree* (~1 large sweet potato)
1-teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry
½ cup coconut flour
½ cup cocoa powder
¼ cup coconut sugar
1-teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-teaspoon baking powder
⅓ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and generously spray a 10inch cast iron skillet with coconut oil cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Place wet ingredients in a large bowl and mix together until smooth. If you are making your own sweet potato puree, FOLLOW THIS TUTORIAL). Then, add dry ingredients to the same bowl and mix until combined.
3. Pour batter into skillet and use a spatula to spread out evenly.
4. Bake at 350ºF for 40-45 minutes.
Notes
*option to use canned sweet potato puree
If you don't have a 9inch cast iron pan, option to use an 8x8 inch cake pan. Bake time may increase slightly.
Emotional Health is Health Too
Practicing Emotional Hygiene
This is a very interesting article/video by psychologist Guy Winch. Enjoy!
I recently gave a TED Talk on "How to Practice Emotional Hygiene." If you don’t know what emotional hygiene is, don’t worry; most people don’t. Here’s a brief definition:
In much the same way that dental hygiene involves brushing our teeth and flossing every day, and personal hygiene involves cleaning ourselves and taking care of physical injuries when we sustain them, emotional hygiene refers to being mindful of our psychological health and adopting brief daily habits to monitor and address psychological wounds when we sustain them.
Currently, our general neglect of our emotional hygiene is profound. How is it we spend more time each day taking care of our teeth than our minds? We brush and floss but what daily activity do we do to maintain our psychological health?
I would argue the consequences of lacking emotional hygiene are much worse that lacking dental hygiene—after all, which would you rather lose, a tooth or your mind?
Indeed, it seems that all our attention goes toward our physical health with none left over for our psychological health. How many habits have you adopted and changed over the years to better your physical health? All the constantly changing dietary practices and exercise regimes; self-exams for breast or testicular cancer; annual check-ups; physical therapies; and the many over-the-counter remedies we use for aches and pains.
Now ask yourself what habits you’ve adopted to better your psychological health: Do you monitor psychological injuries such as failure or rejection when you sustain them, to make sure your self-esteem recovers and rebounds? Are you aware of the ways negative self-talk impacts your emotional resilience? Do you know how to break out of a cycle of ruminating and brooding about distressing events? Chances are the answer to these questions is no.
To get you started, here are five tips for improving your emotional hygiene:
1. Pay Attention to Emotional Pain
If a physical ache or pain doesn’t get better in a few days, you probably take some kind of action. The same should be true of psychological pain. If you find yourself hurting emotionally for several days because of a rejection, a failure, a bad mood, or any other reason, it means you’ve sustained a psychological wound and you need to treat it with emotional-first-aid techniques. (You can learn more about them throughout the Squeaky Wheel blog.)
2. Stop Emotional Bleeding
Many psychological wounds launch vicious cycles that only make the pain worse. For example, failure can lead to a lack of confidence and feelings of helplessness that only make you more likely to fail again in the future. Having awareness of these consequences, catching these negative cycles, and stopping your emotional bleeding by correcting them is crucial in many such situations.
3. Protect Your Self-Esteem
Our self-esteem acts as an emotional immune system which can buffer us and lend us greater emotional resilience. Therefore, we should get in the habit of monitoring our self-esteem, boosting it when it is low, and avoiding negative self-talk of the kind that damages it further.
4. Battle Negative Thinking
It is natural to think about distressing events, but when our thinking becomes repetitive we are no longer problem-solving, we are ruminating. Ruminating can be very costly to our psychological health, as well as to our physical health, and can put us at risk for clinical depression and even cardiovascular disease. We have to battle negative thinking and avoid falling into the habit of over-focusing on distressing events.
5. Become Informed About the Impact of Psychological Wounds
There is much more we need to learn about emotional hygiene and how to treat psychological wounds. Fortunately, much information is available in this blog as well as elsewhere on PsychologyToday.com. When you learn how to treat psychological wounds.
*The resources shared here are provided as examples and
not intended to be an endorsement of any one site or resource.
New Tech High @ Coppell - PE
Physical Education Department
Email: rwallace@coppellisd.com
Website: http://www.coppellisd.com/newtech
Location: 113 Samuel Boulevard, Coppell, TX, United States
Phone: 214-496-5968
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Tech-High-School-Coppell/112018222148389
Twitter: @rwallace311