Fit for Life
NTH@C Wellness Newsletter - March 2017
Maintaining Mental Health and Wellness
Strategies for Good Mental Health
Ten Tips for Better Mental Health-
1. Build Confidence- identify your abilities and weaknesses together, accept them, build on them and do the best you can with what you have been given.
2. Accept Compliments- many of us have difficulty accepting kindness from others, but we all need to remember the positive in our lives when times get tough.
3. Make Time for Family and Friends- these relationships need to be nurtured; if taken for granted they will dwindle and not be there to share life's joys and sorrows.
4. Give and Accept Support- friends and family relationships thrive when they are "put to the test." Just as you seek help when you are having a tough time, a friend or family member might come to you in their time of need.
5. Create a Meaningful Budget- financial problems are big causes of stress, especially in today's economy. Over-spending on our "wants" instead of our "needs" can compound money worries. Writing down where your money is going helps you keep a closer eye on your finances.
6. Volunteer- being involved in community gives a sense of purpose and satisfaction that paid work cannot. Find a local organization where your life skills can be put to good use.
7. Manage Stress- we all have stressors in our lives but learning how to deal with them when they threaten to overwhelm us will help to maintain our mental health.
8. Find Strength in Numbers- sharing a problem with others who have had similar experiences may help you find a solution and will make you feel less isolated. Even talking about situations with people who have not experienced what you are going through is a good way to gain outside perspective.
9. Identify and Deal with Moods- we all need to find safe and constructive ways to express our feelings of anger, sadness, joy and fear. Channeling your emotions creatively is a wonderful way to work off excess feelings. Writing, painting, dancing, making crafts, etc. are all good ways to help deal with emotions.
10. Learn to be at Peace with Yourself- get to know who you are, what makes you really happy and learn to balance what you can and cannot change about yourself.
--Adapted from the Canadian Mental Health Association of Richmond, BC
Meditation for Beginners
Peak Physical Fitness with Exercise and Nutrition
HIIT Workout: What is it? Why does it work?
HIIT is all the hype lately. According to a survey conducted by The American College of Sports Medicine, it’s one of the two top fitness trends for 2014 (the other being bodyweight training). So what’s this type of training all about? What is it with HIIT?
HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, is a training technique in which you give all-out, one hundred percent effort through quick, intense bursts of exercise, followed by short, sometimes active, recovery periods. This type of training gets and keeps your heart rate up and burns more fat in less time. “A high-intensity workout increases the body’s need for oxygen during the effort and creates an oxygen shortage, causing your body to ask for more oxygen during recovery,” says Eric Salvador, NASM, NSCA, head instructor at The Fhitting Room in New York City. “This afterburn effect is referred to as Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) and is the reason why intense exercise will help burn more fat and calories than regular aerobic and steady-state workouts.”
HIIT the Spot
Not totally convinced? Here are a few other benefits from HIIT.
1. Increases Your Metabolism
Combing high intensity with interval training results in EPOC, which speeds your metabolic rate and “translates into a metabolism boost for up to 48 hours after a complete HIIT routine,” says Salvador. This means you’ll still be burning fat even after you’ve left the gym.
2. Quick and Convenient
Long gone are the days of not having enough time for exercise. HIIT workouts can be done anywhere: at home, in a hotel room, in a park, at a gym, etc. And most are 30 minutes or less! Who can’t spare that?
3. No Equipment Necessary
No dumbbells? No problem! HIIT workouts generally use only your body weight, since the focus is on getting your heart rate up and keeping it there. These workouts result in “optimal muscle building and muscle retention couples with fat loss and increased calorie burn,” says Salvador.
Food for FItness
Importance of Good Nutrition
Your food choices each day affect your health — how you feel today, tomorrow, and in the future.
Good nutrition is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Combined with physical activity, your diet can help you to reach and maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of chronic diseases (like heart disease and cancer), and promote your overall health.
The Impact of Nutrition on Your Health
Unhealthy eating habits have contributed to the obesity epidemic in the United States: about one-third of U.S. adults (33.8%) are obese and approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years are obese.1 Even for people at a healthy weight, a poor diet is associated with major health risks that can cause illness and even death. These include heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and certain types of cancer. By making smart food choices, you can help protect yourself from these health problems.
The risk factors for adult chronic diseases, like hypertension and type 2 diabetes, are increasingly seen in younger ages, often a result of unhealthy eating habits and increased weight gain. Dietary habits established in childhood often carry into adulthood, so teaching children how to eat healthy at a young age will help them stay healthy throughout their life.
The link between good nutrition and healthy weight, reduced chronic disease risk, and overall health is too important to ignore. By taking steps to eat healthy, you'll be on your way to getting the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy, active, and strong. As with physical activity, making small changes in your diet can go a long way, and it's easier than you think!
Credit: hhs.gov
A Day in the Life of a Fit Foodie
Breakfast
This simple breakfast is quick and easy to make in the morning, which makes it a go to for those in a rush. Plus, avocados are loaded with potassium, fiber, and healthy fats which will keep you full until your morning snack!
Mid-Morning Snack
Lunch
This is a great way to use up the rest of that avocado from breakfast and makes a great packed lunch! I would probably pack it with a side of cut fresh veggies and sweet potato chips. It would be great served on whole grain bread or a pita.
Afternoon Snack
Dinner
Dessert
Emotional Health is Health Too
Emotional Health Basics
Understanding emotional health means paying attention to your overall happiness and well-being. Being emotionally healthy also involves maintaining control of your thoughts and feelings. People with good emotional health are resilient in the face of challenges, find ways to express their creativity, and understand the importance of social connections. They also recognize the value of staying positive.
Check out this website for useful tips to remaining emotionally well-balanced.
*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