HeavyOnHealth

Introducing BlendedBerry.com

Posted on July 5, 2010 by admin

Hello out there to all you healthy people. The first project in the HeavyOnHealth network is a few weeks into development, and it is now ready to start receiving visitors.

Six short months ago, I weighed 210 pounds, and had terrible skin. Today, I am 50 pounds lighter, and my skin has never looked better. A major contributor to my improvement has been my daily ingestion of smoothies. While I have been making better choices in other areas relating to my health (exercising, drinking less alcohol, practicing relaxation techniques, etc.), I’m certain that the improvements I’ve seen would not be as great without my smoothies. I’ve gone a few weeks without them as a test, and sure enough, my skin faltered and I felt less energetic. I followed that with a green smoothie binge, and everything returned to the high standard that was previously set.

If you have any problems with your health, I encourage you to check out the information at BlendedBerry.com.

Tips to Lessen Vacation Anxiety – Niagara Falls

Posted on June 3, 2010 by admin

Something must be wrong with this clock...

Get Excited

It’s your last day of work before you go on vacation. You look at the clock, and it says that only a minute has passed since the last time you looked at it. How can this be? It seems like it was at least 10 minutes since the last time you checked! The clock must be broken. Tick Tock Tick Tock… Finally, it’s time to go! All you could think about all day was leaving behind the stressful rat race, and enjoying your vacation. As you are driving home, you start thinking “What are we going to do? Did I pack everything? Will we be able to do all the activities we want to do? How early should we get up each day? What are we going to eat? Do we have enough money for this?”, etc etc. All of a sudden your relaxing time away from the rat race has turned into yet another stressful challenge…

It wasn’t until my anxiety caught up with me that I learned how to have an anxiety-free vacation. This vacation was spent at Niagara Falls, and at my grandparents’ cottage in Olcott, New York. There were many opportunities for my anxiety to creep up on me. By some of my habits and thoughts, I was able to have an anxiety-free vacation, and even come back home refreshed and ready for the work week. Here are some of the things I did:

Know Where You Are Going

Being lost is a fear that I think many people share. With the technology of today – Garmins, Blackberries, Google Maps, etc – there is almost no excuse for being lost. Make sure you check several different routes in advance, and print out all of the necessary maps. I was fortunate during my trip to Niagara because my parents have traveled through the falls on many occasions. They were able to tell me all of the little shortcuts, what to watch for, and how long everything was going to take. Despite being stopped at two borders by customs and immigration, driving through unfamiliar territory, and not having a good cell signal, the ride to Niagara was anxiety-free because of the thorough planning that took place before the trip.

I was able to enjoy some time skipping rocks at the beach, because I wasn't overwhelmed with too many plans

Don’t Overplan

Vacation is a time where everything should be slowed down and relaxed. Nothing is worse to me than waking up at the crack of dawn, frantically running around like a lunatic, and trying to see every tourist trap attraction within a 50 mile radius of where I’m supposed to be vacationing. My Niagara Falls trip is a great example of a trip that wasn’t over-planned. I had enough down-time to relax, but at the same time I was never bored. Some of the stuff I was able to do by not over-planning included:

Skipping rocks with my wife down at the beach

Taking a walk on the pier

Reading a Men’s Health Magazine

Taking a nap on a hammock

Shopping for healthy food

Cooking several healthy meals

If my trip was over-planned, I never would have been able to take part in these relaxing activities. I also would have eaten more junk food, which can be a contributing factor to anxiety in itself.

Take Good Parts of Your Daily Routine With You

The hardest decision I had to make before I left for Niagara was whether or not I should bring my blender. I love having a green smoothie every morning and evening, so it was a tough decision to not bring the blender. I just figured it would be too much of a hassle, and I think I was right. I was able to bring some other parts of my daily routine with me, however, so it worked out. Below is a list of things I brought with me that I enjoy from my daily routine, as well as some stuff I don’t enjoy that I left behind:

Brought: My selection of teas (chamomile w/ lavender, peppermint/chamomile, green tea), all of my usual grooming products, sandals, music, blackberry w/ email turned off, Yoga mat, fishing pole.

Left Behind: Deadlines, thoughts of work, internet and email, taking care of the dog, mowing the grass, calling maintenance workers, etc.

Me observing the great view of the falls right next to me, and Canada on the other side of the gorge

Stop and Smell the Roses

Yeah I know, it’s an overused cliche. But seriously, stop, take a second, and just ‘BE‘ instead of ‘do’. Don’t think about anything-, anyone-, or anywhere-else, just be where you are, and take it all in. Niagara Falls was super busy while we were there. It was a beautiful weekend, and there were thousands and thousands of people in the park. It would have been easy to get impatient with the lines, or tired and cranky in the heat. Instead of letting negative emotions get the best of me, however, I focused on where I was; I was standing several feet from one of the greatest attractions in the world, on a beautiful day, with nothing else to do. The air was fresh, I was well rested, and I had just eaten a fine meal at one of the many great restaurants in the area.

A great way to formally ‘stop and smell the roses’ is to practice mindfulness meditation. I have my theories about why mindfulness meditation can be beneficial for people who suffer from anxiety and similar disorders, but if you are interested in some other background information and some proof of the benefits of mindfulness meditation, check out the video embedded below. This video is a recording of Jon Kabat-Zinn giving a speech at Google. He is talking about his practice, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Healing.

Look for Calm in the Chaos

There aren’t many things more chaotic than hundreds of thousands of gallons of water crashing onto jagged rocks with a thunderous roar. Behind all the chaos, though, there is a steady, unwavering current. It continues and has continued for thousands of years. After the water crashes into the jagged rocks, it settles into a serene river below, slowly making its way out to its eventual destination of the Atlantic Ocean. The mist that sprays up from the gorge gathers on your skin and clothes slowly and unobtrusively, like condensation on a cold glass of water.

No matter how chaotic you may perceive portions of your vacation, realize that behind the chaos, there is always calm.

Leave any additional tips or stories that you’d like to share in the comments section! There are several more pictures of my vacation in Niagara Falls below.

Have a Great Day

Greg
Non-Barrel-Rider

Great view of the river leading up to the falls, and the city in the background.

Getting ready for the Maid of the Mist.

The Canadian falls and the cloud of mist

In the middle of the Mist!

The wet aftermath.

Posted in Anxiety, Mental Wellness | 2 Comments

Flat Belly Exercises

Posted on May 15, 2010 by admin

Despite what you may read elsewere, getting a sexy flat stomach like this requires hard work.

Trying to Flatten your Belly?

Have you tried every under the sun to flatten your belly, only to see all of your efforts go to waste? If so, don’t get down on yourself. Many others, including myself, have been in the same position. Through my own experience and the experience of others, I have put together a few tips about flat belly exercises that really work. These exercises may be different than what you would expect to get a flat stomach, but I can assure you that if you follow them, your belly will be as flat as you want it to be.

Before I actually delve into the flat belly exercises, I want to issue a word of caution; this is not easy. I don’t care what you’ve seen or read in magazines or online – there is no “easy” way to get six pack abs or a flat stomach. While the actual concept behind the work is simple, doing the work is far from easy. It takes great effort and determination. If you came here looking to lose 10 pounds in 3 days, or turn an XXL belly into a six pack in two weeks with just 20 minutes a day, you are in the wrong place. If you came here with a positive attitude, some motivation, and a willingness to succeed, then you will do just fine .

Losing the Fat On Your Stomach

Exercises that target your stomach will not help you lose fat on your stomach. See the bold lettering there? There’s a reason it’s bold; I want to EMPHASIZE that doing exercises like stomach crunches, leg lifts, reverse crunches, etc. will not “burn the fat” off of your stomach. Those exercises will help you get a nice looking six pack, or toned flat belly, but nobody will be able to see it if your sexy stomach muscle is covered by a layer of fat. The only type of exercise that will help you actually lose the fat off of your stomach is cardiovascular exercise.

When you do cardiovascular exercise, your body uses its fat reserves for energy. Unfortunately, which fat your body decides to use is not something you can control. It’s programmed into your DNA. Generally though, the fat that you burn comes off in the reverse order that it was put on. For example, when I gain weight, my butt and thigh area tend to get big first, followed by my stomach and face. When I lose the weight, it comes off of my face first, then my stomach, and finally my butt and thighs.

The following flat belly exercises are great for getting your body to burn fat around your belly, as well as anywhere else that it may be stored:

Racquetball is a great flat belly exercise. It also helps alleviate stress.

Play a sport that you enjoy: My personal favorite way to burn calories is by playing sports. My favorite sports for cardio exercise are racquetball and soccer. Racquetball is great because it involves a lot of short burst change of direction, and can be played at a very high intensity. A high intensity game of racquetball burns through calories at a rate of about 1000/hour, which is obviously very beneficial for getting a flat belly. Besides the calories burned, swinging the racquet and contorting your body requires a great deal of balance and core strength. Not only are you getting a great cardio workout, but you are strengthening and toning your belly.

Tip: If you don’t have a racquetball court in your area, but want to try it out:. Almost any school or playground will have an area where you could hit a few balls against the wall.

Going for a run can be relaxing, and help you burn off some of that fat around your belly.

Running: An exercise that anyone can do at almost any time in almost any place, is running. All you need is two working legs and a place to run. Running burns a lot of calories, as well as toning all different areas of the body. It is an amazing exercise performed by the entire body. The arms and legs are in unison, and the torso is working to keep the body upright and moving forward. There are virtually limitless variations of running that can be performed at well. A jog in a local park on a warm day can be incredibly relaxing, as well as rewarding. My personal favorite flat belly exercises are high intensity bursts of speed, with low speed rest in between. I have a hill in my backyard that is perfect for this. It’s obviously outside too, which is a great bonus during the spring and summer.

Tip: If you don’t like to run, or have limited space, there are other exercises you can do to get your heart rate going. With no equipment and very little space, you can use your own body weight as an exercise tool. Try doing some jumping jacks or jumping rope. You’ll be surprised how heavy you’ll be breathing in just a short amount of time.

Posted in Fitness, Flat Stomach | 1 Comment

Introduction to Green Smoothies

Posted on April 4, 2010 by admin

Sorry for the inconvenience, this post has been moved!

Introduction to Green Smoothies has been moved to our child site, BlendedBerry.com.

Posted in Diet and Nutrition, Green Smoothies | 1 Comment