Time For a Time Out

I get so wrapped up sometimes in all that I have going on in my life - homeschooling, housekeeping, coaching, etc. - that I forget to take time out and just have fun. We schedule in our homeschool calendar times that we just take a break from the work and get outside, whether it be a field trip, nature walk, or like today, a trip to the beach. I have to admit, this morning I didn't feel like going to the beach. Maybe that sounds weird; I mean, who wouldn't want to drop everything and go to the beach! But I was inwardly arguing with myself over all I needed to get done. But I'm so glad that common sense won over and off we went. It was a great time to just get out in the fresh air, breathe freely, and have fun with my family. The laundry can wait (and yes, I do now have piles of wet towels and swimsuits!), the paper grading, the meal planning, grocery shopping, and everything else on my To Do list can wait. Sometimes, the best thing is to just take a break! And then jump back into responsibilities with a renewed energy and outlook on things. So today, why not schedule in a 'Time Out' for yourself! You might be surprised at how much more you accomplish once you jump back into things.

Chai Tea

I have to confess, I'm a coffee addict! But I've been trying to cut back on the coffee I drink lately, mainly because of all the stuff I add to it (I love it with LOTS of milk and honey!) as well as for the plain reason that I feel better when I don't drink it regularly. Sure, it wakes me up in the morning and keeps me going...for awhile. Then I tend to crash mid-morning, requiring ANOTHER cup of coffee and well, the cycle never really ends. In the past when I've quit coffee for awhile, I've turned to tea, usually green tea, until I met Chai! I was instantly hooked! So for about a month now I've been replacing my morning cup 'o Joe with a cup of Chai Tea and was pleasantly surprised to find that I don't seem to crash throughout the day like I did with coffee.

So what is Chai anyway? Well, I've learned that chai is actually the Hindi word for 'tea'. Traditional chai tea is a strong black tea blended with spices such as cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, pepper, and ginger. The perfect tea for this time of year as we head into the fall season (today is the first day of fall, by the way. Well, at least it is on this side of the world; I'm a day ahead of you if you're in the States). Chai tea is also often served with milk added.

Is Chai Tea healthy? Well, considering the antioxidants known to be in black tea, as well as the health benefits found in cinnamon and the other spices added, Chai Tea is a healthy choice. Using honey to sweeten the Chai is also a healthier choice than sugar and brings out the natural flavors of the spices in the tea.

So, as you head off to start your day today and as we enter into some cooler weather, pass up on that cup of coffee once in awhile and give Chai a try!

Ready, Set...Stretch

I received this article in Dr. Mercola's newsletter and wanted to repost here as it has some valuable information. Please read to help avoid injury while working out as well as increase flexibility and mobility.

When and How Should You Warm Up, Stretch, Exercise, and Cool Down?

by Darin L. Steen

I get tons of questions about this topic. There seems to be a lot of confusion about stretching.
We all seem to not have enough time in the day for all that we need to do for fitness and fat loss. So it is logical that most of us skip stretching. But that is a big mistake.
I know it seems counterintuitive but saving time by skipping this step will not get you to your goals faster.
My point is, cut back on your work out time instead, and make sure to incorporate these simple stretching techniques for maximum results. You will become more flexible and lower your risk for injury. You will also be able to stay more consistent to your work out schedule, thus obtaining better results.
The proper sequence of an intense work out should be:

• Warm up
• Light stretching
• 40 – 50 minutes of intense resistance training
• Intense stretching the last ½ of the intense resistance session
• Cool down

Step 1: The Warm Up
It is very important to transition into an intense work out with 10 minutes of low level cardiovascular activity. Some modes of exercise that work well are jumping jacks, jump rope, martial art kicks, squat thrust, or any full body calisthenic type exercise.
However, my favorite mode is power walking on the treadmill.
Your starting speed should be nice and slow. I’m 5'9" and start at 3.5 mph and increase the speed by 0.1 mph every minute. Over the course of the 10 minute warm up I will go from 3.5 mph to 4.5 mph.
During the 10 minute warm up, focus on a power-walking stride.
There are many variations of a power-walk, but the one I like the most is very unique and warms the muscles below your hips better than standard walking technique.
Three technique reminders of my unique power-walk stride are:

• Stand tall (chest open blades back) like a soldier at attention
• Long stride challenge. Keep legs stiff and elongate each stride
• Dig heels in tread by pointing toes back toward head

This unique technique will take the tension out of bad places (bones, joints, and ligaments) and put it in the “hot spots”: buns, hips, hamstrings and quads. These hot spots burn a lot of calories because of the amount of muscle they contain.
Why – The 10 minute warm up increases your core body temperature and gets your juices flowing. This is very important to stay safer during the intense exercise segment. It gets synovial fluid moving and oils the joints.
Mentally it is a nice transition into clearing your mind and getting ready for the intense work out. You need to treat the exercise session like a meditation and work on the mind/muscle connection during each contraction. That is hard to do when you are thinking about other things during the work out.
The warm up is also a great time to visualize, goal set, and incant (say out loud what you want).
How - Jump rope, calisthenics, including jumping jacks, side bends and kicks. My personal favorite warm up activity is power-walking on a tread mill or out side.

Step 2: Mild Stretching
It is very important to implement some light stretching before the intense exercise session. One light stretch per body part for about 5-10 seconds is usually sufficient.
Doing so increases blood flow to your muscles and also increases synovial fluid in your joints (a type of self lubrication process). Mild stretching also increases the range of motion of your muscles and is a nice transition from the low level warm up into the intense exercise session.

Step 3: Intense Exercise
If you want to gain muscle and lose fat you must incorporate resistance training with free weights, kettle bells, functional exercises, and plyo-metrics.
You’ll want to push your muscles to failure in the 10 -15 rep range for 2 or 3 sets per exercise.

Step 4: Intense Stretching
During the last half of the intense exercise session, stretch out each target muscle after each exercise.
Each stretch should last 4-5 seconds as you let your breath out and elongate the loose muscle. Increase the stretch a little bit on each progressive stretch, up to 6 times.
Why - To elongate and relax muscles.
Each exercise shortens and tightens the muscle up, so it makes sense to stretch. Stretching the muscle helps bring in fresh blood. This process brings nutrients to the muscle to immediately start the recovery process.
Stretching the muscle also aids in removing lactic acid, which is a negative byproduct of the muscle going to failure. It is like the exhaust coming out of an engine. If you have too much lactic acid accumulation, your muscle will be slow to heal.
Stretching during and after an intense work out means your muscles will not get as sore, and they will not stay sore as long.

Step 5: The Cool Down
How — 10 minutes of slow walking on a treadmill is ideal.
Why — For the same reasons youperform intense stretching during and after intense exercises.
The cool down not only brings fresh blood into areas to help with lactic acid removal, it also brings your heart rate down to resting pulse quicker. A proper cool down also helps lower a raised heart rate down to resting heart rate safely.
A proper cool down simply makes you feel recovered after feeling like a whipped puppy after intense exercise. It kick starts the recovery process as well.
Getting the body and the life of your dreams is not just about consistent intense work outs.
Remember, you should only be working out 3-4 hours per week. During intense work outs you are tearing the body down, causing controlled micro tears in your muscles. You are also depleting your energy reserves.
Improving your fitness level is also, and perhaps more importantly, about learning how to recover.
This article covers the basic of your first line of defense in the recovery process. Nutrition, rest, sleep, and healthy lifestyle choices are also imperative in a well rounded recovery program.
You do have the power to change. Get a Better Body, Get a Better Life!

Your Healthy LifeStyle Coach,
Darin L. Steen

The Lowly Cucumber

Where we live in the South Pacific, it's difficult to get the fresh produce available in the average supermarket in the States. Twice a month a ship comes delivering supplies to the stores and we all rush to the markets to purchase our wilted and nearly dead lettuce, broccoli, and whatever other wonders the ship has brought. One thing, however, that grows well here on the island is cucumbers. So we eat a LOT of cucumbers while waiting on that ship. I just recently was sent this info on the cucumber, and while I can not say for sure that every thing on this list is fact, it makes me feel a little better about serving up my family a plate of cucumbers instead of that beautiful green salad with all the fixings that I can only dream about. (Oh, and I also learned that cucumbers are fruit, NOT vegetables! Maybe you already knew that and now think I'm dumb but I'm proud to say I learned something new today.)

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.
3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.
4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!
6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!
7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.
8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!
10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.
11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.
12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean.
13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!