DeStress Monday: Savor Life’s Little Moments

March 29, 2021 by Leave a comment

From our friends at MondayCampaigns.org:

It’s said that happiness is found in the journey, not the destination, and there’s no day better suited for this maxim than Monday. Because when you reflect on the brightest moments of your typical Monday, it’s the ordinary stuff—the first sip of coffee, a good playlist, family downtime, dinner and a movie, the dog—that truly lifts your spirits and brings you the most joy.  

Change your focus to recall the positive this Monday for unexpected results. Savoring and focusing your thoughts on positive events is a way to shift to the positive and deflect stress.

Here are three ways you can savor the positive.

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March 22, 2021 by Leave a comment

From our friends at the MondayCampaigns.org:

As the silent chill of winter finally gives way to the mild melodies of spring, it’s time to get reacquainted with nature. And thanks to daylight savings, we now have an extra hour of sunshine for outdoor activities. The crisp fresh air, the smell of the foliage, the warmth of the sun, all these elements can heal and rejuvenate. 

This Monday, destress by exploring a garden or park near you! It can benefit your mind, body, and soul. Take a stroll through a park on your way to work, enjoy your lunch hour in a garden near your office, or sit on a lawn for an outdoor evening concert or movie

.Learn more about the stress-relieving power of spending time in nature.

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Move It Monday: Get More Out of Your Workout

March 8, 2021 by 1 Comment

From our friends at the MondayCampaigns.org:

Warming up and cooling down are two important components of every fitness routine, but how can you use them to improve the quality of your workout?

Benefits of a Warmup

Although there’s no strict definition for what constitutes a “warmup,” the basic idea is doing an activity or exercise at a slower pace to help prepare the body for more intense aerobic workout.

A warmup gradually engages your cardiovascular system, which raises your body temperature and increases blood flow to the muscles. This improves the elasticity (the stretchiness of muscle tissue) and can help reduce muscle tightness, pain, and risk of injury.

A warmup can also be an exercise in itself. Stretching during or immediately after your warmup can improve your flexibility in both the long and short term. Just remember to stretch after you’ve done a short aerobic exercise to get the blood flowing to your muscles.

Properly warming up before a workout can also benefit your mental state. If you start your fitness routine with heavy weights or a strenuous aerobic fitness routine, you’re more likely to be discouraged. Starting slowly and easing yourself into your exercises gradually prepares you for a full and effective workout.

Benefits of a Cooldown

After you finishing a workout, a 10-minute cooldown allows body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure to return to their normal levels. Stopping an intense exercise abruptly without a cool down can possibly lead to dizziness or even fainting.

Cooldown exercises, like stretching, walking, foam rolling, and deep breathing, can help lower your risk of injury and reduce stress to the heart and other muscles.

If you’re looking to incorporate more stretching into your workout routine, try starting with some beginner yoga poses. Stretching helps improve your flexibility as well as range of motion around the joints, while also benefitting balance and bone health.

This Monday, take a few extra minutes before and after your workout to fit in a warmup and cooldown.

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Destress With Belly Breathing

November 9, 2020 by Leave a comment

From our friends at Mondaycampaigns.org:

Behavior change is hard, but there are some simple strategies that can make adopting a healthy lifestyle easier. Reduce stress and improve your sleep through exercise, meditation, and mindfulness. Deep breathing and belly breathing are two techniques to help deal with stress. Try to think positive – surround yourself with positive people, find humor, be kind to yourself, and identify areas that need to change. See a mental health professional if you are feeling worried, anxious, or overwhelmed most of the time and these feelings are interfering with your normal life.

Read about more ways to reduce stress here.

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Move It Monday: Stretch Away Stress

November 2, 2020 by Leave a comment

From our friends at the MondayCampaigns:

Adaptable to all fitness levels, anyone can do yoga. In a typical workday, it’s normal for tension to build up in your shoulders, neck, and back. Doing a few simple yoga moves can help relieve built-up tension. Chair yoga can reduce the strain and stress on your joints, can be done in the office or at home, and is highly adjustable for all the poses.

Here are a few chair yoga poses to get you started.

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Healthy Monday: Is Stress Haunting You?

October 26, 2020 by Leave a comment

From our friends at MondayCampaigns.org:

Regardless of age or ability level, sometimes it’s just hard to find the energy, motivation, or confidence to get back into a workout routine. Whether you fear getting injured or are just reluctant to get back into the gym, it’s important to remember that a little anxiety about recommitting to exercise is perfectly normal.

Check out our list of common fitness fears, and start overcoming them.

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Biking Benefits the Environment

September 21, 2020 by Leave a comment

Biking not only benefits your health, but it also benefits the environment. Biking instead of using a car can be a useful step in reducing your carbon footprint and preserving the environment.

Transportation accounts for more than half of the carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides emitted into the air, with the average U.S. car emitting a pound of carbon dioxide per mile from burning fuel. By opting to bike, you are saving fossil fuel and reducing the number of cars on the road. Fewer cars relieves congestion and traffic and of a need for new parking lots and roadways, and more potential locations for public green spaces. Bicycles can use existing infrastructure, without demanding too much in terms of road construction and parking spaces. Bikes are also quiet, which means no honking or obnoxious noise pollution.

Third, biking around our neighborhoods gives us a greater appreciation for the surrounding natural beauty. By choosing to Move It Monday by biking, you are embracing the outdoors, appreciating the environment, all the while bettering your own health.

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Move It Monday: Mindful Walking

June 8, 2020 by Leave a comment

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From our friends at the Monday Campaigns:

Make Monday an occasion to try some mindful walking when you need to de-stress for a few minutes between activities.

Any style of mindfulness is a robust antidote to stress. Mindfulness engages your normal powers of awareness and is something you can do anytime, anywhere. Here are some steps to follow for a short and easy session of mindful walking:

  1. Pick a time in your daily routine to practice mindful walking for at least five minutes.
  2. Concentrate on the physical sensations of walking – the sights, sounds, and feelings of each step.
  3. If your mind wanders, gently return your focus by repeating “left, right” as you walk.

As you walk, pay attention to the physical experience of walking. Bring your attention to your feet, noticing the sensations of walking itself. Witness the heel, ball, and toe of each foot as it makes contact, over and over, in every step. Bring your attention to the breath and the rhythm of your stride.

Mindful walking is a form of mindfulness, which is a way to focus on the present and not get caught up in thoughts of the past or worries about the future, giving you a greater sense of well-being and relaxation. This naturally slows down your heart rate and lowers your blood pressure. Its benefits include: stress reduction, reduced rumination, and increased focus.

This Monday, no matter where you’re going or how fast you’re walking, use this tip to de-stress and slow down, yet keep moving.

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Healthy Monday: Get Thrifty With Your Fitness

May 18, 2020 by Leave a comment

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From our friends at the Monday Campaigns:

Exercise equipment can be expensive, cumbersome, and bulky, which is why it often ends up covered in cobwebs rather than sweat. But you don’t need a  treadmill, weights or a squat rack to build muscle at home; with a little creativity, you can fashion a number of household items into fitness gear.

If you want to recreate the feeling of free weights, look no further than your kitchen or pantry. Cans of soups or beans typically weigh 1 – 2 pounds. They are also the right shape to fit snuggly in the palm of your hand, making them perfect for bicep curls and tricep extensions. The next door to explore is that of your refrigerator. A gallon of liquid (juice, milk, water, etc.) weighs approximately 8 – 9 pounds.  These bottles are easy to grip, which is why they’re useful for exercises that engage a number of muscle groups like body squats, lunges, or shoulder presses.

Visit our blog to learn what kitchen items you can use for a great core workout!

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Move It Monday with a Monday Mile

February 5, 2018 by Leave a comment

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From our friends at MoveItMonday.org:

This Monday, Start Walking With Your Heart in Mind

February is American Heart Month and we’re highlighting some of the effects of physical activity on your heart. Making a plan to become more active has several benefits to your health. It can reduce stress, build muscles, and increase your endurance. Walking is something many of us do every day, several times a day. When it’s done for more than 30 minutes a day, it can be great exercise for people at almost any level of fitness. It also provides a great workout for your heart! It’s the first Monday of American Heart Month, so find some time to walk today!

Some people are a bit daunted by the idea of exercise or may not feel like they’re in the condition to take on something physically demanding. But walking is the perfect low-impact activity for people who are just starting a fitness routine, coming back after a medical recovery, or even pursuing something more challenging. Thirty minutes of brisk walking every day can add up to the recommended 150 minutes of moderate physical activity you get every week, even if that 30 minutes is broken up into 10- or 15-minute walks.

According to the American Heart Association, a daily walking routine can benefit your cardiovascular system by reducing your risk for several conditions such as heart disease and stroke, obesity, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes (as well as osteoporosis and breast and colon cancer). If the physical rewards weren’t enough, walking also burns calories, keeps your muscles strong, and reduces stress. And all you have to do is walk!

Click here to read more

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