The #1 way to Maintain your Brain!

Well, we've come to the last, but most important, way to Maintain your brain. 

This week we've talked about Challenging our brain, How to help manage stress, 

getting enough Sleep & Rest, and a Healthy diet. 

Now it's time to talk about one more thing...

...EXERCISE! 

There should be no surprise that I was excited to hear that the #1 way to Maintain your Brain was by exercise. Physical exercise. It doesn't have to be extreme exercising. Walking 30minutes a day is a great source of exercise...and great for your brain, too! ;) 

Exercising can help the brain in many ways: 

1. Increases your heart rate, which helps pump more oxygen to the brain. 

2. Aids the body in the release of hormones, which can aid in providing a healthier environment for the growth of brain cells. 

3. It stimulates the growth of new connections between brain cells, making it easier for the brain to grow neuronal connections.

4. Anything that is good for your heart, is good for your brain.

5. (i like this one) - By exercising in the morning, you can spike brain activity, which can prepare you for mental stresses that can occur throughout the day. It also increases retention of new information, and a better reaction to complex situations! 

So, what are you waiting for?! Get out there and MOVE!!!!!!!!!!! :) 

Being a Health & Fitness Coach, I'd love to talk with you if you're interested in starting an exercise program, changing up your routine, or just want to talk more about this topic :) Feel free to reach out to me! 

***Please remember I am not a specialist, Dr., therapist, psyciatrist, or anything along those lines.

I'm simply giving you some information that I've found helpful in keeping my mental health in check.***  

www.LetitGoHealthandFitness.com

Maintain your Brain - #2

Oh boy, we're down to the top 2 ways to Maintain your Brain! And today's is a biggie!!!

 

HEALTHY DIET!

 

Before my journey in health and fitness began, DIET was where I lacked. DIET was something everyone was doing, and as soon as they were off the DIET, they'd gain back what they lost plus some. No fun.

DIET is not my favorite 4-lettered word. The idea behind it makes me cringe now, and it annoys me when I'm asked how my diet it going. It annoys me because I'm not on a diet. I'm on a healthy lifestyle plan, where I'm allowed to have cheat meals now and again, but most of the time I eat according to my goals. And my #1 goal is to be healthy. So call it a diet if you want, but don't mistake my diet for the person who isn't eating anything because they want to lose weight. My diet has me eating every 2 hours, 6am - 8pm. And I'm eating a well-balanced diet, with a variety of food, of the right portion size for me. Can you tell it's tense subject for me?! HA!

But enough about me, let's talk about why YOU should ALWAYS be eating a healthy, balanced diet.

 

A balanced diet is a diet consisting of the proper quantities and proportions of foods needed to maintain health or growth.

 

There are so many things out there now telling you what to eat, how to eat, when to eat, what type to eat, what to drink, what not to drink, when to drink, etc. So many things!!! It can get confusing! Makes a person want to give up, say "screw it" and go grab a bag of chips! Am I right?

But don't. Remember why you started looking into eating right.

Chances are it was to lose weight and be healthy.

Here's a couple easy tips you can do to start making it a LIFESTYLE CHANGE vs just a diet.

 

1.  When it comes to drinks, keep it simple. WATER should be your best friend. A good rule of thumb for how much water to drink each day is to take your weight and divide it in half. For example, someone weighting 140lbs should drink 70oz of water daily.  Avoid sugary drinks (they are packed with calories and bad for your teeth!), and drinks packed with caffeine (they will dehydrate you!).

 

2. EAT BREAKFAST already! You're just waking up from hopefully 8 great hours of sleep, which means you haven't eaten in at least 8 hours. Do your body and brain some good and feed it! You need the fuel for energy and to jump start your metabolism. Skipping breakfast, or any meal, can put your body into starvation mode - meaning your body will hold on to what you do feed it, thinking it's not getting anything else for a while, and if losing weight is your goal you're likely to plateau very quickly. I know mornings can be rushed, but find something easy that you can take on the go. Here's one great idea, that also gives you the vitamins and nutrients you need on a daily basis...it's the healthiest meal of the day!

 

3. Snacking is good for you! As I mentioned above, I eat every 2 hours. My biggest meal is usually lunch, everything else is a healthy snack :) Try it!

 

4. Join one of my upcoming FREE 5-Day Clean Eating Challenges!

This is what did it for me. I tried a free 5 day challenge and my life hasn't been the same!

My next one begins next tuesday, May 26th! And I'd love to have you in it!

Contact me if you're interested!

 

5. Don't think of food as the enemy. It's not. It's here to help us survive and be healthy.

If you want to take the guess work out of knowing what to eat at what portion sizes, I've found the 21 Day Fix to be GREAT for that! It's a program that combines fitness and nutrition, and helps you form the habit of eating the right amounts of the right foods. Take a look at it, and if you have questions, let me know :)

 

 

 

***Please remember that I am not a specialist, Dr., therapist, psychiatrist, or anything along those lines.

I'm simply giving you some information that I've found helpful in keeping my mental health in check. ***

 

www.LetitGoHealthandFitness.com

Maintain your Brain - #3

We're half way through the week and that means you're about to learn the #3 way to maintain your brain! So far you've challenged your brain, and learned some new stress management techniques, and now it's time to REST your brain!

 

 

SLEEP & REST

 

As I mentioned earlier this week, this is not a topic I know much about. Although, I did sleep in today instead of waking up at 3:30am to workout. I woke up at my normal time of 4:15am.

Yes, you read that right. And I hate naps. Hate them. I feel like I wake up feeling so much more tired than before I went down for one. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree - all 3 of my kids stopped napping for us around 1 year of age. And only 1 of the 3 likes to sleep in ;)

 

BUT, don't follow my example on this. You NEED to rest and sleep. I NEED to learn how to do more of it. It's good for your brain. Don't believe me? Check out some of these fun articles!

 

5 Amazing Things Your Brain does while You Sleep

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/28/brain-sleep-_n_5863736.html 

 

 

Why Is Sleep Important?

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/why 

 

Sleep

http://www.brainfacts.org/sensing-thinking-behaving/sleep/ 

 

 

 

All the articles above have so many great reasons to sleep and rest more! I swear I will begin doing this more, no matter how much I want to NOT do it to get other things done! How about you? Do you get enough sleep now? Do you rest often?

 

 

 

 

***Please remember I am not a specialist, Dr., thereapist, psyciatrist, or anything along those lines.

I'm simply giving you some information that I've found helpful in keeping my mental health in check.***

 

www.LetitGoHealthandFitness.com

Maintain your Brain - #4

Alright, now that you've challenged your brain and solved that Sudoku puzzle from yesterday, it's time to talk about the 4th best way to Maintain your Brain...

STRESS MANAGEMENT

 Stress...we've all got it and we all handle it in different ways. Learning new ways to handle stressful situations can help you a lot when it comes to your mental health. I used to stress a lot, over the littlest things, and at times, my old habits still creep up on me. But throughout the years I've learned some tips that have helped me handle stressful situations much better. In no particular order...

1. Ask yourself if the situation will matter tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now or next year? Chances are, the answer is no. If it's yes, try some of the other ways.

2. Give yourself a time out.
I have 3 kids. I understand how stressful and crazy it can get. There were many times where I felt a time out was needed for ME, so i could cool off, relax, unwind, and come back to the situation with a better view. So, I started giving myself those time outs. Even if it was walking into my bedroom and screaming into the pillow, it helped. It also helped me stop yelling at the kids so much - which I used to feel guilty about EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT.

3. Take yourself out of the situation.
If your best friend came to you with the problem you were facing, what would you suggest to them? I know it's easier said than done, but take your own advice sometimes. You just might be right.

4. Identify what your stressors are, and get rid of them,
or at least don't let them control you like they do now.
This could be anything from friends & family to work & commutes. Anything. 
If you can avoid the stress, avoid it.
(personal example - i hate to sit in traffic, so I'm at work by 6am everyday and out the door by 2:30pm everday. MOST the time there's rarely any traffic. SCORE!)

5. Is your to-do list a mile long like mine? Narrow it down to the 3 most important things.
Turn off social distractions like facebook and pinterest (but not this blog until you're done reading it ;) ) and don't open them up until you are DONE what's on your list. So many times I've had my to do list and was ready to go, but the dings of FB notifications started, and then I got a text on my phone, and before I knew it it was 5 hours later and my to-do list had just gotten longer.
Turn off all the distractions and focus.

6. So in #4 I told you to avoid the stressors if at all possible. "But Kristen, it's just not possible!" Okay, I get it. I have those kinds, too. This is where YOU have to do some changing and adapt to it. Maybe you aren't happy with your job. OK. Well, keep doing your best and working hard and putting in for promotions and soon enough you'll be noticed and moving on to bigger and better things. Don't get caught up in work drama; just go in, do your job, leave. Simple as that.

7. Accept that you aren't in control of everything and there are just some things you can't change.
It sucks, I know. But the truth hurts sometimes. You can't control the uncontrollable. If you're going through a situation like this, do your best to learn and grow from it.
"What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger." Believe in that.

8. Start exercising and eating right.

Feeling good about yourself will help a lot of weight get lifted off your shoulders. Don't drink when you're stressed out - that's not going to make the problem disappear. Go for a walk or run or to a kickboxing class, let off some steam, and return to the situation FRESH. Eat healthier, reduce caffeine and sugars and get enough sleep.

 9. Take a break already!!!!!

My friends reading this are probably laughing out loud right now because I'm the worst when it comes to this. Rest & Relaxation is far from my vocabulary. I honestly just don't know how to do it! I'll go for a walk or listen to music...but I'm usually going for a walk and listening to personal development...i can't waste any time. I hate to (unless it's on my to-do list as mentioned above - oy!)! 

10. Stop being a SuperHero. 

Chances are you wear many hats. And if that's true, then chances are it's because you don't think anyone can do what you do as good as you. Am I right? Of course I'm right. Give it up and ask for help! We can't expect to be stress-free when we're trying to do it ALL plus some. It's okay to ask for help. Chances are when you ask for help, you'll get it. And chances are, the person who helps will do it better than you. And that's okay!

***Please remember I am not a specialist, Dr., therapist, psyciatrist, or anything along those lines. 

I'm simply giving you some information that I've found helpful in keeping my mental health in check.***

wwwLetitGoHealthandFitness.com



Maintain your Brain - #5

Alright, I'm excited to get this week started with the #5 way to Maintain your Brain!

And that is...

CHALLENGE YOUR BRAIN!

There are a variety of ways to challenge your brain and keep it healthy. From puzzles and crosswords, learning a new language, learning to play a new instrument, writing (a book, or blog, or anything), trying a new sport, teaching someone you're an "expert" on, dancing, preparing for a speech or big day...the list goes on and on and on.

There's a quote out there, it's pretty popular, and it says "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
Don't listen to it.
You WANT to be learning something new EVERYDAY, no matter how old you are!
Keep your brain active!


Any Sudoku fans out there reading this? Talk about a challenge for your brain! I about went crazy trying to figure out an EASY Sudoku puzzle the other day. One just like this:

Don't get me wrong. It was a fun crazy. And I'll most likely try to finish it at some point, because even though it stressed me out, it was addicting and I kept wanting to figure out where I went wrong!

Give it a go and let me know how you do by commenting below :)

***Please remember I am not a specialist, Dr., therapist, psyciatrist, or anything along those lines.

I'm simply giving you some information that I've found helpful in keeping my mental health in check.***  

www.letitgohealthandfitness.com

Maintain your Brain!

For those who don't know, I work full time for the Fed. Government. We had a meeting yesterday with a speaker who spoke about how important Mental Health is, and he talked about ways to "Maintain your Brain!" I loved everything he had to say, and thought it would be great to blog about so others can have some information. I know I focus a lot on healthy eating and fitness, but mental health is HUGE, too. 

If you are interested in learning more about the Top 5 Ways to Maintain your Brain, I'll be talking about them next week, beginning on Monday. Make sure to enter your email to the right to get updated when I post each day. I'll also be sharing on my FB Page, so make sure you LIKE it ;0)

I'm excited for this and hope you find the information valuable. 

Turkey Bacon Wrapped Egg Bites

Oh boy, are you in for a treat! This recipe was easy to make. 

It took about 10mins prep time, and 25mins cook time. 

And the kids loved it!

Turkey Bacon Wrapped Egg Bites

INGREDIENTS: 

Turkey Bacon, Eggs (or egg whites), Cheese, other ingredients (spinach, onions, broccolli, etc)

*for this recipe, I just added cheese

DIRECTIONS: 

~ Preheat oven to 375.

~ Spray muffin tin.

~ Line each spot with turkey bacon around the edges.

~ Whip all eggs. I used 9 eggs and 6 egg whites for this batch shown. 

So 9 eggs makes 8 bites. 6 egg white makes 4 bites.

~ Mix in cheese and other desired toppings. 

~ Evenly pour the egg mix into each spot, and 3/4 of the way up.

~ Back about 25mins or until turkey bacon is cooked.

~ Pop out and enjoy!

2 egg bites = 1 RED and 1 *BLUE container

3 egg white bites = 1 RED and 1 *BLUE container

My 1st 1/2 marathon!

5.2.15

From Assateague Island to the Ocean City Inlet

13.1 miles in 2 hours, 19mins and 48 seconds. 

As a child, I played softball. I dreaded having to run around the bases at practice, or even if I hit a homerun and had to run them all at once - there was a good chance I'd get out because I ran so slow! 

I tried basketball, but there was too much running. I didn't even give soccer a try because all they do is run. When I struggled with weight, I tried running. Several times. I attempted the Couch to 5k and quit at week 5 because it wanted me to run for 8 minutes straight - I thought that ish was CRAZY at the time. Give me an elliptical, i could be on it for hours. Put me in a step class or spinning class or body pump type class and I'd have a ball. But ask me to run, and I just laughed at you. I had pretty much told myself it was never going to happen. And I was perfectly fine with that. 

Then T25 came into my life. My goal with that program was simple - I wanted to tone up while working on my nutrition (where I lacked big time). 25mins a day was doable with our busy schedule, and I could still have time for family. My husband and I both agreed we could give each other 25mins a day to do the workouts, and so, in August 2013 we started. 

Things were going great! We were right on schedule with the workouts, keeping to our nutrition plan, and really feeling and seeing the positive changes in our lives. About a month into the program we went to OC with my parents for the weekend. A tradition we have. It was a "rest" day for T25, but I wanted to get some kind of workout in. So, I decided to go for a run. 

15 minutes into the run I freaked out. WHY?! Because I was STILL running! I hadn't stopped, and could still run more. So, i did! Remember above when I said I thought running for 8 minutes straight was crazy?! Yea, I was a little beside myself! I probably ran for about 30mins before stopping. I was so confused and excited about what I had just done! 

And that's where my love of running began :) 

After that I signed up and completed my first 10k in April of last year. I did another one in August. I ran 7 miles at some point last summer and it exhausted me so much, i figured a 10k was it for me. But, i wanted to see if I could push myself further. So, decided 2015 was going to be my year for my 1st half marathon and full marathon. I signed up for both at the beginning of the year! :) Training was TOUGH for a half in May with the weather we had, and I honestly didn't train as well as I should have. It wasn't until about 5 weeks out that I got serious about it. I was having a hard time running 5 miles...how was I going to run 13.1?! So, i stuck to the training schedule, watched my nutrition better, and just turned my mindset to a "I CAN DO THIS!" mindset. It worked :) 

So, why did I choose the OC Half Marathon?

Simple. I grew up vacationing there with my family. It's where my love/hate relationship with running really began. It's a special place to me and I knew the areas where I was running. What was more special was that my husband and kids came down to cheer me on, along with my parents and my husbands parents. Seeing them 1 mile before the finish line was just as emotional as I thought it would be. I stopped quickly to give each of the kids kisses, and hug everyone else. I held back tears the whole last mile because I was ALMOST done. I wasn't just doing this for me, I was doing it to show my kids that anything is possible if you just believe in yourself. And they may not realize that now, but one day they will. Through my journey of running, and through other journeys of my life. 

At mile 10! Feeling good! :) 

Right before seeing my family <3

The FINISH line is right in front of me!!! I DID IT!!!!!!!! :) 

 LOVE MY FAMILY!

MY PARENTS! 

MY 2nd PARENTS!