Think about what you ate yesterday.....
Did you get in your 5-13 servings of fruits and vegetables? I know that seems kind of crazy but did you eat at least 5? This is actually something that I struggle with and am working to improve so I wanted to get everyone on board with me. Just for today try to have at least one fruit or vegetable with each meal and snack you eat. I honestly dislike a lot of vegetables but I know the health benefits from eating them so here goes nothing.... Let me know your favorites :-)
Friday, April 30, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Elena's Birthday
Don't have much time to write today because it is a special day! One of my best friends from when I was a kiddo just had her first child today. Elena Marie was born around 2:45 am and weighed 5 lbs 9 oz. Kristin is a rockstar and I'm so happy that her and her adorable little baby are both healthy. Holding a 12 hour old little person was incredible and I can't wait to watch her grow and spoil her lots!! Lots of love to all the Mothers out there! And Happy Birthday Elena!!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Exercise of the day!
Let's start the week out right with an ab exercise!! Summer is right around the corner so let's work on our core. Get into a pushup position (not on the knees ladies), tighten you stomach, legs, and bottom and just hold this position for 30 seconds to 1 minute depending on your current fitness level. Make sure you keep your body in a plank position...don't let your hips creep up. Rest for 30 seconds and repeat for a total of 3 plank holds :-) Wasn't that fun?
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Recipes!
So my favorite recipe books are Lisa Lillien's Hungry Girl cookbooks. If you enjoy blueberry muffins you have to try this one!
http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/chewdetails.php?isid=1552
Enjoy :-)
http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/chewdetails.php?isid=1552
Enjoy :-)
The most important muscle in your body....
Today I received my trophy!! You’re probably wondering what I’m talking about but I recently purchased a Polar FT60 Heart Rate Monitor and I’ve become a little obsessed with it when I exercise. This training computer checks to see where your heart rate is when you start and then gives you a program for the week based on 3 heart rate zones. This past week I had to spend 7 hours and 5 minutes exercising, which allowed me to burn 2800 calories.
So what are the benefits of knowing your target heart rate? Well you can measure your intensity accurately and safely. This can keep you from over or under training. Using a heart rate monitor is scientifically the most accurate method of measuring calories burned during your workout. Sorry but the numbers on the cardio machines aren’t accurate…you probably didn’t burn 400 calories during 30 minutes of walking. Keeping track of your heart rate also allows you to see if you are improving or not. Finally, exercising with a heart rate monitor allows you to really exercise smarter!
So what are these heart rate training zones and how do we find them? It’s best to find out your anaerobic threshold and calculate your maximum heart rate from that number. According to Mosby’s Dictionary of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, anaerobic threshold is defined “at increasing speeds/intensity levels the point above which the muscles derive their entergy from nonoxygenic rather than oxygenic sources during exercise. The body can only operate above this threshold for a short period of time, such as when sprinting, before lactic acid builds up in the muscles.” Once you find your AT, your maximum heart rate is on average 12-15 beats higher than your AT number. Once you know your maximum heart rate you can calculate each training zone.
Zone 1 – Light zone – 60-70% of your maximum heart rate – this zone is good for weight control and improving your aerobic fitness. In zone 1 fat is the main energy source. Zone 1 is your base and training in this zone helps build endurance.
Zone 2 – Moderate zone – 70-80% of your maximum heart rate – this zone is faster than zone one but uses carbohydrates for an energy source. You are still aerobic in this zone and training in zone 2 helps improve your cardiovascular fitness.
Zone 3 -Hard zone - 80-90% of your maximum heart rate – in this zone your are breathing heavily and feeling a little fatigued. Training is zone 3 takes you toward your anaerobic threshold. It significantly improves your fitness and performance but you don’t want to spend all your training in zone 3 because you start to use proteins as an energy source which decreases your lean muscle mass. And the more lean muscle you have the more calories you burn!!
So back to my trophy…my polar ft60 gave me a program based on my current level of fitness and then I trained properly in each zone to assure that I was getting a good workout and not over or under training. I recommend that everyone have some sort of heart rate monitor so you can start training the most important muscle in your body!
So what are the benefits of knowing your target heart rate? Well you can measure your intensity accurately and safely. This can keep you from over or under training. Using a heart rate monitor is scientifically the most accurate method of measuring calories burned during your workout. Sorry but the numbers on the cardio machines aren’t accurate…you probably didn’t burn 400 calories during 30 minutes of walking. Keeping track of your heart rate also allows you to see if you are improving or not. Finally, exercising with a heart rate monitor allows you to really exercise smarter!
So what are these heart rate training zones and how do we find them? It’s best to find out your anaerobic threshold and calculate your maximum heart rate from that number. According to Mosby’s Dictionary of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, anaerobic threshold is defined “at increasing speeds/intensity levels the point above which the muscles derive their entergy from nonoxygenic rather than oxygenic sources during exercise. The body can only operate above this threshold for a short period of time, such as when sprinting, before lactic acid builds up in the muscles.” Once you find your AT, your maximum heart rate is on average 12-15 beats higher than your AT number. Once you know your maximum heart rate you can calculate each training zone.
Zone 1 – Light zone – 60-70% of your maximum heart rate – this zone is good for weight control and improving your aerobic fitness. In zone 1 fat is the main energy source. Zone 1 is your base and training in this zone helps build endurance.
Zone 2 – Moderate zone – 70-80% of your maximum heart rate – this zone is faster than zone one but uses carbohydrates for an energy source. You are still aerobic in this zone and training in zone 2 helps improve your cardiovascular fitness.
Zone 3 -Hard zone - 80-90% of your maximum heart rate – in this zone your are breathing heavily and feeling a little fatigued. Training is zone 3 takes you toward your anaerobic threshold. It significantly improves your fitness and performance but you don’t want to spend all your training in zone 3 because you start to use proteins as an energy source which decreases your lean muscle mass. And the more lean muscle you have the more calories you burn!!
So back to my trophy…my polar ft60 gave me a program based on my current level of fitness and then I trained properly in each zone to assure that I was getting a good workout and not over or under training. I recommend that everyone have some sort of heart rate monitor so you can start training the most important muscle in your body!
Shape up with Alison
It is time to get serious! I have a passion for health and fitness and I need to share it with the world. With childhood obesity more than tripling over the last 30 years and heart disease being the leading cause of death I need to do whatever I can to educate and train people so we can get our country healthier! Each day I will share a recipe, fitness tip, current event, or even a random question that I get asked at the gym. I look forward to helping you get healthy!!
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