Surprising Ways to Beat PMS

Posted on January 24th, 2009 by

Your skirt suddenly feels two sizes too small, you`re at your cat and that sappy coffee commercial has just made you cry. You`ve got PMS, and even obscene amounts of chocolate won`t snap you out of it. Here, surefire ways to keep symptoms to a minimum.

1. Skip the bar scene. The reason? When you are premenstrual, a mere three sips of alcohol is enough to cause your blood sugar level to crash for up to 72 hours, leading to headaches, fatigue, depression and irritability. Salty bar snacks like popcorn are bad news too -since sodium increases water retention, snacking will only worsen bloating and breast tenderness. Bonus: if you forgo the drinks, you`ll be in better shape to skip coffee the next morning- a good thing, since caffeine contributes to PMS symptoms like cramping and backaches.

2. Eat Pasta. Complex carbohydrates such as pasta, bread and cereals raise levels of mood-enhanching serotonin, a brain chemical that tends to dip during the premenstual period. When a premenstrual woman eat carbohydrates she feels better within an hour -and her cravings for cookies stop. To get a serotonin boost, it recommended to eating 40-45 grams of carbohydrate as a snack, the equivalent of a cup of cooked spaghetti or a large bagel.

3. Take a Dip. Water can soothe headache due to PMS-related hormonal changes. It suggested to soak your feet in warm water for 30 minutes while applying a cold constricts blood vessels in your head and the warmth dilates them in your feet, which helps improve blood circulation and ease pain.

4. Strive to get all B`s. B vitamins are impressive in their arsenal of PMS-fighting properties. The most important is B6, which keeps energy stores constant and elevates mood.Because B6 works best if taken with other B vitamins -and can be counterproductive if taken in too high dose- you`re best off taking a B-complex vitamin daily. The vitamin should contain 150 mg og B6; also be sure to include plenty of B-rich foods, like fresh vegetables, eggs, milk and whole wheat bread, in your diet.

5. Be a Wallflower. Well, sort of. To relieve pelvic aches and bloating, try this yoga pose. Lie on your back with your butt and the backs of your legs up againt a wall. (Your body should form an L shape). Hold for  15 minutes. This pose boosts blood circulation and reduces pressure in the pelvic region. To relax the area even more, open your legs into a V;hold an additional 5 minutes.

6. Destroy your Yanny CDs. Music can be a great emotional soother, bbut if you`re cranky, pass on the quiet new tunes. If the music you play doesn`t match your mood, you may get more agitated. It recommended to listen tunes that reflect your present mood, the gradually switching to those with which you have happier, more positive associations. Basically, it`s okay to start off with Pearl Jam, as long as you end up with Enya.

Tags: PMS

Mental Muscle

Posted on January 21st, 2009 by

The right attitude can give you a jump start on any fitness goal. Do you have a healthy mind-set? Our quiz will tell you.

DO you need an attitude adjustment?

1. When you hit a workout plateau, how do you usually break through it?
a. You jack up the intensity of your cardio routine.
b. You vary your workout -maybe start training with heavier weights or trying some cardio intervals.
c. You avoid the gym until you`re feeling more pump.

2. After a rigorous workout, you feel:
a. Relieved.
b. Exhausted.
c. Energized.

3. You eat:
a. Absolutely no fat.
b. Generally low-fat, carb-rich foods.
c. Whatever you want -that`s the great part about working out.

4. Complete this sentence: Working out twice a week is…
a. Totally insufficient.
b. Better that not working out at all.
c. About as often as you can force yourself to do it.

5. When you exercise, carrying on a conversation is:
a. No problem -you could gab for hours.
b. Difficult -but you can still talk.
c. Impossible, but who wants to chat?

6. You`re headed to the gym when your partner invites you to play basketball. You:
a. Say you`d rather work out by yourself.
b. Announce that the first one to the court gets a five-point advantage.
c. Suggest the two of you stay at home and find some other way to work up a sweat.

7. When you missing a workout (no matter what the reason) you usually feel:
a. Guilty, at least temporary.
b. Angry at whatever -or whomever- interfered with your schedule.
c. Eager to get back on track.

8. The main reason you work out is:
a. To be healthier.
b. To look better in clothes.
c. So you can eat cookies.

9. Your fitness motto is:
a. No pain, no gain.
b. Be all that I can be.
c. Slow and steady wins the race.

10. At the gym you:
a. Work out with buddies who are also serious about fitness.
b. Avoid people. They distract you and make it impossible for you to focus on your form.
c. Spend as much time gossiping as you do sweating.

Do the math:
1. a=3 b=2 c=1
2. a=1 b=3 c=2
3. a=3 b=2 c=1
4. a=3 b=2 c=1
5. a=1 b=2 c=3
6. a=3 b=2 c=1
7. a=1 b=3 c=2
8. a=2 b=3 c=1
9. a=3 b=2 c=1
10. a=2 b=3 c=1

Scooring

26+  WORK OUT WARRIOR
Okay, so maybe we`re a little envious of your incredible disipline, but your die-hard quest for perfection could be endangering your health and emotional well-being. If you keep it up, you could strain the areas you`re working so hard. Chill out exercise should relieve stress, not contribute to it. Try working out with your friends for a change. Pay attention to how you feel and not what you should be doing. And make sure you`re eating a variety of foods -long lasting energy comes from carbohydrates, protein and fat.

17-25 WORKOUT-WISE
You truly enjoy exercising. You know that the best thing about a good fitness program is not how it makes you look, but how it makes you feel…great! You don`t beat your self up if you dive into a bowl of M&M`s, and you don`t obsess if you can`t make it to the gym.

Make sure you`re getting a well-rounded workout that includes cardiovascular exercise, stretching and strength training.Try to make change in your routine every two weeks. Constantly challenging your mind and body is the surest way to guarantee you`ll stick with exercise -and see real results.

10-16 WORKOUT WIMP
The fact that you`re going to the gym at all is something of a minor miracle, but your lax attitude is limiting your potential exercise gains, both physical and mental. So, once you get into a consistent program, the first thing that happens is you start to feel better. And if you feel less stressed and more energetic, you`re more likely to stick with working out. Our advice: do activity that you enjoy. The type of exercise you choose is less important than the time you spend doing it. And stop bribing yourself to workout with promises of double-fudge brownies -you`ll just undo all the gains you could be making.

–

Tags: exercise, workout

Tips How to Make Time for Exercise

Posted on January 17th, 2009 by

Live by these four mantras, and learn from Patricia`s and Kristina`s triumphs and pitfalls.

1. An exercise program is like a relationship.
Kristina learned the hard way that making a major change requires commitment and focus. So if your mind is elsewhere -you just landed a new job or broke up with your boyfriend- consider postponing your start until the smoke clears. “pen” your new start date in your calender.

2. Write down your major obstacles, then strategize on how to resolve them.
Knowing that she faced an hour long commute each way, Patricia requested a program that didn`t require travelling to a gym. Likewise, Kristina realized that she had to lose her all-or-nothing attitude and incorporated miniworkouts into her day. But she could have done more by scaling back  on her work hours, learning to delegate and slowing her life down in general.

3. Schedule a worklout appointment with your self and treat it like a business meeting.
It`s going to happen, no ifs, ands or buts. Reserve a specific time for your workout, write it down and don`t let anyone talk you out of it. Permit your self to leave the office, even if you still have work to do. If exercise constantly takes back seat to trivial tasks such as organizing your drawers, consider whether your`re avoiding bigger issues, such as getting in shape.

4. Every Sunday, write down your exercise goals for the week and post the list where you`ll see it often.
Don`t go from 0 to 60 overnight: start slowly and progress by adding five minutes to your routine each week. Keep your self motivated by setting realistic long-time goals, such as training for a 10k. Constantly remind yourself how good exercise make you feel and renew your vow to make a change  -and this time, make it stick.

Tags: exercise

The Daily Exercise Combinations

Posted on January 12th, 2009 by

It`s may be polite to say that there is no need to exercise regularly to lose weight and shape. Nothing is further from the truth, if you lead a sedentary life. You should try to practice 3-4 times a week if you want to improve your fitness and weight loss efforts. This is especially true if you are a sedentary lifestyle.

Regular exercise is important and people who are part of their lives, they are a sort of exercise on a regular basis.

It is known that one of the best means of frequent exercise. But each of us when it comes to real time to do so. Let mentally several roadblocks.

“I have very little time to practice for the results. He deserves it. ”

There are many opportunities for a short period of time and results. Remember that most people do not have the time, and they are like you. There is the determination and creativity. Of course, also shows how much you use.

Also, to save time, you can use at home or in the gym. It depends on your lifestyle and what is best for you. Whether you’re at home, fitness club by contacting the commission of a regular basis. You are not only losing weight, but you are in shape and build muscle mass.

E-learning, for an hour or less, are considered as very effective compared to the poor training designed. This is what is best for you.

“They have a lot of money to start their own perception”

Believe it or not, you can control costs, while creating an effective system to develop. Although the purchase of fresh weight of money, you do not lift weights to be formed. You can exercise without equipment (such as walking and body weight exercises).

For example, walking is very easy to start. You can walk around the neighborhood of three to four times a week for half an hour at a time or time. Start self-esteem. Plus, you build your strength and endurance to walk or run.

Body weight exercises are exercises that have little or no equipment for implementation. You can, for example, with a push-ups, sit windows and split squats series. All you need is a president of the division of squats.

“The movement is not only fun, and I want to lose the right weight classes.”

The only way to stay with your training program than we do. If not as an exercise routine exercises for something you want.

You can opt for a large number of small effects, such as walking, yoga and swimming. If you have an idea of what to do specific exercises to lose weight, you should not forget that it is preferable to select the categories that fit your lifestyle and interests that are best for you.

Tags: exercise