Category Archives: Health

5 Ways Marathon Running Creates Positive Change

Posted on by

Scott MauriceRunning a marathon is no small task. It takes generous preparation and determination to complete 26.2 miles. If you’re new to running, even one mile may seem daunting, let alone 26. However, statistics indicate that since 2000, U.S. marathon finishers have increased by 47 percent. That being said, more Americans are opting to physically challenge themselves every year. Here’s why:

Charity

One major reason people opt to run a marathon is to raise money and awareness for an important cause. Whether it’s cancer research, HIV/AIDS awareness, homelessness, or ending world hunger, the goal of helping others is a strong motivating factor to completing a marathon. When others have vouched for you by donating money, you’re more than likely to vouch for yourself!

Get in Shape

As the new year approaches, thousands of Americans use this time to set new fitness goals. Some want to lose 10 pounds, others want to get stronger. It’s easier to accomplish your goals when you set a specific milestone. Running will improve your cardiovascular endurance and strengthen your muscles. Moreover, regular exercise has the added benefit of improving your mood, alleviating stress, and providing heightened energy levels.

Try Something New

Running is uncomfortable, especially running over 20 miles. When you first start training for a marathon, you may feel particularly insecure. However, with commitment and persistence, the gradual improvements you see will instill a sense of pride and ownership over your journey. We aren’t always given the opportunity to step out of our comfort zones in our daily lives. Why not rise to the occasion and try something new? At the end of the day, it’ll only make you better than before.

Set a Good Example

When you make a positive change in your life, you’re not only benefiting you, but also those around you. Your friends, family members, and colleagues will definitely take notice that you’ve challenged yourself and had the strength and courage to push through. You can show them that something they once thought was impossible is right within their reach; make the abstract, tangible. Additionally, you can start training for your next marathon by helping someone else.

Meet New People

Training for a marathon with a friend is a great way to stay on track and accomplish what you set out to do. The running community is very supportive and veterans are always open to help newcomers settle in. Check your neighborhood or city listings for a local running club. Or, find an existing friend or colleague who’s willing to train with you.

Marathons aren’t easy, but they sure are possible and definitely worth the work.

Starting Strong: Ditching Cereal for a Breakfast of Champions

Posted on by

Bowl of CerealEveryone has heard the idiom – we widely laud breakfast as the most important meal of the day. However, as any parent can confirm, there is not always time to craft the kind of perfectly balanced culinary experience you might see in a TV commercial. So what does that mean for those of us with little ones? More often than not, the easiest thing to do before a day jam-packed with school and activities is to let the kids chomp down on their favorite colorful breakfast cereal. They think it tastes great, you know that it’s easy, and everyone seems to be happy. It might be an excellent short-term fix but, if you take your family’s health seriously, you might be setting yourself and your loved ones up for some serious long-term trouble.

Most breakfast cereals, and almost certainly the sweet kinds that come in colorful boxes designed to make your kids go bananas for them, are obviously loaded in sugar and artificial additives. They might be marketed as wholesome, but a simple glance at the nutritional facts will make it clear that breakfast cereal tends to have more in common with many desserts than anything else. For some people, that might be okay. Many of us indulge in pastries as a breakfast option – dessert for breakfast is not an entirely unfounded concept. Unfortunately, there is even more to consider before you pour the family a bowl.

Breakfast cereals are extremely dense in carbohydrates, surprisingly so. Although the branding often implies that these are mostly minimally-processed whole grains, that is almost never the case. Instead, they are loaded with high-glycemic index carbs which are widely acknowledged as a direct contributor to obesity. The science is fairly straightforward. When grains are highly processed, as they nearly always are for goods as mass produced as breakfast cereal, our bodies absorb them incredibly quickly – too fast, in fact – as blood sugar. This leaves you hungry after a few short hours and craving another sugar fix. Low-glycemic carbs like, for instance, sprouted grains take much longer to digest because much more “processing” occurs within our body organically. So, you’re left feeling full and benefitting from all the healthy nutrients that didn’t get stripped in the production process.

However, good luck convincing your child to give up a breakfast rich in colorful marshmallows for one rich in fiber without a fight. So, what are your options? The best thing to do is gradually transition away from packaged food as a general rule. This hold especially true for breakfast, where you are setting yourself up physically and mentally for the rest of the day. The closer to the earth you can get, the better. Our bodies are designed specifically to run off whole foods, so they are the best source of fuel. Kids tend to enjoy things like fruit, for instance, which packs enough sugar to please their palate but also delivers a healthy dose of various vitamins. One the best characteristics of a truly balanced breakfast is protein. So, you can also try a breakfast built around eggs or lean meats (the scientific community has made great advancements in the realm of turkey bacon!).

Everyone wants to make their kids happy. From time to time, breakfast cereal as a treat is more than fine. Just remember that the habits your family members build today will be the lifestyles they are living tomorrow, so prioritize empowering them to make positive choices.

Finding Your Inner Fit Father: Tips On How to Get Started Being a Healthier Dad

Posted on by

With obesity rates in the U.S. at an all-time high, the importance of investing time and energy into championing fitness, for yourself and for your loved ones, cannot be overstated. Although the demands of providing for a family, taking care of that family, and taking care of yourself can weigh more heavily on your shoulders some days than others, they are certainly a small price to pay for the joys of being a father and a husband.

Although the emphasis on a baby’s healthy development traditionally falls on the mother throughout the pregnancy, dads can (and should!) play a large role in setting a great example for the kids. It can be as simple as doing something physically active for half an hour every day and pairing that routine with some good eating habits. There are some great general rules and tips that help guide fit fathers to successfully embracing better, healthier lifestyles. You may well find some combination of these are just what you need to jump start your own self-improvement.

Listing the reasons you want to get fit can be an excellent, tangible manifestation of what your motivation for undertaking this challenge is. Write your reasons down somewhere and keep it handy. When the going gets tough and giving up or cutting corners seems appealing, refer to this document for the explicit reminder of why this is all worth the hassle. To minimize that hassle, you should also start by working out at home. Many guys overestimate their discipline and burn themselves out by overdoing it with pricy personal trainers and gym membership. In the process, they are likely to take a hefty financial loss when they figuratively run out of gas. Build up your good habits by starting small with exercise videos or a morning jog. Once those smaller changes to your old routine are second-nature, then you can organically turn up the intensity.

You should also understand that you do not have to go it alone! Working out with a partner, especially someone as close and supportive to you as a wife, can be vastly rewarding. It’s a great chance to spend some time together and working towards a common goal can be an extremely positive experience. Someone dependable who can hold you accountable makes the best kind of partner. Creating new habits can be very difficult, so building healthy ones together can make the process easier. As you become more successful, set milestones and acknowledge your progress with rewards. Small victories over time add up to a large win in the form of much better health later. Something small like a new pair of shoes or weekend getaway can be just the right thing to reinvigorate you to keep going in the right direction. And, above all else, stay committed. So long as you take capitalize on every day as an opportunity to improve on the last, you will be heading towards a healthier tomorrow.