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Are you conscious of your health habits? Do you always have a morning coffee? Do you always take the stairs instead of the elevator?... Take your vitamins in the morning?.. Drink water?.. Always have a mid-afternoon snack?... Always eat while watching TV? The goal is to make yourself aware of your negative health habits and then get on the path to changing them while maximizing your positive health habits. This week we will look at the 'H' for habits in the 5 part S.H.A.P.E series. Read on and find out how !!!

Enjoy the newsletter and have a blessed week!

Cathy Morenzie

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Feature Article

Making Health a Habit

S.H.A.P.E. – This week … the letter ‘H’ for HABIT

"We are what we repeatedly do! Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit!” Arostotle

Translated into the fitness realm: we can achieve excellent health at any age by practicing healthy habits.

I believe that forming better health habits has two perspectives:

1. decreasing negatives such as smoking, poor food choices and stress and
2. starting to make positive habits.

Acknowledge those habits that are keeping you stuck in your current rut. Now, I don’t believe in spending too much time focusing on negative habits, but you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge! So take some time to look at some of the negative habits you may have formed around eating and exercising. What is one thing that you can change today?

1. Create new healthy habits that will move you to a higher level of living. It's a generally held principle that it takes 21 days to form a habit.

Habits can be formed by external or internal triggers and are often unconscious. Food is probably the prime example of how habits arise. Do any of these external triggers make you want to eat? Watching a food commercial, the smell of popcorn, afternoon or late night munchies, watching TV, socializing with friends, busy work schedule, going home to Mom’s home cooking.

Internal or emotional situations also can trigger undesirable eating habits in many of us. People will eat when they are stressed, feeling guilty, depressed, bored, lonely and so on.

Recognize these habits and the situations that trigger them and you can begin making steps to deal with them. What are the specific situations, events, times, people or emotions that trigger them?

How to Make Health a Habit.

There is a popular quote ” what you resist, persists”. It seems to be particularly true that the harder you try to lose weight or get in shape, the more your body will fight you every step of the way! So you may say to yourself, what’s the point? The answer is to shift your focus from weight loss to creating new healthy habits. See if you can apply any of these tips to your life to help you create better health habits.

• Choose an activity you will enjoy. You’re much more likely to stick to an activity that you enjoy and is appropriate for your body type and your lifestyle.
• Vary your routine. You are less likely to get bored or injured if you change your routine; walk one day ... bicycle the next! Cross training is also great to help balance all the muscle and prevent overuse injuries.
• Its not ‘all or nothing’. If you miss a workout, don’t get down on yourself. Realize that it’s only natural -- just pick yourself up, dust yourself off … and keep going! You should start to notice changes from exercise in just weeks so don’t get discouraged.
• Exercise should not hurt. Gone are the days of "no pain, no gain." Over-enthusiastic people often start off too hard, experience pain and then stop as a result.
• Make exercise fun. Read, listen to music or watch TV, make it a family affair or try a new activity such as roller-blading or tennis.
• Get consistent. Make an appointment with yourself -- put it right in your day-timer and treat it as important as your other appointments
• Chart your progress. Keep a calendar or exercise log to chart your progress
• Hire a Trainer. This will get you the results you want; on their own, many people get frustrated and quit.
• Consider on-line training to track your progress, establish accountability and keep you motivated
• Choose what works for you. Don’t follow someone else’s program -- it was tailored for them not you
• Learn to fight through your feelings Sometimes you won’t feel like exercising, so make it a habit -- try the 21-day rule … it works!
• Timing is everything. Do it first thing in the morning or before you go home from work -- once you get home, it’s difficult to leave again.
• Get a partner. Exercising with someone else can make it more fun and improve adherence

Take the 21-day challenge. Identify a new healthy habit that you would like to become part of your life. I would love to hear your feedback after 21 days!!! Here’s to better health and better habits!!!

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Nutrition Tip of the Week

How Many Calories in Guava

Ever wonder how you use the food guides to determine how many calories
or nutrients are in ethnic foods?
Here are just a few guides to help you.

http://www.caribbeanfoodemporium.co.uk/western.htm
http://www.annecollins.com/calories/calories-kosher-food.htm
http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/calorie-counter/calories_in_chinese_food

Foods from all over the world can be part of a healthy eating plan. As always, let moderation and balance be your guide to great health.

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Exercise of the Week

Exercise Description:

Muscles Worked

Instructions:

Instructions:

1. Place flexaball against wall approximately lower back height.
2. Start position: Lean lower back against ball and take approximately one step forward with each foot. Feet should be slightly wider than hip width apart.
3. Bending at the hips and knees, lower body until thighs are parallel to the ground. DO NOT allow knees to extend past the big toe.
4. Return to start position.
5. Remember to keep back and head straight in a neutral position.
6. Watch for proper knee alignment - do not let front knee extend past big toe or deviate laterally or medially.

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About Cathy Morenzie

Cathy Morenzie is a certified personal fitness trainer, fitness instructor, and Pilates instructor. She specializes in providing creative fitness solutions for people on the go. She has trained thousands of clients and trainers over the last 15 years. For more FREE tips like these, contact us or call 416-410-8517 to schedule your complimentary session. Can't fit personal training sessions into your schedule, no problem - try our online personal training and receive the benefits of one-on-one personal training at a fraction of the cost.