15 Minutes To Fitness

Archive for the ‘Health And Fitness’ Category

Do you want a quick brain boost? And do you want a longer term brain boost? Probably both, and we now know a great deal about how to do both.

I have resorted to milk chocolate over the decades of my life to help my flagging attention in the afternoon, especially after those meat loaf and mashed potato lunches I used to have as a kid in grade school.

But what we really need is simply a change in attention or attentional style, and there are many ways to do that.

Daydreaming is a natural tool that we use to refresh our neurochemistry.

However that tool may not always get affirmed in the class room or the board room, but heart rate variability biofeedback,for example, or a quick brain boost using a computerized brain fitness program will fill the bill quite nicely, switching my attentional style and refreshing my neurons at the same time. A walk or a quick workout, even in my office, could accomplish the same thing. Your supervisor will not mind your having an exercise ball in the office if your productivity increases, right?

Nobody knew too long ago that we humans grew new neurons every day if we took care of the pillars of brain fitness, and nobody knew how plastic the human brain was, which means how quickly and efficiently the brain creates new connections between neurons when something new is learned.

So the best way to boost your brain is to find ways to attend to the pillars of brain fitness while you are involved in your daily routine.

The pillars, and if you want an excellent resource to discover information about the pillars of brain fitness, then please read Brainfit for Life by Simon Evans,Ph.D. and Paul Burghardt,Ph.D.

The most important brain booster is exercise, and the good news is you do not need to join an expensive club or buy expensive outfits to provide your brain what it needs in this regard.

A wonderful model for exercise that you can do at home is the HIIT or high intensity interval training model.

Don’t let the acronym scare you. HIIT means that you do 30 second intervals of exercises you choose, like your grade school calisthenics for example, for 10 minutes. Or if you are walking around the block you speed it up so that you are breathing deeply enough to make talking and breathing difficult.

Evans and Burghardt call that increasing your physical activity, and perhaps you move eventually to something a little more formal like going to the YMCA and doing a physical workout.

If you want to take a look at a model of HIIT that can be done at home, here is one that I recommend. After you finish your chocolate and your workout, you will need to attend to nutrition, a very important aspect of brain boosting, including getting your omega 3 fatty acid.

Evans and Burghardt make some recommendations about sleep and stress management also, but the last pillar of brain fitness is one that I think offers a wonderful range of brain boosting opportunity, and that is the novel learning experience.

That is where you get to try out some computerized tools which are challenging, efficient, and have some research behind them

Some are computerized but not online. You buy them and download them, and they complement your other brain boosting activities perfectly. Others are online, and you can keep them booted up and switch over to them for a few minutes of brain boosting between clients or calls.

As a result of attending to the pillars of brain fitness, you keep growing new brain cells and increasing neuroplasticity.

Not sure about you, but I thing brain boosting, especially because it is so easy to include in your daily routine, ought to be mandatory.

I bet you even know some folks who you could gift the brain fitness tools to, because the need is so great.

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About the Author:
Michael S. Logan is a brain fitness expert, a counselor, a student of Chi Gong, and licensed one on one HeartMath provider. I enjoy the spiritual, the mythological, and psychological, and I am a late life father to Shane, 10, and Hannah Marie, 4, whose brains are so amazing. http://www.askmikethecounselor2.com
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It’s hard not to love medical scrubs. Originally created for surgical procedures, scrubs today serve more people than ever before. Doctors and nurses appreciate medical scrubs’ range of motion and resistance to stains, while medical and dental office workers use scrubs to express themselves and strengthen their connection to their fields. Additionally, many people outside of the medical profession choose scrubs for fitness gear, loungewear, or sleepwear, particularly college students.

Like all clothes, scrubs vary tremendously in style, quality, and price. Let’s take a look at some of the leading brands of surgical scrubs on the market today.

Cherokee

Already famous in the fashion world, Cherokee created its Cherokee Uniforms division to lend its expertise in comfort and style to the medical industry. In 2003, the company proved its dedication to the field by holding the first annual Inspired Comfort Award contest, which recognizes medical professionals and nurses and continues to exist today. Cherokee has a number of different lines of medical scrubs, including:

Cherokee Body: Known for its fun patterns, bright-colored prints, and super-soft comfort, the body line is a must-have, featuring such styles as split neck, crossover, and cinch-waist tops.

Cherokee Basics: Sometimes all you need is a no frills classic v-neck, and Cherokee provides the same in this unisex collection offering cheap scrubs in up to 20 colors!

Cherokee Flexibles: Available in a variety of fun colors, the Flexibles collection is manufactured for maximum movement with special panels designed to make you look slimmer.

Cherokee Studio: You’ll have the whole office (or hospital) checking out your surgical scrubs after investing in this trend-setting group of products.

Cherokee Studio B: For a set of medical scrubs that look straight out of the boutique, it doesn’t get any better than Studio B.

Cherokee Studio H.Q.: Live a little! Medical professionals love these whimsical patterns featuring animals and other friendly shapes.

Tooniforms: Whether you prefer Paul Frank, Betty Boop, or Garfield, the Tooniforms line is sure to put a smile on your face.

Touch by Cherokee: For scrubs that are softer than soft, choose the super tops and pants from Cherokee’s Touch surgical scrubs.

Cherokee Workwear: Resistant to stains and fashion faux pas alike, Workwear medical scrubs feature innovative cardigans and cargo pants, in addition to classic styles of tops and pants.

Barco

Manufacturing tons of medical scrubs and accessories, Barco is a true industry leader with years of experience creating uniforms for a variety of professions. The brand even has a Greys Anatomy collection inspired by the hit show on ABC! Barco’s lines include:

Elan: For innovative, mature prints and flattering wrap, mock wrap, and kimono styles, medical professionals love Barco’s Elan surgical scrubs.

Greys Anatomy: Whether you’re a fan of the show or not, it’s hard to deny the fashion, comfort, and versatility of Greys Anatomy scrubs, including missy, junior, and maternity sizes.

NRG: If you’re looking to hit the gym or even save a life or two, the movement-friendly NRG surgical scrubs are the way to go.

What’s the right number of calories needed to lose weight?

If you believe the answer is “less” than you’re currently eating, then this article will be a real eye-opener.

Here’s why. In this article I will show you that the amount of calories you need to lose weight is probably far greater than you’re currently eating!

In general, most people believe they simply need to eat less and they will get thinner.

But as weird as it may sound… this is often the WORST possible thing you can do!

There is a very specific reason why.

You see, most people are not fat just because they eat too many calories. In fact, there are many overweight people that only eat a few small meals per day and still can’t seem to lose weight. (You probably know some people like that.)

Well, there is an unbelievable reason for this.

Would it surprise you to know that your body actually needs calories to burn calories?

That in many cases, the amount of calories needed to lose weight is far greater than you are currently eating?

That limiting calories is killing your results?

Well it’s the truth.

Shockingly enough… many studies have shown that when you constantly go hungry it triggers your body’s “fat store” mode. This causes your body to cling to any extra food you eat. It makes losing weight a real pain.

This is why most of those people who constantly count calories, skip meals and starve themselves tend to get really horrible fat deposits. This dieting type stuff will always backfire.

But there is a simple solution.

Losing weight is NOT a matter of getting the correct amount of calories. It is the TYPE of calories you consume that is by far the most important thing.

Here’s what I mean. There are either good or bad calories. Good calories are ones that are highly nutrient dense. Things like fruits, grains and vegetables. Bad calories contain virtually no nutritional value. Things like white bread, refined pasta, soda… basically, foods that contain a lot of sugar, additives and preservatives. These calories will be stored as fat.

People who spend all of their time obsessed with the “right number of calories needed to lose weight” often lose sight of this. They can count calories all they want, but if they continue to eat the bad ones, they will stay fat.

In general…

If you spent the next month eating 2000 bad calories each day you’d get fat. It is virtually guaranteed.

If you spent that same month eating 2000 good calories each day, then you’d most likely lose weight. A lot of it!

Now there are a few little tricks involved here. Like learning when to eat certain foods at the correct times. But in general, if your body is getting nothing but good calories then it wants to release body fat.

So how can you use this information?

Actually, it’s very simple.

You need to STOP focusing on getting the correct number of calories and place all your attention on eating the right TYPE. This means, you can stop calorie counting, checking fat grams and all of that “dieting” stuff. It’s mostly a gimmick!

Always remember… type trumps amount… period!