We started the Summer Countdown last month, setting 12-week goals and breaking them down into challenging, yet do-able, weekly goals. How are you doing? If you haven’t started yet, it’s never too late – sit down now and set your goals. If you’re on your way to achieving your summer goals, congratulations – keep it up. With two months to go, let’s explore five ways to be healthy and fit this summer.

1. Offer yourself a prize . Sometimes you need a little extra motivation to reach your goals. If you set 12-week goals, set out a prize if you reach them (or more often if you like, at each four-week point). Dangle the carrot of a new pair of shoes, a new outfit, or a golf getaway as a reward for reaching your goals.

2. Consider a trainer . A personal trainer can provide that extra amount of motivation, personalized attention, and expertise. When hiring a trainer, be sure to ask about his or her fitness philosophy, credentials, and ask for references from previous clients. After an initial consultation, consider whether you feel comfortable with the trainer’s approach and confident in his or her ability to help you reach your goals.

3. Love your body and strive to be the best possible version of yourself without comparing yourself to unrealistic standards. Focus on fun physical activities and eating to nourish and fuel your body. Then you will feel good, whatever your weight.

4. Go garden . Guess what? Gardening burns close to 300 calories per hour. (A 150lb person can burn 272 calories.) As spring is the time to get your garden growing, rest assured that you are gaining physical benefits too.

5. Seek strength . Strength (weight) training works your muscles in a way that cardiovascular exercise does not. Add weight training to your exercise routine to strengthen and tone your muscles. Those muscles will help you to burn more fat!

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I have seen reports recently that indicate the leisure time of Americans is on the rise. Does the “I don’t have enough time” argument still hold water?

One report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston documents that from 1965 to 2003 “…leisure for men increased by 6-8 hours per week (driven by a decline in market work hours) and for women by 4-8 hours per week (driven by a decline in home production work hours).” While this may be true, most of us do not feel that we have an abundance of leisure time. Why? The likely reason is that we fill up all of our leisure time with more activities and commitments that sap our energy, rather than refresh and rejuvenate us.

Do we really have control over how we spend our time? Obviously “yes,” but once over-committed, it’s difficult to exert our control. But if we don’t, our schedules seem to spin out of control and rather than taking time to care for ourselves (on many levels) we feel more run-down and unhealthy.

To your health, Heather Moreno
PeopleFit USA , President

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When I first looked into PeopleFit USA, I could not understand how a once-a-week telephone session could possibly affect my eating and exercise habits the other six days of the week. Even after talking to references I was slightly skeptical, but decided to give it a try. Within the very first week, I was shocked to see the results of how well the process worked. It was as if my Coach was advising me daily from 500 miles away!  

In the past, I’ve had personal trainers who I have paid a fortune to, who I worked out with several days a week. The problem with that process was that I depended on them too much, instead of on myself. I didn’t work out unless my trainer was beside me. I would also “cheat” on my diet. Now I am learning how good it feels to follow through on my own.

Through this process with PeopleFit USA I have learned to make peace with my body and with food. My whole life I have spent trying to find the perfect diet, have the perfect body, and discover the easiest exercise. What I’ve discovered is that I can give up my pursuit of perfection and just enjoy – enjoy eating, enjoy exercise as fun, and enjoy my body regardless of what the scale says. In fact, I no longer even need a scale. It only leads to feeling anxious. This has been a huge relief! I am learning how to find peace in all these areas of my life.

My coach is great. She doesn’t work from a canned program nor is she judgmental. All sessions are custom tailored to my own issues and needs, depending on what’s going on with me during that particular week. She helps me foresee upcoming obstacles and then helps me come up with solutions that will work. The key is that they are not her solutions, they’re mine! This is the kind of talk that keeps me on track.

This coaching program is an investment in my future. Everything I’ve learned I will incorporate into the rest of my life, forever. I initially thought I would try the process for a few months and then would know enough to be on my own. What I realize is that this is a gift that I am going to continue to give to myself. It’s been truly a wonderful experience – it keeps me on track and it makes me want to try harder and push myself in ways that I wouldn’t do if I was working completely on my own. At the same time, I set my own goals, I work at my own pace, and I am accountable only to myself. This is a big difference from my experience working with a personal trainer.

My life-long bad habits are changing. I am no longer on a diet, because I can have whatever I want to eat – it’s my choice. I don’t have (or want) to “cheat” any longer. I am exercising for the right reasons and if I skip a day, I don’t beat myself up. My Coach is there to support me. Most people I know have problems with exercise and diet. These are issues that erode the human spirit. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all finally be at peace?

Dori Moseley, Interior Designer
Doriattahoe@charter.net

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There really is a month for everything! In fact, May has at least 39 health-related observances, but blood pressure is the focus for our newsletter. Consider this: approximately 50 million Americans have high blood pressure, and almost one-third of these people do not know they are at risk. Often, the first symptom of hypertension is a stroke or heart attack. If you don’t currently know your blood pressure, please take this month to have it checked. Many drug stores have do-it-yourself testers or you can go to your doctor, health club, or local fitness professional to get a reading. What is blood pressure? Let’s say yours is 120/80, which is considered normal. The top number (120), called systolic blood pressure, refers to the amount of pressure created by the heart pumping blood to the body. Diastolic blood pressure, the bottom number (80), is the amount of pressure left when the heart relaxes in between beats.High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is any reading of 140/90 or above. Left untreated, it can lead to many serious health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. While the cause of hypertension is often unknown, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommendations the following to prevent or control it:

• Eating healthy foods that include fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products
• Cutting down on salt and sodium in the diet
• Losing excess weight and staying at a healthy weight
• Limiting alcohol intake
• Staying physically active

You can take care of two of these guidelines – being active and losing excess weight – by exercise. Thirty minutes of moderate activity most days of the week is recommended. Moderate activity includes brisk walking, riding a bicycle, and gardening. You can even break up the activity into smaller bouts, such as ten minutes of activity three times during the day. As always, be sure to check with your physician before starting any exercise program.If you have hypertension, your doctor may prescribe medication to control it. Some medications can affect your exercise, so be sure to check with your doctor. While there are many different types of medication for treating hypertension, here are a few categories and their effect on exercise:

• Beta blockers can lower exercise heart rate and maximum heart rate. Using perceived exertion to measure intensity is a better choice if using this medicine.
• Diuretics can cause dehydration. Be sure to drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise.
• Ace inhibitors keep your blood pressure lower at rest and during exercise. A longer cool down period is advised, and be careful to not get up from the floor too quickly.

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Spring and summer offer wonderfully colorful foods to add to your plate. Why color? For one thing, we eat with all of our senses – we like foods that are pleasing to the eye. Making a meal with a variety of colors adds to our eating pleasure. Also, more colors on our plate mean more nutrient variety in our food.

Most people get in a rut with their diet, eating the same handful of meals over and over. Consider a few new recipes this summer to add more color to your life (really!) and more nutrients to your plate. Try this recipe from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) to spice up plain old steamed broccoli :

Spring Broccoli – makes four servings

2 cups broccoli florets
¼ cup diced purple onion
¼ cup diced yellow pepper
¼ cup diced pimento peppers
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1/8 tsp. dried marjoram
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Steam the broccoli for two to three minutes, or until it is bright green. Transfer it to a medium bowl. Add the onion, yellow pepper, and pimento. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, orange juice concentrate, rice vinegar, garlic, parsley, marjoram, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Toss the dressing with the broccoli. Serve at room temperature or cold.

My thoughts : for a fresh orange taste, consider squeezing a few oranges in place of the frozen orange juice from concentrate.

Nutrition per serving : 57 calories, 4 g. total fat (<1 g. saturated fat), 6 g. carbohydrate, 1 g. protein, 2 g. dietary fiber, 11 mg. sodium.

The orange juice and herbs provide a burst of complementary phytochemicals and vitamins to the sulforaphane and vitamin C in the broccoli. For more free recipes, visit the AICR Recipe Corner.

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