FX Fitness and Corporate Wellness

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you have to keep moving." Albert Einstein

Stress Management: How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress

Stress: The silent killer. Stress has an exponential effect in one direction or another on the events that come at us on a daily basis. Improvement in any facet of life requires some amount of reflection and analysis of past events/experiences followed by action towards a better path. Sometimes the answer is found internally, sometimes externally and most times a combination of the two. I hope there's something in this article that helps you to have just a little more peace in your day.

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm

helpguide.org Powerful strategies for managing stress and bringing your life into balance.

How is your posture?

fxstudios.com This article outlines reasons a person may have poor posture and gives you simple exercises that can help fix your posture.

How is your posture?

fxstudios.com This article outlines reasons a person may have poor posture and gives you simple exercises that can help fix your posture.

Tom's tips to Exercising in the Heat:

If you enjoy getting your exercise outdoors, summer can pose a challenge as temperatures rise. As a competitive mountain-biker and triathlete in Arizona, here are a few things I've found useful. Add a comment if you have any other tips not mentioned here!

1. Hydration - I know it's on obvious one, but it's amazing how often it's neglected. Beginning your workout at good hydration levels and doing your best to maintain that is crucial. For me (160 lbs) I find that about 100 oz of water per day + 20-24 oz of fluids during exercise tends to do the trick.

2. Core Temperature - drinking an icy drink (I just blend ice in the blender, sometimes with fruit, sometimes just ice) prior to exercise can drop core temps by up to 1/2 degree. Might not seem like much, but it can make a difference.

3. Get out early - Another no-brainer.

4. Make your own A/C - if my run or ride is at an area that permits loops, I'll create my own aid-station. A cooler with icy water and small towels to put on the back of my neck as I loop through becomes priceless as the workout goes on.

5. Check your Ego and make Safety #1 - There will be some days when, for whatever reason, the heat is too much. I keep reminding myself that there is a reason that football teams punt. Recognize when the best thing to do is to punt and come back with a new set of downs. Heat exhaustion, or worse - heat stroke, are no fun.

Hope this helps. Summer is no reason to stay indoors..even in Arizona, just be smart and safe out there! Again, give me a comment with any tips that you have.

Do you set fitness goals? How often do you review/revise them? This study says that's it can be a stress-reducer to update your goals periodically. Tell us about your fitness/wellness goals! We'd love to hear them.

Letting Go Of Old Goals And Setting New Ones

Most people go through life setting goals for themselves. But what happens when a life-altering experience makes those goals become unachievable or even unhealthy?


A new collaborative study published inPsycho-Oncology by Carsten Wrosch of Concordia University’s Department of Psychology and Centre for Research in Human Development and Catherine Sabiston of McGill’s Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education and the Health Behaviour and Emotion Lab found that breast cancer survivors who were able to let go of old goals and set new ones showed an improved well-being overall. Once the self-imposed pressure of now unrealistic goals was removed, individuals’ quality of life improved, as did their level of physical activity.

Wrosch and Sabiston were interested in looking at how to encourage breast cancer survivors to become more active. Statistics show that as many as 48 per cent of breast cancer survivors are overweight or obese. They also tend to be more sedentary than women who have not been diagnosed with breast cancer.

The researchers studied 176 breast cancer survivors between the ages of 28 and 79, who were, on average, approximately 11 months past their diagnosis and close to three months post treatment. Self-reports of the individual’s capacity to adjust their goals were measured at the start of the study. At the same time, researchers also measured self-reports of physical activity, sedentary activity, emotional well-being, and daily physical symptoms such as nausea and pain.

Three months later, they took a look at another round of self-reports. The study found that goal reengagement (being able to set new goals) was associated with more physical activity, increased emotional well-being and fewer physical symptoms. In addition, breast cancer survivors who were able to let go of old goals and to find new ones were less sedentary, which contributed to an improved well-being. These findings support earlier research showing that goal adjustment can influence better well-being and health.

“By engaging in new goals a person can reduce the distress that arises from the desire to attain the unattainable, while continuing to derive a sense of purpose in life by finding other pursuits of value,” says Wrosch. “Abandoning old goals allows someone to invest sufficient time and energy in effectively addressing their new realities.”

Recent guidelines have suggested that breast cancer survivors should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity every week to gain health benefits. “It is safe, feasible and effective for enhancing well-being and health among breast cancer survivors,” notes Sabiston. “Unfortunately, few survivors are engaging in the recommended levels of activity.”

“Our research reveals that the capacity to adjust goals plays a pivotal role in facilitating not only high physical activity but also low sedentary activity and thereby contributing to overall improved well-being,” says Wrosch. “Given that it is possible to influence adjustment to specific goals; it may be beneficial to integrate goal adjustment processes into clinical practice.”