FunctionFitness

  It’s September 2009 and there’s change in the air.  We could say this everyday, but the month of September symbolizes change for so many American families.  Kids are going back to school, and with the new school year comes new schedules and routines, new goals and new dreams.  Even though summer may not technically be over for a few more days, Fall is on its way.  The weather will start to cool, football and other fall sports have started and for those of us with school-aged children, we have a moment to take a deep breath and look around us. 

     Change.  It’s a fact of life.  You’ve heard the saying, change or die… well, it’s true for all parts of our lives – personal and professional.  This anonymous abridgement of Reinhold Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer is a real favorite of mine, “God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it’s me.”  So, take a deep breath, look around you and then look straight in the mirror.  What are your goals?  What are your dreams? 

     My goal this month is to help you to get started on your future by choosing change before it chooses you!  If it is true that change comes in two forms, evolutionary and revolutionary, maybe now is the time to START YOUR OWN REVOLUTION.  Revolutionary change is planned change.  Change you choose.  Change you lead.  Change you celebrate.  Here’s how you can become an agent of change in your life.

• Choose a healthier you.  Now is a great time to get back into your routine and focus on making steady progress toward a healthier you!  Hire a trainer, get back to your favorite classes, get outside and enjoy the beauty of autumn while walking, running, biking or hiking. Re-establish healthy fitness and nutrition routines NOW!  September and October are the “teetering” months.  On the one hand, we are still anchored in 2009 and hanging on to the goals we set earlier this year.  But, on the other hand, we teeter toward the chaos of the holiday season, as it draws us closer to the fresh start of a new year.  It’s tempting to put our goals on hold and wait to renew them in January.  Don’t fall for this annual temptation!  Jump in hard and jump in fast to close 2009 stronger and healthier than ever!  Lock into fitness and nutrition routines NOW!  Wait too long, and you’ll be climbing a steep hill in January!
• Choose a lower stress you.  The first ingredients of a lower stress lifestyle begin with a healthier you, and this means proper exercise, nutrition and sleep.  But, you can’t lower your stress without supportive relationships – spouse, partner, family, friends, coworkers, classmates, teammates, etc.  For years, research has shown that a lower stress you means a more social you. One positive outcome of these more challenging economic times is the increase in casual social gatherings among families and friends, without having to go out and needlessly spend money.  Make the effort to be more social.  Seek out healthy relationships.  Take care of yourself by taking care of and enjoying those who love you.  Turn off your cell phones, CHILL out and don’t be afraid to smell the roses.

Choose a successful you.  Are you passionate about what you do?  Do you love going to work everyday?  I can tell you that as a personal trainer and massage therapist, I love what I do and can’t imagine doing anything else.  I deeply believe that when you find your true purpose in life and aren’t afraid to live what you love,

Dietary Sodium and Heart Disease

On another front in the battle against heart disease, the American Heart Association (AHA) is renewing its efforts to persuade Americans to moderate their salt intake. Salt consumption in the United States has climbed by 50 percent since the 1970s, and cases of hypertension and heart disease have risen accordingly.

The recommended daily allowance for salt is 5 to 6 grams (or 2,000-2,400 milligrams of sodium). But Americans, on the average, consume 9 to 12 grams of salt per day (or about 3,600-4,800 milligrams of sodium).

Processed foods account for much of the over-consumption of sodium in the United States. One way to lessen the damage is to read food labels and choose low-sodium products. AHA researchers estimate that if all Americans would cut 3 grams of salt out of their daily diets, there would be a quarter million fewer new instances of heart disease and more than 200,000 fewer deaths over a ten year period.