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The Importance of Exercise Mentality

There is more to exercise than just going through the motions.  The most important piece is the ‘why’ which keeps us going and prevents us from quitting after only a couple of weeks. Whether your goal is to feel better, lose weight, feel stronger and more muscular, or to live a healthier life, staying on the right path takes consciousness and effort.

When we first start a workout program, something in our thoughts motivated us enough to initiate an exercise regimen—but somewhere along the line, we lose track of our goals and life gets in the way.  In order to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, we must constantly remind ourselves of the ‘why’ because it is the force that drives us to workout hard, sweat, push ourselves, lose that weight, and get in better shape.  Without that reminder, the next time the weather is bad or we feel lethargic, it becomes too easy to say “I’ll go tomorrow,” and we avoid working out. Before you know it, that day off can turn into a week off, which can snowball into taking a month off.

Goal setting can be a successful tactic to improve workout psychology. Set goals for yourself, whether long-term or short-term, but make sure they are attainable. Realistic goal setting with short term goals that help work towards the big goal will help you visualize your success. Avoid only looking at the big picture, i.e. set a goal to lose 50 lbs in 4 weeks, because that’s not probable. If you are unable to reach that goal you will feel like you have failed even when you have reached your small milestones.  Keep the momentum going—set a goal to lose a half-pound per week, or increase your strength by 2.5 lbs every other resistance training day; if you set your mind and attitude to it you will certainly reach that goal. When you lose 1.5 lbs in one week instead of only a half-pound, you will feel unstoppable!

A person who can visualize them self having success will be successful. Individuals must battle the inside voice that is telling them they cannot complete their goals. To silence this negative voice, you can visualize success and practice self-talk. Positive self-talk goes hand in hand with visualization with the individual both hearing and seeing success.  Develop some imagination, close your eyes, and see yourself how you want to feel.  Implant that image in your mind and see it while you are pushing hard on the treadmill, see it while pushing through those last repetitions, and let it drive you towards your goal.

You can train your mind like you train your body.  Without the proper mindset, any workout program will not work.  Repeating positive thoughts and motivating yourself takes practice—so practice!

 

By Anthony Locast

Baked Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

These tasty meatballs are perfect to whip up as an appetizer for your Super Bowl party. Lean chicken and hot buffalo sauce make this Whole 30 approved recipe a touchdown!

Yields: 20-22 balls

Ingredients: 

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • ¼ cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons paleo mayonnaise
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons almond flour

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Mix the ground chicken, green onions, hot sauce, egg, mayonnaise, salt, and almond flour into a large bowl
  3. Using a cookie scoop or small spoon, dish out the ground chicken mixture and mold into balls (this will be easiest with a cookie scoop)
  4. Place the meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet or cast iron skillet
  5. Bake for 20 minutes then drizzle with more hot sauce, and add additional green onions and blue cheese if desired

 

The original recipe is from Physical Kitchness and can be found here! You can also get the recipe to whip up some homemade paleo mayonnaise here.

3 Tips for Sticking With Your January Goals

Participation in a fitness program is one of the best ways to a countermeasure a sedentary lifestyle. Lack of physical activity is highly prevalent and creates increased risk of health issues. Oftentimes individuals experience failed attempts at sticking with a gym because too much emphasis is placed on the end goal with little attention placed on developing proper movement skills and exercise progression. Unfortunately, individuals who come up short or make over ambitious goals often have a decreased interest in any type of physical activity.  The result is a sedentary lifestyle which can lead to health problems, such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases that evolve over a lifetime. To combat losing motivation and interest in physical activity, here are some helpful tips to stay motivated throughout the year and years to come.

  • Set short term goals. Short term goals should last anywhere from 1 week to 3 months and are a great way to measure progress.  Slicing up your long term goal into smaller, more achievable goals will keep you on track. Your success can motivate others through your continued progress because success begets success.
  • Celebrate your small wins. After losing two pounds in two weeks a victory lap is appropriate.  Brag to your co workers, celebrate with family, and cherish your goals because you deserve it.
  • Work with someone. Find someone to hold you accountable and progress you smartly.  Had shoulder surgery in the past? Have an autoimmune disease? If so, be sure you’re working with someone who has a higher level of education. An exercise physiologist who has concentrations in health and human performance will be able to progress you with a decreased risk of re-injuring that shoulder. Working one-on-one with someone holds you accountable for sticking to your exercise routine. Having an exercise physiologist is a fundamental and successful approach to long term development.

A body in motion stays in motion.  Use these simple tips to keep yourself in the game for longer.  Works towards achieving something, and find yourself someone who will get you there.

 

By Brandon Ayala, CSCS

 

Recipe of the Week: Kale & White Bean Soup

Servings: 6-8

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb spicy chicken sausage, casing removed and thickly sliced
  • 2 medium sized golden beets, peeled and diced
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 1 leek, thinly sliced
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 15-oz cans white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 large bunch green kale, chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

  1. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the thinly sliced leeks. Saute for five minutes then add sausage.
  2. Brown sausage, then add carrots, beets and celery. Toss to combine and continue cooking for another six minutes. Add kale and beans and cook until kale just starts to wilt.
  3. Add chicken broth, salt, red pepper flakes, and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
  4. Serve with warm, crusty sourdough bread on the side

 

Original recipe from EatLiveRun.com can be found here!

 

Forming Positive Habits

It’s a typical weekday morning; cold, dark, and quiet. 5:30 AM. The alarm rings, you push snooze immediately. 5:45 AM, the alarm disrupts your slumber yet again. This time is different; you punch the clock, pull off the sheets, grumble some explicits and shuffle 22 steps to the kitchen. Three scoops of coffee and two big cups of water later, you tie your shoes; right, then left, you fix your shirt, start the car and begin your commute into work. You drown out the din of coworkers catching up on their bowling leagues, barbeques, and kids’ sports games. You clock in, and begin the workday.  You’ve done all of this without a single thought.

Your mind has recognized the patterns of your morning routines, whichever that may be, and has streamlined the process for you. The completion of this pattern over and over again has allowed your brain to make these behaviors autonomous with time. This phenomenon is more commonly recognized as a habit. Habits form in each and every one of us and can range from healthy behaviors, think buckling your seatbelt, to less than healthy ones, such as that post-dinner cigarette. If we can better understand why we do these things, we can begin to rewire our brains and create a healthier, better life.

When it comes to habit forming, our brains work in three simple steps. First is the stimulus; this can be anything in our lives that cues a feeling or emotion. The second step would be our response or action to said cue. The third step is the reward! The reward provides our brains with the feeling that something went well or made us feel better. Re- read the intro and break it down: the cue is our alarm clock. Incessant beeping early in the morning promotes a reaction to push snooze, which then leads us to the reward, 15 extra minutes of peace and quiet.

Now that we know a little bit about the habit forming process, how can we get the blueprints of the wiring to try and change old routines or create new ones? This takes a little conscious effort. In order to change an old habit, we need to associate a different reaction and reward to an existing cue. In our cigarette example, the cue is finishing dinner, the reaction would be to go outside and smoke a cigarette, the response would be the effects of the cigarette on our body. We can change this routine by not going outside. By filling that gap with a reason to not go outside, we won’t have the cigarette and, over time, the chain is broken by a different pattern of autonomous behavior. The same goes with positive behavior. If we want to create a new chain, we follow a cue with a positive response and positive reward. For example, if I don’t feel confident (the cue), then I write three positive things about myself (the response), and afterwards I feel happy (the reward).

Much of the information presented here is available in depth from a book called “The Power of Habit” By Charles Duhigg. It’s a $10 purchase if you’d like to read more into the topic. Regardless of your current standing, I’d like to issue a challenge to everyone reading; January is a popular time for reflection on your actions over the past year. Over the next few weeks, take a look at some of your routines, habits and patterns- is there anything that you’d like to change? Perhaps kick a bad habit or form a healthier morning routine? Take this time as an opportunity to take control and become the better version of yourself. #strongereveryday

 

By Matt Rhodes, M.S., C-EP

Peak’s January Goals: Gary

Team Peak is ready for the New Year! Like many of you, our gym members have been setting goals for themselves in 2018. Since the start of the month, we have been sharing our personal health and fitness goals for the month of January. Check out our Goal Board!

Gary has been a member of Peak Performance for several years. He is an active member of #TeamPeak, completed the Summer Slimdown Challenge, and is gearing up for our January Jump Start Weight Loss Program! Gary has also annually participated in our Fall 5k walk/run. As Gary continues his fitness journey into the New Year, he is working to become the strongest version of himself!

With regular gym attendance and guidance from his Exercise Physiologist, Gary should be able to knock this goal out of the park! We will be following up with him in February to see how he is progressing.

Recipe of the Week: Simple Green Smoothie

Prep Time 2 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Serves: 1
Calories: 202
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup spinach fresh
  • 1 cup water
  • .5 cup pineapple*
  • .5 cup mango*
  • 1 banana, peeled*

Directions:

  1. Tightly pack spinach in a measuring cup.
  2. Add spinach to blender with water. Blend together until all chunks are gone. (Should resemble green water when blended well).
  3. Add pineapple, mango and banana to blender. *Use at least one frozen fruit to make the smoothie cold or serve over ice.
  4. Blend all together until smooth and creamy. Depending on your blender, this could take as little as 30 seconds or as long as 2 minutes.
  5. Pour into a glass and serve immediately. The smoothie can also be stored in the fridge with a lid until ready to drink.

 

The original recipe can be found here!

 

Peak’s January Goals: Christine

Team Peak is ready for the New Year! Like many of you, our gym members have been setting goals for themselves in 2018. Since the start of the month, we have been sharing our personal health and fitness goals for the month of January. Check out our Goal Board!

Christine has been a member of Peak Performance for several months. She made great strides in creating good nutritional habits as a part of the 12 Week Weight Loss Program. In addition, Christine has lost several pounds and improved her fitness level! As she continues her fitness journey into the New Year, there are a few healthy habits she would like to improve.

1. Drink more water

2. Avoiding eating at my desk

3. Progress my strength training exercises

Christine has set some great goals for the month of January! We will be following up with her in February to see how she is doing with all three.