Reduce Stress with Exercise This Holiday Season

What is the connection between exercise and your mood?  The overall feeling of doing something helps you be motivated and feel you are achieving something.  Even something as simple as taking a walk might help release your mind and body of much despised stress.  Making exercise a regular habit is well known in promoting optimal health.

  The mood-boosting effects of exercise may be the result of chemical increases in the brain. These chemicals include: endorphins, serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. Exercise releases the natural chemical endorphins, which have been shown to be associated with less stress. Endorphins are those chemicals that help us with feelings of euphoria, commonly referred to as "runner's high".

Studies have shown that one 30-minute session of moderate-intensity exercise can help ease tension, distress, self-duress, depression, tension and anger.  This might not cross your mind when you are working up a sweat or feeling soreness after doing that last set of pushups during that 30-45 minute workout, but in the end, deep down you know it is paying off.

Don't give up on your goals.  There are just a few days left in the year and you have just a few more workouts to finish! Get ready for the New Beginnings for yourself in 2014!

Zeke Samples, IFA, CSN, CPR, IDEA

Surreal Body Solutions, LLC

803.322.7649

www.SurrealBodySolutions.com 

& contributing health and exercise author

Personal Training | Nutrition | Supplements | Motivation

Exercise and the Importance of Resting

Rest - It's Part of the Exercise Program Too  

Getting rest after a workout helps optimize performance, both physically and mentally.  

You know this and may feel this at times, either as an avid athlete or fitness enthusiast.  Are you one of the many athletes who overtrain, feeling guilty if you take a day off?  Overtraining is a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their recovery capacity.  If you don't take enough rest or provide it with proper nutrition, you could weaken your body.  

Without sufficient time to repair and replenish between intensive exercise, the body will continue to breakdown. Symptoms of overtraining often occur from a lack of recovery time. Signs of overtraining to watch out for are a feeling of depression, decreased immunity, decreased appetite, increasing joint pain, and when maintaining sports performance becomes largely difficult.

Building proper rest into your training program helps your body adapt to the stress of exercise.  Following aerobic exercise, rest to stabilize your metabolic rate.  Your metabolic rate can remain elevated from 1 hour to 12 hours after you exercise, depending on the intensity and duration.  During the recovery, replenish energy stores by eating within 30 to 45 minutes after you exercise.  For this specific time, the best ratio is a 2:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio. Repairing damaged tissues, and rehydrating muscle cells will greatly increase. It won't take long before you notice you also have time to balance your home, fitness and work goals.  Nutrition is crucial in supporting proper rest and supporting your fitness goals.

Zeke Samples, IFA, CSN, CPR, IDEA

Surreal Body Solutions, LLC

803.322.7649

www.SurrealBodySolutions.com 

& contributing health and exercise author

Personal Training | Nutrition | Supplements | Motivation

Stay Healthy at Your Seat at Work: Do You Squirm at Your Desk Job?

Posture is essential for maintaining and improving spinal health and performing at your best while maintaining accountability while at work.  

Let these minor introductions to posture make you healthier and happier at work and when on-the-go. 

Maintaining a good posture is essential to avoiding multiple problems directly related to the potential of throwing your hips out of alignment. 
Make sure to keep your back straight and keep the monitor level with your eyes when seated.

Stretch

Always essential, whether stuck behind a computer or about to run an ironman. The stiffer your muscles get, the higher the likelihood you pull something when you do need to move around. Roll your shoulders, open your chest, and flex your neck. I bet your productivity increases afterward too.

Relax Your Eyes

It's not natural to stare at a screen for as long as we do. Experts recommend taking your eyes off your monitor every half hour. Take a minute or two to stare at the whatever is relaxing for you. 

Hand Grips

A great tool to have around. Pull it out when you're reading, and you're engaging in a killer forearm workout without thinking about it. Also, it's going to help you relieve stress.

Elastic Bands

A cinch to acquire and practice, these resistance exercises simulate the type of workout you're trying to get at a gym. Pull behind your head and push your palms in opposite directions for a nice upper body and lower body workout. 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA Personal Trainer

Fitness and Wellness Author

Surrealbody@gmail.com

Happy Because of Exercise?

Can exercise make you happier? 

I am sure you think I am nuts because you are either a client of mine day-dreaming about one of our past workouts, or thinking about one of your own workouts remembering how either situation was not a joy-ride, nor was it 'happy'! I hear time and time again the comment: "..And I pay for this crap?!" 

:)
However bad the exercising moments may feel, the long-term result is priceless to the body.  Now, think back to the times when you came to a workout with me and felt tired when you arrived, and more energized when you left!  That is what we call experiencing a "runner's high" and/or "euphoria". Making exercise a regular habit has been known to promote optimal health, and for some that might mean increased happiness.  

The mood-boosting effects of exercise may be the result of the release and increases of endorphins in the brain. Several other chemicals including serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine are also enhanced and have been related with feeling less stressed. Exercise releases these chemicals naturally. 

Interestingly, researchers have found that light-to-moderate weight training or cardiovascular exercise doesn't produce endorphins, only heavy weights or training that incorporates sprinting or other anaerobic exertion.  When your body crosses over from an aerobic state to an anaerobic state, it's suddenly operating without enough oxygen to satisfy the muscles and cells; at this point, the "runner's high" occurs.

Exercise stimulates the production of disease-fighting proteins (known as antibodies) to combat sickness.  And besides the improved physical appearance, the overall feeling of doing something that can result in weight-loss and a toned figure, helps motivate and gives that sense of achievement to us.  There is also the shear enjoyment of participating in a sport or other activity you love. One thing is certain: there are many benefits of exercise. 

In Health, 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA Personal Trainer

Fitness and Wellness Author

Surrealbody@gmail.com

Wine or Your Waistline ?

When it comes to your health and your booze, experts can all agree, moderation is key.  Alcohol not only adds hundreds of calories to our diet, but it temporarily stalls the body into burning more fat.

A regular beer can add up to more than 150 calories; a glass of wine, over 100.

The seasonal football season favorite, "beer and chicken wings" can be detrimental to your weight-loss and figure goals.  Scientifically, the body insists on breaking down the alcohol first, leaving the calories from your meal to get stored as fat.

This doesn't mean that you have to totally stop, but if you want to progress, you will need to follow a few rules to keep the "wine from going to waist" !

Simple Rules:

1. Keep it Simple

2. Eat Before You Drink

3. Keep a Count

Keeping it Simple:

- A good rule of thumb is the fewer ingredients in what you are drinking, the better. Mixed drinks can be loaded with extra sugars; sugars that will be stored as fat.  The next time you are considering a margarita, re-think the possibility that you could have chosen something that was lower calorie by subtracting the 'sugary' and keeping the cocktail simple using club soda, or low-calorie options.

Eat Before You Drink:

- Speaking from science, knowing the proper timing of the alcohol can protect you from its ability to be stored as fat from the digestion process.  It may sound a bit hard to believe, but if you are trying to pass up the calories, eating a snack or meal with healthy (Omega fats), protein, or fiber can help to suppress the sugar crash that may stimulate from an evening of drinking more than a drink or two.  Eating before you drink can also help you feel full; helping your mind urge off the temptation of 'tray snacking' when you are offered a bite of something your subconscious knows that you shouldn't have eaten.

Keeping Count:

- Consuming several drinks per night can mess with your blood sugar.  Some clients tell me they have 1-2 glasses of wine each evening.  After a hard day of work, this tends to be the commonality.  Be careful that you do not abstain all week and blow it on a weekend either.  Adding hundreds of calories to your diet, decreasing your judgement in making good food choices, and not staying hydrated will be a quick three dimensional way to add that wine to your waistline..

In Health, 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA Personal Trainer

Fitness and Wellness Author

Surrealbody@gmail.com

The Benefits of Learning Proper Breathing

Has your workout been so difficult that you have trouble catching your breath?

Oxygen is the most important chemical in our body. 70% of our bodies ‘waste products’ are removed through breathing.

Think of all the deep breathing classes or reasons; there are so many! ..Prepping for child birth, meditation, lower anxiety, exercise, running, athletics; the list goes on and on..

Breathing can help calm and stimulate the nervous system and release tension from frustration, stress and anger. Because of its ability to help ease tension, breathing exercises can help bring clarity to the mind and body.

Benefits of Proper Breathing

Stronger Heart

Lungs will be more efficent with deeper breathing.  More oxygen and less work on the heart is the result. when it comes to delivering oxygen to the body’s tissue. Enhancing your differential in pressure in the lungs leads to increased elasticity, circulation and enhanced air flow; the heart will not bear such a burden as it had prior to this regimen.

Weight Control (assistance)

When overweight, the extra oxygen taken in via breathing exercises can help burn excess fat more efficiently. If you are underweight, the extra oxygen can help to feed the deprived tissues/glands in the body.

Boosting energy levels and improving stamina, breathing from the diaphragm or 'belly breathing' assists with our energy and stamina.

Enhance your Overall Wellness with a Few of these Exercises

 Natural Breathing

1. Sit or stand while maintaining good posture.
2. Inhale, through your nose, filling first the lower part of your lungs then the middle part, then the upper part.
3. Hold your breath for a few seconds.
4. Slowly exhale! Relax your abdomen and chest.

Deep Breathing

1. Lie flat on your back or sit in a comfortable chair, maintaining good posture. Ensure that your body is as relaxed as possible. Close your eyes.
2. Breathe through your nose.
3. Now place one hand on your abdomen and one on your chest.
4. Deeply inhale and slowly through your nose into your abdomen. You should feel your abdomen rise with this inhalation and your chest should move only a little.
5. Keeping your mouth, tongue, and jaw relaxed, exhale through your mouth
6. Relax as you focus on the sound and feeling of long, slow, deep breaths.

In Health, 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA

Surrealbody@gmail.com

3 Tips to Prevent Achilles Tendonitis

Although runners experience tendonitis more commonly than those of us who use other equipment to get our cardio workouts in, you might have felt pain in your Achilles tendon.  Achilles tendonitis is one of the most common running injuries.  

Here are a few tips to help protect you from injury:

Replace your running shoes before they lose the ability to protect your tendon.  Many runners suffering from tendonitis are 'heel strikers'.  The sole located at the back outside margin of the shoe wears compressing the mid-sole.  The result to the body, is overstretching of the tendon during this 'heel strike'.  Look for this wear and tear before it is too late.

Maintain proper form.  Foot strike is a small part of your running form.  The role your upper body plays in balance and posture is more important.  Avoid stress on your tendon by keeping an upright posture looking forward; however, don't lean forward- you don't want your head in front of your feet.

Get the right running shoes.  Get shoes that can absorb the shock and force of heel strikes.  A shoe with a low profile around the heel provides more support and shock absorption to the heel and Achilles tendon.

Here are a few stretches to help protect you from injury:

In Health, 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA

Surrealbody@gmail.com

GOALS: Are a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Forget about the scale, forget about comparing yourself to the person next to you, forget about all things that you could be doing instead of being at the gym. This is your time to work on you inside and out and regain the confidence that you used to have, to do things you never thought possible. 

If you work consistently towards making small positive steps on your nutrition and your fitness; you will always be making forward momentum towards reaching your goals. Action doesn't necessarily mean the fulfillment of dreams; it is somewhere that you LEARN.

Ask Yourself The Following Questions

Assess what Emotion you Project from your Self-Assesment

- Is your Mind in the right place to Succeed?

- Do you believe you can overcome the variables in your mind that are current 'road blocks'?

- Once these variables are overcome, will you be happy with that condition or status?

- Do you believe you can be taught to strengthen your mind enough to believe you can achieve?

- Replace the word negative with the word toxic. Now that your 'negative' thoughts are perceived as  toxic thoughts, do you have a more burning desire to eliminate the poison?

Take 2 Minutes to Give Me 7 Positve Words that You are Going to Use to Succeed:

__________          __________          __________          __________          __________

__________          __________

Now, I will give you 15 Words and Words of Wisdom: 

- Will-Power
- Attitude
- Controlling the Choices You Make
- Positive 
- Healthy Arrogance (Deciding that you are better than the choices of the past; with a healthy attitude, your head is held high because you feel and know that you are moving forward)
- Self-Belief (Rely on the ability you have had in your past; the ability that created positive moments within your life that you keep within your mind)
- Adaptation (When you don't know how to see the future, you need to set Goals so that, in time, the future will be written in alignment with your deep desires and awareness)
- Accountability (For yourself or under the guidance of another), Accountability creates a better 'YOU'. Take Responsibility
- Make Moves to Position Yourself Strategically (I think of a game of Chess; it is a visual that helps me)
- Determined
- Forget How Much it Hurts and Try Again
- Victorious
- Worrying is a Waste of Time; It Doesn't Change Anything.  It Messes with Your Mind and Steals Your Happiness
- Many of your Obstacles...are Obstacle Illusions...
- Fortunate

Now, CAN YOU FEEL IT??

In Health, 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA

Surrealbody@gmail.com

If You Feel a Current Void in Your Life, How is Your Nutrition?

Have you ever had cravings for particular sweet treat or salty snack, but the craving doesn’t go away after eating it?  Sometimes the cravings we think are for foods are actually for other things missing in our lives. Maybe you really want a break from work...maybe just a brisk walk would satisfy? But, you won’t find either of these things on your plate.

When I learned the truth about cravings, I was also surprised to learn how important it was for me to feel fulfilled in other areas of my life in order to become truly healthy. When I did get healthier, my whole life changed. 

And all those cravings? They disappeared because I was being “fed” in other areas of my life, and I was conscious of eating foods that kept me healthy and energized.

Learning how to eat right for your body's needs, can give you so many benefits for life and better your environment.  A possible career shift, falling in love, taking a trip to relax and mentally "check out", all are great examples of lifestyle change that can be triggered with proper nutrition.

Many smartphones have apps that can help you track your nutrition; the app keeps a record of what you are eating and then sums up the amount of calories for you at the end of the day.

Jawbone UP™

Another device, the Jawbone Up™ can not only track your nutrition, but also your exercise amount and when you are sedentary for more than 20 minutes, it will tell you to get up and do something! HA!

In Health, 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA

Surrealbody@gmail.com

Need a Reason to Workout? How About 4: Toxin Release, Stress Release, Tone Muscles, and Anti-Aging

There are always plenty of reasons to ditch your workout and save it for another day...
The Kids are out of school now...
The day was too hard and you are out of energy..
You are too tired..and many other potential reasons.

We’re often too busy or too tired; a cleanse could help; but simply starting to exercise can give you more energy!

While exercise is great for maintaining a healthy body weight, it also does extraordinary things for your skin. In fact, breaking a sweat can improve the overall quality and health of your body’s outer layer.  So, if you still need some reasons to hop on the treadmill, here are a few that may give you the motivation you need:

Releases Toxins
When you’re sweating during a workout and your skin becomes rosy and flushed, you’re actually purging your body of the toxins that clog pores and cause pimples and zits. Contrary to popular belief, your sweat is actually helping your skin more than hurting. According to Sandra Johnson, dermatologist with Johnson Dermatology, physical activity increases both neuronal stimulation and blood flow to the skin. This allows your sweat glands to really do their job and clear out all of the unwanted toxins filling your pores. If you’re still breaking out after a workout, it may be because of tight-fitting clothing, headbands or makeup.

Reduces Stress

Unfortunately, when you’re stressed out, worrying about your skin doesn’t make your stress levels any lower. Undergoing stress causes your body to release cortisol – a stress hormone. Cortisol then triggers glands in your hair follicles to increase the production of sebum, an oil that can block up the follicle, which causes inflammation and acne. Exercise, however, lowers your stress levels and prevents your skin from going through that process. It lowers cortisol levels and even provides you with feel-good endorphins.

Tones muscles

You wouldn’t think that toned muscles and great skin go together, but they do. The more toned your muscles are beneath the skin, the healthier it will feel and look. These muscles give your skin more support, preventing sagging. Working out and getting fit also reduces the appearance of those always-unwelcome and unsightly pockets of fat: cellulite.

Benefits of Massage 

- pain relief

- reduced anxiety and depression

- temporarily reduced blood pressure and heart rate

- improve range of motion in neck, back and knees  and joint flexibility 

- enhances immunity by stimulating lymph flow- the body’s natural defense system

- enhance athletes of any level prepare for and recover from strenuous workouts

- pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation  

- reduce spasms and cramping 

- helps improve the condition of the body’s largest organ, the skin

- promotes tissue regeneration

- reduces post surgery adhesion and swelling

- help to release endorphins-amino acids that work as the body’s natural pain killer

- relieves migraine pain

Exercise brings more oxygen and blood flow to the skin. This increase also carries nutrients that are vital to the health of skin, giving it that natural glow. Your skin also produces more natural oils, which help you look healthy and clean.

In Health, 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA

surrealbody@gmail.com

Contributing author for www.FitAphrodite.com

The Gluten-Free "Frenzy"! Who Practices 'Just Because' Vs. a Legitimate Health Concern?

Chances are that you, a friend, or a friend-of-a-friend, has adopted a gluten-free diet; let's say 1 out of 3 people in the USA.  That number is actually a REALITY.  Studies have shown about 30 percent of adults want to cut down or be free of gluten in their diets; more Americans started to say they would like to cut back or avoid gluten.  Gluten free diets also benefit people who have food intolerance or allergic reactions to gluten or one/many of the many forms of grains.

Being Gluten-Free 'Just Because' Vs. Legitimate Health Concern

Some Retailer Facts:

Food manufacturers started taking the gluten out of everything, increasing the price, and promoting [products] as gluten-free.  For some people, there is nothing ‘bad’ about gluten.  What I mean is that they can eat it without feeling sick or knowing that it even had gluten in it; most people don't even know what gluten is.  Gluten doesn't make you gain weight, gluten doesn't clog your arteries, and gluten doesn't increase your blood pressure or cholesterol. While some note stomach pains, cramping, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, others would never feel these side effects.

According to the Celiac Foundation, 1 in 133 people have C.D.

 (celiac disease). Anyone in this category should avoid gluten altogether. There are other people who do have gluten sensitivity and respond negatively to gluten even though they don't have celiac disease, according to the latest Celiac Foundation research. But before adopting a gluten-free diet, those who think they may have a gluten reaction should discuss this concern with their physician to solidify the potential of the need to be gluten-free for health concerns.

Important Foods to Know for Simple and Easy Gluten Avoidance

    Gluten-Free Oats with Bee Pollen

Foods that are naturally gluten-free are foods that people should definitely eat more of in their daily diet.  

Fruits and vegetables; this accountability in reality, by default, might help people eat fewer processed foods.  However, keep in mind that food manufacturers may remove gluten, but we will still end up with processed foods! (The foods just no longer have gluten)

If people who have adopted "gluten-free" diets are eating a generally healthy and balanced diet, the overall risk of developing any significant nutritional deficiency is low.  Also, increasing stress levels, deplete vitamin B levels which help digest carbs.  

In Health, 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA

Contributing author for www.FitAphrodite.com

surrealbody@gmail.com

The Pro5 Power Plate® : Now at Surreal Body Solutions !!

Introducing the Pro5 Power Plate® 

Our newest addition to the studio and one of the only Charlotte, NC locations that offer this level of pristine equipment in a professional personal training atmosphere.  

Power Plate® technology provides one of the most efficient and dynamic total-body workouts using the principals of Acceleration Training™ to stimulate the body's natural response to vibration.  These vibrations transmit waves of energy throughout the body, activating muscle contractions between 20-50 times per second, enhancing the overall performance in sessions as short as 30 minutes a day, 3 times a week.  This works up to 98% of muscle fibers, compared to less than 20% when performing exercise with traditional weight training equipment.  The result is a high-intensity exercise that increases strength, improves muscle tone and balance and helps reduce body fat.

Power Plate® Can Offer 

• 11% increase in weight loss versus 7% in exercise and nutrition alone
• 1.5% net increase in bone density
• 7.8% overall improvement in explosive strength endurance 
• 15% increase in flexibility

Sting Testimonial

 

Hilary Swank Testimonial

A Few Celebrity Testimonials:

                                                     

 

  

Clint Eastwood Testimonial

Courteney Cox Testimonial

More Video Testimonials: HERE

Contact me for a personalized consultation to discuss how I can meet your fitness goals and learn more about the ability of the Power Plate® to increase bone density, core balance, strength, energy, athletic performance, and much more. 

In Health, 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA Certified

Owner of SurrealBodySolutions

Contributing Author for www.FitAphrodite.com

surrealbody@gmail.com