BE HAPPIER: 4 REASONS TO GET ACTIVE

There are hundreds of reasons why being active is beneficial. Exercise is good for your body, your mind and for your social life.

Here are four reasons I believe will inspire you to get up and get healthy. Once you’ve read through, I know you’ll join me and become a happier, healthier you.

Reduced stress

Most of our lives are filled with stress - lack of time, financial struggles, difficult work deadlines, simply trying to herd your children to school, etc.

Stress can lead to weight gain and make losing weight more difficult, so finding time for activity has never been so important. Stress also often causes over-eating, which can lead to weight gain. This, in turn, increases your stress, and the cycle repeats itself.

Even I have succumbed to stress and hidden out in my pantry (where I keep the cookies!) during times of high pressure. Knowing that this wasn’t the best reaction, I took time out and realised that I needed to do something that would help me cope with the stresses of my life.

I found that adding an activity to my day allowed me to re-group and focus on myself and this helped me to reduce anxiety and stress.

Feel more productive in work and life I always used to think that in school we had recess to give the teacher five minutes of peace but the real reason is much more interesting. Studies have found that after activity our brains are more active and this makes it easier for us to learn and retain information.

(I’ve tested this philosophy on my own children and it definitely works for them.)

You may not be in school any more, but taking a brief recess for activity, especially when you feel drained, may improve your focus and make you more productive. Feeling that you’re more productive is a great way to beat stress!

A positive lifestyle attracts positive people

When you make a conscious effort to improve yourself through becoming more active, your confidence also gets a boost. Even better, your new positive approach can convince those around

you to also make a positive change. This is especially true if you decide to take a class or join a fit club.

Who knew that by improving yourself you¹d have the potential to improve others too?

Increase your happiness

Who doesn’t want to be happier? Being active promotes the release of endorphins in your body similar to those that are released when we eat foods such as chocolate. I’d much rather get my happy endorphins from activity because it's long lasting.

When you eat unbalanced sugary delights, your happy vibe is short lived and is quickly followed by a not-so happy energy drop.

What goes up must come down and if you constantly spike your blood sugar in this way, you¹ll find it hard to balance your mood. Instead, try involving yourself in a healthy activity. You’ll have more energy, your mood will be stable, and this will make you happier!

Activity really is good for everyone!

Think of these four life-changing benefits of exercise as routes to happiness. Less stress makes you happier, being alert and more productive makes you happier and happy people attract other positive, happy people.

Happily, I think that promoting an active lifestyle will eventually make the world happier, healthier.

Written by, Samantha Clayton

AFAA, ISSA. Samantha is Director of

Fitness Education at Herbalife.

Free Fitness: 3 Ways to Find A Free Workout

Are you on a tight budget but still looking to get fit? If the answer is yes, then I have a few free fitness solutions for you!

Often, people are unaware of the free fitness opportunities in their neighborhood. With a little investigation, you’ll find fitness freebies that are a little more exciting than a jog around the park

– not that there’s anything wrong with a simple jog!

You shouldn’t let a lack of budget get in the way of your fitness goals. With a little creativity, there are many ways to get a low-budget or free workout. All you need to do is keep your eye on the prize and make it happen!

Top places to find free fitness

Free Fitness At Work

Many workplaces are investing in employee well-being and now offer wellness programs. After all, it’s better to have a staff that stays happy and healthy year-round. If you’re unsure about what your workplace offers in terms of a wellness program, contact your Human Resources Department – you may be pleasantly surprised as many companies offer to reimburse some or all of local gym membership costs. 

Alternatively, if you can round up a group of like-minded colleagues, then you can probably negotiate a bulk discount at a local gym – try reaching out to your HR

team for help.

Some companies even offer a gym on the company premises. If you are lucky enough to work for a company that offers a fitness facility at the workplace, then there is your key to free fitness! Some common excuses for not using a company gym are not wanting to sweat in the office, not wanting to exercise in front of colleagues, and lack of time.

Though I admit that there are times when I hate messing up my hair from workouts, I believe my health goals must come before vanity. In addition, using the gym at work is convenient, saves time and most of all: saves money!

Free Fitness In Your Community

There are many places in local communities that offer low-budget or free fitness activities. You just have to take the time to search for these activities. Check out local websites, community colleges, or your local park and you may be pleasantly surprised to find free or low-cost fitness classes, boot-camps and dance classes.

Many local parks now have free outdoor fitness equipment for the public to use. These can be a great way to break up a walk or jog, and add in some strength and toning exercises. I recommend finding a fitness buddy who can accompany you on a daily outing. And, remember that catching up with friends over a nice long walk is a healthier and cheaper alternative to catching up over

coffee and cake!

With a little investigation, you can easily find a few free fitness options in order to reach your fitness goals while on a budget. I’m very excited to save some money and give some of my local fitness

options a try this year.

Free Fitness With Technology

If you want to work out in the comfort of your own home, you’re in luck because current technology is amazing! Long gone are the days when you had to collect numerous VHS tapes or DVDs that get boring after only a few plays.

Now you can simply log on to your computer or use your smartphone and work out for free. There are lots of options to choose from with mobile apps and websites where you can track your calorie count, plan your meals and monitor your exercise minutes.

Or you may visit my FACEBOOK page for more information and schedule of  my FREE workouts: 

https://www.facebook.com/funfitkl

What to Eat After Your Workout

What you eat and drink after your workout – and when – can have a big impact on your next performance.

What do you eat first after a workout? Most athletes pay fairly good attention to what they eat before exercising, but afterwards – for some – it’s almost as if ‘anything goes”. Eating the right foods and beverages after exercise does more than just replenish your draining fuel supply – it helps your body get ready for your next round of activity too. If you work out hard regularly, what you eat, and when, can make a big difference in your overall performance.

Keep in mind that refueling is geared primarily to those doing extended and strenuous bouts of exercise. If your usual activity is a daily walk or brief swim, your regular meals and snacks should take care of your nutritional needs as long as your diet is healthy and well-balanced – but always stay on top of your fluid intake.

What To Eat And Drink After Exercise

Replenish Fluids And Salts

When you exercise, sweating causes you to lose important body salts – like sodium and potassium – that need to be replaced. Many advanced athletes get in the habit of weighing themselves before and after exercise, in order to figure out how much fluid needs to be replaced. For each kilogram of weight lost during activity, you should drink about 1 liter of liquid.

What to Drink

Water is fine as a fluid replacer, since you’ll be eating afterwards – which means you’ll pick up carbohydrate, sodium (and likely some potassium) from your foods. For those who don’t normally drink high-calorie liquids, this is the one time they might drink fruit juices, since they provide fluid, carbohydrate and, depending on the fruit, potassium too. Sports drinks are great since they provide not only fluid and carbs, but the right balance of salts that have been lost through perspiration, too. And they usually have a mildly light, sweet taste that often encourages you to drink more.

Your Body Needs Carbohydrates

After an intense workout, your body has burned through a lot of carbohydrate – the primary fuel that keeps your muscles working – and it’s important to refuel as soon as you can. The recommended amount is about 1.4 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight. That’s about 100 grams of carbohydrate for someone weighing 75 kg. Healthy carbohydrates – fruits, whole grains and the natural carbs in dairy products – are a good place to start with post-workout snacking.

Your Body Needs Protein

A bit of protein is important in recovery too, since it helps to stimulate muscle repair and growth after strenuous exercise. In most cases, about 10 grams of protein will suffice. 

The ideal post-exercise meal or snack contains a combination of healthy carbs and protein, which is why athletes often turn to foods like a sandwich on whole grain bread, a dish of yogurt and fruit, a protein shake made with milk and fruit, or specially formulated recovery beverages.

Meal Timing Matters Too

When you exercise, your muscles become very sensitive to the nutrients that are available –

and that sensitivity lasts for a limited amount of time. That’s why many athletes who want to

optimize muscle recovery pay attention to this “metabolic window” – the time period of about

30-45 minutes after exercise during which you should try to eat your carbs and protein. During this critical time after you exercise, your muscle cells are more sensitive to the effects of insulin, a hormone that helps transport amino acids (from protein) into your cells.

Insulin also works to drive carbohydrate into the cells, where it is stored in the form of glycogen. This stockpile of carbohydrate can then be used to provide energy to working muscles during the next bout of activity. And, once you kick this fuel storage process into gear, you can keep it going for up to eight hours if you continue to provide your body with a shot of carbohydrate every two hours.

Written by Susan Bowerman

MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid

consultant for Herbalife

Stay Healthy and Active

Live your healthy active lifestyle

At Herbalife, our Healthy Active Lifestyle philosophy is about inspiring you to take the leap to become your best self. We want to make people feel good and help them build a strong sense of self. We want to create a positive community that supports and empowers everyone, no matter what their fitness level or goals are.

People often shy away when they hear the term ‘healthy active lifestyle’ as they imagine having to dedicate hours to extreme workouts. While that certainly counts, a healthy active lifestyle is simply one that contributes positively to your physical and mental well being. It is not as hard as it sounds. Small changes to your daily life and diet can add up to big results in the long term.

Whether you are already fit or just starting out on your fitness journey, you can live a healthier and more active lifestyle.

THE RIGHT NUTRITION MATTERS

Eating right is an essential component of a healthy active lifestyle. The food we eat provides us with all the energy we need to survive.

The right diet should include adequate high quality protein, healthy fats and oils and the right carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables, which bring along vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

KEEPING ACTIVE

Whatever your starting weight, shape or fitness level, there are physical activities that will be suitable for you and will help you in the direction of living a healthy active lifestyle. Here are 4 pillars of healthy active lifestyles you can maintain to stay fit and healthy in your daily lives.

Easy

Start with small changes to your daily life and introduce more easy, low-intensity physical activities into your day. You can walk or cycle instead of driving or taking public transport, use a stationary bicycle or treadmill while watching TV, or take up yoga, aerobic, pilates or dance classes.

Fast

Once you are comfortable with easy physical activities, challenge yourself take it up another notch with higher intensity workouts like jogging, running, tennis, swimming or cycling.

Strong

In addition to maintaining your cardiovascular fitness, there are other activities that will focus on helping you strengthen your muscles and body. Get involved in high-intensity sports like triathlons, weights and circuit training, or try training for a full marathon!

Powerful

Just like the rest of us, professional athletes are confronted with challenges every day – self-doubt, dread, pressure, etc. How do they overcome these to put up the stellar athletic performances that keep the rest of us in awe?

The secret lies in not just training your body, but your mind as well. Learn to develop the mindset of a champion to help you overcome your own personal challenges – dig deep within yourself to do better each time and learn to face your obstacles with a never-give-up attitude.

Information from Herbalife-Hub, June 2014

Five butt-lifting lunges without the boredom

Lunges effectively work all the muscles in the lower body – especially those in your backside. Using lunge techniques for toned glutes is age-old, but need not be boring. Keeping a straight back and chest high, try these five effective lunges, holding each for 3 seconds.

Live a healthy, active lifestyle with Samantha Clayton

The fitness routine that’s right for you

Living a healthy, active lifestyle is something that is great for everyone. Making good nutrition choices daily and striving to become more active in your everyday life can have a positive impact on your health and your overall body confidence. Once you find activities that you enjoy doing, it’s easier to be consistent with your fitness routine and to improve your overall fitness level. Exercising consistently is key to getting fit. Many people believe that exercise has to be done in a gym or using specific equipment, but the truth is even walking can be an effective way to improve your fitness. In my opinion, any type of physical activity that you do consistently, enjoy and strive to do a little more today than you did yesterday, can be turned into a successful fitness routine. Whether you enjoy walking, hiking or running, here are some tips that allow you to challenge yourself and improve your fitness level.

Walking, Hiking and Running

Cardio training can lower your resting heart rate, lower your stress level and, when combined with reduced caloric intake, lead to weight loss. Walking, running and hiking can all be great ways to get a cardio workout and improve your fitness level.

Walking 

If walking is your preferred form of exercise you can make it more challenging by:

• Increasing your walk duration/distance.
• Increasing your pace and using your arms in a power walk style.
• Adding some lunges to your regular walk to help improve your leg strength.
• Increasing the frequency of your walks by adding one extra day a week.

Hiking

If you enjoy hiking, you can get more out of your hike by:

Finding a hike with a challenging gradient - the steeper the hill, the harder your body has to work.

• Varying the type of trail surface you hike on, starting out on mostly flat trails and building up to sandy or rocky surfaces.
• Picking up your pace and giving trail running a try - it will increase the intensity of your hike.

Running

If running is your workout of choice, you can take it to the next level by:

• Setting a time-based goal (20-30 minutes, for example) and, once you can successfully run for the entire duration, increase your time.
• Adding in some hill running or varied terrain into your program.

Samantha Clayton, Director, Worldwide Fitness Education, is a former competitive sprinter, AFAA and ISSA certified trainer, holds a degree in applied chemistry and is a proud mother of four.

Information from Herbalife-Hub, September 2014