There is nothing better than slowing it down and pounding our your reps slo…um…ok so let’s agree that this is the one week where I shoud avoid the intro and just move on and keep it clean. We have all seen them at some point and time working out in the gym…the people who alter proper technique to claim that they lift more weight that you do. (It’s truly Darwinism at its finest and Physiotherapists everywhere thank them for their swagger and spastic methods). This week I hope to challenge you to slow it down and relish in the machine that your body truly is. Do not underestimate this one, breathe and “git ‘er done”!

We are going to keep the repititions low here since your entire body will be protesting by your 6th rep…let’s go!

Push Ups x10 – Allow yourself to descend at your normal pace until your nose is about 2 cm off of the ground, then take 10 seconds to ascend back to your starting position.

Crunches x10 – Allow yourself to ascend at your normal pace, then descend by using 10 seconds to return back to your starting position

Squats x10 – Descend at your normal pace, then take 10 seconds to ascend back to your starting position

Hyperextensions (Superman) x10 – Ascend at your normal pace, then descend by using 10 seconds to return back to your starting position

REVERSE

Push Ups x10 – Use 10 seconds to descend until your nose is about 2 cm off of the ground, then explode back to your starting position in as little time as possible

Crunches x10 – Ascend by taking 10 seconds to your “up” position and descend back to the ground at a normal pace

Squats x10 – Use 10 seconds to descend, then explode back to your starting position in as little time as possible

Hyperextensions (Superman) x10 – Ascend by taking 10 seconds to your “up” position and descend back to the ground at a normal pace

Good luck and take your time!

Can your diet really help put you in a good mood? And can what you choose to eat or drink encourage bad moods or mild depression?

While certain diets or foods may not ease depression (or put you instantly in a better mood), they may help as part of an overall treatment plan. There’s more and more research indicating that, in some ways, diet may influence mood. We don’t have the whole story yet, but there are some interesting clues.

Basically the science of food’s affect on mood is based on this: Dietary changes can bring about changes in our brain structure (chemically and physiologically), which can lead to altered behavior.

How Can You Use Food to Boost Mood?

So how should you change your diet if you want to try to improve your mood? You’ll find eight suggestions below. Try to incorporate as many as possible, because regardless of their effects on mood, most of these changes offer other health benefits as well.

1. Don’t Banish Carbs — Just Choose ‘Smart’ Ones

The connection between carbohydrates and mood is all about tryptophan, a nonessential amino acid. As more tryptophan enters the brain, more serotonin is synthesized in the brain, and mood tends to improve. Serotonin, known as a mood regulator, is made naturally in the brain from tryptophan with some help from the B vitamins. Foods thought to increase serotonin levels in the brain include fish and vitamin D.

Here’s the catch, though: While tryptophan is found in almost all protein-rich foods, other amino acids are better at passing from the bloodstream into the brain. So you can actually boost your tryptophan levels by eating more carbohydrates; they seem to help eliminate the competition for tryptophan, so more of it can enter the brain. But it’s important to make smart carbohydrate choices like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, which also contribute important nutrients and fiber.

So what happens when you follow a very low carbohydrate diet? According to researchers from Arizona State University, a very low carbohydrate (ketogenic) diet was found to enhance fatigue and reduce the desire to exercise in overweight adults after just two weeks.

2. Get More Omega-3 Fatty Acids

In recent years, researchers have noted that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (found in fatty fish, flaxseed, and walnuts) may help protect against depression. This makes sense physiologically, since omega-3s appear to affect neurotransmitter pathways in the brain. Past studies have suggested there may be abnormal metabolism of omega-3s in depression, although some more recent studies have suggested there may not be a strong association between omega-3s and depression. Still, there are other health benefits to eating fish a few times a week, so it’s worth a try. Shoot for two to three servings of fish per week.

3. Eat a Balanced Breakfast

Eating breakfast regularly leads to improved mood, according to some researchers — along with better memory, more energy throughout the day, and feelings of calmness. It stands to reason that skipping breakfast would do the opposite, leading to fatigue and anxiety. And what makes up a good breakfast? Lots of fiber and nutrients, some lean protein, good fats, and whole-grain carbohydrates.

4. Keep Exercising and Lose Weight (Slowly)

After looking at data from 4,641 women ages 40-65, researchers from the Center for Health Studies in Seattle found a strong link between depression and obesity, lower physical activity levels, and a higher calorie intake. Even without obesity as a factor, depression was associated with lower amounts of moderate or vigorous physical activity. In many of these women, I would suspect that depression feeds the obesity and vice versa.

Some researchers advise that, in overweight women, slow weight loss can improve mood. Fad dieting isn’t the answer, because cutting too far back on calories and carbohydrates can lead to irritability. And if you’re following a low-fat diet, be sure to include plenty of foods rich in omega-3s (like fish, ground flaxseed, higher omega-3 eggs, walnuts, and canola oil.)

5. Move to a Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet is a balanced, healthy eating pattern that includes plenty of fruits, nuts, vegetables, cereals, legumes, and fish — all of which are important sources of nutrients linked to preventing depression.

A recent Spanish study, using data from 4,211 men and 5,459 women, showed that rates of depression tended to increase in men (especially smokers) as folate intake decreased. The same occurred for women (especially among those who smoked or were physically active) but with another B-vitamin: B12. This isn’t the first study to discover an association between these two vitamins and depression.

Researchers wonder whether poor nutrient intake may lead to depression, or whether depression leads people to eat a poor diet. Folate is found in Mediterranean diet staples like legumes, nuts, many fruits, and particularly dark green vegetables. B-12 can be found in all lean and low-fat animal products, such as fish and low-fat dairy products.

6. Get Enough Vitamin D

Vitamin D increases levels of serotonin in the brain but researchers are unsure of the individual differences that determine how much vitamin D is ideal (based on where you live, time of year, skin type, level of sun exposure). Researchers from the University of Toronto noticed that people who were suffering from depression, particularly those with seasonal affective disorder, tended to improve as their vitamin D levels in the body increased over the normal course of a year. Try to get about 600 international units (IU) of vitamin D a day from food if possible.

7. Select Selenium-Rich Foods

Selenium supplementation of 200 micrograms a day for seven weeks improved mild and moderate depression in 16 elderly participants, according to a small study from Texas Tech University. Previous studies have also reported an association between low selenium intakes and poorer moods.

More studies are needed, but it can’t hurt to make sure you’re eating foods that help you meet the Dietary Reference Intake for selenium (55 micrograms a day). It’s possible to ingest toxic doses of selenium, but this is unlikely if you’re getting it from foods rather than supplements.

Foods rich in selenium are foods we should be eating anyway such as:

• Seafood (oysters, clams, sardines, crab, saltwater fish and freshwater fish)
• Nuts and seeds (particularly Brazil nuts)
• Lean meat (lean pork and beef, skinless chicken and turkey)
• Whole grains (whole-grain pasta, brown rice, oatmeal, etc.)
• Beans/legumes
• Low-fat dairy products

8. Don’t Overdo Caffeine

In people with sensitivity, caffeine may exacerbate depression. (And if caffeine keeps you awake at night, this could certainly affect your mood the next day.) Those at risk could try limiting or eliminating caffeine for a month or so to see if it improves mood.

Source

Head to the basement and dust off that exercise ball that you have been “meaning to get to”. It’s time to put it back to good use! (It’s probably sitting on top of your Ab roller, pile of Paper Towels that you bought on sale and the do dad that you brought in from the garage to fix and haven’t gone to the hardware store to pick up the missing bolts…for the last 2 years. (OK, so that’s where MY ball was…don’t judge me, I’m not starring on Hoarders yet). Don’t underestimate ball training, the exercise ball requires more strength, balance and coordination than most realize.

Perform 20 repititions on each exercise and cycle through the group of exercises 5 times. For exercises that alternate sides, do 10 repititions per side.

• Weighted Knee Raise
• 45 Degree Leg Extension
• Reverse Hyperextension
• Russian Twists
• Glute Bridge

Tips

• Exercise balls should be purchased according to your body height and should be inflated to the point that it becomes firm, not hard
• When sitting on the ball, your hips and knees should be bent at approximately 90 degrees

Detailed desription of the exercises:

Weighted Knee Raise – Holding a 20lb weight in each hand, (Adjust the weight for your level of skill and ability), sit on top of the exercise ball. Hold the weights to your sides as if you were holding a briefcase and raise the knee on your right leg about 3 inches off of the floor. Repeat with the same leg until your reps are complete before changing legs. Aim to keep your inner core activated throughout the movement (Pull your belly button to your spine).

45 Degree Leg Extension – Holding a 20lb weight in each hand, (Adjust the weight for your level of skill and ability), sit on top of the exercise ball. Hold the weights to your sides as if you were holding a briefcase and slowly extend, (straighten) your right leg out on a 45 degree angle to your body. Repeat with the same leg until your reps are complete before changing legs. Aim to keep your inner core activated throughout the movement (Pull your belly button to your spine).

Back Extension (Superman) – Lay on your belly across the ball and brace your feet against a wall for support. Drape your torso over the peak of the ball placing your hands behind your ears. (Your body should be in a “V” position at this point). Lengthen your spine as you raise your torso off the ball making a straight line with your body. Return to the starting position and repeat. (Keep your butt muscles contracted to protect your back)

Russian Twists –  Lie on the ball so that your shoulder blades rest on the highest part of the ball. Keep your feet in front and flat on the floor for support. Extend your arms straight out in front of your body and over your waist then clasp your hands together. (I prefer doing this with a medicine ball or dumbell but suggest that you start smaller to ensure that you get the movement correctly). Slightly raise your torso so that your shoulder blades come off of the ball and twist your torso and arms to the left and then to the right.

Glute Bridge – Lay on the floor with your feet planted flat on top of the ball with your arms at your sides. Slowly raise your pelvis from the floor to the ceiling until your body is only supported by your shoulders and feet ith your torso in a straight line with your knees. Initiate this movement from your butt.