NIFS Healthy Living Blog

Do you remember what your resolution was almost three months ago when the ball dropped? If you are like millions of other people, you made a New Year’s resolution based around improving your wellness, social, or financial situation. However, if you have been slacking on that goal at this point, take the emergence of the new season, spring, as the time to get back to your plan. Here are some tips on how to do that.

• It is always okay to start again. Just because a cold or flu threw your workouts off track doesn’t mean you have to stop exercising until January 1, 2021. Instead, it’s never too late to start up again and get back to a routine that works for you. Find something you know you can stick to and enjoy. Get a workout buddy to make you more accountable. Try something new! All of these things can help you be successful this time around.
• Change your resolution if you need to. You had a grand plan to make every meal you eat from scratch and do meal prep for the week on Sundays, but after a few weeks you realized that doesn’t work for your schedule. It’s okay to modify that resolution and make one that will work. That might be meal prepping only half the week at a time or cooking extra every evening to have lunch for the next day. Find a new goal that will stick!
• Focus on the positive of what you did achieve with your resolution. Did you start a walking program but just didn’t do the amount of minutes you set for yourself? Focus on the fact that you started walking in the first place. Whatever the resolution was that you were able to begin, focus on that to get back to it.
• Do you need to rewrite your resolution to make it S.M.A.R.T? Set a SPECIFIC goal. Then make sure it is MEASURABLE and ATTAINABLE. Next, put a REWARD in place that gives you incentive to meet your goal. Finally, put a TIME frame on your goal. Instead of setting a goal to work out more, make it S.M.A.R.T.: I am going to walk 3 times per week for 30 minutes for the next 4 weeks, and if I accomplish this I am going to get a pedicure. Write down your resolution and then make it S.M.A.R.T.

Don’t be a resolution dropout! Think back on your wellness goals and walk through these four tips. Hopefully they will help motivate you to keep working toward those goals as the ball drops on 2021!

This blog was written by Angie Mitchell, RD, Wellness Coordinator. To find out more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

In Indiana, we experience all four seasons (sometimes all in the same day!). Your outdoor training and exercise regimen can be effected significantly by the season. While summer can be a fun, exciting time, exercising outdoors can be daunting and somewhat risky. While making sure you have plenty of water and sunscreen is important, a workout could just as easily be sabotaged by a trip for ice cream. Conversely, winter has its own set of challenges, including bundling up and having the proper footwear, as well as thinking about running out of daylight.

Luckily, for us Hoosiers, there is a happy medium: fall. Fall in Indiana provides us not only the ideal temperatures for outdoor exercise, but also the right atmosphere to get a jump on the busy holiday seasons. Here we discuss what you can do to make your autumn fitness lifestyle as productive as possible.

Family Exercise

Enjoying time with your dear ones can be challenging in the summer as well as winter. The kids are going to the pool in the summer, and there are so many family get-togethers in the winter, so it’s hard to relax for one weekend. There are many weeks in fall that allow for family time and exercise. Getting out in the cooler weather helps everyone become more comfortable with the environment. In turn, exercise comes more easily.

If you want your family to be more productive, raking leaves and yard work not only helps get your yard looking nice, but also gives you exercise and the self satisfaction of a job well done. Branching out from there, neighborhood cleanups tend to happen this time of year as well. You may reach out to your local neighborhood leaders to see when the next opportunity comes up.

For the Children

During the summer months, children have a lot of time to get outdoors and play. This form of exercise is a great way to develop physically and socially. With fall comes the return of school. Although many schools have recess and physical education classes, there seems to be a lack of lifetime physical fitness activities. There also seems to be an abundance of sitting. To counteract childhood obesity, getting your children the physical fitness they deserve could help keep their bodies strong and reduce the risk of diabetes.

What Can You Do?

Easy enough: GO OUTSIDE! Enjoy the foliage. Fall in Indiana produces postcard-quality beauty and charm. Although the weather isn’t bad, make sure to layer your clothing so that you can be more comfortable.

When it comes to nutrition, make sure to discipline your sweet tooth (for example, against Halloween candy) and tame your urges to try the Pumpkin Spice Everything. Boot camps are also a popular class in this season. Any group activities are a bonus because you will not only get great fitness but also meet new, like-minded individuals who can help you find a support network.

Your Challenge

I encourage you to step out this season. Get some exercise with your family and venture to a part of the state you might have never visited. There are dozens of state parks and recreational areas waiting to be explored. You can get a head start on the holiday season, and hopefully when your New Year’s resolution is on the front burner, you will be ready to go!

For more ideas for training this time of year, see a NIFS Health Fitness Specialist, who can design workout plans and discuss goals so that you are getting the right exercises to reach your personal bests. Let’s go!

This blog was written by Thomas Livengood, Health Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer. To read more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

A New Year is a great time to reset goals, start over, or accomplish something new. Maybe this is the first time you are getting serious about your health and you are ready to begin your fitness journey. I love the thrill of new goals being set, seeing unfamiliar faces in the gym, and fitness becoming a priority for the first time in people’s lives.

Being well into March already, the question arises: are you still on track to accomplish your goals and resolutions for 2020? Allow me to suggest some tips to help keep you on track so that when December 31^st comes around again this year, you won’t be making the same fitness goal for 2021 that you made for this year.

Tips for Accomplishing Your Fitness Goals

Many people set unrealistic goals or expect instant results. Once life gets back to the “normal” routine after the holiday season, the fitness goals once again fall on the back burner. Not this year! Here are some tips to help keep you on track all year long:

• Set weekly or monthly goals—with your end goal in sight. Write them down, hang them up where you can see them every day, and cross each off after you have accomplished it. Leave the list up with the items crossed off so that you can continue to track your progress and see your success.
• Allow for life to happen on your journey to meet your fitness goals. Some weeks are crazier than others; kids get sick or work is insanely busy. Plan that into your week and do not let it knock you completely out of your fitness routine. Find ways to get yourself to the gym during the crazy cycle of life.
• Set realistic expectations. Don’t expect to go to the gym 7 days a week. Take baby steps and make your goal to get there 2–4 days a week to start. Getting there a few times is better than not at all.
• Lack of time should not be an excuse. Everyone has 24 hours in the day, so don’t let time become a factor in not being able to make it to the gym. A 20–30-minute workout is sometimes sufficient for working toward your goal. Be efficient with the time that you do have and make the most of even 20 minutes.
• Don’t let one bad day ruin your week. Healthy fitness and nutrition choices are sometimes hard during the busy days. Tomorrow is always a new start for eating well and getting your workout in. Pick up where you know you should be and keep moving forward.
• Don't make excuses. Excuses usually start to build up toward the end of January and beginning of February for how you are unable to make it to the gym. Don’t get caught up in falling for them! Keep that New Year’s excitement going into February and March with new weekly or monthly goals to accomplish.

Get Goal-Setting Help from NIFS

If you feel like you are in a goal-setting slump, ask a NIFS health fitness instructor for ideas or tips to help you get out. Remember to keep your end goal in sight. You do not need to wait for the New Year to start a new fitness journey. Don’t be the person telling yourself, “There’s always next year”; be the person who says “I am so proud that I stuck with my routine and accomplished my goal this year!”

This blog was written by NIFS Personal Trainer Kaci Lierman. To read more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

Holidays are upon us and, for many, traveling is inevitable. For at least a few days you may be on the road, in a hotel, or at a family or friend’s home. What happens to your exercise and nutritional routines that you have built and finely tuned over the past year? Do you take a break from those routines, or do you stick to them?

Keep Your New Year's Goals in Mind

Fast-forward a couple weeks from now. Do you have any fitness or nutrition goals that you have been thinking about for the New Year? If you haven’t thought about them yet, what might they be? For many gym-goers, weight loss is the main goal. Has this been a resolution for past years? One last question: Why would you put yourself “in the hole” when it comes to diet and exercise before the new year even starts? I’ll leave your holiday nutrition information up to our Registered Dietitian Angie Mitchell and focus mainly on a few workouts and exercise habits you can use to put yourself in front of the eight ball rather than, you know…

Take Physical Activity Breaks While You’re On the Road

My first focus will be on something that many people probably don’t think about when traveling, which is the amount of time that you might spend in the car. For some, six- or eight-hour car rides each way await them. If passengers in your car are anything like the ones that are in mine during road trips, bathroom breaks basically come every couple hours. Use this time for, well, obvious reasons, like having a little physical activity break from the car ride. All you need is 3 to 5 minutes to get the blood flowing and burn a few calories after sitting in the car for so long. Bathroom breaks can be done after that.

Below you will find two physical activity breaks that can be done at a gas station or rest stop that will help break up some of those monotonous driving feelings.

Physical Activity Break #1                      Physical Activity Break #2

3 rounds:                                                    3 rounds:
Jumping jacks x30                                     Incline pushups x10
BW squats x15                                          Lateral line hops x20
Skaters x10/side                                        Lunge x10/leg

Two Simple Workout Programs That Don’t Require Equipment

Three years ago my finest reindeer, Tom Livengood, wrote a blog on exercises that you can do with limited or no equipment during holiday travel. I’m going to build off of Tom’s previous work and give you some exercise options to choose from when you are on the road. Here are two simple workout programs that shouldn’t take more than 20 to 30 minutes to complete and will “HIIT” (get it?) all of your major workout components during these hectic months.

Program 1:

Warmup (3 rounds)

• Alternating reverse lunge x60s (photo 1)
  
• Walking plank x30s
• Step through w/rotation x60s
  

Strength/Core (3 sets)

• Rear foot elevated split squat x15/leg(photo 2)
• Wall plank x60s(photo 3)
• Pushup xMax                                                                                 
  

HIIT (Every minute on the minute for 10 minutes)

• Mountain climber x30
  
• Squat jump x15
• 1/2 burpee x5

Program 2:

Warmup (3 rounds)

• Single-leg bridge w/ pulse x30s/leg
  
• Side plank w/ rotation x30s/side
• Plank reach x60s(photo 4)

Strength/Core (4 sets)

• Lateral lunge w/ forward reach x10/side
• Feet elevated pushups x10-15

HIIT (30s on/15s off: 12 minutes)

• Pushup
• Step-up (30s/leg)
• Cheetah

Elevated split squats and pushups can be performed with a chair, box, dog, child, or whatever…be creative!

If you have additional time, try your best to find a tennis ball, lacrosse ball, foam roller, can of cranberries, frozen water bottle, or SOMETHING to use for some soft-tissue work. I hear foam rolling while drinking eggnog is the newest fitness trend (kidding!). No matter what you choose to do, the number-one goal is to stay moving. Don’t let your active lifestyle take a “HIIT” (okay, I’m done) over these next few weeks.

This blog was written by Alex Soller, Health Fitness Instructor, Athletic Performance Coach. Click here for more information about the NIFS bloggers.

It seems nearly impossible that the holidays have crept upon us already! And not just that, but those dreaded New Year’s resolutions that loom over our heads are just around the corner. But with the right plan in place, we can look at those resolutions as something exciting: a reset to get focused and to really accomplish something this year.

The key to not letting those goals slip by you and hit you on the backside is to have a plan in place that sets you up for success and not failure. A good, solid strategy that has been thought through early enough will get you where you want to be.

5 Simple Steps to Your New Training Plan

Here are 5 simple steps to help you set your New Year’s resolution.

• Figure out your goal. What is it that you really want to accomplish in your health and fitness this year? Take some time to really hash out what you truly want to do. Maybe it’s finally committing to that first half marathon, setting a new PR in your deadlift, or simply being consistent and getting to the gym three times a week. Whatever it is, make sure your goal setting is attainable and realistic.
• Make a plan. Once you have figured out what is realistic, it’s time to make a plan. Figure out what tools you need in order to be successful and how you are going to do it. For example, do you need new running shoes, a fitness tracker like a Fitbit, or to hire a trainer? Once you have your plan in place, share it with someone. This will help you to stay accountable; whoever you share it with can check in on you to see how your progress is going.
• Schedule it NOW! Like most things, if we don’t get them on the schedule we might as well just forget about it. Make sure that you set aside time in your weekly schedule so that you are not digging for time each day. If it’s in the schedule you are more apt to do it, so get it in there and don’t make compromises!
• Get an accountability partner. One of the easiest ways to stay on track is if someone else is checking in on you. Find a person who can be this for you. Maybe it’s your spouse, best friend, or a coworker; or if you are lucky, you can find someone to meet you at the gym each day and don’t let them down! Be sure to fill them in on your goals, your plan, and your schedule.
• Reward yourself. And I am not talking about with brownies! Once you get into the habit and are staying on track, find something that you reward yourself with. Maybe it’s that Fitbit that you wanted in the beginning but didn’t get, those new running shoes you’ve been wanting, or signing up for a race in another state and making it a mini-vacation. Figure out how to reward yourself for doing what you planned!

Don’t be afraid, and together let’s make 2017’s New Year’s resolutions ones that we will actually achieve!

NIFS Can Help with Marathon Training

If one of those goals that you set is to complete your first 5K or half marathon, we would love for you to come and train with us in our Mini-Marathon and 5K Training Program! Let us be that accountability partner for you.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND GET REGISTERED TODAY!

This blog was written by Amanda Bireline, Fitness Center Manager. To find out more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

It’s that time of year again when most evaluate their current year and set their sights on the upcoming one. Goals and plans of being more successful, losing weight, being more fit, and countless other hopes and dreams will be on the minds of so many individuals hoping for change and happiness. And although goal setting is not for everyone (nor does it have to be), for those who take part in this annual renewal and planning effort many fall victim to a huge mistake that will inevitably leave them in the same spot a year from now. 

The biggest mistake most people make when developing their goals for the New Year is the failure to define the behavior that is needed to accomplish that given goal. We are great at defining what are considered outcome goals, but we make the unfortunate mistake of stopping there and not defining behavioral goals. What is the difference between the two? Let’s take a look and define the two, understand the need for both, and learn some tips to make your New Year’s resolutions stick.

SMART Goals

You might have heard about using the acronym SMART when writing a goal. But just in case you haven’t, here is SMART defined. A well-written goal should be

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timely

I will add another term to this: a goal should also be meaningful. The particular goal should have some significance to you and your life. This is an important aspect to consider when deciding where and how to spend your time and effort.

Now that you’re all caught up, I’ll define both outcome and behavioral goals.

Outcome Goals

An outcome goal is just that: it is the outcome you want to obtain in a certain time frame. These are defined usually by numbers such as a weight goal, or specific levels to be reached in your profession, or even starting a retirement fund. These all have specific end products to be reached, and unfortunately most people stop right here.

Examples:

• I will lose 20 pounds by April 1.
• I will make $75,000 this year.

Behavioral Goals

A behavioral goal is a series of actions that will eventually lead you to the achievement of your outcome goal. This plan of attack to get to the outcome you defined is essential to see the results you hope to obtain. The experts at Precision Nutrition consider behavior goals to be goals that you have control over. You ultimately do not have control of your body’s cells or how fast they metabolize fat. Nor do you have complete control over whether your boss pays you the $75,000 you feel you have earned. You do have control over the actions that can get you to that outcome you have defined. Adopting behaviors that lead the way toward your goal is key in obtaining the results you are after.

Examples (expanding on the outcome goals listed above):

• I will lose 20 pounds by April 1.

I will add more vegetables and protein sources to each meal.

I will eat slowly and mindfully at each meal.

My dining out of the house will be limited to one time per week.

I will limit processed foods and choose mainly whole-food options for every meal.

I will exercise 5 times a week for 60 minutes each session, mixing both resistance and aerobic-based movements.

• I will make $75,000 this year.

I will acquire a certification or more education in my field.

I will spend more time on big tasks or projects.

I will organize my day to maximize productivity by defining a daily schedule and sticking to it.

I will surround myself with goal-orientated, like-minded individuals every day.

I will ask big questions.

Bonus Tips For Success This Year

I think the biggest step you can take to success in this upcoming year is taking it one step at a time! For example, so many of us want to overhaul our entire diet to get to that goal of losing 20 pounds by April 1, only to fall short because we could not sustain the behavior, or the sheer amount of change at one time was just too much. This could lead to failure, which could lead to a backslide, putting us right back where we were to begin the year.

Implement one behavior for a few weeks, and once you have success with that one behavior, add another one, but not until you are successful with the first one. Create a snowball effect of behaviors and you increase the chance of success in the new year.

Getting started is usually the hardest part. Let us help, sign up for a free Fitness Assessment today!

This blog was written by Tony Maloney, ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist and Fitness Center Manager. To find out more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.