Tag: power walking

8 Instant Mood Boosters to Help You Feel Happier

02 Sep
admin 0 Comment Fitness, Love your skin, Nutrition, Weight Loss , , , ,
Posted by Samantha Clayton, AFAA, ISSA – Vice President, Worldwide Sports Performance and Fitness 0 Comment
A quick workout can change your outlook.

If you’re looking for simple ways to raise your happiness level, try one of my quick mood boosters to help you feel more positive—right now.

I often find myself running around trying to balance my busy schedule. I’ve realized that sometimes I need to take a time out to boost my mood and recharge my energy level. If you’re like me, you’ve been in a situation where a busy lifestyle gets the best of you. Next time your demanding schedule has you stressed out and desperate for a break, give one of my eight instant mood boosters a try. You’ll discover how the simple things in life can truly have a positive impact on your day.

8 Mood Boosters to Lift You Up

1. Practice belly breathing

Practice conscious breathing by inhaling through your nose, letting the air expand into your tummy, then breathing out through your mouth. Whether you’re at work or running around on a busy day, taking a break for 5-10 conscious breaths can calm your mind while giving you a rejuvenating timeout.

2. Schedule a stretching break

Instead of taking a coffee break, try taking a stretching break. You can do simple neck rolls and arm stretches from the comfort of your office chair, as you stand on the phone, or wherever you are! Simple movement throughout the day can refresh your mind and relieve muscle tension.

3. Get organized wherever you are

Stress can be self-inflicted, sometimes caused by misplacing or losing your belongings. Boosting your mood starts with relieving your stress level. Carve out some time in your schedule to get organized—whether you’re at home, at work or in the car. Just a few minutes to get things in order each day can lead to a better mood over all.

4. Try coordination drills

Improved health involves your body and your brain. Doing exercises that involve working your upper body and lower body at the same time, such as lunges with a shoulder press, will speed up your workout and give your brain power a boost! Next time you work out, try a few moves that challenge your coordination.

5. Smile often

Your body releases endorphins every time you smile, even if you’re faking it! Spend time every day consciously smiling at people. It will instantly boost your mood and give your face muscles a workout. The added bonus is that your smile may improve the mood of other people, too, because they’ll probably smile back at you!

6. Take a power walk

You may think that a two-minute walk can’t possibly impact your mood or your health. But a fast paced walk, even if it’s just for a few minutes, can improve your cardiovascular health. If you only have a few minutes, make time for a quick, brisk walk. By doing something different (and stepping outside if you can), you may be able to reduce stress. Try to accumulate at least 30 minutes of walking throughout the day. If you have time for a longer walk, try one of my power walk routines.

7. Do a workout for your skin

Quality skin care products can positively impact your appearance, thereby improving your mood. Give yourself a two-minute mini-facial at home by exfoliating with your favorite scrub and massaging moisturizing cream onto your face. When you dedicate a little extra time to your appearance, it can help you feel confident—and I believe that a little face massage with the correct products is the easiest workout ever!

8. Try a quick interval routine

Try an interval workout using some old school moves: complete 30 seconds of four simple exercises. You will give your energy level a boost by releasing endorphins into your blood stream, no matter the length of your workout. Here’s a simple interval routine to try:

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We live in a fast-paced world that can feel stressful at times. Once you become overwhelmed with stress, it can start interfering with other areas of your life and can have a negative impact on your health. Many times, we take care of others around us and put our own needs last on the list. This is especially true if you have a family to look after.

It’s important to take good care of your mental and physical well-being. Though it can be a struggle to find balance in life, I hope my eight fitness mood boosters help make you feel great.

 3 Tips to Help You Squeeze in a Workout

11 Apr
admin 0 Comment Fitness, Nutrition, Weight Loss , , ,

​Posted by Samantha Clayton, AFAA, ISSA – Senior Director, Worldwide Fitness Education 0 Comment


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You can always find the time to do what’s
good for you.

Here’s how to stop using excuses and finally squeeze in a workout.

When it comes to finding motivation to get up off the couch and improve your fitness level, sometimes it takes more than willpower alone to make it happen.

‘I’m too busy and I can’t find the time.’

This is the number one excuse I hear for not exercising. You may find it hard to believe, but this was also my go-to excuse after having triplets. It was an excuse that really worked, because who would ever disagree? My four young kids sure do take up a lot of time.

And this ‘I’m too busy’ excuse sounds so much better and less embarrassing than the truth: ‘I’m just too tired and I don’t have the motivation.’

The reality is that we can all make time to add activity into our life. All we need to do is realize that excuses will only hurt us in the long term. Sometimes it takes a health scare or an embarrassing moment to force us to address the issue. But why wait for that to happen before improving your life?

My changing moment occurred when I was asked to leave a steam room at the spa after being lectured in front of a crowd on how heat could harm my unborn child. Sounds awful, right? The real problem was that I wasn’t even pregnant—my babies were five months old already. Talk about a cringe worthy moment! This was all the motivation I needed to get my body and fitness back on track.

Three Ways to Squeeze in a Workout into Your Day

1. Set your alarm 30 minutes earlier.

This may seem like an obvious tip, but it definitely takes motivation not to hit the snooze button and lie back down.

    • My next piece of advice may seem crazy but it worked for me. For the first few weeks wear a loose fitting workout kit to bed or place your workout outfit with your tennis shoes right next to your bed. When the alarm starts buzzing, put on your socks and shoes and get to it.
    • Working out at home or close to home is the best way to start out, because it removes any excuses about joining a gym or having to travel anywhere. Sure, jogging along a beach at dawn may sound nice, but in reality, you probably need to get your workout done and dusted as quickly as possible.
    • As your body gets used to the time adjustment, add an extra 10 minutes so that you can actually comb your hair and brush your teeth before you go.
2. Pack your workout clothes and take them to work.

If you’re not a morning person, then it’s time for Plan B: the lunchtime power-walk. Schedule it in like you would a dentist or your hair salon appointment. It’s funny that we wouldn’t dream of not getting our hair cut, but taking care of our health often gets overlooked or sidelined.

    • Asking a co-worker to join you will give you the extra motivation not to skip a session.
3. Split your workout into smaller segments.

If finding a full 30 minutes is too difficult, then try to do three or more mini workouts. It’s fine to accumulate your workout throughout your day.

    • This tip works especially well for stay-at-home-moms with young children, because minding a child for 10 minutes while you jump around and squeeze in a workout is a realistic goal.
    • If you work in an office and sit down all day, try taking a brief 10 minutes to stretch out or walk around the office. It may improve your energy level and boost your concentration.

Making an activity part of your lifestyle instead of a chore makes results easier to achieve.

Once I decided to ditch my excuses and made time in my day to exercise, I was able to quickly progress to a regular spinning class, and being active became something I just did rather than something I had to think about. People even started complementing me on all the extra energy I seemed to have.

So, no excuses––everybody can find time to exercise.