01 Thursday Nov 2018
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
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brain, brainpower, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, exercise, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, think, thinking, walk, walking
Take a brisk 30-minute walk every day. The reason? Because the connectivity between brain circuits diminishes as we age – which tends to slow our thinking and muddle our memories. But researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that exercise helps revive those flagging circuits – and helps keep your thinking sharp.
30 Tuesday Oct 2018
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brain freeze, cold water, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, core, drink cold water, energy, exercise, gym, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, lunch, lunchtime workout, sweat, sweating, workout
But who wants to come back to work dripping with sweat? The best move is to cool down quickly with cold water – inside and out. We continue to sweat after a workout because our core body temperature is still above normal. If we lower our core temperature, we’ll stop sweating. So after your workout, drink 12 ounces of cold water slowly – so you don’t get brain freeze. Then, take a shower that’s as cold as you can stand. If you’re still sweating when you get out of the shower, drink more cold water. That comes from Dr. David Nielson, who specializes in treating people for excessive sweating.
19 Friday Oct 2018
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
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compete, competitive, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, exercise, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, Pilates, University of Pennsylvania, Yoga
If so, you probably find yourself at the gym more often than your laid-back friends. A new study by the University of Pennsylvania found that people who were really nice and encouraging of others were less likely to work out than people who were more cutthroat and competitive. And that was true even when people were doing NON-competitive activities – like yoga and pilates. Exercisers who focused on being better than their fellow gym-goers, or who were trying to beat their personal best, went to 90% more classes. So the researchers concluded people with a competitive streak in their personality are more likely to exercise.
04 Thursday Oct 2018
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burning calories, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, exercise, exercising, gym, incline, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, run, running, treadmill, walk, walking
Next time you hit the treadmill, raise the incline. Exercise physiologist Tom Holland says the “zero setting” on most machines is actually slightly downhill. He says a 1-point-zero incline will be flatter, and help you burn more calories.
17 Monday Sep 2018
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
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Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, exercise, gym, inspiration, inspire, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, not in the mood, workout
Go to the gym anyway. Research found you’re 70% more likely to exercise if you just see other people working out. Think of it as exercise peer pressure. Because seeing other people exercising can subliminally inspire you to be more active! That’s why it’s good to hit the gym during peak hours – so you have the best chance of seeing others being physically active.
20 Monday Aug 2018
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
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6-pack, abs, aerobic, beach, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, exercise, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, pool, run, six pack abs, six-pack, stomach, strength training, swim, swimming
If you want to reveal 6-pack abs by the pool or at the beach – skip the crunches, and even the planks! We now know it’s all about the cardio. Exercise scientists from Auburn University did a study and found that when people did ab-exercises for 6 weeks, they didn’t lose ANY abdominal fat. That’s because we can’t spot-reduce fat. We lose it all over. However, consistent amounts of aerobic exercise – like running or swimming – combined with strength training and a reduced calorie diet DOES result in weight loss, everywhere on your body, including your stomach.
11 Wednesday Jul 2018
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
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Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, exercise, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, morning, run, runner, workout
If you want to get motivated to start working out in the morning, tell yourself “I’m an exerciser!” or “I’m a runner!” Instead of telling yourself, “I’m going to exercise.” Or “I’m going to run.” According to the journal Self & Identity, when people used that strategy, they were better at sticking to an exercise regimen. That’s because you’re giving yourself an identity – not just a command. And that makes you feel like exercising is part of who you are. It also makes you feel like you belong to a community of exercisers or runners. And feeling that you’re part of an active tribe makes you more motivated to keep up.
07 Thursday Jun 2018
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
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Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, exercise, go for a hike, hike, hiking, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, run, running, stair climbing, University of Colorado, walking
…it’s just as good as going for a run. All you need is a 20% incline to burn as many calories walking, as you do running. That’s according to the University of Colorado at Boulder. They say a 20% slope will feel like you’re climbing stairs. But if the incline is less than that, you’ll burn more calories running.
23 Wednesday May 2018
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
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behavior, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, exercise, gym, habit, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, work out, workout
You need to develop so-called “instigation habits” – that prompt you to work out. That’s according to Dr. Alison Phillips, psychology professor at Iowa State University. So what is an “instigation habit?”
It’s something that not only reminds you to go work out – it makes working out a no brainer. For example:
Make driving past the gym on your way home from work part of your new commute.
Or, make your workout clothes your new pajamas – so when you wake up, you’re already dressed for exercise…
Or put your gym shoes so they’re blocking the front door. So you can’t open it without touching them.
Dr. Phillips’ research suggests it can take at least a month of repeated behavior to develop this so-called instigation habit that’s impossible to ignore.
But once you repeat the same behaviors day after day, she found that having an instigation cue that prompts people to automatically go to the gym works to increase exercise frequency.
11 Friday May 2018
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
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bathroom, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, exercise, fiber, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, poop-shy, public bathroom, public restroom, restroom
Time to get a little personal about bathroom behavior… and this is important.
So, here’s the scenario… You go to the restroom at work – and all the stalls are occupied but one. You turn around and head back to your desk because there’s no way you’re going number 2 in a crowded bathroom right?
So, is it a problem to “hold it”? Internist Dr. Keri Peterson says it’s not a great idea. If you feel the urge to go and ignore it, it can cause chronic constipation and that can lead to other more serious problems. Let’s just leave it at that. So what can you do if you’re, how should we say it… poop-shy?
Dr. Peterson recommends exercising in the morning. That usually will move things along in your intestine so you go to the bathroom before work. Also, make sure your dinner has plenty of fiber. It’ll not only help you sleep better – but you will likely wake up with the urge to go.
