Exercise Archives - Mindfully Written

Not Just a Fireball in the Sky: Health Benefits of Sunshine

It’s hard to deny that the sun is pretty powerful. It gives us tons of light, it helps plants grow and without it, we wouldn’t survive.

Yeah, it’s that important. We often talk about the harm the sun can do – like sunburns and skin cancer – but we fail to talk about the good it does for our health. Here are a few of the health benefits of sunshine – the first obviously being vitamin D.

Disclaimer: While your doctor and dermatologist would never suggest going outside without protection, I advocate for 15 minutes of unprotected sunshine per day. The reason for this is because sunscreens, especially the strong ones (full of chemicals by the way), are designed to protect your skin from the sun’s rays. But to get the maximum benefit of the sun, we need at least a little time where we can fully absorb their benefits. Keep it short and if you’re out more than 10-15 minutes, then put on a hat, long-sleeves or chemical-free sunscreens.

Health Benefits of Sunshine

1. Vitamin D: This simple little (necessary) vitamin has become common knowledge over the past couple years. Everyone’s talking about it and for good reason. Many of us, especially those living in areas with minimal winter sunshine, are deficient. (A simple blood test at your doctor’s office can determine if you’re deficient). What happens is the body absorbs sunlight and turns it into vitamin D (kind of like plants).

Sunlight has also been found to decrease the risk for certain cancers, delay onset of eye issues like cataracts, lower blood pressure and may reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes. Vitamin D (even in the form of supplements in the winter) may also strengthen the immune system.

Not to mention, vitamin D is necessary for the body to properly absorb calcium. This equates to strength and health of bones and teeth, meaning sunshine can help keep your bones strong and healthy.

2. Mood Enhancement: Anyone with a case of the winter blah’s can see the way sunshine improves mood. It makes us feel happier, more alert and ready to tackle life. Everyone seems more cheerful and full of hope. The first nice days in the spring, everyone wants to get out and bask in the warmth and promise of a sunny day.

3. Sleep: Anyone who has spent a long day outside knows that it can knock you out. Call it sunshine or fresh air or whatever, but sleep comes easily after a day of outdoor work or lounging on the beach. The sun is tied to circadian rhythms (clearly), and these rhythms affect the normal process of night and day, sleep and wake, etc. Getting a bunch of sunshine actually stimulates the production of hormones (like melatonin) that affect your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. So sunlight helps you sleep restfully. That’s a good thing for health in a ton of ways.

4. Exercise: So this isn’t as clear of a connection, but sunshine helps us be more active. Really, who wants to go out in 20 degrees and cloudy? No one. But 60 and sunny and everyone crawls out of their winter holes and embraces the sun. A nice day versus a crappy day can determine whether we get out and do something active, so the sun surely helps us be more active and thus, more healthy.

Although being happier, more active, sleeping better and cutting risk of cancer and stroke is great, this is just scratching the surface. On an evolutionary level, the sun – and the fact that Earth is close enough, but not too close to it – is instrumental. We wouldn’t be here without it, so it makes sense that it has far more power and benefit than we can even understand.

If it’s sunny where you live, get out and enjoy it. Eat your lunch outside, take a short walk, take the dog for a hike, take a family bike-ride, play with your kids at the park, start your garden or just sit on your patio with a glass of wine. Whatever it is, even if you just look up and acknowledge the sun as you’re walking from your car to work, just remember its there. Remember it matters and take a few moments to admire it’s awesomeness. Bonus points for lifting your gaze, closing your eyes and just taking it in. It’s impossible not to smile as you gaze up and feel the warmth.

What do you like to do to get outside in the sunshine? Do you feel its benefits? Share your experiences in the comments. I’d love to hear from you and learn from you.

How To Overcome Routine & Change Your Life

by Amber Erickson

At some point in life, we all find ourselves just chugging along. Following the routine and just going with it. We like this routine because it’s predictable, it’s safe and it’s comfortable. Routine gives the illusion of being in control.

Routine is helpful in this crazy world and does help keep some of us sane, but what if there is a downside to this safe, comfortable pattern of events? What if we are sacrificing our own potential by taking the safe path? What if this routine is keeping you from truly being happy?

Whoa.

Let that sink in for a minute, then think about the last time you did something scary or uncomfortable. It doesn’t have to be a big, life-changing thing, but when was the last time you stepped outside your comfort zone, did something out of character or took a risk?

Do Something Uncomfortable to Change Your Life

There is a book or process or whatever that challenges people to do something everyday that scares them. While this seems generic and maybe even a little strange, it has some serious merit. Doing something scary can change your life.

Routine leads to autopilot and monotony. Doing something scary creates excitement, laughter and a new perspective.

Changing your behavior and actions can change the way you feel or perceive something. Trying something new and scary has the potential to open up a whole new world of possibilities.

Overcome fear
Boost confidence
Produce feel-good hormones
Create excitement and heightened energy
Promote connection if doing it with someone else
Challenge your preconceived ideas of what you’re capable of
Become more comfortable feeling uncomfortable

Creating any change in life can be slightly uncomfortable. It’s learning to become ok with this discomfort and work through it that real insight, growth and change can happen. What is the saying: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. The way to bust through this is to shake things up, bust through those patterns and see what’s possible. Learning to find comfort in discomfort can change the way you perceive life, the way you approach challenge, stress or change and the quality of your relationships.

Here’s the caveat – this doesn’t have to be revolutionary. You don’t have to jump off a cliff (unless you want to), but really, truly think about where your life is a bit stagnant and see how you could step outside your comfort zone and change your life. Here are a couple ideas:

overcome your fear of asking your boss for a raise
conquer your fear of spiders (or snakes)
if someone asks you to do something and it scares you, say yes and actually do it (nothing illegal or super dangerous please)
take a class, try to learn a new instrument or start a new project that intimidates you
try a new recipe or buy an ingredient that you have no idea how to use
let someone else order for you at a restaurant
play in the mud, go sledding or catch frogs like you were a kid again
tell a friend or loved one what’s really on your mind (honesty can be really challenging)
tell your spouse what you need from them (physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc.)
think about what your oldest friends would say when asked the one thing you’d never do – then do it
if you work out, use heavier weights, or more incline or longer time – see what you’re really capable of
develop a bucket list of sorts of things that scare you but you’d like to try and consult that list every once and a while and do them (think skydiving, taking a solo international trip, getting a promotion, quitting your job, moving to a new area, etc)

I am not afraid of discomfort (generally) and have made many big changes in my life, so I can speak to this topic on a personal level. The times I am most happy and spirited and enthusiastic is when I’m doing new, challenging things. It’s exhilarating and frankly, kind of addicting. Not that you need a huge rush every time, but the feeling you get from being in that slightly uncomfortable zone is special. It’s easy to get into a rut in life, just working away, doing the things you should be doing and letting each day pass by uneventfully. Those days are so forgettable and aren’t really contributing to your growth and transformation.

Some of the things that have made the biggest impact on my happiness and general feeling toward life were moving to Colorado, learning to mountain bike, teaching yoga, quitting my old job, starting freelance writing, participating in new activities around town and trying new things. These are the times when I laugh, I smile and not a worried thought or preoccupation exists – it’s like the time of true contentment, happiness and presence.

One good example is mountain biking – it’s so hard. Physically it’s working through a lack of oxygen, fatigued muscles, and then climbing another hill and then having the technical skill to navigate rocks or roots. Most of the time on the bike is uncomfortable in one way or another. I always push through (often with lots of verbal support) and after the ride, I’m on top of the world. I exceeded my past abilities, maybe didn’t fall for once or made it up a big hill – these things push the bounds of what I think are possible and open up new possibilities. If I can do that hill, why can’t I do this bigger, scarier one? And if I can climb hills, maybe I can do this or that or another thing I’m afraid of. We never know just how strong, smart, confident, or whatever we are until we’ve been challenged.

Routine leads us to not be present. Getting outside your comfort zone and doing scary things promote being present, being alert and feeling alive. When it’s put that way, what’s stopping you?

{Note: The photo is my sister sitting in her kart before a karting race. It was terrifying – these things go crazy fast – but so much fun}

3 Ways to Hydrate Without Drinking Plain Water

by Amber Erickson

Do you drink enough water throughout the day? I don’t. As much as I try, I just don’t really like water that much. And although water is so important for health, vitality and beauty, it can be really hard to drink enough.

What’s the Deal With Water Anyway?

The human body is made up of more than half water and we can’t go more than a few days without it. We will simply die without water. Cells need fluid to help move food and wastes around. The blood is made up of a lot of water and uses its fluidity to move oxygen around. The body needs oxygen, blood carries oxygen, blood is mostly water. Make sense? Physiologically, we rely on having enough liquid in the body in order to function properly and live.

Water also helps digest food, keep the digestive system working and creating waste. It also allows us to sweat and naturally cool ourselves during hot days or physical exercise. Water is also part of lymph, which is part of the immune system. So not having enough fluid in the body to keep the lymph flowing freely can lead to illness or trouble getting over illnesses. Clearly, hydrating is important.

Beyond basic survival and optimally functioning, water has long been touted as a beauty secret. Celebrities are always talking about hydrating as being their secret beauty weapon and it makes sense. Enough fluids in your body keep the skin moist, glowing and youthful-looking. Dry, brittle or cracked skin does not give the appearance of beauty or healthiness.

How Much Water Do You Need:

Beyond just drinking water, we get fluid or water intake from other beverages, fruits and vegetables. Some fruits and veggies have a lot of water, as is seen by biting into them (like peaches or watermelon). Others have very little water content, like broccoli and bananas, so the amount of water you take in by eating is highly dependent on what you eat.

The actual answer of how much water you need is complex. I’ve heard 8 glasses a day. I’ve heard half your body weight in ounces (so a 130-pound person would need 65 ounces per day or 5 12-ounce glasses full). Other factor to consider are activity level and where you live. I live at 8,500 feet above sea level. The air is thin, the sun is bright and water evaporates very quickly – all this leads to drinking way more water than at sea level, especially in summer or when out biking. I know I’m chronicle dehydrated so it’s something I always think about.

The best thing I’ve come up with is gauging how you feel and monitoring your wastes. The old adage is the more clear your pee, the more hydrated you are. I’ve seen this to be true. When I’m not drinking enough water, I’ll go all day without peeing and when I do, it’s almost thick and dark looking. That doesn’t look like I’m hydrated. When I drink a lot, I go a lot and it’s much more clear and thin. Also pay attention to the moisture in your nose or eyes, the dryness of your lips or mouth and how your skin feels. It’s not about a number or striving to take in X amount of ounces per day because someone told you to, it’s more about paying attention to your body and figuring out what hydrating looks and feels like for you. Of course, when you’re sweating (either during a hot day or while exercising), drink more. If you’re enjoying dehydrating things, like coffee or alcohol, think about drinking a little more water to compensate.

Ok, so you know why water matters and how much you should drink. So for those who struggle with hydration, here are 3 ways to hydrate without drinking plain water.

3 Ways to Hydrate Without Drinking Plain Water

1. Eat more fruits and veggies with high water content.

Rather than snacking on broccoli, maybe have some green pepper. Or lettuce versus collard greens. While these might seem like less nutritious choices, if you’re after hydrating, it matters. The same goes with fruits. Melons, berries, oranges and peaches are very wet compared to bananas. Actually, come to think of it, most fruits have pretty high moisture content.

2. Drink tea.

Be careful with this one to avoid other fix ins – mainly sugar. Simple brewed teas are a great way to drink water with some pizzazz. I like a cup of peppermint at night or sometimes a fruit herbal tea with a couple drops of pure stevia as an afternoon treat. Note that sodas and other store-bought drinks often are more other stuff, like sugar and preservatives, than water and don’t count.

3. Reinvent your water.

You can get as fancy or simple as you’d like, but experiment with mint, lemon, lime, berries, cucumbers or basil. I like a simple squeeze of lemon in my glass to make my water more drinkable. This is especially useful when the water tastes weird. If you’re sensitive to gross water, you know that this can totally hamper hydration efforts. A little lemon can go a long way.

For more ongoing efforts, keep a pitcher in the fridge with your favorite add-ins. The longer the water sits, the more the flavor will develop. Experiment with different combinations to keep things fresh.

Another fun alternative is a pseudo-lemonade. Use the juice of one lemon per pint glass of water and add 2-3 drops of pure liquid stevia. It’s really like a simple, refreshing lemonade without the blood sugar spike. Be careful since this is a lot of citrus and can be hard on the teeth and stomach.

There are probably plenty more ideas of how to get hydrated without drinking plain water. Share your ideas and successes in the comments.

Save Your Sanity With These Simple (& Cheap) Self-Care Ideas

by Amber Erickson

The concept of self-care is pretty simple: the things you do to take care of yourself. Easy enough, right?!

Unfortunately, most of us don’t really take care of ourselves to the extent we need to live happy, healthy, vibrant lives. We focus on taking care of family, working, sleeping, eating and maybe fitting in a workout or sparse social life. What we fail to realize is that taking time to nurture all of our needs is the only way to feel whole and complete and prevent dis-ease. These needs include physical, emotional, spiritual, social, environmental, intellectual, etc.

Self-care is often talked about in two circles – mothers and health care providers. These two groups seem separate but have many of the same characteristics. They are so busy providing, nurturing and giving that they have nothing left for themselves. But then not giving to themselves starts a downward spiral of guilt, fatigue, exhaustion and then eventual breakdown or burnout. Parents need adult interaction. They need time away. Nurses need to take lunch breaks. They need relaxing days off. While the topic of self-care lends itself nicely to women who try to do too much, it’s absolutely applicable to men as well. The stress of trying to be the breadwinner and the unrealistic cultural ideal of what a good husband/father/man is can create unnecessary pressure to do more and be more.

Regardless of your lot in life, this all sums down to one simple idea: We all need to take care of ourselves. Period. If you want to be healthy and happy, you have to take care of yourself every day, not just when things go wrong.

If you’ve never thought much about taking care of all sides of yourself, here is a simple list of ideas to get started. Remember that self-care doesn’t have to be expensive or extravagant. Sure, an exotic vacation every year does help to relax, unwind and rejuvenate, but the effects are short-lived. The day-to-day self-care is what really helps you be more patient, more present and more calm everyday. While it’s common to think self-care time takes away from family or work time, think of it this way: Self-care allows you to be a better mom/partner/employee/etc. Taking care of yourself means you have more to give others.

If you still need help getting there mentally, think of it as an investment. Each time you take care of yourself, you’re making a positive contribution to your sanity, your household, your workplace and your community. Giving all the time only leads to resentment, frustration, anger, short-tempers and hostility. Which do you choose?

So what now? What does self-care look like and how can you get started?

Here are just a few ideas. Self-care is a personal process – you need to find what soothes, satisfies and restores your spirit.

Exercise
Take a class (yoga, pilates, zumba, etc.)
Eat Right
Try something new (that’s fun) – bonus for bringing your significant other or friend along
Laugh
Play
Maintain good hygiene
Meditate
Practice yoga or other movement therapy
Take walks (bonus for bringing your furry friend with)
Spend time outdoors
Read (for fun)
Draw, paint or use your creativity
Get a massage
Go out on a date (without your kids)
Take a vacation (even something simple close to home)
Knit, sew or make things
Prioritize personal development
Practice relaxation techniques (guided imagery, visualization, progressive relaxation, breathing, etc.)
Consult an expert (psychotherapy, marriage counseling, yoga therapist, life coach, personal trainer, etc.)
Reduce screen time (put down the phone and step away from the TV)
Make a lunch or coffee date with friends (positive, loving friends only – no negativity and gossiping)
Take a bath

As you can see, the options are quite diverse, cover a variety of price points and are of varying length or commitment. The goal is to do some self-care every. single. day. Your health, happiness, sanity and life satisfaction will thank you.

Now it’s your turn. How do you take care of yourself? Share your favorite self-care techniques and experiences in the comments.

Calculating BMI: And Why BMI Doesn’t Matter

by Amber Erickson

Have you ever gone to the doctor and seen that body mass index (BMI) chart? Supposedly, this measure tells whether you are underweight, normal, overweight or obese. While this information is good to know and having an equation give us the standard is helpful in general, it doesn’t tell the whole story.

This guy to the right is my husband (he’s so kind to allow me to put his photo online – and a bike short photo to boot!). Oh, and that’s our pup. He has very little body fat and measures in at 6’2″ and 190 pounds. He will be our case study today to demonstrate how absurd BMI really is, but first, a little about how BMI works.

Calculating BMI (body mass index)

Calculating BMI is done by a simple calculation of weight times height in inches times something else – it doesn’t matter that you know these details (clearly I don’t) since simple calculators exist online that do this work for you. Here is one good example.

Simply put in your height and weight, click calculate and voila, you know your BMI. This handsome guy in spandex clocks in at 24.4. In general, the higher your BMI, the more risk you have for certain ailments like heart disease.

Understanding BMI

Once you know your number, you need to know what that number means. Here is the breakdown:

18.5 and below = Underweight

18.5 – 24. 9 = Normal

25 – 29.9 = Overweight

30 and above = Obese

Sounds simple enough, right? Well, that’s go back to our lovely model. At a BMI of 24.4, he is on the border of overweight. Still technically normal, but not by much. Now scroll back up and look at the photo again. Do you think he looks nearly overweight?

Why BMI Doesn’t Matter

BMI, while somewhat helpful, is full of limitations. First, being underweight can be just as unhealthy as being overweight, just with a bit different implications. Secondly, it doesn’t take into account muscle versus fat. Muscle weighs more than fat and having an athletic or muscular build often comes with a higher scale number than being scrawny, but muscle and fat are very different in terms of assessing a healthy body and healthy weight.

On the flip side, people who have lost muscle and bone mass (particularly elderly or ill people), BMI might say normal but really the person has an unhealthy amount of body fat.

Simply put, BMI isn’t accurate in assessing the true health risks you have. It just doesn’t take enough information into account, like age, genetics, race, activity, body shape, fitness level, lean muscle mass, dietary habits, lifestyle preferences (smoking, etc.) and so on. All people are much more complex than BMI accounts for.

However, it is free, simple, basic and may shed light on whether you could be at an increased risk for weight-related disease. Should you learn your BMI, yes. But should you let it get you down, no. If you’re really concerned about your physical state and whether you are at increased risk for disease, get a comprehensive analysis done. One place to start is at your local fitness center. Many offer complete tests, some with really complex machinery and blood tests. Start there and ask if anyone locally offers this kind of testing.

And more so than a number or a generalized test, trust yourself on this one. Do you think you could lose a couple pounds? Than you probably could. Do you think you’re totally healthy? Than you probably are. Do you think you should put on some weight (i.e. muscle)? Than hit the gym. If you’re TRULY honest with yourself, you know where you’re at.

Calculate your BMI and tell me in the comments, were you surprised at what it said?

(For fair disclosure, my BMI is 22.1, which is in the center of normal, but I could stand to convert some fat to lean muscle mass for sure.)