5 Ways to Improve Your Workout Experience

August 10, 2016 by Richard Battista

1. Get on the treadmill

When the word running is said most people cringe. Sure its exhausting, hard, and getting sweaty isn’t anyone’s dream in life but it does help you in many ways you cant imagine. Running or walking at least 20 minutes a day can help your heart build muscle to get stronger and also shred those extra pounds.

Getting on the treadmill does not necessarily burn a lot of calories at once but does the job of toning your body. A lot of people do not understand that it is a full body workout, sure your legs are primarily working but your core is also twisting every time you take another step. Running long distances trains your muscles with endurance and makes your muscle cells larger making your fat cells smaller. Running 3 times a week can help keep your muscles active and tone your body.

2. High reps, low weights

Sometimes getting into lifting is hard when you don’t know how many reps and how much weight you should be putting on. The key to get a leaner body is to have higher reps and lower weights. People get leaner by training your muscles through endurance training. By saying higher reps means about 12-15 per set. The weight should also be lighter. Lets say for example you can max out squatting at 100lbs. If you want to tone your legs lift 60lbs and do it for 12-15 reps doing 3-5 sets. This will shred the excess fat in your legs and make them not bulky muscular but toned.

3. Give your body a rest

The most important advice about toning down is taking the proper rest. You should be alternating lifting and running for 4-5 days during the week and taking days off as needed. Feeling sore is good but there should never be a time where you are lifting the same muscle group as you did the previous day. By doing so, you are not allowing your muscle to heal properly and results could take longer as well as the muscle may feel more achy and sore for longer.

4. Eat right

Eating right does not mean you cant have a cheat day, it just means try to limit the amount of saturated fats and salty foods. A bowl of chips wont kill you once a week but eating out at a fast food place once a day will. Eating right can be fun. Try new recipes once a week to shake things up and make it exciting. It is most important that when lifting and running you get as much protein in your body as possible, preferable lean meats like turkey and chicken. These food sources are lower is saturated fats which helps your body run more smoothly. Eating vegetables everyday is a plus and try getting in two fruits a day (make sure they are lower in sugar).

5. Commit to a plan

If you go into this journey blindly without a plan there is a high chance you might not get the results you want. Its hard enough to start exercising and eating right but if you don’t know your end goal and a way to get there the journey can be tough. Mark everyday on your calendar what muscles you want to lift, how long you want to run, and what you want to eat. This way you can keep track of the foods you eat and how much you are exercising. If you see that you are taking a day off in the middle of the week try a lighter leaner lunch and dinner. If you had a hard long workout one day make sure to replenish your body with the right fuel.

3 Ways to Prevent Emotional Overeating

June 17, 2016 by Richard Battista

Whether you happen to overeat after a stressful day at work or to simply reward yourself, it is common for individuals to overeat to fulfill their junk foods cravings, get something off their minds, or simply are bored. Regardless of the reason, overeating in general is a really unhealthy happen that tends to exponentially increase obesity for Americans across the country.

“Emotional overeating happens when we eat to cope with stress, either in the absence of hunger or passed the point of being satiated,” said Dr. Heather Meggers-Wright, licensed psychologist of Behavioral Health Clinic of Wausau.

Dr. Heather Meggers-Wright also provides professional insight in relation to the types of food we crave as we overeat. With stress, we often crave foods high in calories that take our minds off whatever is stressing us out or negatively affecting our mental or emotional health.

In addition to simply gaining weight, overeating can also lead to some psychological effects related to decreased self-esteem and feeling sad or upset the unhealthy food consumed.

To avoid extreme cases such as bulimia or consist overeating, try to follow the below steps to prevent any negative health effects from this habit.

Know yourself

Find a healthy replacement if you generally consume high calorie food when you are stressed or have anxiety. Instead of going to the chocolate cake first, try eating your favorite fruit or low-calorie dessert to supplement you craving. You know yourself better than anyone so making the best food choices is really up to you and you only.

Small snacks

Your body takes about three hours to digest a meal. Eating small snacks throughout the day instead of large meals will help suppress hunger on a regular basis. A ready supply of carrots, apples, or nuts will both give you sufficient energy without causing drowsiness that heavy or high calorie foods tend to have.

Cultural norms

On a macro-level, social events such as Thanksgiving or weddings are often seen as special occasions geared towards overeating in the name of celebration. As you attend these gatherings, exercise self-control to prevent overeating that would deter the healthy habits in your day to day.

If you have a tendency to overindulge at these times, one tip is to eat healthier foods before going to said event in order to prevent any kind of overeating. Also, incorporating lean or vegetarian proteins to curb your appetite is also very useful when faced with the urge to overeat. Some healthy foods high in protein include eggs, beans and poultry.

Utilizing Portion Control in Your Diet

April 26, 2016 by Richard Battista

Often misinterpreted, using moderation as a basis to approach your diet is an essential way to promote a healthy eating and overall lifestyle when going about your weekly routine. Contrary to popular belief, moderation does not necessarily mean cutting out all the foods that you love, it actually indicates limiting the intake of less healthy foods, while also maintaining a diet that is rich in fiber, calcium and protein.

Throughout this process, try your best to not ban any food groups or junk food from your diet, as this often results in wanting those foods more. When you happen to crave these foods more, this usually results in consuming these foods in bulk and often reduces your self esteem.

To avoid compromising any self-confidence, you can start by reducing the portion size of the chocolate chip cookie or the potato chips, while also lessening the intake frequency. For some, reducing the unhealthy intake of foods allows you to crave them less in order to consume these overly processed foods or high calorie snacks altogether.

With bigger portions becoming the normal size in restaurants all over the country, it takes even more self control to manage not only what, but how much you consume when dining out with friends or family. Ordering starters, splitting entrees and opting to drink water instead of soda or high calorie beverage is an ideal way to put a stop to overeating at restaurants.

When cooking at home, be mindful of portion control when you are preparing what the dinner menu will consist of on a day to day basis. Ideally, adhering to traditional serving sizes of proteins and carbs is a great way to manage how much food you are intaking. Your protein share should be the size of a deck of cards, while your carb size should be around the size of a light bulb. If you happen to still be hungry after a meal, adding more leafy green vegetables to a salad or eating some yogurt or fruit for dessert will help reduce hunger.

Another tip to keep in mind when eating is to eat slowly to allow yourself to realize when you are actually full. Often times people get so carried away eating as much as they can early on in the meal that they do not let their brains tell their bodies to register satisfaction after a meal.

Also, if you can, try to eat with others as much as you can in order to not only set a better example for others, but it also lets you think twice about your portions. Because eating in front of a TV or computer creates unhealthy eating for an extended period of time, try your best to eat meals away from any digital devices that would increase the likelihood of this happening.

In terms of planning ahead for meals, eating a healthy breakfast (such as eggs or oatmeal), allows you to get a jumpstart on your day, in addition to getting your metabolism on the right track. Snacking on dried fruits, nuts and oats can suppress hunger, while also providing the necessary energy throughout the day.

How to Handle Toxic People

May 22, 2015 by Richard Battista

The bittersweet truth about “toxic people” is that although their actions are their own, we have full power in controlling how we react to them. Having full control over your emotions is challenging but also very rewarding. However, when it comes down to realizing our own responsibility, it is essential that we continue to retain our power than handing it over to others.

The first step to dealing with a “toxic person” is to figure out what your issue is. Most challenging individuals either trigger us or mirror us. In order to move steadily past the feeling of being victimized or hurt, one must categorize this person into either categories, trigger or mirror.

Do they trigger you?

Dedicating time to understanding your personal triggers means the more likely you are to no longer succumb to being victimized or disempowered by another’s presence. Once these triggers begin it will become easier to identify it and deal with yourself. While identifying trigger, you will realize how powerful you’ve become. Handling yourself will become easier.

Do they mirror you?

Richars Battista

Its evident that the people we come down hard on our the ones that remind us of our exact self. It makes perfect sense. We spend so much time with ourselves that we are constantly second guessing our choices and tryingto fix various aspects of who we are. When we experience similarities with someone, we are just as hard on them as we are on ourselves. These individuals come off as difficult, but in actuality – looking in a mirror is just difficult for many.

Set Boundaries

Making rules for yourself doesn’t always have to be an announcement. You can simply declare boundaries for yourself by not spending a significant amount of time with a person. One thing for certain is that, depending on your environment, sticking to necessary conversations in working relationships is important. Let your actions speak for you and continue to be honest if the situation calls for it.

Source: https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/toxic-people/

Lay Off the Soda With Richard Battista

March 28, 2013 by Richard Battista

Richard Battista Soda Obesity It’s hard not to like the taste of soda. It’s appealing to the sweet tooth, and the way that the carbonation feels when you take a sip is automatically addicting. As a kid having a soda wasn’t really a big deal because you were running around all day, but numerous health studies have helped millions of Americans reach the same conclusion: soda is horrible for you.

In a recent Huffington Post article they discuss the recent (though it seems like we’ve been talking about it for a long time) rise in obesity and diabetes and how this correlates to an increase in the consumption of soda beverages. Let’s follow the article and take a look at some of these health implications and their cost to society.

Obesity, Diabetes, and Healthcare:

Recently, as I’m sure you’ve already heard about, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg tried to pass a bill that would put a ban on all large sugary beverages. He did this to try to curb the soda consumption of his city, whose obesity rate is increasing at an alarming rate. Though the bill got turned down in court, Bloomberg has mentioned that he plans to appeal it in hopes of getting it reinstated.

Regardless of whether or not this bill passes, there are a few facts that cannot be overlooked. At the present time 1 out of every 10 dollars that are spent on healthcare in America goes directly to helping those with diabetes and its complications. Along with that, 1 out of every 5 dollars is spent to care for people diagnosed with diabetes. This astronomically large amount of money, I should remind you, is being paid to care for a disease that is almost entirely preventable.

The amount of sugar that you consume in your diet is correlated to your chances of getting diabetes- and being obese is a heavy indicator of this as well. So next time you get a coffee, try getting it black. Next time you reach for a soda, try for an unsweetened iced tea instead. You’ll be thanking yourself in a few years!

Richard Battista, Quincy MA

Healthly Living: It starts With Simply Water

October 18, 2012 by Richard Battista

I can’t tell you how many people (probably 80% of the population) walks around dehydrated-so a simple thing like drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day. The majority of people who are dehydrated are tired, they have no energy, they feel depressed, they have stomach issues, they have headaches, they have dry skin, they have flares of allergies, they have problems with their joints.

“All of these things are affected by how much water you take in”

Simple hydration basically nourishes every organ tissue and system in your body. So it nurtures all of your organ systems and it makes them function properly. If you don’t have that water for your organs and your cells in your body to function they’re not going to perform well.

“Interestingly another common symptom of dehydration is…..

Dizziness, it is another one and you’d be amazed of how much better you will feel with 1 week of hydration.