Yikes! Effects of Being Sedentary are Beginning to Show!

I started my job a little over a month ago and figured that my good eating habits and exercise regimen would be fine for helping me stay at my pre-job weight despite not getting to move around much at the office. I am currently working in the corporate offices of an outerwear company, where my main responsibility is to take care of the front desk. This involves sitting at the front desk, hours on end. Although I love working there I am happy that this is a job with an expiration date (I am set to leave right before the start of my dietetic internship in mid-August). 

Even though I get to move on from sitting all day, many people don't and find themselves sitting for 40+ hours a week for decades. It's impossible for such a lifestyle to not take a toll on a persons health and waistline. So whether your someone working a desk job longterm or for a short while like me, you need to make a few modifications to counteract being sedentary. In the past five weeks I've put on 5 pounds and have no intention of gaining another five. Clearly, my pre-job routine needs to get tweaked and that is exactly what I plan on doing without going on a fad diet or setting unrealistic goals. I'm going to be kind to my body and let it shed the excess without bullying it into doing it but by taking care of it. 

The first order of business is to recognize that continuing on the same path will result in more weight gain. Then it's important to take steps towards change. Since the only thing that has changed is that I have been moving less, my focus will be on moving more. 

My plan:

- Make over my workouts so that there is more emphasis on strength training. By building lean muscle my body will be able to burn more calories since more calories are needed to build and maintain muscle than fat. 

- Walk more during my commute. Instead of taking the bus to the subway I will leave my house 20 min early and walk. This will have me walking 40 minutes every day if I do this on my way to and from work. 

- Take lunch outside. I'm embarrassed to admit that I've yet to leave the office during lunch (and I work across the street from Bryant Park in NYC!!!). This will be a great way to enjoy the fresh air, stretch out on the grass, and take a nice stroll.

Bryant Park

If you work a job that involves lots of sitting, I'd love to hear your approach to maintaining a healthy weight. Please share! 

Guest Post | Get Acquainted With Yoga

Yoga: If you haven’t tried it yet, come on, where have you been for the last 5 years? I mean, these days even unborn babies are doing it (prenatal yoga) and you don’t have to be old, young, wise, strong or flexible. You just have to show up. One of my first yoga teachers, Sharath (grandson of Ashtanga guru Sri K. Patthabhi Jois), says that anyone can do yoga, “only lazy people cannot do yoga”. I tend to agree, for the most part. However, Sharath was talking about Ashtanga yoga, which is considered one of the most athletic yoga practices. For those lazy days, there’s also Restorative yoga, which is basically like a guided naptime, but then becomes so much more. What I’m trying to say is that there is a type of yoga for everyone, so stop with the excuses.

Now you may be thinking, “so what, even if I can do yoga why should I do it?” Here’s a bullet point list to appease your short blog-reading attention span:

-physical wellness (you’re on a blog for nutrition, so you must be at least considering the importance of your body’s wellbeing)

            -mental benefits (focus, creativity, endurance, endorphins(!))

-spiritual growth (connecting the mind-body-spirit)

What separates yoga from any other type of physical exercise is that it encourages keen awareness, not just of the body, but also of your thoughts. Bridging the gap between our thoughts, our emotions and our physical sensations creates a complete experience that will leave you feeling energized, clear-minded, peaceful and hopefully inspired.

There are many places and ways to fit in a yoga practice. Try out a yoga studio. There are so many yoga studios offering so many different types of yoga—and don’t be discouraged if the first one you try isn’t to your liking. There’s something for everyone. Read the class description and make an educated choice: If you hate the heat, make sure to check that the class is unheated. If you love music and dance, there’s hip-hop yoga. If you want to make new friends, try acro yoga where you partner up. And if you are feeling especially nervous about starting something completely new, go to a beginner’s class.

Sometimes it’s hard to make it out of the house to exercise, and it can also be expensive. There are plenty of affordable and in-home options. Search yoga videos on youtube or check out what Netflix has on their watch instantly list. A great website for those who are interested in an online, video yoga experience is the Gaiam Yoga Studio (gaiamyogastudio.com) where expert teachers Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee will lead you step by step through each pose and sequence. That said, there is nothing better and more powerful than a face-to-face student-teacher relationship. Checking in with a yoga teacher is a good idea every now and then if you do the majority of your yoga practice solo.

I hope I’ve given you a few good reasons and a few good ideas on how to start a yoga practice. If you have any questions comment here.

Thanks for reading!!

Eva

A little bit about Eva:

Eva went to her first Ashtanga yoga class in Santiago, Chile and was immediately hooked. Soon enough she found herself in Mysore, India, the birthplace of Ashtanga Yoga. Eva spent 6 months studying yoga there, returned to the states, eventually got teaching certificates in both Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga and started teaching.  In March ’12 Eva graduated from a year-long course in Urban Zen Integrative Therapy which brings modalities like yoga therapy, Reiki, essential oil therapy and contemplative care into western medical settings. These days Eva volunteers at Beth Israel Medical Center as an Urban Zen Integrative Therapist, where she sees day after day that you can do yoga anywhere with anyone, even in a hospital bed. 

Workout Playlist

When I first joined the gym I took a few sessions with a personal trainer. One of the things that he ingrained in me is to never read or watch TV while working out because doing so causes the intensity of a workout to drop. Instead it's best to listen to an audiobook or music.

A while back I read a New York Times article "Phys Ed: Does Music Make You Exercise Harder?" explaining why it is important to listen to music when working out. The reason lies in our nature of wanting to move to the beat, something we can't always control. There is also the psychological component, where music allows us to divert our focus from the seconds hand on the clock, pain, and exhaustion.

Essentially, it can make your workout more productive AND more enjoyable.

Here's what I'm listening to while puffing away on the elliptical:

What are you listening to when working out? 

Keeping Fit When Traveling

Whenever I travel, I always try to take part in some form of physical activity. It's an amazing way to try something new and to take in your surroundings. 

Skiing in the French Alps

I must admit that I am far from being a great skier. There are green, blue, red, and black slopes. I'm most comfortable skiing on the blue and green slopes since they are the easiest. Red is intermediate and black is for those who are advanced. Of course, my cousin tricked me into going down red and that turned into quite the spectacle. I ended up on my tush with my skis and poles scattered in every direction! Nonetheless, I had a phenomenal time and would go again in a heartbeat. By the end of the trip, my entire body was firmer and stronger. To maintain my balance I was forced to use my core and thighs or else I'd do way more falling than skiing. 

First time on the board...

Paddle boarding is something that I've been wanting to try for the longest time and finally got around to doing it this past winter. Just like with skiing, it was important that I used my core and thighs to maintain balance. I didn't fall once but paid the price in soreness the next day, so worth it! 

Paddle boarding in St. Maarten

Skiing and paddle boarding are just two examples of things that one can do to stay active when traveling. Sight-seeing by foot in Paris, riding a banana boat in the Caribbean (yes, it's a workout!), hiking in Canada, etc. The point is to do something different, explore your environment, get moving, and have fun!