Get Your Green Thumb with LifeBalance: LifeBalance has teamed up with gardens and nurseries to inspire and provide everything you need to get your plants and garden off to a great start this spring. Whether you are looking to start a small container garden or get some exercise gardening at your home, LifeBalance is your source for savings on all things garden related.
For a complete listing of garden related LifeBalance Providers, visit the LifeBalance Gardening / Gardens page.
Swiss Ball Success: Swiss balls (also known as a Gym ball, Exercise ball, Pilates ball) are a familiar sight in many gyms these days and are commonly used for abdominal training including regular and cross crunches. However, ab exercises are just a fraction of the fantastic exercises that can be performed on a Swiss ball. By combining five or six ball exercises in a mini-circuit with a short rest between each circuit, you can get a complete and exhilarating workout. For best results, alternate movement patterns and alternate upper and lower body exercises so that antagonistic muscle groups will be worked. Tips for safe, effective Swiss ball workouts include checking your ball and workout area to clear away any stray debris. Also, make sure that the ball does not slide out from underneath you and use a mat if the floor is slippery. Warming up correctly is the best way is to perform the particular activity you will be doing, at a reduced intensity. You will know your body is ready for exercise when you begin to sweat. After your warm-up, take a short rest and begin your workout. Some exercises you are already familiar with can be used on the Swiss ball. For example, a push-up can be made easier or harder than a regular floor push-up, by using a Swiss ball. To make the exercise easier, lie face down with your hips supported by the ball. Increase the level of difficulty by walking forward on your hands and letting the ball roll towards your feet. A more advanced version of the exercise is to perform each push-up with only one leg on the ball. Alternating Superman is another exercise. While on the ball, simply try to fly like Superman without letting your arms or legs touch the ground for up to 1 minute. For additional balance training, start on top of the ball, balancing on your toes and fingertips. Pick up one leg and the opposite arm and hold them parallel to the ground. Hold this position and then alternate your leg and arm. Other whole body ball exercises can work multiple muscle groups and joints at one time and provide for great functional training. Try using a Swiss ball and add some new excitement to your workout. (Discovery Health)
Get Your Body Energized: A number of factors can conspire to make you find an excuse to not exercise. Physical hunger is a common culprit. Other factors that affect your brain's energy can cause a dip in motivation as well. Here are some food tips and strategies to keep your energy up and your motivation in motion. Make breakfast happen - Skipping breakfast, the most important meal of the day, can leave you feeling muddleheaded both at work and during your workout. The brain is sensitive to short-term deficits in fuel and nutrient supply which can bring on light-headedness. Wake up with water - A cold splash of water in the face has always been a reliable wake-up call, but drinking water can energize and refresh you even more. Your brain is more than 70 percent water by weight, and if this percentage dips below a critical level, you'll feel listless, dull, and headachy. Keep yourself energized by starting off your morning with an 8-ounce glass of plain water before anything else. Keep a bottle of water handy, drinking throughout the day. Snack on raisins - Raisins (along with apples, nuts, and parsley) are a great source of the mineral boron, which plays a role in brain function, perhaps combating drowsiness. Toss a few raisins and nuts into your cereal and salads and keep some snack-size boxes or packets in your desk for afternoon grazing. Munch on nuts and tuna - Nuts and tuna are two of the best food sources of selenium, a mineral that not only serves as an antioxidant but also may boost mood, lift spirits and contribute to feelings of clear-headedness. Other good food sources include chicken, turkey, lean beef, and whole grain bread and cereals. Lighten up at lunch - You probably know from experience that loading up at lunch can leave you feeling sleepy in the afternoon. Studies show that big meals at midday cause more drowsiness than lunches half that size. If you feel sleepy following even a light lunch, try adding some protein. Fill up on fiber - If you feel de-energized and hungry when your meal wears off, try adding some fiber to your fare. Pectin, a type of water-soluble fiber found in fruits such as apples and oranges, has been shown to help people feel full longer by delaying emptying of the stomach. Snack intelligently - If you're just plain tired, eating a small snack can perk you up. Keep these snacks high in nutrient-packed, carbohydrate-rich foods and light on calories. Avoid a java jag - Drinking a cup of coffee improves feelings of alertness and clear-headedness and may even bolster your performance on monotonous tasks. But moderate use of this pick-me-up can easily brew into a caffeine habit that may actually zap your energy and cause fatigue. If you view coffee or other caffeinated beverages as a life source without which you can't function, try phasing caffeine out a little at a time to regain your own natural energy. Ditch the diet - If you're limiting your calories to lose weight, avoid radical dieting, which is sure to leave you feeling drained. The best route to weight loss is to boost your activity level to burn more calories while simultaneously making small adjustments to your eating habits. (Prevention)
Exercise through Pregnancy: LifeBalance Provider Baby Boot Camp addresses the benefits of and provides practical advice regarding exercise during pregnancy in the Ask the Experts section of the Wellness Window.
The LifeBalance Wellness Window offers members streamlined access to all things wellness related, including fitness and health club listings, personal coaches, massage practitioners, yoga and Pilates studios and more. The Wellness Window also offers members health and wellness related articles and content, including daily fitness tips, healthy recipes, motivational insight, fitness tools, health and wellness calculators and more.
The
randomly drawn correct answer to this trivia question
wins a LifeBalance Member Event gift certificate to
an upcoming event.
Last
month's trivia question, which asked members to identify a photograph of a LifeBalance provider was
correctly answered by Marlene Collier. The correct answer was Timber Jim, mascot of the Portland Timbers. Congratulations!
This
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To
answer this month's trivia question, simply fill in
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The
correct answer to this month's question will be revealed
in the next edition of eAction!
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“Life is not measured by the amount of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away!” – Proverb.
Find the Joy and Magic in Every Moment: Recently the Washington Post played a trick on morning commuters at L’ Enfant Plaza in Washington D.C. They convinced one of the leading violinists in the world, Joshua Bell, to dress up like a struggling musician and play for people as they rushed to work. After 1,097 people passed by in 43 minutes the scientific experiment was over and the results were in. Only a few people stopped at all to listen to the beauty and Mr. Bell, who usually makes $1,000 per minute performing, made a mere $32.17 for his 43 minute concert. Stop and think for a minute. Are you way too busy to slow down during your workday? What joy and magic may you be missing by rushing from appointment to appointment? It may be the perfect month to pause and reassess your LifeBalance. (Brought to you by Jason
Stein Coaching)
Here are some silly ways to celebrate each day during the month of May. May 5 is National Hoagie Day, May 8 is No Socks Day, May 9 is Lost Sock Memorial Day, May 10 is Clean Up Your Room Day, May 11 is Eat What You Want Day, May 12 is Limerick Day, May 14 is National Dance Like A Chicken Day, May 15 is National Chocolate Chip Day, May 16 is Wear Purple For Peace Day, May 17 is Pack Rat Day, May 18 is Visit Your Relatives Day, May 19 is Frog Jumping Jubilee Day
May 22 is Buy-A-Musical-Instrument Day, May 25 is National Tap Dance Day, May 27 is Body Painting Arts Day, May 28 is National Hamburger Day and May 31 is National Macaroon Day. Have fun finding your special day.
The Gift of Time: It's a fairly straightforward idea. But it's easy to forget just how important we are to the people in our lives. Understand the impact we have on others and it may just change the way you think. Remember to recognize the importance of time, a commodity made even more precious because it's so fleeting. As soon as a day, an hour, or even a minute passes, it is gone forever. While this might be stating the obvious, consider it as a "gentle reminder" of something you already know. However, it is possible to slow time down, lengthening special events like a day with your child. The key is to consciously honor the moment as you experience it. Be encouraged to recognize the people you care about. You don't need to do or say anything specific, nor do you need to spend any money. You simply need to give them your time. One thing's for sure…as soon as the moment passes, it's never coming back. (Simple Truths)
Eyestrain at Your Computer: Are you stuck in front of a computer all day? As a result you may suffer from eyestrain with common signs and symptoms including sore, tired, burning, watery, dry or itching eyes. Blurred or double vision, headache or sore neck and increased sensitivity to light are also common symptoms. Eyestrain associated with computer use isn't thought to have serious or long-term consequences, but it's disruptive and unpleasant. Though you may not be able to change the nature of your job or all the factors that can cause eyestrain, you can take steps to reduce the strain. A few simple adjustments in how you work or surf the Internet can give your eyes a much-needed rest and reduce eyestrain. Take eye breaks throughout the day by forcing them to focus on something other than on your screen. Try an exercise of holding a finger a few inches in front of your face; focus on the finger as you slowly move it away; focus on something far in the distance and then back to the finger; slowly bring the finger back toward your face. Next, shift your focus to something farther than eight feet away and hold your eyes there for a few seconds. Repeat this exercise several times a day. Make a conscious effort to blink often to refresh your eyes as many people blink less than normal when working at a computer. Blinking produces tears that can help moisten and lubricate your eyes. Practice relaxation. Ease muscle tension with relaxation exercises including placing your elbows on your desk, palms facing up; let your weight fall forward and your head fall into your hands; position your head so that your eyebrows rest on the base of your palms, with your fingers extended toward your forehead; close your eyes and take a deep breath through your nose, hold it and then exhale. Continue this deep breathing and then perform this simple exercise several times a day. Adjust your monitor. Position your monitor directly in front of you about 20 to 28 inches from your eyes. Many people find that putting the screen at arm's length is about right. If you need to get too close to read small type, consider increasing the font size. Position your keyboard properly. Place your keyboard directly in front of your monitor. If you place it at an angle or to the side, your eyes have to focus at different distances from the screen. Finally, if problems still persist, it could be a sign of a more serious problem and you should consult a physician. (Brought to you by Xenium
Resources)
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