Eating More for More Energy - Sleep Well Challenge

Trouble Staying Asleep? - Sleep Well Challenge

1.       Are you regularly (5 nights a week or more) getting in bed at or before 10pm?

2.       If not, will you commit to getting in bed by 10pm (or as close as possible) this week?

And since there was a problem with Tuesdays email (please let me know if you didn’t get it and I’ll resend it to you), I’m attaching the ways you can earn points from that email as well:

From TUESDAY:

1.        If you’ve gotten in bed earlier than usual or squeezed in extra minutes (or hours), email me and earn 10 points for EVERY DAY YOU DO THIS!  Or if you are already getting 8 hours, email me and earn points for every day you continue to do this.

2.       List one thing you can do differently this week to insure you get an extra 30 – 60 minutes.

Heartfelt Savings - Tips for a Healthy Heart

HEARTFELT SAVINGS
Use LifeBalance to Nurture Your Ticker

Here are a number of ways to help you be more heart-healthy and wise.

• Give your heart the proper fuel! Save on Nutrition / Supplements and Cooking.
• Be light-hearted and have some fun! Save on fun activities like Bowling / Mini Golf, Family Attractions / Amusements or Paintball / Laser Tag.
• Get your heart rate up! Try Cycling, Running / Jogging / Walking or join a Fitness / Health Club.
• Don't let stress take a toll on your heart! Slip into bliss with savings on Massage / Spa / Relaxation or slip away with savings on Travel / Tours.

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Fitness Facts
Cardio 101 [close]
Your cardio respiratory system is made up of your cardiovascular system and your respiratory system. Together they provide the body with oxygen and nutrients and remove unwanted waste products. Both systems are needed for aerobic activity... Cardiovascular activities are continuous rhythmic movements that assist in burning high amounts of calories and increase the strength of the heart and lungs. If you do nothing else, a regular cardio workout will do wonders for your overall health. Regular cardiovascular exercise has been shown to greatly reduce the risk of heart disease and a slew of other illnesses.
Remember, no matter what your fitness goals, your exercise plan should include both cardiovascular and strength-training workouts.
Basic Guidelines for Cardiovascular Exercise

• Type: To qualify as cardiovascular exercise, an activity should be continuous and rhythmic and should use large muscle groups.
• Frequency: 3 to 5 times per week.
• Duration: 20 to 60 minutes per workout.
• Intensity: For low to moderate intensity, exercise at 60 percent to 75 percent of your predicted maximum target heart rate. For high-intensity, go up to 80 percent to 90 percent.

If you're just starting out and can't do 20 minutes, work toward this goal gradually. If you ever experience chest pain, dizziness or light-headedness while exercising, stop immediately. If you are unsure whether certain cardio exercises are appropriate for you, consult your physician.
Heart Rate Monitoring and RPE The best way to keep track of the health of your heart while working out is to monitor your heart rate. How do you accomplish this? You can monitor your heart rate while exercising by either taking a pulse count or wearing a heart rate monitor.
Knowing your heart rate will help you determine progress, intensity and how your body is responding to particular exercises.
Perceived exertion, which is how hard you believe you are working your body, may seem a subjective way to measure the intensity of your physical activity. However, studies show that the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) can provide a close approximation of your actual heart rate during exercise.
While some people use an RPE scale that ranges from 1 to 10, it is the scale ranging from 6 to 20 (see below) that can correlate roughly with heart rate. By multiplying your RPE by 10, you may approximate your heart rate. For example, an estimated RPE of 13 would correlate with an approximate rate of 130.
Rate of Perceived Exertion Scale

• 6-7 = extremely light
• 9-10 = very light
• 11-12 = fairly light
• 13-14 = somewhat hard
• 15-16 = hard
• 17-18 = very hard
• 19-20 = extremely hard

Important caveat: Your heart rate can vary considerably from the RPE-based estimate, depending on your fitness level, age and other variables including medication and caffeine intake.
Make it Fun Ultimately, the best cardio routine is whichever one you enjoy most and look forward to undertaking. All effective cardio exercises will increase your heart rate, which helps your body burn more calories while strengthening your cardiovascular system. Try out new and different cardio activities such as:

• Tae Kwon Do
• Kickboxing
• Skiing
• Dance Classes
• Zumba
• Spin
• Step Aerobics

Your only hard part is picking the ones you enjoy most. Just keep going - your heart will thank you for it!

Sleep Well Challenge