Posted on Mon, Feb 22, 2010 @ 03:36 PM
By Robyn Quinn, Executive Assistant to John McQuillan, CEO
It's that time of year where some of us can get a little blue. For me, I don't get outside as much, I feel like I'm developing a layer of personal insulation (if you know what I mean) and frankly I need something to look forward to.
Now is a good time to take a step back and revaluate a few things in your and my life.
1. Plan a warm vacation - this will guarantee winter workouts and positive daydreaming
2. Revamp the diet - Are we truly eating the colors of the rainbow and non-processed foods? I'm mean come on we all know that stuff is BAD.
3. Stay active - Make the heart pump darn it! Ask yourself how many times last week did I get my heart rate up? If the answer was under four it's not enough!
4. Factor in "me" time - Read a book, take a restorative yoga class, do art or just chill.
5. Look at your personal goals for the year and make sure they are realistic and obtainable - it is so satisfying to cross things off
Posted on Mon, Feb 22, 2010 @ 03:25 PM
By: Robyn Quinn, Executive Assistant to John McQuillan, CEO
Do you find yourself looking at your New Year's resolutions (because they should be written down) and wondering what went wrong?
Here are some suggestions to make your goals a reality!
- List out all your personal and professional goals (if they aren't already) and I mean all of them. The list might be long but that is a good thing.
- Trim down your list. I personally have 5-6 goals per-list and 3 lists. Personal and home improvements stay on my fridge at home and professional goals stay at work, believe me, it's much less overwhelming to group them.
- Timing of your goals should be established, do you want to leave them all open ended or have some for the first 6 months of the year and others for the end of the year.
- After the first month or so, reevaluate your goals to keep them current and fresh. If they need to be switched around do it and if you have any completed any keep them on but cross them off. Now that is satisfying!
- Spread the word, talk about your goals with friends and find out if they have goals, it will make the experience much more positive and fun!
Posted on Fri, Oct 09, 2009 @ 01:32 PM
By Robyn Lee Quinn, Assistant to the President
The average American eats around 12 pounds of chocolate every year -- along with 67 pounds of beef, 31 pounds of cheese, five pounds of potato chips and 260 eggs. Hello! No wonder most of us struggle with our weight. I just joined a pre-holiday fitness challenge with 10 other people and I’m looking forward to getting in better shape (and losing 10 lbs) before New Years! Wish me luck.
Ok so I know the exercise part but I really have to take in fewer calories, for those of you who know me, I never miss a meal or wine with dinner!
Here are some simple ways I’ll be using to cut my calories that I thought I would share with anyone who struggles like me with weight lose or just maintaining our fab figures:
1. Eat more often – Small meals please, we need to have our metabolism work with us not against us! Your body will comfortably burn the small healthy meals you eat all day long. I don’t want my body to store my fat because I’ve gone hours and hours without eating. Simple question: Hungry? Eat.
2. Eat your calories don't drink them - Soda and juice are the devil, really they are. Eat your calories and your vitamins, it’s easy, anything that has a pretty color will fuel us just fine! Calories from solids take more time to digest, that means we are fuller longer and our body is busy doing its job!
3. Eat foods that fill you up - A researcher, Susanna Holt was the first to index foods and categories of foods based on satiety. In her study, 38 foods with the same 240 calorie portion size were evaluated over a two-hour period to measure the degree of satiety as compared to a portion of white bread. Potatoes, popcorn, oatmeal and fish were among the foods that scored best.
4. Eat foods that stimulate our senses - Studies suggest that foods that are full of flavor and aroma are more satisfying than bland foods. Oh yes, this is easy, spice it up!!!
5. No whining about no wine – This is a tough one for me, I’m Italian I “need” wine every evening with dinner right? Keep adult bevies on weekends only, this is a huge liquid calorie cutter!!!
Posted on Fri, Oct 09, 2009 @ 01:21 PM
By Garrett Gates, Assistant to the President
Myth: If you are tired during the day best thing to do is rest.
Most people believe this myth, because it appears to make logical sense. The myth is true for people who exercise rigorously 6 days a week. However for the majority of us even if we think we are exercising a lot we are not. Every person has a different optimum amount of exercise, but for almost all people it is over an hour a day. For those of us who don’t get the optimal amount of exercise, we feel tired because our body has not released the chemicals necessary to keep us motivated and working.
Unfortunately this myth has led many people including myself into the spiraling abyss of continual tiredness. When you are tired and you rest, you thus get more tired, because the body is looking for you to exercise and release the necessary chemicals. BREAK THE CYCLE!
Studies have shown that exercising in fact provides people with substantially more sustained energy than coffee or even red bull. So if you want to have more energy throughout the day try pushing yourself a little harder in your exercise routine rather than going to bed early.
For more information see the following articles:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20061103/exercise-fights-fatigue-boosts-energy
http://exercise.about.com/b/2009/06/05/fit-fact-exercise-increases-energy.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061101151005.htm
Posted on Fri, Oct 09, 2009 @ 12:53 PM
By Robyn Lee Quinn, Assistant to the President
In traditional Chinese culture Chi (pronounced Chee) is an active principle forming part of any living thing.
It is frequently translated as "energy flow". The literal translation is "air," "breath," or "gas" (compare the original meaning of Latin spiritus "breathing"; or the Common Greek πνεῦμα, meaning "air," "breath," or "spirit"; and the Sanskrit term prana, "breath").
So what does this have to do with how we run? Well, finding your Chi in running can change the way you run for the better. For me, I have never been taught how to run nor had a professional evaluate how I run but I often wonder if I run correctly and to the best of my ability? I've been reading that I can actually change the way I run by focusing on my form for two vital reasons: injury prevention and energy efficiency. What? Use less energy, go faster and longer distances, sign me up! These five elements below are called ChiRunning, even the name itself sounds more relaxing. These basic moves can keep us running for many more years and help us achieve our running goals, like adding mileage for me. I ran my first 10K last week in just over a 9 minute mile, a great start for me!
ChiRunning is based on the physics of body mechanics and focuses on posture, leg swing, the position of the pelvis and a forward lean.
1. Keep your alignment straight, your skeleton is supporting your weight. Don't slump forward or bend at the waist, good posture puts less strain on your legs.
2. Lean slightly forward so your body falls forward using gravity to your advantage. Your foot should land under you. You actually lean from the ankles not your waist so your posture stays strong.
3. When your foot lands on the ground it's best to have it in line with your shoulders and hips, underneath or slightly behind you. Land mid-foot strike to keep you in balance.
4. Always engage your core muscles when you run, this will help (ladies most) any discomfort you may have in your hips or pelvis area while running. If you stand against the wall push your lower back towards the wall, feel your pelvis tip, you are now engaging your core (it's like a mini crunch). Remember that feeling and maintain that solid body tip when you are running.
5. Relax and breathe. Stiff shoulders and muscles use much more energy; we are running for our health and well being remember. Try and ask yourself when you are running, are my shoulders relaxed and I'm not shrugging them? If they are, straighten them out of a good shake and take a deep breath in, that should rebalance you.
So here is the real question, can I change my technique? YES YES YES! Dedicate one run a week to evaluate your running and concentrate on change, it gets easier the more you do it. Go by yourself, no music or chatting just concentrate on form. Very soon you will have retrained your muscles and they will just know what to do. See how much longer you will be able to run, how much zippier you can go and how fabulous you will feel.
Chirunning.com