Tone Your Triceps with the Tricep-Punch Combo

I’m down to a week for my next black belt test; wow.  There really is no way to cram years of training into a week of prep so all I can do now is walk through (mentally and physically) my material as much as possible and then trust in myself.  So, I have a whole week to combat any jitters that pop up with a mental pep talk of: “come on, I can do this!  I’ve got this!  I will get through it and I will do great!” etc. But to be honest, once you have the training and the practice, it’s your confidence and faith in yourself that is one of the biggest determining factors for how you will perform.

Today is a lovely dare-I-say (almost) Fall weather day.  I’m sitting here enjoying a bowl of freshly cut peaches, kiwi, and purple grapes (so sweet and satisfying who could need candy!) with a spaghetti squash in the oven to eat with my fresh picked tomato, zucchini, and pepper meat sauce.  Yum, yum, yum!  It’s an ultra healthy food day that makes me really appreciate the warm weather and the delicious foods we can grow.    I have a small garden in the back and although it’s my first year with it, and I definitely could have done a better job, there is still something so special and rewarding about going out to pick my own fruits and vegetables (especially with my son).

If you haven’t jumped into gardening, there is still time to jump in and try it out.  Broccoli and kale are two super green foods that love the cooler Fall weather.  Although we are past the prime time to plant, head to your local nursery to find matured vegetables you can still plant and harvest.  Plus, they can fill you in on what you need to do to help them thrive.  Later this Fall I will write up some of my favorite broccoli and kale recipes so we can all savor the bounty of our efforts together!  Live here in Kansas City?  I love going in to Soil Service Nursery Center on 71^st and Troost; I always find them to be knowledgeable, helpful, and with quality plants.

This week we are going to focus on the arms with the:

Tricep-Punch Combo

Note:  You will want to use a hand weight to kick up the volume on this exercise.   Don’t have a hand weight?  Grab a can of soup, a bottle of water, or any other weighted item you can hold onto. 

Start in a mini lunge position with your left foot in front.  Pull your belly in, open and lift your chest, and relax your shoulders.  In addition, activate your thigh muscles and feel as though everything is pulling into your middle.  Hold the weight in your right hand and bring your hand up to your armpit (consider this your starting position).  From here, extend your hand out behind you, lifting up until your feel your tricep muscle activate; reset to your starting position.  Now punch out in front of you, pressing out with your tricep and pulling back in with your bicep.  This is one repetition.  Do 10-20 reps on each side for 2-3 rounds.

Have a great week and good luck with the veggies!

Optimism - Can you train your brain to be 'half-full'?

Optimism - Can you train your brain to be 'half-full'?

op·ti·mism (pt-mzm)

n.

1. A tendency to expect the best possible outcome or dwell on the most hopeful aspects of a situation

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

optimism [ˈɒptɪˌmɪzəm]

n

1. the tendency to expect the best and see the best in all things

2. hopefulness; confidence 

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003 

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I have been thinking about this first post for the last month.  As the first one of many more to come, I wanted to set the tone for what I really believe in and lead the way for all of us to achieve 'Vibrant Health'; positive thinking is what I consider to be the foundation for health and all the rest that will come, so I will start this blog building up all of our foundations.

I was recently reading Fitness Magazine and found an article citing the new book Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain from Elaine Fox, Ph.D.  In the book Fox explains that even though seeing the glass half full actually seems to be an inherited trait, we can all train our brain to see the positive side of things just as we can strengthen our physical muscles or a river creates a canyon.  In addition, Fox's research also shows that pessimists tend to view events as out of their control while optimists believe they can control the events in their life. So when we experience a stressful situation, remembering that our actions will directly affect our life experience can help us to move through the stressful situation with more ease.

Another study from the researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that over and eight year period, optimistic women were 14% more likely to be alive then their pessimistic counterparts.  "Taking into account income, education, health behaviors like [controlling] blood pressure and whether or not you are physically active, whether or not you drink or smoke, we still see optimists with a decreased risk of death compared to pessimists," says Dr. Hilary Tindle, lead author of the study. "I was surprised that the relationship was independent of all of these factors."  This is an excellent study showing how our overall happiness actually affects our health and longterm wellbeing.

(Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1883402,00.html#ixzz1ssopohPP)

So how can we all flex our optimist brain muscles?  As an eternal optimist myself, I sincerely believe we choose to see what we want each day.  When I wake up and look outside, rain or shine, I say to myself: 'wow, it's a beautiful day'.  And when I'm going in for a test (in martial arts or school), I tell myself: 'come on, you can do this!' 

How do you talk to yourself?  When you find yourself in a stressful situation, what part of it do you focus on?

Here is a overview of the steps for positive thinking that I live by:

1.  When stressed, allow yourself a small piece of time to throw a pity-party. 

2.  Once you go through #1, pick out at least one part of the situation that is positive, or that you can control, and focus on that.

3.  Create a game plan for how you can get to the end result you want. 

4.  Celebrate your successes! 

5.  Yin and Yang.  I always tell people  when you are stressed, you have two ways to get it out...I recommend BOTH.  For Yin, relax and breathe.  For Yang, get your body moving!

6.  Do or watch something that makes you happy. 

7.  Be dedicated to positive self talk. 

I will go over these in more detail in future posts (so stay tuned)!

I challenge all of you, whether you are a natural glass half full individual or a glass half empty kind of person, to take a moment and think of something wonderful, something that makes you happy, and let those warm fuzzies wash all over you.  And the next time you find yourself stressed, go through the steps above; it may take some practice, but you too can live your life with your glass half full.