Only 20 Days left in our Challenge!
7 Tips for Training for a 5k
Have you ever thought about doing a 5K but are intimidated by the idea? Are you experienced with several races under your belt but want to work on hitting a new PR (personal record)? Here are a few tips from our Assistant Fitness Manager and Personal Trainer, Carley, to guide you toward your goal!
Myzone Mayhem Winner
Congratulations to Debbie W., the winner of our Myzone Mayhem mini-challenge!
Additionally, because the championship game didn’t play out like most of our predictions, we’re adding a guest pass to the accounts of everyone who earned 750 MEPs during the challenge.
Stay tuned for our next and final mini-challenge!
7 Weekly Health Tips from our Fitness Staff
1. Stop buying “healthy” foods – Don’t believe the packaging, because a lot of time those healthy foods are hiding a lot of unhealthy things. Spend your time educating yourself about what actually makes food “healthy” and focusing on the good stuff.
2. Focus on compound exercises – Compound exercises engage more than one muscle group, and they are functional (they train your nervous system along with your individual muscles). Make sure to add a variety of these exercises to your routine:
– legs (lunges, step-ups, squats, deadlifts)
– upper body push (bench press, overhead pressing, push-ups)
– upper body pull (dumbbell rows, chin-ups)
3. Take a break when you’re stressed – When you’re overwhelmed, take a step back. A simple breathing exercise can help you feel calmer. For each breath, count to four as you inhale, hold it for a four count and exhale for another four.
4. Add in probiotics – Probiotics can improve your digestion and help fight off ‘bad’ bacteria in your gut, leading to improved immune function. There is also evidence that probiotics may play a role in relieving anxiety. You can find probiotics in foods like yogurt (unpasteurized) and fermented foods like sauerkraut, miso soup, pickles, kimchi and tempeh. You can also add probiotics via supplements.
5. Assume that other people have good intentions – Finding the positive qualities in others can help improve your social life and, studies prove that being trusting can increase your well-being. Finding the positive qualities in others may help you see the best qualities in yourself as well!
6. Eat your sandwiches open-faced – Lose some of the bread (and the calories and carbs) and focus on what’s inside the sandwich – especially the protein and veggies!
7. Use progressive muscle relaxation – While laying in bed, try to relax your whole body. Go through each muscle group one at a time. Make each one as tense as possible and then relax it before moving on to the next one. Start from the top of your head and move down to your toes. When you’ve finished, listen to your body to see what muscles are still tense. For these areas, repeat the process up to four times.