5 Unusual Ways to Recover Faster

And Make Better Progress in the Gym

By Team FitRX

We all know that proper recovery plays a large role in reaching our fitness goals. Whether you’re over training or have just been hitting the gym harder lately, we can all benefit from better sleep, better nutrition and more stretching/mobility work.

Here are five less known ways that you can help yourself recover faster and make better progress in the gym.

1. Listen to music immediately post-workout

We all know some good tunes, whether rock, rap or house, (or T-Swift of course) can pump us up for a workout. However, did you know that listening to music post-workout can help you recover faster?

A 2010 study showed that listening to “slow” music immediately post-workout can slow your heart rate, help your blood pressure recover and put your body in recovery mode quicker than not listening music. Bottom line: put on some slow jams to get back in the gym faster!

2. Drink tart cherry juice

Nothing like an ice cold glass of fruit juice right? Well, swap that OJ for some tart cherry juice. Not only is it great for heart and digestive health, drinking cold cherry juice regularly can help improve post exercise soreness.

Additional studies indicate that tart cherry juice can also improve sleep quality and duration by boosting levels of melatonin. And since we know that getting adequate sleep is crucial to proper recovery, weight management, and just about everything else, we think it is a no brainer to use regularly.

We love Lakewood Organic tart cherry juice. It’s not too sweet or too tart… just right.

3. Eat protein and carbs pre-workout

Most of us know the importance of post-workout nutrition for maximizing progress in the gym, but did you know that eating protein and carbs before your workout might be just as important to your progress? Studies show that elevated levels of insulin and amino acids in your system from carb and protein intake during your workouts improves muscle performance.

Also, eating protein before your workout can contribute to protein synthesis (muscle growth + recovery) for long after your workout.

So if you follow a nutrition program like IIFYM (Flexible Dieting) make sure to budget your calories for protein and carbs accordingly and grab a snack before you hit the gym.

We recommend eggs and toast, a protein smoothie, oatmeal + a light protein shake, or greek yogurt and fruit about 15-45 minutes before your workout.

4. Reduce alcohol consumption

Okay, so this one’s not that unusual, but studies show that post-exercise alcohol can impede progress in the gym. However, it should be noted that low levels of alcohol consumption should not affect your progress significantly. What does this mean for you?

If you’re planning on going out on the weekend and having several drinks, it’s best to not exercise right before you go out, or even that day if you want your workout to be beneficial. Keep the drinks in moderation when you’re on a strict workout program.

5. Take a nap after working out

We all love naps, so why not use them as part of your recovery plan? Studies show that daytime naps have a potential role as a valuable recovery tool after exercise. Hit the gym hard in the morning or at lunch? Take a quick power nap before you return to work.

In addition to the usual recovery methods we’re all familiar with, try giving some of these a shot and see if they help improve your performance!

Looking for additional ways to boost recovery? Check out some of the packs at PrettyFit to try new supplements, healthy snacks and fitness goodies each month!

Reprinted from FitnessRXWomen.com

5 Tips for Healthy Grocery Shopping

Walk in with a Plan of Action!

By Lauren Jacobsen

Whether you are new to dieting, or have been following a healthy, fit lifestyle for a long time, one of the most challenging tasks you may have is going grocery shopping. Sticking to a healthy diet is challenging enough, and navigating the grocery store can be overwhelming when you are super hungry and super tired, especially if you are in those last few weeks of diet mode before a big show, or are dieting down for vacation or a special event. Walking into the grocery store without a plan of action can result in the wrong food choices and a diet meltdown! If you are challenged by grocery shopping, try these five tips on your next trip.

Tip #1 – Do Not Shop Hungry

Avoid going anywhere near a grocery store when you are hungry, which means do not grocery shop after your workout. If you do, then bring a post-workout meal with you. If you are serious about your results— weight loss and gaining a lean and firm body— then there really is no excuse for not being prepared. It doesn’t have to be a full meal, but proper nutrition within the first hour post-workout will make sure you kickstart the recovery process in that critical time period when your muscles need it most! For ease and convenience, bring a protein shake, combining 1 or 2 scoops of protein powder, with an additional serving of BCAAs, and add 1 or 2 scoops of carb powder. You can find many post-workout powder options that already combine the right proportions of carbs and proteins that are needed post-workout. Consuming this shake is not only convenient, it will also blunt hunger until you get home and are ready to eat your next meal.

Tip #2 – Always Bring a List

Make sure you are prepared when you go to the grocery store by bringing a list of food items on your diet, and don’t deviate. Use your smartphone; there are many apps available that can help you develop your list. Consider a wide range of choices, just in case you cannot find a particular item and will require a substitute. For example, simply make a list of carbohydrate, protein and fat choices that will fit into your diet plan that have similar macronutrient breakdowns. Carbohydrates choices could include: brown rice, oatmeal, sweet potato, or even brown rice pasta. Protein choices could include chicken, egg whites, lean red meat, fish, or cottage cheese, while fat choices could include flax seed oil, almonds, or olive oil.

Tip #3 – Shop Around the Perimeter

Remember, most items that you will need on a healthy diet will be found around the perimeter of the store, with the exception of a few items. Do not venture into the center aisles unless absolutely necessary. For the most part, the center aisles are home to processed, sugary and fattening foods! Avoid the temptation all together!

Most of your cart should be filled with whole and natural foods, including an assortment of vegetables. Keep it interesting by trying new vegetables once in a while. Vegetables are generally low in calories and full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber, which are essential when following a healthy diet plan.

Tip #5 – Choose Your Grocery Store Wisely

Nowadays, there are lots of grocery stores out there that offer a better selection of whole and organic foods that perfectly fit into a healthy diet plan. Choose a grocery store that offers a wide range of fresh foods, few processed foods and a selection of all-natural food options. You can also find grocery stores with fantastic salad bars, and even foods that are already prepared, such as plain grilled chicken!

Reprinted from FitnessRXWomen.com

How Dehydration Can Impact Your Performance

By Denis Faye, M.S.


When’s the last time you were reminded of the importance of proper hydration during exercise? Odds are fairly recently. In fact, it’s almost customary, after chugging a mouthful of sports drink, to offer a chirpy “Stay hydrated!” to our fellow exercisers.

So we all know it’s good for us, but why? And even more importantly, did you know that proper hydration has a huge impact on athletic performance? Okay, so maybe it’s a stretch to say that nailing your workout takes priority over not dying of dehydration. But still, knowing that fluid replacement can dial up your workouts—and your results—is a powerful motivator, so let’s take a closer look.

Why proper hydration matters for your health

We’re made up of about 50% or 60% water, so hydration plays all sorts of roles in our bodies. It’s required for several reactions inside cells. It transports materials throughout the body. It acts as a solvent and a lubricant for organs and joints. It’s thermoregulatory. And, it’s crucial for keeping the cardiovascular system operating. Furthermore, we have a bad habit of dying without water, usually in 7 to 10 days—even less if we exercise since the resulting perspiration means increased water loss.

Considering we take in water every day via the beverages and foods in our diet, forgetting to hydrate during your 60-minute workout probably isn’t a death sentence—but before you write off the fitness industry’s constant push for hydration as a ploy to sell sports drinks and fancy bottles, keep in mind that you might survive without focusing on proper performance hydration, you certainly won’t thrive. The amount of water (and electrolytes) you have in your system directly impacts your physical and mental abilities on the playing field, road, track, plyo mat, or wherever else you hit it.

Why proper hydration matters when you work out.

The most obvious role water plays in exercise is to cool you down. The reason you perspire during exercise is the same reason an engine heats up when you drive a car. Generating energy creates heat. When you work out, your metabolism increases to create more energy, raising your core body temperature. To help bring that temperature down, you perspire. How much you sweat depends on your genes, exertion level, and external situation. Generally, people turn over between half a gallon to 2 gallons of water a day—much of which evaporates—but people in extreme heat situations or doing extreme exercise can lose up to 5 or 6 gallons. What’s more, when you sweat, you lose electrolytes, which comes with its own batch of issues—the most obvious of which is cramping.

But water plays a bigger role than just cooling you down when you work out. It’s crucial to keeping your cardiovascular system running smoothly. When the water content in the body drops, so does blood volume. This means the cardiovascular system delivers less blood to muscles; they get less oxygen and are slower to flush waste products. They also get less blood sugar, which means they use up glycogen stores quicker (meaning you’ll bonk faster). And less blood volume also impairs your skin’s ability to sweat, so your core temperature rises. All and all, this means your body has to work harder to achieve less.

There’s no shortage of research supporting this. A number of studies have shown dehydration diminishes muscle strength and power and inhibits high intensity endurance significantly, even when subjects lost as little as 1% of their weight in water.

In one study, fluid loss equaling 2% body appeared to reduce running performance by 5% at both 5,000m and 10,000m—that’s like losing well over a minute on your 3 mile run time. Another study showed that with 8% dehydration, participants walking to exhaustion lasted 55 minutes—as opposed to 121 minutes when hydrated.

Dehydration can also impact your brain, with research showing that losing 2% or more of your body weight in water negatively impacts hand-eye coordination, emotional state, and decision-making—none of which you want to happen when you’re dropping into a 10-foot wave or hammering a single track on your mountain bike at 30 miles per hour.

So next time the guy warming up next to you at the half marathon quips “Stay hydrated!” keep in mind this isn’t just canned advice to be filed next to “Don’t eat 30 minutes before you swim” and “Only cardio burns fat.” He’s actually giving you rock-solid advice that will improve your health, your power, your endurance, and your thinking. He also might be giving you the secret weapon that’ll help you beat him across the finish line.

Reprinted from Beachbody.com

The Fitness Benefits of Working Out with a Friend

From learning new moves to friendly competition, here's how a friend could boost your progressBy Diana Gerstacker

You rely on your friends for everything—from dating advice to support during the toughest times—so when it comes to fitness, why are you going it alone?

Maybe you enjoy an occasional long run by yourself or perhaps you like cycling solo, but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for friends in your routine. In fact, if you’re trying to make exercise a habit or you’re hoping to hit a specific goal, a friend could be a big help.
Friends provide a kind of motivation and competition that you just can’t get when you’re exercising alone. Workout partners keep you accountable by meeting you at the gym after a long day and they push you to work harder so you can match their effort. Having a fit friend helps keep you on track and that means reaching your goals quicker.
If you’ve always been a solo gym-goer, maybe it’s time to find a friend for your workouts. We’ve outlined the fitness benefits of working out with a friend and some of them just might surprise you.

Accountability
You’re far more likely to actually workout when (1) you’re forced to schedule it ahead of timeand (2) cancelling means inconveniencing a friend. Making concrete plans with a friend means you’ll be far less likely to cancel in favor of the couch and after a few weeks of working out together your routine will be second nature.

Motivation
In addition to keeping you accountable, friends can provide an extra boost of motivation when it gets tough. Everyone has those days when they just don’t feel like going to the gym and those times when they want to call it quits, friends can offer encouragement to keep you going. Just be sure to return the favor.

Learn More Moves
Even the most dedicated gym rat doesn’t know it all, there’s always room for improvement. Friends can teach you new exercises or circuits and they can point out things you might be doing wrong. Get into a routine with a friend and finally learn how to crush that pistol squat.

Two-Person Exercises
On top of learning some new solo exercises, a partner can help you broaden the scope of what you can do. In other words, you can do exercises that require two people. Think crunches with a medicine ball pass or partner push-ups with a shoulder tap—the possibilities are practically endless.

Competition
If your workout partner is a bit fitter, faster or stronger than you are, you might be in luck. According to a study by Kansas State University, people who worked out with someone they perceived as better “increased their intensity and workout time by as much as 200 percent.” How’s that for a little friendly competition?

Avoid the Rut
Working out alone can leave you stuck in the same routine with the same moves, but when you partner up there are more options. Not only can a partner point out some new exercises, but they can let you know when a particular routine is getting stale and then help you switch it up.

Affordable Personal Training
Maybe you’ve been thinking about hiring a personal trainer but just don’t have room in your budget for a series of solo sessions; a friend might be able to help. Hiring a personal trainer for the both of you will lighten your individual cost and as long as you and your friend are at similar fitness levels with related goals, the session should be just as beneficial as a one-on-one appointment.

Avoid Injury
Working out with a friend means you have a built in spotter. Your buddy can count reps, check your form and help you make adjustments before they become painful mistakes.

Have More Fun
Those who have hit the gym with friends know that it’s usually more enjoyable than going alone and several studies have reached that conclusion too. One study in particular surveyed 117 people using their phones to ask what they were doing, who they were with, where they were, how they were feeling and more. The results suggest that people enjoy physical activity more when they’re with their friends.

Get Better Results
When you take into account all the listed benefits that friends bring to your workout routine, it’s not hard to see that you’ll be able to reach your goals more quickly. The added accountability, competition and fun that friends bring to exercise will keep you motivated.

Reprinted from http://www.theactivetimes.com/

Why 80 Percent of New Year's Resolutions Fail

Why is it that with such good intentions, getting fit, losing weight and improving our lives seems so elusive?
By Joseph Luciani

Ever hear of holiday remorse? It's the guilt driven-response you have to holiday excess that becomes the catalyst for those New Year's resolutions and intentions. What happens is that we go through the holidays abandoning most – if not all – restraint, while indulging our bacchanalian impulses. Bellies full, we manage to sleep well at night clinging to the rationalization that, come the new year, we're going to lose the weight and get in shape. Yes, and I can show you a holiday road to hell paved with New Year's intentions.

Come the first of January, the hoards of enthusiastic resolutions-ers account for the swelling number of gym, yoga and Pilates memberships as the diet books fly off the book store shelves. By the second week of February, some 80 percent of those resolution-ers are back home with a new kind of remorse staring back at them in the mirror – the remorse of disappointment. Why is it that with such good intentions, getting fit, losing weight and improving our lives seems so elusive?

To answer this question, it's important to recognize that outside-in solutions such as dieting, joining gyms and so on are doomed to fail if, other than your well-intentioned resolve to change, you've done nothing to enhance your capacity to either sustain motivation or handle the inevitable stress and discomfort involved in change. Saying this differently: Unless you first change your mind, don't expect your health goals to materialize. As the saying goes, it's not the horse that draws the cart, it's the oats. It's not the gym, Pilates class or diet that will change you – it's your mind.

The unfortunate truth is that change, all change, entails some degree of emotional friction, which in turn generates a "heated state" we call stress. Whether you're feeling anxious, depressed, frustrated, fatigued, weak and out of control, or simply bored, emotional friction (stress) becomes the high-octane fuel of failure. When it comes to handling the stress involved in change, many well-adjusted, happy, overweight, out-of-shape people share the fundamental problem of self-sabotage.

What exactly is the resistance that sabotages our lives and our intentions? As complex and multifaceted as the answer to this query may be, one way or another it all boils down to self-discipline. Essentially, you build self-discipline by willfully enduring the transient discomfort of changing who and what you are. You're not born with self-discipline; you acquire it. Like a muscle, you need to develop your self-discipline muscle, one challenge at a time. Starting today, instead of reflexively feeling a need to minimize or escape the friction involved in change, recognize instead the need to endure it. Bottom line: Don't bail!

So before you focus on your biceps or belly fat, focus on training your brain with these five tips – and next year, you won't have to make a resolution:

1. Think small. Begin with small successes. Take a look at the habits that are holding you back in life. Find one that's simple, like, "When I finish this meal, I'm going to wash my dish." Make a contract with yourself that that dish must be washed. No ifs, ands or buts! Throughout the day, find simple challenges that you make happen. 

2. Build self-trust. Once you get used to making small things happen, begin to recognize and embrace the truth: What I say to myself is what I do. Remember, to cultivate a capacity for self-trust, you must succeed. In order to guarantee success, don't challenge yourself with a pledge that you're not sure you can handle. If, for example, you're not sure you'll stick with going to the gym five times a week, then don't promise yourself. Better to do the best you can than to fall short and wind up jeopardizing your growing capacity for believing in yourself. When it comes to building trust, it's better to lose the battle than the war. 

3. Invent challenges. Invent various challenges throughout the day to strengthen your ability to believe and to do. Don't allow yourself to procrastinate; make yourself finish your paperwork before turning on the TV; decide not to spend too much at the mall. These are all trust-muscle builders, and you should view them as you would an actual muscle. Just as you would do repetitions at the gym to develop a muscle, so too must you get your reps in each day. Like a muscle, the more you workout, the more your capacity for personal success will grow.

4. Cultivate optimism. No one's life is without negatives. The key is to train yourself to focus on the positives. Don't let insecurity suggest there are no positives. Positives may be eclipsed by a habit of pessimistic negativity, but keep looking: They're there. If you're a whiner or a complainer, make a determination to stop whining and complaining (to yourself and others). Pessimists are so used to being negative that they don't realize it's a habit. And they don't realize it's a choice.

5. Develop critical awareness. Living without self-awareness is like driving your car at night with the headlights off – technically, you can still drive, but you will eventually have a collision. With awareness, you shed light on your destructive, reflexive habits and thinking and on any self-sabotaging mind games at play. When it comes to self-sabotage, mindless capitulation to destructive impulses is your number one enemy.


Reprinted from US News & Health ReportA clinical psychologist in private practice for almost four decades, Joseph J. Luciani, Ph.D., is also the author of the international best-selling Self-Coaching series, which has been translated into 10 different languages. An in-demand speaker and expert, Dr. Joe is featured frequently in major media, including MSNBC, CNBC, Hallmark Channel, Discovery Channel, NPR, USA Today, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Fitness, Health, Shape, and O, The Oprah Magazine. Dr. Joe resides in New Jersey with his wife of 44 years and, in his spare time, is an amateur paleontologist, astronomer, marathon runner, and practices yoga and meditation. Thin From Within will be released on January 1, 2016, and available in both paperback ($16.95) and e-book ($12.95) formats via Amazon. Learn more about Dr. Joe at Self-coaching.net and connect with him onFacebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

10 Ways to Make Your New Year's Resolutions Stick

10 ways to stay strong in the face of tempting cupcakes, pricey shoes, and the urge to hit the snooze button instead of the gym.

By Sarah Mahoney
There's an inevitable rhythm to January 1 at my house. I take down the tree, vacuum up pine needles, and start making my New Year's resolutions. The list usually looks like this: Lose weight. Swear off TV and saturated fat. Eat salads. Call Dad more. Write that novel. Floss. By midday I'm worn out, intermittently dozing in front of a football game and swiping my husband's million-calorie nachos.

It's not that I totally lack discipline. It's just that I don't sufficiently appreciate what's going on in my brain, explains Joseph Shrand, M.D., an instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Self-restraint is a rational desire, which means it lives in the front of the brain, the section that's most recently evolved and most vulnerable to being overruled by survival instincts. Pleasure resides in the brain's most primitive part, which has spent millions of years learning to reward us with a deeply satisfying jolt of dopamine when we give in to these kinds of urges. And while that brain circuitry evolved to encourage life-prolonging desires like eating, says Dr. Shrand, we now get a rush from giving in to anything we want, whether it's an illicit drug, chocolate, or buying expensive purple peep-toe boots, even when the more evolved part of our brain tells us we'll quickly regret it.

So how do you help the rational (i.e., your New Year's resolutions) triumph over the pleasure-seeking? You need to outsmart it with these research-proven strategies.
1. Give It a Workout

I'd always thought of willpower as a steady, steely resolve that made some women triathletes and some (not my real name) couch-nappers. But it's more like a muscle, says Marvin D. Seppala, M.D., chief medical officer at Hazelden, the well-known addiction treatment center. That means the more we use it, the stronger it gets — and quickly. In an experiment at the University at Albany — State University of New York, researchers asked 122 smokers who were trying to quit to exert extra self-control for two weeks, either by avoiding sweets or by squeezing on a grip strengthener for as long as they could twice a day. In the following month, 27 percent of those who were diligent about practicing their self-control exercise successfully kicked their cigarette habit, compared with just 12 percent of volunteers who'd been given a task that didn't call for self-control.
2. Make One Change at a Time

Once you understand that you have only a limited amount of willpower, it's easy to understand why multiple resolutions aren't likely to work, says Ian Newby-Clark, Ph.D., a psychologist at the University of Guelph in Canada. Most resolutions actually require many behavior changes. Sure, some are straightforward, like remembering to take a calcium pill every day — but a successful weight-loss program, for example, calls for more than just a decision to eat less. You have to shop and cook differently, start or ramp up an exercise routine, maybe even ditch certain social or family events. "Thinking through these substrategies boosts success rates," says Newby-Clark. "But it would take too much attention and vigilance to do all that and also decide it's time to brush your teeth for the full two minutes and become better informed about world events."
3. Break It Up

Since your supply of self-control is finite, make resolutions that require small acts of will, not weeks of vigilance. " 'Lose 10 pounds' sounds specific, but it's less likely to work than behavioral goals like 'This week I'll try to go to the gym three times, take the stairs at work at least twice, and bring a healthy lunch every day,' " says Andrea Bonior, Ph.D., a psychologist in private practice in Washington, DC, and author of the "Baggage Check" column for the Washington Post Express. You'll feel good when you accomplish each goal, and your success will help bolster your resolve: The better you are at making small changes, the easier it will be for you to keep going.
4. Lift Your Spirits

Watching funny movies — or doing just about anything that puts you in a good mood — also helps when willpower starts wearing down. In a particularly sneaky study, researchers asked a group of 30 hungry students to sit in a room that smelled like freshly baked cookies. Although a plate of M&Ms and still-warm cookies was placed within reach, participants were told to snack on a bowl of radishes. Then they were left alone for 10 to 12 minutes in order to exhaust their self-restraint.

Next, some of the students watched a film clip of Robin Williams doing stand-up, while another group viewed a film about dolphins. When, in the last part of the experiment, they were asked to perform a complex tracing project that called for lots of self-control, students who'd seen the funny film stuck with the trying task for about 13 minutes. The Flipper crowd hung in for only nine.

5. Have Some OJ

Self-restraint — stifling your disagreement during a politically charged discussion, for example — can reduce blood glucose to less-than-optimal levels, report Florida State University researchers. But a glass of orange juice or lemonade can replenish your self-control. The brain relies almost exclusively on glucose for energy, so it has to be the real thing — artificially sweetened drinks won't deliver the jolt.
6. Outwit Your Inner Rebel

To give your willpower some wiggle room, avoid making 100 percent resolutions. "Absolutes like 'I'm giving up all sweets' or 'I'll never use my credit card again' set you up to try to get around your own overly strict rules," says Connie Stapleton, Ph.D., a psychologist in Augusta, GA. Instead, try drafting more limited restrictions like "I'll have sweets only when I'm in a fancy restaurant."

7. Crank Up Your Greatest Hits

When you feel discouraged, remind yourself how much you've accomplished in the past, suggests Elizabeth Lombardo, Ph.D. "People beat themselves up about still needing to lose the baby weight or no longer going to yoga class. But they overlook the long list of things they have done that required major self-discipline, like building a nest egg or sticking with the computer training they needed in order to get a better job." Lombardo's advice: "Write down 100 things you're proud of, right down to 'I get out of bed when I don't want to.' It'll remind you how much willpower you really have."
8. Be Extra Nice (Or Nasty)

Do unto others, and you'll be doing unto yourself as well. In a Harvard University study, psychologist Kurt Gray, Ph.D., gave 80 participants a dollar, told half the group to keep it and the other half to give it to charity, and then asked all the volunteers to hold a five-pound weight for as long as they could. Those who had donated their buck to a good cause held the weight significantly longer than the "selfish" ones.

But imagining doing something not nice makes us even stronger. In another experiment, Gray asked participants to hold the weight while writing a story that involved their helping someone, harming someone, or doing something neutral. Those who envisioned dastardly deeds held the weight longer than the helpful ones, who in turn beat out the neutrals. Whether we're doing someone a good turn or a bad one, it increases our feeling of personal power, making it easier to stick with something uncomfortable, says Gray.

9. Use Your Senses

The primitive cravings center is highly susceptible to visual cues, explains Tufts University psychologist Christopher Willard, Psy.D. Draw on the strength of images by putting a photo of a thinner you on the fridge, or a picture of a Caribbean beach in your wallet near your credit cards to remind yourself of the vacation that you're saving for.
10. Finally, Get Out of Dodge

The same way a sprinter can tell when she doesn't have another 100 yards in her, "it's important to know when your resistance is tapped out," says Dr. Seppala. "Stress will wear it down. So will being hungry or tired." His advice for those times: Get away from whatever is tempting you until you've eaten and rested, which will give your willpower a fighting chance.

Write Your Ticket to Success

People who put their goals on paper are significantly more likely to achieve them than are those who merely make mental vows, research from Dominican University of California has shown. What's also key: posting your goal in places where you will see it often, says Marvin D. Seppala, M.D., of Hazelden. "Your will matters most the moment you make a resolution — and you'll want to be able to recapture the intensity of that moment again and again." Share what you've written, too: The Dominican study found that those who told friends or family about their goals did better than those who didn't, and people who e-mailed their support team weekly progress updates did best of all. Social approval — as in "You look great!" — gives your brain a surge of soothing oxytocin, explains Joseph Shrand, M.D., of Harvard.

Reprinted from webmd.com

Should You Work Out When You're Sick?

By DR. JOHN BERARDI

It's sick season. When you have a cold or flu, should you "sweat it out" at the gym or sit out a few sessions? In other words, should you exercise when sick? Let's clear the confusion once and for all.



You know the scene. You stand up from the water fountain at the gym -- just in time to catch a profuse spraying from Mr. Sneezy. Gross.

You think, Doesn't this coughing, sneezing, mouth-breathing dude belong at home resting, not here at the gym infecting all the equipment? Not so fast. You could be next, and you'll want to know if it's OK to hit the gym. (After all, exercise does build immunity, right?) Let's see if Mr. Sneezy is on to something.

The immune system: A quick-and-dirty intro
First things first: It's a germy jungle out there. Every single day, bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites try to take us down. The most common assailants are upper respiratory tract invaders, or URTIs. Their greatest hits: colds, coughs, flu, sinusitis, tonsillitis, throat infections and middle-ear infections.

Thankfully, your immune system has a plan. When faced with foreign attack, it works hard to defend you. Immune cells that originate in your bone marrow and thymus gland work their way through your lymph nodes, spleen and mucus membranes to fight bugs in your mouth, gut, lungs and urinary tract. Your innate (natural) immune system is your first line of defense. It includes:

* physical/structural barriers (like the mucus lining in nasal passages)
* chemical barriers (like stomach acids)
* protective cells (like NK cells -- white blood cells that destroy invaders)

Your adaptive (acquired) immune system is a more sophisticated system of highly specialized cells and processes that kicks in when the innate immune system is overcome, destroying the invading microorganisms and preventing them from colonizing your body.

Amazingly, these white blood cells have a kind of "memory" that allows them to recognize specific pathogens over time, developing a targeted approach for each immune response. That's what we mean when we say "building immunity." It's the science behind vaccination and, frankly, much of modern medicine. Genius.

Should you exercise while sick?
If you're tempted at first sniffle to eschew the treadmill in favor of the couch, hold the phone. Unless you're truly feeling like a train wreck, I recommend low-intensity, low-heart-rate cardio during the first few days of sickness. (Should that happen at the gym, however? Keep reading.)

First, let's get one thing clear: There's a difference between "working out" and "physically moving the body." A structured workout routine -- one in which you're breathing heavily, sweating, working hard and feeling some discomfort -- awakens a stress response in the body.

When we're healthy, our bodies can easily adapt to that stress. Actually, this progressive adaptation is precisely what makes us fitter and stronger over time.

But when we're sick, the stress of a tough workout can be more than our immune systems can handle.

Still, there's no reason to dive for the couch the minute you feel the sniffles coming on. Unless you're severely out of shape, non-strenuous movement shouldn't hurt you. I'm talking about:

* Walking
* Low-intensity biking
* Gardening
* Tai chi
* Jogging
* Swimming
* Qi gong
* Yoga

These activities aren't intense enough to impose serious immune-compromising stress on the body. Actually, they've been shown to boost the body's ability to fight illness. Research shows that regular resistance training may stimulate your innate immunity, while even a single session of moderate exercise seems to strengthen the adaptive immune system -- even better if you do it regularly.

What about "working out"?
Prolonged vigorous exercise, on the other hand, can make us more susceptible to infection. For example, running a marathon can depress your adaptive immune system for up to 72 hours. (Ever notice how endurance athletes get sick right after races?)

In other words, a high-intensity workout delivers an ass-kicking. It makes sense to avoid that when you're sick (i.e., already dealing with physical stress). Of course, exercise isn't the only factor affecting the immune system. Other types of stress play big roles too. On any given day, you might deal with:

* Physical stress: exercise, sports, physical labor, infection, etc.
* Psychological stress: relationships, career, finances
* Environmental stress: heat, cold, light/dark exposure, pollution, altitude
* Lifestyle stress: drugs, diet, hygiene

Stress can trigger an entire cascade of hormonal shifts resulting in chronic immune changes. Research shows that acute stress (minutes to hours) can be beneficial to immune health, while chronic stress (days to years) can be a big problem.

Other factors affecting immunity: There's a host of permanent and temporary factors that, especially when combined with exercise and other stressors, may jeopardize immunity and affect your decision as to how much exercise to strive for when sick.

Age: Your innate immune response can break down as you get older. The good news? Staying physically active and eating a nutritious diet can offset these changes.

Gender: While the female estrogen hormone generally enhances immunity, men's androgen can suppress it. (Could this be evidence that the "man cold" is real?)

Sleep: Short-duration or poor-quality sleep can jeopardize immune function.

Obesity: Research indicates that obese people may have a harder time fighting infection, perhaps because of metabolic abnormalities.

IL-6: There is a theory that the post-exercise release of IL-6, a compound that prompts immune response, may be abnormal in some people, leading to fatigue, flu-like symptoms and depressed mood.

Air temperature: The jury is still out, but some scientists hold to the theory (backed by some evidence) that cold air depresses immunity, perhaps by causing a vasoconstriction response in the nose and upper airways.

Training age: The less in shape you are, the bigger a stressor exercise is on your body and immune function.

Exercising-while-sick calendar: So you're going to get moving -- cold and all. Go, you! What, exactly, should your plan be? For starters, avoid exercising in a cold environment, which can exacerbate upper respiratory symptoms. Then:

Day 1
* With symptoms like sore throat, coughing, runny nose or congestion: low-intensity exercise.
* With muscle/joint pain, headache, fever, malaise, diarrhea or vomiting: no exercise.

Day 2
* With no fever and no worsening of above-the-neck symptoms: light exercise (pulse <120 bpm) for 30 to 45 minutes.
* With body temp over 99.5° F, increased coughing, diarrhea or vomiting: no exercise.

Day 3
* With no fever or malaise and no worsening of initial symptoms: moderate exercise (pulse <150 bpm) for 45 to 60 minutes.
* With fever and symptoms still present: no exercise; consult a doctor.

Day 4
* With fever and other symptoms improved: wait 24 hours, and then return to normal exercise routine.
* With appearance of new symptoms: no exercise; go to your doctor.

In essence: "Let your symptoms be your guide," says Dr. Bryan Walsh, a naturopathic physician in Ellicott City, Maryland. "If you're up for a walk or some light cardio, go for it. If you want to do some lighter-weight, higher-rep stuff just to keep things moving, that's probably OK too. But if you want to sit around watching reruns of Married With Children, laughter is great medicine as well."

Also, it's important to return to your workout regimen gradually, in proportion to the length of your illness. (So if you were sick for three days, take three days to ease back in.)

One final note: It's not us, it's you
Congratulations for wanting to keep up some physical activity while you're ailing. Just remember that all it takes is a single cough, sneeze or touch -- and bam! --you've just spread your virus to the whole gym. (Thanks, Mr. Sneezy.)

So it's with the utmost sympathy that I suggest, for the sake of the rest of us, that you exercise at the park or at home while you're sick. Oh, and (if you didn't assume this by now) please avoid team sports. We all thank you.

--John

Readers -- Do you exercise when you're sick? Do you go to the gym or stay at home to work out? Do you scale back on your effort level or go all-out as normal? Leave a comment below and let us know.

John Berardi, Ph.D., is a founder of Precision Nutrition, the world's largest online nutrition-coaching company. He also sits on the health and performance advisory boards of Nike, Titleist and Equinox. In the past five years, Dr. Berardi and his team have personally helped more than 30,000 people improve their eating, lose weight and boost their health through their renowned Precision Nutrition coaching program.

Reprinted from Livestrong.com