March 24, 2014 at 1:08 p.m.
What to do to get healthier this spring
What to do to get healthier this spring
By Kayla Thomason-
"I found that a precursor to not continuing (exercising) is not realizing that everyday life sometimes gets in the way," said Sue Makris, manager of Anytime Fitness in Rhinelander. She advises those looking to get in shape this spring to not to expect too much too soon.
If anyone has concerns about starting an exercise routine they should consult with their doctor, she added.
Starting an exercise routine can seem like a daunting task, so pairing up with a friend or getting a trainer could be just the motivation one might need.
Trainers can also keep people on the right track, help them stay within limits appropriate to their current health and motivate them to try harder when they are ready to throw in the towel.
Makris likes to see people incorporate the three components of health fitness into their workout. The components are cardiovascular fitness, strength endurance and flexibility.
"What a lot of people don't know is that strength training is the number one determinate toward staying independent as people age, specifically lower body strength," Makris said.
Maintaining or adding to muscle density increases metabolism and flexibility helps people avoid injury when they are trying new routines, according to Makris.
"Progress at a reasonable pace. The principle of progression says 'you should only alter one facet of your workout at a time,' so if you're increasing your intensity level you don't want to increase your time or decrease your rest period as an example," she said.
Makris advises thinking about exercising as a lifestyle choice and a long-term commitment and not something to do because the weather is getting warmer.
She highly recommends a relapse plan because everyone is going to miss days at the gym.
"If you think about it ahead of time and know that it is part of the natural change cycle it's much easier to get back," she said.
This is also where a friend or trainer comes in handy.
Some people may also pair their new exercise routine with cleanses, supplements, organic or chemical-free products.
The biggest difference between organic and non-organic foods is that chemicals are not allowed in growing organic foods, according to Timothy Conjurske, owner of Golden Harvest in Rhinelander.
Conjurske discussed how commercial foods are grown with chemicals so the soil the plants are in can be poor, while organic foods require good soil.
"So that also usually adds a lot of nutrition to organic food versus conventional because you have to take care of your soil to grow organic food, you don't have to take care of it to grow conventional food," he said.
Commercial foods were meant to be streamlined to produce the most food that will sell as cheap as possible or what would yield the biggest profit. Organic farms are generally smaller so they can have diversity, while the commercial farm is producing say one type of watermelon, the organic farm has several varieties growing. The same goes for carrots and beans. Most commercial stores would carry the ones most people are more familiar with while organic stores carry the purple varieties, he said.
"One of the things you should know on colors in foods, the color represents certain nutrients and so it is a very good idea when you are eating fruits and vegetables to eat all the colors," Conjurske said.
The very first thing Conjurske would recommend to those who are trying to get healthier is to eat fewer processed foods like cookies, bread, pasta and crackers, and eat more produce.
"Beyond that my next most highest recommendation would be to start with whole, natural foods and cook stuff," Conjurske said.
Cynde Goll, manager at The Country Seed in Rhinelander, recommends cleanses and supplements as well.
"I would think that if you were looking to get started into a healthier lifestyle the first thing I would suggest is to do a cleanse so that you can remove the toxins from your body and start fresh and then there are a few key supplements that personally, in my opinion, people should take. Fish oil, a multiple vitamin and vitamin D," Goll said.
Some people do cleanses every six months to rid their body of the inorganic bombardment on their systems.
The Country Seed carries seven and a 30-day cleanses which is a supplemental pill that can be ingested in the morning and the evening.
"A lot of times people are afraid to do them because they think it is going to be a laxative but they shouldn't act like a laxative," Goll said.
She said they should be gentle as the goal is to cleanse the whole body and not just the bowels.
"Most supplements are things that are very specific to each human being to what your needs are," Conjurske said. "In order to take supplements well and correctly you need to spend time with somebody who can guide you a little bit if you have no information of your own. It's not something you can just walk into a store and say 'hey I want supplements let's pick a couple and try.'"
Golden Harvest also sells household items from cleaning supplies to hair products.
"If you come in here and buy something that is not labeled as organic that probably means because it is in a health-food store it's been produced without adding chemical additives or preservatives or things of that nature but that still does not therefore signify that it was not grown without chemicals," he said.
The reason why those items would be sold at a health-food store instead of a commercial store is that no extra chemicals were added. So it is a healthier option, but still not organic.
If someone is on medication, or has concerns about starting supplements, cleanses, or adding anything new to their diet, they should contact their physician. The staff at The Country Seed and Golden Harvest are not medical professionals.
The Country Seed also carries weight loss and protein shakes, health and beauty items from hair and skin care to makeup that doesnt contain chemicals. They also have items that Dr. Oz recommends.
Golden Harvest prefers to bring in organic foods grown locally, but in the winter and spring they have to order foods from elsewhere.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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