Is too little sleep a cause of weight gain?  According to Donald Hensrud, M.D., Mayo Clinic preventive medicine specialist, it may be.  Recent studies have suggested an association between sleep duration and weight gain. Sleeping less than five hours — or more than nine hours — a night appears to increase the likelihood of weight gain. 

In one study, recurrent sleep deprivation in men increased their preferences for high-calorie foods and their overall calorie intake. In another study, women who slept less than six hours a night or more than nine hours were more likely to gain 11 pounds (5 kilograms) compared with women who slept seven hours a night. Other studies have found similar patterns in children and adolescents. 

One explanation may be that sleep duration affects hormones regulating hunger — ghrelin and leptin — and stimulates the appetite. Another contributing factor may be that lack of sleep leads to fatigue and results in less physical activity. 

So now you have another reason to get a good night's sleep.

"It's all in the timing - this just wasn't a good time to start." she said. "I'm so sorry I didn't complete the challenge."

I sat there and pondered that for a minute and said, "Well, did the challenge help you become more active?" 

"Yes."

"Did you eat more fruits and veggies?" 

"Yeah, I did."

"Well, wouldn't you consider that successful?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to get every day checked-off, and since I was so busy I didn't accomplish my goals every day like I wanted to.  So I'll try again later - when things are less hectic."

And here, my friends, is where almost everyone stops.  It's all or nothing.  No celebrating successes, just tripping, then stopping, at the first sign that they won't finish as strong as they anticipated or hoped to.  They could finish (but it may take them longer to reach the goal), but they, at this point, choose not to. 

The overall goal was skipped and discarded, and so was the opportunity to succeed.  Sports psychologists say it all the time...even if you don't perform your best, finish the race.  If you don't, you'll find it easier and easier to quit.  And there will be a next time.  It may seem like the easy choice now, but in the long-run it will be the wrong choice.  Trust me.

Don't quit.  If you start something, finish it - especially as it relates to weight loss.  It may take you longer than expected, but don't stop just because you're busy, because guess what?  You'll always be busy.  It will never get easier.  Never.  If you quit your weight loss efforts, chances of your starting again and succeeding have decreased.  Instead?  Back off a bit and lower the standard a bit, but don't stop.  Give yourself some slack, but don't stop.  Don't quit.  You'll never regret it. 

You will regret quitting, guaranteed.

You're ready to lose those extra inches and get back in shape for summer - why not help someone while you're at it?  Join the Soapstone Fitness Lose a Pound Give a Pound 10-Week FREE Challenge today!

There are two different ways to participate in the challenge; to lose weight, or to be active. 

*Lose weight: For every pound you lose, donate a pound of food to your local food bank. The more pounds you lose, the more you help others through your food donations. Donations are made at the end of the challenge. OR...

*Be active: For every 5 hours of activity, donate a pound of food.  The more active you are, the more you help others through your food donations. Donations are made at the end of the challenge.

To be eligible for Soapstone Fitness prizes (one prize from the store for every 10 participants), you must email a picture of you and the food that you are about to donate, by the 4rth of July, to SoapstoneFitness@gmail.com.  Pictures will be posted on the Soapstone Fitness Blog.  

During the challenge, if you wish, free tips, encouragement and information to keep you going strong throughout the challenge will be emailed to you.  Register on the Soapstone Fitness home page to receive Health E-tips.

Soapstone Fitness Lose a Pound Give a Pound Challenge is from  April 19^th – June 28^th, 2013.  To register, go to www.SoapstoneFitness.com and register on the home page. Or, join the Events page on the Soapstone Fitness Facebook Page. Those that join on Facebook will not receive the Health E-Tips unless they also join on the Soapstone Fitness home page. The last day to register is April 18.

A special discount to the Soapstone Fitness store will be given to all participants to be used during the challenge.

It's time to get back in shape for summer, and help others while you're at it!  Everyone wins!

We all have physical limitations to deal with, but no matter if your limitation is - in the joints or a body system - exercise can be of benefit. And exercising with arthritis is no exception.

 There are two types of arthritis which can alter a workout approach accordingly; osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). With either arthritis, check with your physician before you begin a new exercise program. RA can flare up, making it very difficult and painful, at times, to be active. Limit your activities during flare-ups to feel-good fitness, such as water aerobics (in a warmer pool, if possible), gentle stretching and yoga (you may want to do it after a hot shower), and riding a recumbent bike (to limit joint impact). This low-impact, gentle type of exercise will increase blood flow to your muscles and joints, and afterwards help your joints stay mobile and loose.

OA usually affects single particular joints, not all joints in the body. Exercise has been proven to help those with OA by, again, increasing joint mobility, and adding muscle strength to support joints. Strength training and cardiovascular training are recommended, but with mindful awareness around the limited joints. It depends on the location of your OA as to what cardiovascular activities work best for you.

If you're just beginning an exercise routine try different types of exercise cautiously and conservatively.  Give your joints time to adjust and adapt, and be mindful of the difference between pain and discomfort; do not exercise if there is pain, but mild discomfort is a sign that you are accomplishing work that can benefit muscles and joints. You are ultimately most knowledgeable about your body, however, so use your best judgment.

An ideal exercise routine for maximum benefit includes 5-7 days of cardiovascular exercise, and 3 days of strength training.  If the thought of strength training intimidates you, or you don't have access to a gym, we suggest you try using exercise bands. We have a Fitness Bands Kit that has everything (light, medium, heavy bands, a band video and reference book, a door attachment and a Soapstone Fitness Gilligan bag to keep it all in) you need to begin a strength training program in your own home. We would even be happy to talk with you personally about a routine that might work best for you. (We do this for any of our customers - that's what makes Soapstone Fitness unique!)

If you're still unsure about what exercises to do, find a qualified personal trainer in your area to visit with - they'll be a great resource for you - even if you only meet with them once to get started.  We offer online personal training as well, just email me at SoapstoneFitness@gmail.com and I'd be glad to give you the scoop.

Don't let physical limitations get in your way - there's always something you can do to feel better and take control! 

Question: What are the appropriate exercises to do for a middle aged woman who finds she is carrying more weight in her mid-section than she used to? 

Answer: That’s a great question that most of us older women (who are more apple-shaped than pear-shaped) can relate to!  Carrying weight around the mid-section is due to several factors: bearing children (stretching and weakening the abdominal muscles and skin), a slower metabolism (that naturally occurs with age and contributes to weight gain), and hormonal changes that can concentrate abdominal fat deposition in particular. 

To get a handle on the situation (not a “love-handle”, mind you) I recommend considering this approach: 

1.  Do consistent cardio. Increase cardiovascular exercise to 5-7 days a week, from 45 minutes to an hour.  Walking at a fast pace, jogging, biking, and cardio classes are examples or cardio exercises. This may seem like a lot, but the goal is to burn calories while also keeping your cardiovascular system strong.  Keep in mind that often the belly-fat seems like the last to go – that’s because, in many of us, there’s more fat to lose it in that area. 

2.  Strength train 2-3 times a week.  Toning all of your muscles will make them more metabolically active, and thus burn more calories, that will benefit overall body weight-loss and maintenance.  But of course you’ll want to include your abdominal muscles, which involves the upper, lower and side abdominals. For upper abdominal exercises, try some crunches on the ball.  For lower abdominal exercises, perform flutter kicks while lying on the ground, and then bring knees to chest, then straighten legs out to one inch off the ground). For oblique exercises (your side abdominal muscles), side bends, side crunches, and side planks work that area really well.  I’d like to take the opportunity to make this point: there is no such thing as “spot reduction”.  For overall well-being and muscle balance, work all body parts. 

3.  Dance.  Zumba, belly dancing, and other forms of dancing involve the entire hip/abdominal area for awesome toning results, and increased spinal flexibility and overall coordination and are a great calorie-burning workout.  And you have a good time, too. 

4.  Keep your weight in check.  If you stay at a healthy weight, your belly fat will be less noticeable.  Weight loss and maintenance must include both activity and healthful eating.  You can do this simply by keeping portion sizes moderate and eating natural foods - including lots of fruits and vegetables, and limiting sugar and white starches. Research has also shown that excess alcohol can contribute to belly fat.  Drink in moderation.

Wow! It sounds like you're doing a lot for your fitness...great job!

First of all, there is no harm in doing both strength training and cardio training on the same day, but it really depends on your goals.  If you're training for an athletic event, most likely you need to do cardio almost every day.  Strength training would have to be an additional workout at that point.

But if you're trying to stay in shape, workout for the health benefits, or just to feel good, I would suggest a workout routine that will support "stick-to-it-ivess" - one that you want to keep doing, and if you over-do, often burn-out/injury can occur. It also depends on how much time you have to devote to working out.

That being said, many of us have a routine that we've been doing practically our whole adult lives that includes both cardio and strength training on the same day.  The routine often goes something like this (also found in the 4 Weeks to Fabulous Challenge book, by Alice Burron):

• M, W, F: 20-30 minutes medium paced cardio + strength training (whole body)
• T, Th, Sat or Sun: 30+ minutes of cardio (longer cardio days)
• Sat or Sun: Off or light activity

Strength training can take different forms, too.  I've often split my routine up so that one day I do certain body parts, the next other body parts, and the next others, then take a day off.  That routine would look like this (also found in the 4 Weeks to Fabulous Challenge book):

• M - F: 30+ cardio every day (with maybe one day off)
• M: Strength Training - Chest, Triceps, Abs, Calves
• T: Strength Training - Back, Biceps, Legs, Shoulders
• W: Off
• Th: Same as Monday
• Fri: Same as Tuesday
• Sat: Long cardio day
• Sun: Off or light activity

The advantage of working out both cardio and strength training every day is that you burn more calories.  However, you may want to keep the strength training days your lighter cardio days, to prevent injury and burnout.

Also, if you're short for time, you may want to make our strength training workout a circuit workout - don't give yourself breaks in between exercises but just go from one to the next exercise to keep the heart rate high throughout the workout. I love circuit training, personally, because it really is an efficient way to workout.  Be sure to take a day of rest in between, however, because they are high-intensity.  Add some heart-raising activities such as jump roping, plyometrics (like jump squats or jumping lunges) in between your strength training, and you'll burn way more calories than a regular strength training workout, plus get a great cardio and strength training workout.

As you can see, it all depends on your goals.  Our fitness experts can help design workouts for you. If you're interested in an exercise routine custom-made for you, contact us at SoapstoneFitness@gmail.com and we can talk about the details. You're doing great things already, keep up the good work!

~Alice (Alice's Bio. http://www.soapstonefitness.com/Page.aspx?P=About_Us )

Ask a Fitness Expert

What’s strong, healthy and wins first place?  YOU! February 28th is the LAST DAY of your 4 Weeks to Fabulous Challenge!  Congratulations!  How does it feel?  I hope the past 30 days have given you a lot to think about in terms of where you are, and what you are capable of.  You now have all of the information you will ever need to get into the best shape of your life!  Use this information from here on, and keep accomplishing great things!   

To successfully complete the challenge, you need to have a total of 20 checks on your calendar for each category: exercise at least 30 minutes a day, eat at least two servings of fruits/three servings of vegetables, and choose and accomplish one wholesome healthy habit and do that habit. 

Turn in your tracking sheets to by Friday, March 8^th(post marked no later than March 8). 

Here are your three options for sending in your tracking sheet:

1. Scan, attach your sheet and send to SoapstoneFitness@gmail.com, or

2. Mail to:

Your name will be then entered into a drawing for prizes from the Soapstone Fitness store! The winners will be announced the week of March 11. There will be a drawing for every 10 that complete the challenge – your odds of winning are going to be great! 

Check with your local Wellness Coordinator if you have done this challenge through an agency or company challenge for instructions how to turn in your tracking sheet for your business’ incentive.

Please share your challenge experience in this blog! 

If you are a resident of Cheyenne, Wyoming, the Step Up Cheyenne 10-week weight loss challenge will begin April 19^th.  Got to www.StepUpCheyenne.com for more information. Soapstone Fitness will be at the weigh-in event, and will have fitness gear and practical weight-loss information for you.  We’d love to meet you…stop by!

If you do not live in Cheyenne, Soapstone Fitness will also have a weight loss challenge concurrently.  If you’re interested, email us back, or follow us on Facebook for more information. There will also be a sign-up form on the Soapstone Fitness Website April 1^st (and we’re not joking!).

Soapstone Fitness is also launching our Soapstone Fitness Newsletter in March.  Learn about tried and true ways, and new ways, too, to get in shape, lose weight, stay fit and healthy, and have fun! If you care to join our email list, either email back and let us know, or go to www.SoapstoneFitness.com and register on the home page.

DISCOUNT:  If you want to place an order at Soapstone Fitness, order today or tomorrow because the discount code 4weeks expires February 28th at midnight. The code allows you to receive 15% off of anything in the store.

May this challenge be the future inspiration you need to achieve ultimate success!

As you know, the 4 Weeks to Fabulous Challenge requires that you eat 5-7 fruits/veggies a day for 5 out of 7 days a week.  We asked you last week for your favorite smoothie recipe, because they are a fantastic way to sneak in those fruits and veggies.  Here are your recipes.  Try a new one from below!  (The two purple smoothies were the winners of a Soapstone Fitness gift.)

SMOOTHIE 1:

• 1/2 C. Strawberries
• 1/2 C. frozen mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries)
• 1 banana
• 1/4 C. orange juice (more or less to reach desired consistency)
• 3/4 C. Fat free yogurt
• 1 handful baby spinach leaves

SMOOTHIE 2:

All In One Breakfast Smoothie

• 1 individual container of greek yogurt - coconut
• 1 med granny smith apple
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stock
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 2 cups baby spinach 

Blend all together and drink with a straw.

SMOOTHIE 3:

Strawberry Shortcake

• 1 c. milk or yogurt
• 1 c. frozen strawberries
• 1 c. Muscle Milk powder, flavor cake batter
• ice is optional

SMOOTHIE 4:

Breakfast Power Smoothie:

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• ½ cup frozen blueberries or other berries as desired
• 1 banana
• ½ cup of ice
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

 Directions:

1. Place the oats and ½ cup of water in the blender
2. Let soak until oats are softened 10-15 minutes
3. Add the blueberries, banana, yogurt, ice, sugar and lemon juice
4. Blend until creamy and frothy

SMOOTHIE 5:

• 1/2 c mango
• 1 c blueberries
• 1 1/2 c coconut water
• 1 c kale
• 1 T lemon
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 1 T flax seeds

SMOOTHIE 6:

Peach-Cinnamon Smoothie

• 2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup frozen peaches
• ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract

SMOOTHIE 7:

Green Smoothies: 

• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• 2 cups mixed frozen or fresh berries
• 1/2 tsp Honey
• 1 1/2 cup water
• Ice

SMOOTHIE 8:

handful of dark green lettuce, 1/2 C. of V8 Infusion lite (strawberry and banana),  a handful or 1/3 C. flax seed, 1 banana, 1 C. frozen or fresh strawberries, 1/2 C skim milk, 1 scoop (100 calories & 25 g of protein) vanilla protein powder, and water/ice as per your thickness preference. You may also add a T. of stevia or honey to taste if desired. Garnish with a strawberry on top. This can make 1 BIG serving or 2 average servings. 

SMOOTHIE 9:

• 1/2 C. Strawberries
• 1/2 C. frozen mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries)
• 1 banana
• 1/4 C. orange juice (more or less to reach desired consistency)
• 3/4 C. Fat free yogurt
• 1 handful baby spinach leaves

SMOOTHIE 10:

• 1 cup frozen mixed fruit or berries
• 1/4 cup frozen or fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup raw oats
• 1 cup milk or almond milk
• Water if too thick...

SMOOTHIE 11:

• 4 oz purified water
• 4 oz unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 tbs full fat plain organic yogurt
• 1 scoop plain protein powder (from grass fed cows)
• 1 tbs berry burst greens powder from Greens+ 
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 1 to 2 farm fresh eggs
• 1/2 cup baby kale or spinach leaves
• dash of organic vanilla
• dash of pure stevia to taste
• 2 ice cubes to help puree kale/spinach 

 I then change it up with the following flavor options:

• 4 frozen strawberries
• or 1/4 cup frozen mixed berries
• or 1 tsp freeze dried coffee 
• or 1 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder + a pinch more stevia than above or a pinch of xylitol
• or additional vanilla, with a sprinkle of cinnamon, and nutmeg (tastes like eggnog)

The 4 Weeks to Fabulous challenge is going strong, and we have over 300 people participating!  I hope you find these Healthy E-tips useful as you make your way through the next 4 weeks! 

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Energy Density

4 Weeks to Fabulous Challenge uses a common-sense approach to better health that focuses on a balanced diet, moderate food portions and daily physical activity, not like food or food-group elimination or single-food centered diets that promise rapid weight loss.  Even though you can eat a wide variety of foods, it’s important to note that not all foods are created equal when it comes to caloric density and nutrition. 

All foods have a certain number of calories within a given amount (volume).  Some foods, such as desserts and processed foods, are high in energy density, meaning they contain a large number of calories within just a small portion.  Other foods, such as vegetables, fruits and whole-grain products are low in energy density, meaning a large portion contains only a few calories.  By eating foods low in energy density, you get more food, consume fewer calories and still walk away from the table feeling full.  

As it turns out, foods that are low in energy density, such as vegetables, fruits, and whole grains are often high in nutritional density—meaning they pack a large amount of vitamins and minerals for their volume. So you can go ahead and improve your diet without reducing the amount of food you eat just by eating more vegetables and fruits.  

The 4 Weeks to Fabulous Challenge requires you to eat 5 servings of fruit and vegetables every day, but feel free to go ahead and eat above the challenge requirement without worrying about thwarting your weight loss efforts.  One serving of vegetables equals 2 cups leafy or 1 cup solid, and contains approximately 25 calories per serving.  For fruits, a serving size is ½ cup sliced or one medium piece, and is about 60 calories per serving.

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DISCOUNT: Soapstone Fitness has created a special discount code for 4 Weeks to Fabulous Challenge participants to receive 15% off anything in the Soapstone Fitness store.  Discount Code: 4weeks      This code will expire on February 28^th.

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Smoothies are a great way to sneak in fruits and vegetables.  If you submit a healthy smoothie recipe that contains 1 or more servings of fruits and/or vegetables, please send it to this email: soapstonefitness@gmail.com.  Those who respond will be eligible for a prize from the Soapstone Fitness store.  The submission deadline is Wednesday, February 13^th.