Workplace Wellness“Why Stay Active?”

30-Day Challenge follow-up:Responses:• Increase water intake• Maintain/ increase aerobic activities• Maintain/ increase weight resistance training• Keep family active together• Weight loss

Water for Weight Loss & Aerobic Performance

Every system in your body depends on water.

Water functions:• Flushes toxins out of vital organs• Carries nutrients to your cells• Provides a moist environment for

ear, nose and throat tissues

Lack of water can lead to dehydration. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired.

The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for women is 2.2 liters

(about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.

Exercise • If you exercise or engage in any activity

that makes you sweat, you need to drink extra water to compensate for the fluid loss.

• An extra 1.5 to 2.5 cups of water should suffice for short bouts of exercise, but intense exercise lasting more than an hour requires more fluid intake.

• Being dehydrated by just 2 to 3 % can impair aerobic performance by up to 10% and makes it more difficult to lose weight.

For the rest of you…..

• How are your goals going?• Did you make any?• If you did, did you stick to them?• Is ANYONE else lacking motivation?!?!

“ I won’t run unless something is chasing me…”

-Uncle Jack

Our Motivation Level?

So tell me: Why Stay Active?

Susan B. Pickles was sitting at her desk in her office when she was approached by a writer for a lifestyle magazine.

“We’re working on our ‘New Year, New You’ issue,” she said, “ and we think you’d be perfect to give some tips on running for weight loss!”

Susan leaned back in her chair with a skeptical look in her eyes. “ You know I’m not an expert, right? I write the humor column for a running magazine. Mostly bad jokes about gas and chafing. I’m not exactly Jenny Craig over here.”

“But didn’t you lose weight by running?”, the writer speculated.

“Yes, she said, but I didn’t – and still don’t – run with the intent of losing weight.”

“Oh……” A long pause followed as the journalist pursed her lips quizzically. “ So, why run, then?”

(This is not an actual photo of Susan B. Pickles.)

Why are people making lifestyle changes?

Here are some of the potential reasons:

• Because it’s a guaranteed hour every day when my spouse will watch the kids

• To witness the most beautiful sunset my city has to offer

• Because my happiness and mileage follow the same trajectory

• Because I am a cancer survivor, and I would like to keep it that way

• To prove naysayers wrong• For the bragging rights• Because after 30 years of failing the

“New Year, New You”-s, I finally have the confidence to say I like the Current Me! (and actually mean it.)

These are some of the potential reasons that we find ourselves motivated to stay active, but the reality is they are

only hitting the tip of the iceberg!!!

Run or DieThis is life for Kilian Jornet, the world’s fastest trail runner. In his book Run or Die, Jornet runs with us around Lake Tahoe, across the Pyrenees, throught the Western States 100 and Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, and up and down Mt. Kilimanjaro. Jornet tells us his secrets, what he thinks about running, and why, for him, life is a simple choice: RUN OR DIE.

Excerpt from Run or Die, Jornet states:“ I run up and down nonstop until I reach a treeless plateau. I open my arms, shut my eyes, and tilt my face to the sky, letting the rain wet my face as the wind tries to blow away the drops streaming down my cheeks. I take deep breaths and launch back into a run, jumping and climbing farther up, running faster and faster. There is no boundary, no threshold, nothing that can stop me.”

“I am happy.”

Let’s change our focal point:Instead of begrudgingly finding excuses or making up reasons to do something that is not at all appealing, you should find activities that you already know you love to do and just make

it a priority already! Nothing is more important than our health, right?!

Maybe in 2014, we can use our short-term goals to motivate us, BUT keep our focus on how good we feel when we enjoy the activity we do.

So, tell me…. Why stay active?