Get on up: exercise at work

Recent studies have shown that sitting all day is NOT good, even if you workout. If you work in an office, however, sitting is just par for the course. So how can you get your work done and stay healthy at the same time?

1. Use reminders. Set your Smartphone, Outlook, or whatever calendar software you use, to pop up with a reminder to take fitness breaks every hour.

2. Sip water. Drink throughout the morning until you feel the call of nature. Then drink another cup after each trip to the "loo". Mother Nature will make sure you get up regularly.

3. Go "old school". Whenever possible, walk over to your co-worker's desk to get information instead of sending emails. Of course, do avoid the "death stare" by choosing your face-to-face trips wisely and as appropriate.

4. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. You've heard this before, but consider this: a study published in the European Heart Journal reported that 69 hospital employees used the stairs exclusively for 12 weeks. On average their lung capacity was up 8.6%, their body fat was down 1.7%, their waist whittled down 1.8% and their blood pressure was down 2.3%. Wouldn't you like those results after 12 weeks?

5. Stand and/or pace while talking on the phone. Get a headset or use the speakerphone, if possible, to allow more freedom of movement.

6. Exercise at your desk. Reach up to the ceiling and then down to the floor. Gently twist to each side. Do pushups against the wall (or desk), dips from your chair, run in place or jumping jacks for a minute. Be creative. Strive to keep moving for 2-3 minutes even if it's with just one exercise or stretch.

7. Trade your office chair in for a stability ball. Not all day, but periodically during the day. Prolonged sitting on the ball could be uncomfortable for extended periods of time, but intermittent use can help you to strengthen your core and posture muscles. Plus... they're fun to bounce on!

8. Wear a pedometer or a Fitbit. This will give you a real-time visual of exactly much walking (or lack thereof) you're getting at any given moment. The FitBit goes a step further than the pedometer, allowing you to track your fitness, your eating, and your sleep. The recommended goal, by the way, is to take at least 10,000 steps per day.

9. Walk or bike to close-by errands. Visit your neighborhood grocery store, walk to a near-by restaurant, choose a bank within biking distance. With the price of gas, this can be good for your wallet as well.

10. Bring portable equipment. You don't have to go to the gym to workout. A resistance band, tennis ball and a jump rope can go a long way towards your health in pinch.

Never too old

Some of what you've been missing on Facebook

Have you joined our Facebook Fanpage? If you haven't you're missing out on some fabulous weekly fitness tips, the latest health and fitness information as well as updates on what's going on in the Wildfire Fitness community.

Take this quiz and see what you've missed.





1. What are the top 10 nutritional nightmares according to dietitians?

1) Frightful Fried Foods
2) Scary Steakhouse Specialty
3) Monstrously Misleading
4) Big, Bigger, Biggest Burgers
5) Appalling Appetizers
6) Calorie-Laden Cakes
7) Diet-Demolishing Drinks
8) Mammoth Mall Munchies
9) Dining-Out Diet Disasters
10) Stupendous Servings

Read more...

2. Are calorie counts on fast-food restaurant menus making a difference?

Nope! According to new research, at well over 800 calories per order consumers are "unfazed and undeterred" by calorie-laden foods at their favorite fast food restaurants. Researchers speculate that the cost of food may be more important than its nutritional value. Additionally, not enough time may have passed for consumers to see a significant impact on consumer behavor. Read more...

3. What's happening on 9/11/11 at 11 am in North Plains, Oregon?

We're doing the Warrior Dash with some of our adventurous community members, friends-of and family! Still time to join us. There'll be beer (for those so inclined, bands, food and fun. Plus, you get a t-shirt and an oh-so-cool warrior helmet! Check it out...

4. Who is Matt Scott?

No excuses! Big surprise at the end. Check it out...

5. Stretching makes your muscles, tendons & joints more flexible, but how can it also save your life?

Even if a person is over 40 and a little overweight he or she can lower their risk of heart disease with daily stretching. Check it out...

6) Who is our resident "Wonder Woman"?

You may have met her once or twice. Check it out...

7. How can you relieve post-exercise soreness?

Achy muscles and joint stiffness can make the next day's workout challenging at best. Here are two ways that you can relieve the discomfort and keep yourself on track. Check it out...

Join our Facebook Fanpage now!

The Food Pyramid is now a Plate!

Move over food pyramid, introducing the new Food Plate!

After years of touting the virtues of the pyramid, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has finally dumped that whole idea in favor of a more user friendly and relatable plate as the newest icon for healthy eating. This is definitely a step in the right direction since for many people the original pyramid was confusing with all the serving sizes, and the colored stripes of the last version was way too vague to be used practically as a stand alone tool. For that pyramid, users had to go to the USDA website to get more detailed information.. not something that most people ever took the time to do.

While the Food Plate still isn't perfect in that it doesn't tell people how much to eat and it doesn't readily help with composite foods (like suburban favs the casserole and stew, for instance), this new food plate does offer a more useful, quick and easily understood visual to remind us of how we should eat. The biggest message is that nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables should dominate half of our diet, leaning more towards vegetables than fruit. This alone can lessen the tendency to overeat super-sized portions of calorie laden foods. Additionally, grains (half of which should be whole) ought to make up more of our diet than protein, something that is a-typical in our standard American diet.

Here are more recommendations according to the new guidelines released in January, 2011:

o Enjoy your food, but eat less.
o Avoid oversized portions.
o Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
o Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
o Make at least half your grains whole grains.
o Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen
meals—and choose foods with lower numbers.
o Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

For more information visit the new USDA Food Plate website.