Do You Multi-Task?

In this day and age, we are all about multi-tasking. We are always talking on the phone, emailing, and checking the Rialto blog all at the same time. And where would most people be if they didn’t have their blackberries? You can’t go through a day without seeing someone checking their blackberry while grocery shopping or driving. So why not multitask to burn more calories while at work too?

If you are like most people, you sit at a desk all day. This increases your risk for obesity, back pain, poor posture, and a slew of other problems. And you may have noticed that after a tough morning at boot camp you get stiff pretty quickly too!

It doesn’t have to be that way. You can work some exercise into your schedule to counteract the effects and maybe burn a few more calories at the same time! We should already be stretching throughout the day, but there’s more you can do as well. Need to talk something over with a colleague? Take a walk around the block while you do it. Or just bring in a stability ball to sit on instead of a chair – its great for the abs!

There is a new trend going around…but you might have to get your employer to fork over some cash for this one. Some people are exploring the new world of Treadmill Desks. Companies are now selling a traditional treadmill with a desk attached for your computer, phone, and anything else you might need. Walking at a slow pace while working can burn an extra 350 calories per day!

If a Treadmill desk is not in your budget this year there are many other exercises you can do at work. Check out this article for some great ideas for exercises you can do right at your desk. Our favorite is “The Magic Carpet Ride”. What’s yours?! Any other ideas for exercising at your desk or workplace?

Prograde NOT Affected by Peanut Butter Recall

With the recent outbreak of Salmonella in peanut butter based products, Prograde Nutrition has taken the necessary steps to make certain the Peanut Butter used for Prograde Cravers is not affected. We're happy to report that our products are NOT affected at all by the recent outbreak. We take the safety of our products very seriously and want to assure our customers they have no need for concern. If you have any questions regarding this matter please feel free to contact us at Support@GetPrograde.com

Have a Fit Day!

Why Do You Workout?

We all know the basic reason that people start a diet and exercise program. The number one reason people change their life style is to lose weight – or nip small gains in the bud. But there are plenty of other benefits from working out that don’t have anything to do with the numbers on a scale or how your clothes fit.

Can you name seven other benefits of working out?

1) Exercise improves your mood – Exercise stimulates chemicals in the brain which may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed.

2) Exercise combats chronic diseases – Exercise can help you manage high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

3) Exercise helps you manage your weight – This one is pretty self explanatory…the more calories you burn, the easier it is to manage your weight.

4) Exercise strengthens your heart and lungs – Exercise helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently.

5) Exercise promotes better sleep – A boost in activity can provide a better night sleep….especially if you wake up at 5am!

6) Exercise can put the spark back into your sex life – Exercise improves circulation, which can lead to more satisfying sex!

7) Exercise can be fun – Whether it be rolling around in the park or hiking with your kids, exercise can be a fun group or family activity.

Anyone would agree that all of these are great benefits of working out. And most of them are pretty easy to believe. But how does exercising actually make you happier?

There are two hormones in the body that with exercise affect a person’s mood. Cortisol is a hormone the body produces when anxious, stressed, angry or afraid. When working out burns cortisol and in turn our mood increases. The second hormones are endorphins. Exercise stimulates the pituitary gland to release endorphins. These endorphins then attach themselves on receptors that normally send pain-signaling molecules to other parts of the brain. No wonder everyone at Rialto Boot Camp is so happy!

Aside from losing weight or going down a size, what other changes have you noticed in yourself since you started working out?

How Are You Sleeping?

Have you noticed a change in your sleep patterns since you started boot camp? Hopefully it is getting easier to get to bed early to make sure you get the rest you need! If you are not getting enough sleep at night, you may be hurting your chance of achieving performance and/or weight loss goals.

Many studies have been conducted related to sleep and exercise performance. Needless to say, it has been found that if you are not getting an adequate amount of sleep every night, your exercise performance will suffer. Also, with the lack of sleep, your body’s need for rest and recovery will increase and your risk of injury may be higher.

The weight loss (or lack thereof) connection has been proven as well. An article that just came out in the January 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition took a look at sleep and snacking. It was a small study that let the same group sleep for 5.5 hours or 8.5 hours per night, each for two weeks.

When the group was sleeping for 5.5 hours per night, they ate approximately 220 more calories from snacks, particularly during the hours of 7pm to 7am. And a greater percentage of their calories came from carbohydrates when they slept 5.5 hours per night. Looks like getting adequate sleep may help you stick to your eating plan and keep from turning to snacks for an energy boost.

And if that’s not enough to convince you that adequate sleep is important, studies have also shown that sleep deprivation strongly impairs human functioning overall. And depriving your body of sleep causes hormonal changes that mimic the effects of aging. Surely you don’t want to feel/look older!

We know you’re working hard to achieve your goals, so make sure you get enough sleep so you aren’t sabotaging your efforts.

Have you noticed a difference in your performance at boot camp when you don’t get a full nights rest? Have you changed any of your daily routines to allow for more sleep?

Boot Camp is Back!

Ahh, January. New beginnings, recommitting to exercise and eating right – perfect time for boot camp, and it is almost time!!! Make sure you eat right this weekend, drink plenty of water, and start getting to bed early. This weekend will be kind of a “warm-up,” and it is a great time to start making good food choices to nourish your body and to start on your homework to get ready for the exercise you’ll begin soon. Monday for some and Tuesday starts the real deal for others.

So clean out your refrigerator and go shopping for good food choices. It is much easier to stick to a nutrition plan if you surround yourself with good food choices. That is probably pretty appealing to some of you right now if you’ve been indulging a lot over the holidays! Not sure what you should be eating? Ask an instructor or post your questions to the blog. We have experts in the nutrition field who can help.

During the month there are some important things to remember.

1) It is January and it can be very cold at 6am. Please check the weather the night before camp and make sure you are dressed appropriately.

2) We know that new shoes can be expensive. But getting new shoes can help prevent injury. You really should have a pair that is less than 1 year old, even if you haven't worn them very much! We don’t want you to throw away your money so take care of your shoes! so clean them!

3) It has been proven that people who write down what they eat on a daily basis lose more weight then those that do not. So use those log books. We are here to help you make good choices, but you have to take the first step of logging every thing that you eat.

4) Please take care of yourself this month. If you pull a muscle, do not stretch it (if you stretch, you are just adding more micro tears). Relax and get ice on it ASAP. And remember, RICE, Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. That’s right…it says REST! Sometimes you may need to take a day or two to allow your injury to heal. But this doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t exercise at all. If you twist your ankle and can’t run or jump, head to bootcamp. The Rialto instructors will help you modify workouts or come up with exercises you can do that will allow you to get a great workout without further aggravation to your injury.

5) If you bring water bottles, gloves, towels, or anything to bootcamp, they should leave with you! Also be mindful of your surroundings.

Have Fun this Month!!

This is So Sad, but True

As fitness professionals, we can tell you from experience that most people just do not give their health a second thought until it's gone.

It's very sad, but very true.

Now we know you've heard this before. And we know that this message typically falls on deaf ears. But today we want you to do some soul searching.

First off, we hope this message finds you in good health. If it does, we want you to give us 60 seconds of reflection. Sit back in your chair and give thanks for your well-being. Give serious consideration to what your life would be like without it. Imagine the effect on your family if you lost it.

Next, we want you to think about the old saying "you are what you eat."

Truer words were never spoken, you know. So now give us another 60 seconds and think about what you've eaten over the last few days. Make a little list on a piece of paper or on your computer.

So if you are what you eat, what is YOUR body made of right now?

You and I both know there's nothing better than filling up on nature's finest whole foods.

If you are what you eat doesn't it make sense to build your body with nature's finest?

By now we're guessing we have your full attention.

Good.

Because we want you to know that while we would NEVER promise you a miracle pill, we are going to tell you that you can get the nutrients of 25 whole vegetables, greens and fruits in caplet form.

Prograde Nutrition's VGF 25+ is the culmination of 25 vegetable, green and fruit concentrates.

Yes, they take those 25 whole foods and pack them into a heck of a caplet.

They even have specific formulas for men and women.

It's an incredibly convenient way to build your body with better materials, so to speak.

And remember, Prograde's formula uses whole foods. It is NOT a synthetic vitamin created in some lab somewhere.

Now the really cool thing about Prograde Nutrition is they were created by fitness pros for fitness pros. They created a company just so we had nutritional products we could recommend to you. Products we know you will get great benefits.

In fact, their products are so in demand they are now shipping to the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand! Plus, they will soon be able to ship to just about anywhere in the world.

Yes, ALL their products are that good and they are that much in demand.

So to celebrate their new shipping destinations, and just to ring in the New Year, they are having a 10.9% off everything sale.

Yes, that's 10.9 as in January of 2009 ;-)

Here are some other details we want to make sure you know about:

• Again, you receive 10.9% off all Prograde products.



• It will run from Thursday, January 8th until Thursday, January 15th at 11:59pm EST.



• Yes, that 10.9% off will be applicable to SmartShip orders. But it only applies to that first purchase. Not ongoing.



• The coupon code you enter at checkout is: 012009



• The website is http://rialtowellness.getprograde.com/



• If you want to check out the VGF25+ we've been telling you about go here: http://rialtowellness.getprograde.com/vgf

Here's to your health!

Do some soul searching today. Do you really want to be one of those people that thinks about their health AFTER they've lost it?

If your nutritional plan needs a boost be sure to check out Prograde's 10.9% off sale at http://rialtowellness.getprograde.com/

The Truth About Diet Soda

It’s true that diet soda may be a better option then drinking regular soda, but is it your best option? Probably not.

Researchers have found that drinking an excessive amount of diet drinks may not help with weight loss. Consuming a sugary beverage, even if it is artificially sweetened, may lead to cravings for other sweets. It may not mean you eat chocolate, but you may choose a sweeter cereal, bread or dessert.

Also, if you are constantly drinking diet beverages, you probably are not drinking enough water. Diet soda is completely nutrition-free and as important as it is to remember to not drink your calories, it is also important to remember to drink water. If you need a caffeine fix, try drinking tea.

So if you are a big diet soda drinker, try to remember to switch out that soda for water most of the time and save the diet drink for a treat. And just for fun, check out the 20 Unhealthiest Drinks in America and the 13 Worst “Healthy” Foods in the Supermarket.