Stephanie Linus Daily

Tag: Exercise

  • HOW TO REACH YOUR HEALTH GOALS

    A healthy life makes everything beautiful. We want to be healthy and live a long and happy life. To achieve this, we have to set goals and meet our health targets.

    What are your health goals for 2023?

    Let’s help with a few suggestions:

    Be Specific: Understand exactly what you want to achieve. Are you watching your cholesterol? Do you want to lose tummy fat? Are you looking to lose weight? Schedule the right meal plan to achieve what you want. Speak to a dietician.

    Understand how calories work: It is not a myth. Nutrition plays a big role in your health journey, and so does calories. Understand food and the nutritional value of what you are eating. Count your calories.

    Get an accountability partner: You need someone to remind you why you are doing what you are doing. You are going to lose steam at some point, and you would be grateful for the support and motivation of your partner.

    Think of the benefits: Good health is everything. Remind yourself constantly that you are doing this to look and feel good. It is worth it. You can also put stickers around your house to lift your spirits and keep you focused.

    Have a routine: It can be a Morning or Evening routine, but have a routine your body can get used to. When you develop healthy habits, it is easier for your body to follow through.

    xoxo

  • HOBBIES THAT CAN BOOST YOUR IQ LEVEL

    What are your favourite hobbies? You would be surprised to know that some hobbies can enhance your IQ.

    Here are some:

    Dancing: Dancing is great work-out that raises mental sharpness. By raising the levels of happy hormones in your body, dancing helps you fight depression, increase relaxation, and improve cognitive sharpness.

    Knitting. Painting. Cooking: Anything you do with your hands involves your mental attention, which helps you to be more confident, analytical and focused.

    Learning a new language or learning to play an instrument are also great for your IQ.

    Reading: Of course! Reading improves focus and comprehension. It encourages curiosity and learning, and improves your vocabulary

    Exercise: Make your daily exercise a hobby. Studies show aerobic exercise is extremely good for your brain, and  working out raises your IQ far more than playing an online brain game. A Swedish study also proved that cardiovascular fitness can actually raise your verbal intelligence by 50%.

    excerpts: heretotherewellness, countryliving, Incafrica

  • Wellness Hacks To Start Your Day With!

    Happy Tuesday Amazonians and Warlords!

    Today, let’s talk about our morning routine, because let’s face it, many of us can improve on this one.

    The truth is that your mornings dictate your entire day.  By practicing a healthy morning routine, you can increase your productivity, decrease stress, boost happiness and more. Sometimes rough days feel unbearable, so I always try to get through my days by practicing one of these. No more excuses… time to take action!

    1. Drink A Glass of Water

    If you wake up feeling tired or sluggish you might be dehydrated. Try leaving a glass/bottle of water on your nightstand the night before, so you can drink it the next morning. It’s an easy wellness hack that can save your mornings.

    2. Move your body

    There’s something about the satisfaction and confidence that comes from an accomplishment complete before most people get out of bed. Run, work out, take an exercise class, or simply stretch. The tip here is just to move; anything to get your blood flowing. 

    3. Start Your Day with Positive Affirmations

    It gets me in the zone for the day, and I feel inspired and ready to conquer. Make it easy: Choose your affirmation the night before and write it down so all you have to do is read it in the morning, or say the same thing each day.

    4. Get Outside

    Whether you’re walking your kids to school, or just walking yourself (or sipping coffee on your balcony–whatever floats your boat), start your day with a little time outdoors, and it just might change your life too. 

    5. Change your Morning Phone Habits

    The key to having it really impact your life is to resist reaching for your phone as soon as you wake up. You are in charge of your morning, so eliminate everyone wanting things from you or social media playing with your emotions.

    6. Eat a Healthy Breakfast Every Day

    Find something you like to eat and stock up. Build a new routine where you start the day with good food every day. Within one week you will be hungry for breakfast.

  • 5 Healthy Changes To Make Today

    Committing to a healthier lifestyle is one that will take a lot of work. But believe me when I tell you it’ll be worth it!

    These five simple lifestyle changes may seem small, but they can lead to big improvements to your health.

    Drink More Water

    There’s enough information out there about the importance of drinking enough water. I can’t over-emphasize this. It is worth checking to see if you are getting enough clean water to drink. A quick test — the pee test! Is your urine almost as clear as water? No? Then you’re not drinking enough water.

    Sleep Well

    When you don’t get the recommended 7–9 hours per night, it can have a significant impact on your physical and mental health, not to mention work performance and social life. Make time to sleep. If you have to, set the bedtime alarm on your phone. Unplug from your computer, tablet, cell phone, or e-reader before bedtime. Instead, unwind before bedtime with a bath or some light reading.

    Get Some Exercise

    Sitting all day isn’t good for your body or your heart. Physical activity is extremely important for your longevity. Sometimes it can feel impossible to fit in a lot of exercise when you’re not used to it, but engaging in movement such as walks throughout your day is much more doable.

    Have a diet plan

    Managing your food intake can simply take a change in how you think about food. When you decide to eat fruits instead of chocolate, internally tell yourself you’re making a choice. You are choosing your health which would eventually yield great results in the long term.

    Avoid stress

    Stress triggers a survival response that can help us in the short-term but become damaging if it persists for a prolonged period. Learning how to control stress can help you retain your mental and physical health.

    Starting small, focusing on one behavior at a time and support from others can help you achieve your exercise or other health-related goals.

  • 5 Surprising Ways To Lose Weight Without Exercising

    The greatest weight-loss strategies are the ones you can fit your body and life. So go ahead and take your pick!

    1. Drink a lot of water
    Many people often mistake thirst for hunger. Aim to drink at least eight 8 glasses of water per day. Regularly drinking water allows your body to filter out toxins as well as can help you feel full. And, drinking water has the added benefit of clearer skin.

    2. Downsize
    Serving your meals on a smaller plate will give you the illusion that you are eating more food. Dining with smaller plates, cups, bowls, and spoons will force you to savor your meal, and give your body the time it needs to register that you’re full.

    3. Get enough sleep
    Did you ever notice that when you’re sleepy, you tend to eat more? Your observation is backed by science: Studies have shown that tired people put more food in their mouths. So get enough sleep to avoid packing on the weight.

    4. Journal Your Food
    Keep a log of everything you eat including the amount, calories and time. Journaling forces you to be honest with yourself about how much you’re eating. This process will also enable you to recognize unhealthy patterns in your eating habits that you can cut out.

    5. Eat a good breakfast
    Eat a heavy-on-protein breakfast every day, and you’ll control your hunger long into the day. For breakfast consider eggs, yogurt, or peanut butter. And, don’t let more than three hours pass between eating. Be sure to have small snacks available to eat between meals.

  • 5 Fun Things To Do This Weekend!

    Thank God it’s Friday!

    The weekend is upon us, and it’s a great time to unwind and have fun with friends and family.

    Personally, I try to have the weekend to myself after a week full of intense work, but I don’t always get what I want because sometimes work also comes on weekends.

    Anyway, whenever the weekends are free, there are fun things I always like to do to refuel myself for the new week.

    1. Exercise: Many of you already know that I am on a weight loss journey, and I must confess it has not been very easy. I love spending some time at the gym and doing some Yoga on weekends not just because it helps to lose weight faster, it teaches me discipline – the discipline of doing what I want to do when I planned to do it. Listening to music while exercising is one way I also keep myself inspired.

    2. Sleep: Now this one is very important especially for career parents. Sometimes I always wonder how I am able to do so much with the minimal hours of sleep I get sometimes. Weekends help me catch up on “lost” sleep, and give my body renewed energy.

    3. Hangout with Friends: The social media age sometimes gives us the illusion that we know what is going on in our friends’ lives. But in reality, things may not seem as they appear. You could take out time to consciously visit one or two friends and family members during the weekends to be sure that your are building healthy and meaningful relationships.

    4. Catch up on Reading: Weekdays could be so choked that you hardly find time to read. How about blowing the dust off those abandoned books, and reading for a few hours? There are amazing things to learn when you bury your head in a book with a hot or cold drink (depending on what you like) to keep you going.

    5. Binge-watch Shows: It’s all about living a balanced life! There is no better time to watch your favourite TV shows “back-to-back”. Watching TV as a family is also good for bonding.

    That’s it! 5 fun things I think you could do to have an amazing weekend. I would like to hear how SL Fabz spend their weekends; do you have any fun things you would also like me to try out? Feel free to share with me.

    Here’s to a fab and super amazing weekend!

  • 10 Bad Habits That Drain Your Energy

    Sometimes, we feel physically or emotionally drained. This stops us from achieving our dreams and might be the cause of some habits we practice often. Such habits could be physical, mental, emotional…

    Here are 10 things you need to stop doing if you want to boost your energy:

    1. Letting pain from the past devastate the present: Don’t give up on today because of the way things looked yesterday. Every day is a new day to try again.
    2. Skipping breakfast: Many people skip breakfast in an attempt to control their weight. However, doing so may undermine your entire day. After fasting all night, your body needs calories and nutrients to produce energy.
    3. Continuous complaining: Not only does complaining sap energy from you and everyone around you, it also doesn’t work.
    4. Lack of adequate sleep: I know some people believe that less sleep gives them more time in the day, but this is not actually true. Lack of sleep means you won’t function very well when sleep deprived.
    5. Skipping exercise: Regular exercise boosts strength and endurance, helps make your cardiovascular system run more efficiently, and delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. So next time you’re tempted to crash on the couch, at least go for a brisk walk—you won’t regret it.
    6. You don’t drink enough water: Dehydration causes a reduction in blood volume, which makes the blood thicker. This requires your heart to pump less efficiently, reducing the speed at which oxygen and nutrients reach your muscles and organs. This makes you very weak and tired.
    7. You’re not consuming enough iron: Boost your iron intake to reduce your risk of anemia and general body weakness. Foods rich in iron include beef, beans, eggs, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, and peanut butter, and pair them with foods high in vitamin C (vitamin C improves iron absorption when eaten together).
    8. Sacrificing too much for others: Don’t sacrifice yourself too much, because if you do, there will be very little left that you can give to anyone, even those you love dearly.
    9. You have too much on your plate: One of most common reasons that people feel drained and exhausted is that they have too much to do and too little time. Many people take on more than they can handle. Learn to say no and create a little gap in your day. If you want more energy you need time for yourself too.
    10. Eating too much junk food: Processed foods are convenient if you live a busy life, but they’re actually working against you. Foods loaded with sugar and simple carbs like the ones you’ll find in a fast food center works to increase your blood sugar. Constant blood sugar spikes followed by sharp drops cause fatigue over the course of the day.

    It’s the start of a brand new week, SL Fabz. Stay active by keeping away from bad habits that drain your energy.

    Have a great week.

  • Diet Vs. Exercise: What Is Better For Losing Weight?

    It’s a new year and you’ve set for yourself a health goal – to lose weight. The question now is – what’s the best way to achieve this?

    While diet and exercise are both important for long term weight goals, its important to know which one is best for you.

    Yes, you can lose weight with diet alone, but exercise is also important. Without it, only a portion of your weight loss is from fat – you’re also stripping away muscle and bone density. Losing weight through exercise means you’re burning mostly fat. On the other hand, its much easier to cut 500 calories than to spend an hour in the gym burning 500 calories every day.

    Due to our very busy schedules, most people find it very difficult to find time to jog or go to the gym regularly. Also, avoiding those foods with high calories can be very difficult.

    However, both diet and exercise are essential for good health and for keeping that weight off.

    So tell me, which option would you choose for weight loss. Dieting or exercising, and why?

  • Staying Fit in our Busy World

    Stephanie Daily Pics - December 2013 - StephanieDaily009

    Hello lovely people!

    Its the last month of the year and I know that like me, many of us set out some goals we wanted to achieve with regards to our weight and fitness at the beginning of the year. But with the demands of our busy schedules, especially when you live in a bustling city like Lagos, you might have had a difficult time achieving those goals.

    Not to worry, its not too late to boost our spirits and get back to our routines. Here are some ways that you can juggle exercising with your busy work schedule:

    1. Wake up in the morning to exercise
    Waking up an hour earlier to exercise in the morning helps you function better during the day. It gives you a better cardiovascular impact, you’re able to have more consistent workouts and more energy throughout the day.

    2. Walk/Ride your bike to work
    I know this may be difficult in most cities and also if you live far from work. But if you can, take a walk or ride your bike to work. It really helps.

    3. Work out during your lunch break
    Most people have at least a half hour break during work. That is enough time to squeeze in a short workout. You can take a walk outside, or walk around your building or street.

    4. Use exercising as a way to socialize
    Instead of going out to eat, go for a walk or short run with your friends and catch up while you are at it.

    5. Make a commitment
    I know it might be difficult, believe me I do, but physical activity is SO important to our lives. Take some time to re-evaluate where you are spending unnecessary time and focus on doing those important things for your health and fitness.

    So, share with me, how do you find time to work out despite your busy schedules? Have you achieved the fitness and health goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the year? I’d love to know.

    xoxo

    #SL