Mountain Country

Mountain Country
My own Art

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Get Radical Women's Conference in D.C.

Get Ready to Get Radical in 2011! If you haven't experienced the Get Radical Women's Conference in D.C.ical Women's Conference in D.C., it's an event that you don't want to miss. I'll be speaking there on March 26 and I can't wait to meet up with this amazing group of women again. Check out my invite video — I hope to see all of you there! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Evh914-4Zo&xid=nl_LosingItWithJillianMichaels_20110217 Thursday: THE FITNESS FACTOR Get It Off Your Chest Think about the activities you do every day, like opening doors, putting the toothpaste back on the top shelf of your medicine cabinet, carrying grocery bags into the house, and so on — what do they have in common? They all involve using the muscles of your torso. Learn about strengthening your torso muscles Get It Off Your Chest Think about the activities you do every day, like opening doors, putting the toothpaste back on the top shelf of your medicine cabinet, carrying grocery bags into the house, and so on — what do they have in common? They all involve using the muscles of your torso. Want to participate in sports, or just improve your ability to do simple, everyday tasks? Study the torso muscle groups and apply this knowledge to some select training exercises. The three major muscle groups in your torso are located in the chest, the upper back, and the shoulders. The major muscle of the chest area is the pectoralis major. It is thin and fan-shaped. The pectoralis minor is a thin, triangular muscle positioned below the pectoralis major. The chest muscles are responsible for movements like throwing and pushing. The muscle that makes up most of the upper back is the latissimus dorsi, or "lats," which is a long, broad muscle whose primary function is to pull your arms backward and downward, as in pulling and climbing motions. The shoulders comprise 11 muscles, of which the deltoids are the most important. The deltoids are actually one muscle made up of three separate parts, or heads. The anterior deltoid, found on the front of the shoulder, is used when you raise your arms forward. The lateral deltoid is located on the side of the shoulder and is involved when you lift your arms sideways. The posterior deltoid resides on the back of the shoulder and is used to draw your arms backward. The deltoids play a vital role in throwing, pushing, carrying, and climbing.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Too Much Sleep?

Tuesday February 15 Catch Me on TV This Week! Don't forget to set your DVRs or tune in for a new episode of The Biggest Loser tonight on NBC at 8 p.m. ET/PT and then again tomorrow for The Doctors. From high heels to facials, cellulite, and beyond (or below!), I'll be stopping by to help answer questions about women's bodies from an audience full of men. You don't want to miss this one! Be sure to check local listings to find out when the show airs in your area. Tuesday: YOUR METABOLISM 101 Are You Getting Too Much Sleep? If you sleep 10 hours a night, you might face some of the same hormonal risks as those who sleep too little. Find out what too much sleep can do Are You Getting Too Much Sleep? Are you one of those people who likes to brag that you get by on very little sleep? Or do you love to sleep the day away? I've told you before that too little sleep can mess up your weigh-loss efforts, but did you also know that sleeping too much can also negatively affect your metabolism as well? If you sleep 10 hours a night, you might face some of the same hormonal risks as those who sleep too little. A recent Canadian study found that people who sleep fewer than seven hours or more than nine hours weigh an average of four more pounds (and had wider waists) than people who sleep eight hours every night. Researchers believe that having too much or too little sleep interferes with your ability to control your appetite, because it simultaneously increases hunger hormone ghrelin while it decreases satisfaction hormone leptin. Want to be sure you are getting all the benefits of a good night sleep? Get your rest! Shoot for a consistent eight hours of sleep and stick with the same bed time and wake-up time each day — even on the weekends!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

How To Turn A Problem Into An Opportunity

Sure, it’s tough to pinpoint the root of your problems. However, if you've been examining your emotional eating habits, you should be seeing some behavioral shifts. Are you checking to see if you're actually hungry versus just looking to feed your emotions? Do you have go-to non-food outlets to help you express your emotions? Whether it’s grabbing your journal and getting your feelings out on paper or getting together with a friend for a hike or manicure and some feel-good bonding, you CAN make sure you get on (and stay on!) a healthy path. There's one final aspect of emotional eating you need to address — what to do when you can't resolve an issue or a situation at the exact moment when it is triggering you to behave self-destructively. Certain obstacles can sometimes seem insurmountable, and the next time you encounter one, I want you to ask yourself the following question: How can I turn this problem into an opportunity? Instead of allowing this event or emotion to cause permanent damage to your self-esteem, try looking at it in a different light. If you've recently gone through a breakup, for example, realize that the end of one relationship simply means that you are free to find someone better for you. Allow yourself to feel sad, but try to stay positive and find meaning in the pain rather than numbing it with food and indulging in other destructive habits. You will grow from it in amazing ways, I promise.