amanda_mag

Absolutely! Relationships and hobbies are definitely part of the "wellness" umbrella.

Hi everyone! I'm a total lurker but I really get a lot out of reading about other people's experiences and questions, so I thought I'd share something I've been thinking about. I've been working on a project at work related to wellness, the different aspects that you need to look at to be in good health, and it got me thinking about something that I'm calling a "wellness toolkit" in my head. Not sure if there's already a term for this. I have built over the years a combination of apps, classes and practices that help me maintain and improve my health. I'm curious about what others do. Here's mine: Physical Activity - Darebee for strength training - Pilates class twice a week - Zombies Run for cardio - Lately, RingFit Adventure on Nintendo Switch - Tracking with Fitbit Sleep Quality - Tracking with Fitbit Nutrition - Monthly nutritionist appointment - Meal-prep for breakfast and lunch Stress Management - Calm app for meditation - Bullet Journaling Financial Health - Spreadsheet on google docs to track my monthly budget What do you do? Would you add any other dimensions?

Thanks for your replies. My weekend trip for the certification starts tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Hi Rebels, I would like your thoughts on something. I have been following a fairly regular regime for the past year. It looks like this: Monday and Wednesday - 6-7am Strength training - 8-9:30pm Krav Maga class Friday - 6-7am Strength and heavy bag training Now I've added archery lessons on Saturday 9-11:30am. It's not much of a workout but I do use my muscles so I count it as training. My conflict is, I would like to start rock climbing. I've done the math and with some tweaks on my work schedule I could do it Tuesdays and Thursdays for a couple of hours in the afternoon. My workplace provides very flexible hours. I can see the time is there but I'm afraid my body can't take it and I don't want to give up the other things I do. I already experience burnout every few weeks and either I get sick or some part of my body starts hurting, which results in a week or more without working out. A couple of people in my life have suggested I'm over-training, but this doesn't sound like that much to me. I think it should be able to take it. I have an office job I love, but an office job after all, and I would like to mitigate the impact of sitting for eight hours as much as possible. I think it's relevant to mention that I do get enough sleep, 7-8 hours, although I don't always feel rested. What would be your advice? How many activities or workouts do you do during the week? What do you do when you are legitimately too tired to work out?

Thanks for taking the time to write such a thorough reply. What you say sounds very similar to what the instructors have said. They sounds very responsible and I feel like they take all the safety precautions, so that makes me feel a little better. I'm a worrier by nature so I have one question: Do you remember experiencing any health complications related to diving? They mentioned the possible effects of the nitrogen or going up too fast and it sounds horrible. On a more positive note: Any health benefits? They also said it's extremely relaxing, so I'm looking forward to that

Hello everyone, I need some peace of mind. I've recently started the process to get my scuba diving certification. It includes about 8 hours of theory and a 3 day trip starting with pool practice and ending with a full diving expedition. I signed up spur of the moment with a group from work, basically because the opportunity was right there. The thing is, I'm terrified. So, if you are a scuba diver, I would like to hear about your experiences, especially when you first started. Thanks!

I wouldn't say it's limiting my activities right now. It's ok for my current level but I think that to get better I need to work on flexibility.

Yeah, I thought that too. I always stretch when I work out but I don't do anything specifically to improve flexibility. I think I'm going to add 5-10 extra minutes for stretching after my runs.

Thanks! But, I don't understand reddit at all... where is this 15 minute routine you recommend? :S

Hello everyone, I would like to know if there are any alternatives to yoga to improve flexibility. I do several activities but I'm currently falling short on the flexibility department. I've given yoga my best shot but it just doesn't do it for me. I even got the NF Yoga subscription and have been doing the workouts for a while. My problem is that I get bored, I don't find it relaxing and my knees always hurt afterwards. My workout week looks like this (ideally, I shuffle some things around depending on schedule and things like that): 3 bodyweight sessions 2 krav maga classes 2-3 runs *Up until now: 2 yoga sessions I would like to complement with something that helps me improve flexibility. Another suggestions I would appreciate is any activity that helps me improve my reflexes. I'm hopeless at throwing, catching and skipping obstacles, and I need to work on that one as well if I want to get better at krav maga. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

This is a long shot but I was wondering if there was someone else here from Costa Rica.

Thanks! It sounds like I'm doing it all wrong then. I have been using the gloves and getting some pain in my wrists afterwards. That is not exclusively the gloves fault because I'm sure I'm still not punching properly, but that's a different topic. Would you say it's better for beginners to use heavier gloves? It is always safer to wear handwraps under the gloves, right?

Hello everyone, I recently started training with a punching bag at the gym. I had been using handwraps but couldn't wrap them properly so I decided to buy gloves. These ones, specifically: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CTM6QBO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00. Here's the problem, I have really tiny hands. I bought the small ones and I think they fit fine but there's still some wiggle room. My question is, should I try to pad them more with wraps underneath? Am I in risk of injury if I they are not tight enough? I read some horror stories about what can happen to my hands if I don't protect them enough, so I'm a little paranoid. Any help would be appreciated. Cheers!

Hi Rebels, I was wondering if you could share how you deal with bad workouts. I've been working out for three months every other day, with some adjustments along the way. It's not a very intense workout but I've noticed some changes and I think it's going well. Most days I complete my workout (it's between 30 and 40 minutes) and I feel great. Some days, even though I'm doing what I always do, I feel depleted mid-way. What do you recommend in those cases? Should I force myself to continue or rest? Specially when doing squats and lunges, I feel my legs giving up and my form suffers. It's frustrating to not be able to do today what I could do yesterday! Any thoughts?

Would long walks count as exercise? I enjoy those but I don't think they can keep me in shape. I really like hiking but I don't have partners to go with over here and going by myself is dangerous. For context, I recently moved to a new country. My search for a group or organization that organizes hiking trips hasn't yielded any results yet. Jumping rope is fun but I have weak knees and I always feel like they are going to break. The impact causes me a lot of pain. Is there a way to make joints stronger? Anyway, I'll try interval training. I was following the Couch-to-5k running plan around my neighborhood. It's not such a nice run. There's lots of traffic and people on the way.

I'm impatient and I'm working on that. Still, I need some advice on how to proceed because I don't think my initial plan is working out. I started the year with two goals: - Get stronger - Be able to run at least 5k I have never consistently worked out before and I have foster a very negative attitude towards exercising since my teen years. I'm 25 now, btw. I started following the beginner body weight training. I still have a long way to go before I reach those 20 squats and 10 push up but I do feel like I'm making progress. I'm currently doing 12 squats and 10 inclined push ups, as best as I can. My biggest problem really is with running. I'm not enjoying it as much as I wish I did. On the days I have to run, I find it harder to get up. Now, the logical conclusion here is that I probably shouldn't run if I don't like it. I just don't want to give up. I want to alternate the days to do something every day. I like body weight training but I know it's not recommended that I do it every day. Any advice on a cardio workout that might work? I don't have much money to spend, which is why I chose running in the first place. Is there something else I can do that doesn't require a subscription fee? Also, I'm not a gamer so, even though the whole thing with the guilds and challenges calls my attention, I don't really understand it all that well. Not sure if that means I'm not allowed in this forum Any advice would be appreciated!

Dominican cooking has lots of recipes with plantain, mostly green. I will post some links when I find some recipes in English or get some time to translate.

Not confusing, helpful. Thanks! I will look for more information since I find this very interesting. My parents have been trying to control their cholesterol levels by consuming "cholesterol free" food for years because it's what their doctors have told them. I would seem that high cholesterol levels let you know that there is a problem but are not necessarily the problem. I will tell them but they are probably not changing their habits. I will change them, seems like the smart thing to do.

So, I'm surprised I haven't seen more recipes or suggestions that include tubers, like cassava and yams, and plantain. I've seen lots of sweet potato but I would find it boring to just eat that. Maybe it has to do with geography. These types of food are very common and easy to find where I'm from. When managing your Paleo diet, do you just avoid all carbs? What do you think of roots?

Ok, I have many questions about Paleo but I will start slow. I've been reading about Paleo and checking out recipes. I see a lot of bacon, eggs, lard and butter in the recipes. Now, I know that fat from nuts, olive oil and sources like that are good quality fat, but I would think that all that bacon raises your cholesterol levels. Everyone in my family has issues with their cholesterol levels so that detail is very important for me. Could someone debunk my myths about fat, please?

Hello everyone! I just started with strength training at home and I have a couple of questions: - First, as a beginner, is it too much to train everyday, even if it is just 20 minutes? - I can barely do one push-up, how do I build up the strength to do more? - My arms hurt a lot when doing this exercise: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37XhZDLWtJM, is that normal? - I'm doing this and running at the same time. Am I overdoing it if I run every other day and do this every day? I would appreciate any advice

Hello! My question is somewhat related to this so I decided not to create new topic. I started with strength training today and I find that I can't even do one push-up. It didn't feel that great but I will keep going. I would like to know how can I go about getting strong enough to complete my routine. Any advice?

Thanks Scream. I watched the video and it was eye-opening. I tend to put my heels first and I never take my foot that high when I run. I'm doing it all wrong. I'm dong my best to be aware of how I move to keep the right form. I will go see a physiotherapist as soon as I get the chance to get a specialist opinion. Thank you all for your advice!

Thanks! I've tried that program before and I like it. I've stopped at different levels because I get terrible pain in my knees after a couple of days. In your experience, is this normal or am I doing something wrong?

Hi all! Just joined and on with my second mission: building my support group. I’m 25 years old and in a transition period. I just finished grad school, a couple of months ago. Now I’m preparing to move back to a country I haven’t lived in for over 10 years. I have many goals, but I find that I spend a lot of my time listing everything I want to do in the future and it seems like the future never comes. I’m tired of it. I want to get in shape because I want to feel healthy and with energy. How I look is really not that important to me but I feel terrible every time I can’t breathe after going up 3 flights of stairs. Eventually I would like to finish a marathon (that will probably take me a couple of years, right?). I would like to try martial arts, for self-defense and fitness, and hiking as well. I would also like to be stronger since I’ve been hiding behind my size (I’m 4’9’’) to justify being weak for a long time. Do you have any advice for someone looking for endurance but who is basically starting from 0? I want to do this without a gym, at home, because I don’t like to work out in front of people. Which basic gear do I need? Every time I start working out I end up stopping because I get pain somewhere in my body, usually my back or my knees. I’m definitely doing something wrong but I can’t place it. Any advice on policing my form to make sure this doesn’t keep happening? Thank you! I’m looking forward to participating more in this community!