Strong muscles, strong mind: so lift up!
Have you noticed that after a great lifting session, everything rocks? YOU in particular? You feel confident, strong, steady and in control. I’ve certainly noticed this. I’ve also noticed that when I sit in the ol’ office chair all day, I feel flabby. Mentally. Emotionally. Willpower-ly. You want to overcharge me on my phone bill? Sure. Whatever. Yet it seems that even just a few minutes of strength training (with proper warm-up, of course) can fuel confidence in a way no jaunt on the elliptical can. Is it a testosterone thing? An adrenaline thing? Maybe we feel stronger after pumping iron because our muscles stay contracted after the workout. Or maybe it’s all in our minds. Rick Hanson wrote in … Continue reading
Healthy Is A Culmination of Little Choices
So the month is half over and we've been seeing the bonuses and pitfalls of the iShaper challenge here at the office. Overall we love the concept, though as we progress there are definitely going to be a few changes. (This morning we switched from beans to rocks because beans just weren't big enough) In the end, though the biggest thing to remember is the weight loss isn't about any one thing, especially creating permanant weight loss. Being healthy isn't a single choice and a lot of people have somewhat different takes on what is and isn't healthy. One of the biggest benefits that I've seen so far in the challenge is that it showed me that I was already … Continue reading
5 Health Studies with Interesting Results
I like reading about health studies and I lose big chunks of time reading about weird links that have been drawn through studies. Fortunately, I work at IdealShape so they pay me to read about this stuff. Here’s 5 interesting studies that I’ve read recently that you might find helpful (or not) but I couldn’t dedicate an entire blog post to them. 1. A Long Commute is linked with Obesity and High Blood Pressure This one isn’t so much shocking and it’s pretty important. You see, if you live more than 10 miles away from where you work then you’re much more likely to have high blood pressure and at 15 miles you’re at greater risk of … Continue reading
5 Ways to Stay Active At Work (Without Getting Fired)
Weekend warrior-ism isn’t going to save us. In fact, a daily workout isn’t even enough. If you’re spending spending most of your day sitting at your desk, experts say you’re in the health-risk zone. But, as we all know, fitness advice sometimes falls short of reality. Constantly jumping up to walk to coworkers’ offices in the middle of a project, rather than calling or emailing, might not be feasible. And taking a midday exercise break can render you tired and distracted back at the office. So how are we supposed to prevent work from killing our health, and our health from killing our productivity at work? I wrote in my last post that, for me, the biggest obstacle is that … Continue reading
The Dirty, Sweaty Reality of Midday Exercise
And now, for the moment of truth: sometimes you can master motivation, flawlessly fuel your workout, and have your gym and snack bags packed—and still not be able to fit exercise into your daily routine. Not midday, anyway. I’m an afternoon exerciser, because it’s my best time of day to exercise. But even if you work out in the morning or after work, research says that everyone should be taking a midday pause to get some daily excersise. Sitting for 8 hours is great way to die early, no matter how active you are the rest of the day. So, dutifully, I aim to work out in the afternoon. Only my “midday pause” typically turns into a three-hour affair. First, … Continue reading
April’s Ship Shape Challenge Winner: Scott Sigley!
It’s that time again! Today we mark the 7th month’s winner of the Ship Shape weight loss challenge! Reaching your goal weight and living healthier is what we would love to see from all of our iShapers, and Scott Sigley just needed a little oomph from his exercise and nutrition. He used the IdealShape Meal Replacements as a tool to meet his goals and overcome frustration. He dropped 31 lbs! We love it when we help in any way we can. Whether it’s our full program or just the shakes or supplements, we want to provide all the tools you need to be successful in your weight loss. So here is Scott’s story, in his own words: "I am 42 … Continue reading
iShaper Challenge! Are You Game?
Yesterday we talked about the idea of gamifying healthy living, and today we’re going to talk about what we here at IdealShape are doing with it. This is a really cool thing to me because we’re letting our readers in on the process at the ground level. We’ve been throwing around the ideas for just a few weeks and we've decided on the iShaper Challenge. Unfortunately, we’re not going to be able to launch a full functioning site as awesome as some of the ones we mentioned, but we will definitely get to have fun with it. So…bean jars! Exciting, no? Alright, alright, beans in a jar may not be as exciting as slaying dragons but for … Continue reading
Gamifying Your Healthy Lifestyle
Normally when I write these posts I am writing it from my perspective as a guy who enjoys reading scientific studies, but today I can pretend to be an expert! I’m a full-functioning adult (or at least, I pretend to be one) and yet I have lived my whole life with video games. At the age of four I was pulling the NES controller out of my mom’s hand because she just couldn’t avoid koopa troopa’s with the finesse that was required of her. After saving money for a long time, I recently invested a sizable sum of it into a computer that, someone else my age might have otherwise used as a down payment for a car. This … Continue reading
The Weight Loss Supplement You Helped Create!
One question that we got a lot, was “Slendesta works well in your shake, and your ResveraShape supplement is also supposed to help with appetite suppression, so why don’t you have Slendesta in your ResveraShape?” It was a good question, and one that we definitely wanted to address. That’s why we’re excited to announce the inclusion of ResveraShape Plus into the product line. It has all the benefits of ResveraShape, but we’ve added to the formula to make it one of the best weight management products on themarket. First, of course, we added Slendesta to help you feel fuller longer, making it a great addition to your weight loss plan. And while we’ve talked about the great benefits of Green … Continue reading
Are You A Fitness Influencer? 4 Ways to Help Others Be Healthy
How do you get your loved ones to care about being healthy? You’ve tried discussing the health benefits. You’ve tried scaring them with the facts. You gave up dessert hoping they’d join you, and you lavished them with praise when they dusted off their bike. You gently explained that you were worried. Then you bitterly announced they looked 9 months pregnant. And after all this… it seems you’ve had no influence whatsoever. Mom’s still carting around large McFrappés. Your spouse insists that trekking up and down the stairs is plenty of exercise. And your kids, you suspect, are squandering their lunch money on Cheetos and Mountain Dew. Trying to influence healthy habits can seem like walking across a minefield. You … Continue reading
