16 Months In, Here's How My ADHD Diagnosis Has Helped

It's hard for me to believe my ADHD diagnosis was 16 months ago. Time has passed quickly.

I've learned a great deal about ADHD as a neurological condition, as a mental health issue, and as a factor in my life. The video below sums it up with quick overviews of how my life has changed since my original diagnosis in early November 2016.




There are many, many resources for information about ADHD, or Adult ADHD as the medical community calls it with people over 18, which is the same thing. Marge and I have set up a website called Adult ADHD Unplugged. 

Adult ADHD Unplugged: Who, What, and Why

Welcome to Adult ADHD Unplugged! We're glad you're here.

Our blog, our website, our Facebook page, and our Youtube video channel are all focused on the same general theme: Adult ADHD awareness.

We want to share what we continue to learn in the areas of personal development, productivity, and improved relationships. When we learn new strategies, we want to pass them on. We want to hear other peoples' stories and strategies, too.

We are not going to be all "teach-y." We want to share our stories with people in this online community we're calling Adult ADHD Unplugged.

So please join us. If this community sounds like it could help in some way, then please follow this blog, go to our website to sign up for our newsletter, "like" and "follow" our Facebook page, and subscribe to our Youtube channel.

If you're wondering if you might have Adult ADHD yourself, follow this link for the same free online Adult ADHD Self-Assessment I took when I wondered about it myself.

How to Manage Impulsiveness in an ADHD Relationship

Love at First Sight

It’s the spring of 1970. I’m feeling amazing. The end of my first year of teaching high school English is in sight, I’ve made new friends with the other young teachers in my school, my red MGB sports car is running well, and I just splurged on a new, yellow Suzuki motorcycle. With no social prospects for the weekend, I decide to ride my bike to my former college campus and ask one of my fraternity brothers to find me a blind date. I’m sure to impress the brothers and my blind date with my bike!

When I get the name of my blind date, I check out her photo in the yearbook. She looks a little round in the face – I hope she’ll fit on the back of my small bike! Whew, when she finally appears, I’m relieved to see that she weighs about 100 pounds, and she’s ready to ride!

Little did I know at that moment that I just met my bride of 46 years, and that I would propose to her 13 days later. What happens when a young couple finds love at first sight, and one of them has undiagnosed ADHD?

My marriage proposal to Marge after 13 days of meeting was certainly a sign of my ADHD impulsiveness. In our case, after that whirlwind beginning, we waited four months to get married. My inclination was for us to run off that night, but I didn't even suggest it - which is one sign that my ADHD isn't extreme.

That four-month period between our engagement and wedding - excruciatingly long, from my perspective - was a compromise that still seemed hasty to many people, but it was deliberate on our part.

If we both had ADHD? In that case, I have no question we would have headed to the closest state with the shortest waiting time, which I think at that time was New Jersey. However, Marge doesn't have ADHD, so we compromised.

Note: Even my parents thought we were moving too fast. Marge stayed with my parents for a month before our wedding, I already had an apartment. Without my knowledge, they advised her against such a short engagement. Marge told me later my father tried to talk her out of it. Thankfully, she didn’t listen to him.

ADHD + Marriage is Challenging

No one ever said relationships are simple or easy. With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the mix, POW! an additional multi-faceted dimension joins the relationship.

When one or both partners have Adult ADHD, figuring out what's really going on for both people can be tricky. One common issue with Adult ADHDis impulsive behavior. Impulsiveness and restlessness are how hyperactivity, the "H" in ADHD, often shows up in adults with the disorder.

As carefree and impulse-driven as most new relationships are, acting on the moment usually tones down in time. In adults with ADHD, however, it's the way we're wired and can be difficult to control.

Approximately half of all marriages in the U.S. end in divorce. According to the Centers for Disease and Control (www.CDC.gov) reports, the divorce rate is even higher when ADHD is involved. The odds are against lasting ADHD marriages. The reason for that is that the clear majority of adults with ADHD (about 80%) have not been diagnosed or treated, so a couple with undiagnosed ADHD in the mix are at a huge disadvantage from the very beginning of their relationship. If you suspect you might be one of those adults, then click here to get the link for the free assessment test.

I am entirely grateful that Marge and I have learned early on in our marriage that we had to compromise and we continue to do so, because we want to keep our marriage going. I was diagnosed with ADHD right before my 70th birthday. Marge and I now realize how much ADHD affected our relationship, starting from the night we met. We have compensated for my ADHD during the decades of our marriage.

Conscious Compromise

So, a major factor in making an ADHD relationship work is the willingness to compromise. If a couple can't agree to compromise, even the smallest decision can turn into conflict.

The best strategy for compromising is to make it overt. It's much better to be able to say to each other, "OK, so you want X and I want Y. How can we compromise so we can meet in the middle?"

Our first big compromise occurred when we were planning our wedding. We both wanted a small affair. I wanted to get married at dawn in the woods beside a stream with Beatles music. I didn’t care who officiated. Marge wanted to get married in a Catholic church by a priest. So, we were married in the church at 9:00 a.m. by a priest, who didn’t object to Beatles music. To this day “Here Comes the Sun” is our favorite song!

When you make the act of reaching compromise a conscious, agreed upon strategy, and you work at it, that's a healthier path than if one or both people felt they lost out. You're working together for something you both want.

Sometimes all that's needed is to add some time. Compromise can be time-based. Rather than deciding on the spot to buy a new car or spend money on a time-share, agree to hold off decisions for a specified period. Agree to wait overnight, for a week or a month, or possibly in some cases, even a year. If you still want something as badly after time passes as you did originally, then it's likely not a result of ADHD-related impulsiveness.

In some instances, it might work out where you can each give a little to reach a middle ground. Other times when the choices are mutually exclusive, like moving or not moving, for example, it might seem that one person wins and the other loses. Keeping score isn't a great idea, but when you view a relationship over the long term, there can be plenty of time for things to even out.

So, from the perspective of long-term relationships, conscious compromise is one way to express love in support of your relationship.

And I can't stress enough how important it is to a healthy marriage to find out early in the relationship if Adult ADHD is a factor. Take the free assessment test to be sure.

I look forward to reading your comments on this post.

If you were called an underachiever when you were in school, maybe it was ADHD

Did everyone, including yourself think you were an underachiever in school, and maybe in life? Possibly it was something else. You can get a better understanding of yourself by starting with the free assessment test I took --just click here.



As I've been learning about Adult ADHD, several themes have been loud and clear. One of the loudest and clearest messages is that many people with Adult Attention Deficient Hyperactive Disorder were labeled underachievers in school.

I know in my own case it was true. I don't remember exactly when, but around the time teachers started assigning homework, I became an "underachiever."

If you think you have Adult ADHD, ask your friends. They already know.

Ask your friends, they already know.



If you aren't sure yourself whether or not you have Adult ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, you may discover that the easiest way to find out if you do is to ask your friends.

You can't rely on friends for an actual, official diagnosis with which to obtain treatment. You can, however, get some pretty good feedback from people who know you the best. If you're wondering about it yourself, and your friends think you have it, that's when it makes sense to check in with your doctor.

Perhaps my experience can help you.

How I discovered I have Adult ADHD

If you've wondered if you have Adult ADHD, maybe my experience will help. I was diagnosed with the Adult ADHD very recently and the clarity and understanding I've gained have been wonderful.



Without question my life view has changed since my Adult ADHD diagnosis. That may seem extreme, but it's true. I now look back, all the way to kindergarten, with a different understanding of why I behaved in some ways. I've changed how I think about myself today and am adjusting some of my behaviors and a lot of my thinking. And the future? Wow, my future looks brighter than ever now that I have changed parts of my own self-concept.

Here's how I discovered that I have Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD):

A new reason to be grateful, I was diagnosed with Adult ADHD

OK, so this is all pretty new for me.

In late October 2016, I realized I might have Adult ADHD. By November 4th the diagnosis was confirmed by two doctors.

This blog has been resting for a while, but now it's time to re-awaken it with a focus on Adult ADHD.

Stay tuned. . . much more to come.

With gratitude,

Bruce

How to Do a Perfect Push-Up

Push-ups. I bet you love them or love to hate them. Either way, this weight-bearing exercise is fantastic at sculpting your shoulders and arms, making your back look just incredible, and building up your pecs (or for us ladies, giving us a little lift).

But, they’re not easy! And, after a few sets, perhaps you’ve wondered: Can I do these on my knees instead? And, if I need to do them on my knees, should I bother doing them at all?

Articles published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research revealed that men lifted about 66.4% of their body weight with each rep when they did a push-up on their toes. On their knees, they lifted about 52.9% of their body weight. For example, a 180-pound man will lift 119.5 pounds per rep doing a regular push-up and 95.2 pounds doing a push-up on his knees. Women lift just slightly less of their body weight per rep. So, yes, if you can’t do a push-up on your toes yet, don’t give up! You’re still getting a great workout.

If you really want to get a sense of how much you’re lifting, put your scale on level ground, place your hands on it, and do a push-up on your toes. Have a friend read the number on the scale if you cannot. Then, repeat the exercise, but this time, do the push-up on your knees.

How to do the perfect push-up:
Whether you’re on your toes or on your knees, it’s important to have the proper form. To do a perfect push-up:

1. Get into plank position and make sure your hands are aligned with your shoulders but just wider than them. Tighten your core.

2. Lower your body until your chest almost touches the floor, tucking your elbows in as you do. When you’re at the bottom, your arms should be at 45-degree angle. Keep your back flat and do not let your back or hips sag.

Here’s a GIF showing how to do a regular push-up


And, here’s how to do a perfect modified push up. As you go down to the ground, make sure to keep your core tight and your butt tucked in. It may help to watch yourself in the mirror (or in the reflection of your TV!) a few times to get your posture right.

For the few of you who want to make your push-up harder and lift more of your body weight, here are some tips. We’ve ranked them from easiest to hardest.

1. Slow it down. By taking more time to do each repetition, you increase the time that each muscle must stay contracted.

2. Bring your hands and feet closer together to move your center of gravity forward and make your shoulders, pecs, back, and triceps do more work. Tighten your core to protect your lower back.

3. Change the angle. Place your feet on a stable surface–such as a plyo box or weight bench–and keep your hands on the ground. This puts more of your weight onto your shoulders.

4. Move away from a stable surface and do your push-ups on a medicine ball or balance ball as demonstrated in P90X2. These exercises will not only challenge those muscle groups but also force you to tighten your core to stay balanced.

5. Forget push-ups. Do handstands instead.

 This post originally appeared in our Team Beachbody blog. Here's the link to the original post.

Author

Joanna Schafhuasen

Signs and Symptoms of Depression

If you feel like you’re living under a grey cloud, you’re not alone. 1 in 4 Americans suffers from mental illness, and the majority of those are classified as anxiety and mood disorders.

Unfortunately, we tend to treat mental illness as something someone can just “snap out of” instead of treating it as we would diabetes or heart disease. So, if any of the signs and symptoms below look familiar, please call a professional and get started on the road to recovery.

If you’re not suffering from depression, but know someone who is, here is a great article from Psych Central that walks you through 9 ways you can help someone who is going through it.

Signs and Symptoms of Depression (from the Mayo Clinic)
• Feelings of sadness or unhappiness
• Irritability or frustration
• Loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities
• Reduced sex drive or erectile dysfunction
• Insomnia or excessive sleeping
• Changes in appetite (either decreased appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain)
• Agitation or restlessness
• Substance
• Angry outbursts
• Persistent feelings of stress or anxiety
• Slowed thinking, speaking, or body movements
• Indecisiveness, distractibility, and decreased ability to concentrate
• Fatigue and loss of energy — even small tasks may seem to require a lot of effort
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or blaming yourself when things aren’t going right
• Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
• Frequent thoughts of death, dying, or suicide
• Crying spells for no apparent reason
• Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches

** Even if you don’t have one of these symptoms but feel you may be depressed, don’t hesitate to contact a professional.**

Author

Rebecca Swanner

This post originally appeared in our Team Beachbody blog. Here's the link to the original post.

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Why You Should Create a Personal Mission Statement

The month of September is here again! The weather is starting to change, kids are heading back to school, and it’s time to start hibernating for the winter. Wait, no it’s not! Instead of putting your diet and fitness routine on hold, use September (also known as National Self Improvement Month) to set good habits for the colder months. Each Wednesday this month, we’ll share a new tip with you to try that week.

Share your own tips with us using the #NationalSelfImprovementMonth and we might pick yours to feature on the Blog on the first Wednesday in October!

TIP #1: Create a personal mission statement
In Alice in Wonderland, the caterpillar pointedly asked Alice, “Who are you?” Her response? “’I — I hardly know, sir, just at present — at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.”

Undoubtedly, like Alice, how you see yourself has changed numerous times over the years. Take a moment to think about this and think about how you define yourself so you can create your own personal mission statement. Personal mission statement were first popularized by Stephen R. Covey in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People. He defined them as “defining the personal, moral and ethical guidelines within which you can most happily express and fulfill yourself,” By creating one — by having a why if you will — itcan help guide you when you feel lost and help you make the right choices.

Here are some questions to consider when developing your mission statement:
• What am I passionate about?
• What gives me energy?
• How do you define success?
• How do you want to be remembered?
• What gives you the most happiness?

Here are some examples to get you started:
• “I aspire to be a healthy, physically active person so my increased energy levels can help me reach my goals.”
• “Help people achieve their goals and live a healthy, fulfilling life.” (Beachbody)
• “To live life with a compassionate, open heart and let love, not fear, dictate my actions.”
• “To be a teacher. And to be known for inspiring my students to be more than they thought they could be.” (Oprah Winfrey)
• “To have fun in (my) journey through life and learn from (my) mistakes.” (Richard Branson)
• “I will strive to live mindfully in all things I do.”

Your turn! Tell us in the comments or use the #NationalSelfImprovementMonth to share yours.

This post originally appeared in our Team Beachbody blog. Here's the link to the original post.

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Are Carbohydrates Bad?

Wanted to SHARE this article on carbs. Carbs take as much heat these days as fats used to. As this article states, blanket statements when it comes to nutrition are dangerous. For one thing, not only do some individuals react differently to various foods than others in their families, but different "tribes" or groups from different parts of the world where the whole hunter/gatherer culture varied with the farmer culture, it turns out those groups adapted differently in some cases to dietary changes. However, this article focuses on carbs and presents valuable information. Good job. http://www.gettingfittogether.com/are-carbohydrates-bad/#!62

Are Carbohydrates Bad? They make you fat right? Come on it must be true, you read articles about it all the time. So they must make you fat…right?

Here is the deal. There is one small problem, carbohydrates are very important. In fact, carbohydrates (especially the right kind) are essential to your body. They aid in muscle growth, providing energy, as well as providing your body many other benefits. So, Are Carbohydrates Bad? The answer is NO!

Now let’s be real. Lumping all carbs together into one category is like saying all quarterbacks who play in the NFL will be just like Joe Montana. It would be absurd to call all carbs bad when vegetables and fruits are also carbohydrates. With that said, I would have a hard time believing that you would think that a nutrition plan attempting to completely purge carbohydrates would be a good idea. I have a feeling you are a pretty smart cookie (oh, that would be a bad carb). So to suggest that all carbs are evil, is just plain nonsense.

Let’s take a step back and take a hard look at reality, compared to personal preference. I need to ask you a question. Are you willing to wipe the slate clean and start fresh with the truth about carbohydrates? I am going to assume you said yes, either way I am going to give you the facts.

Are Carbohydrates Bad?

 Are Carbohydrates Bad? Will bread and grains make you fat? Uh, NO! Blanket statements just don’t work. The “don’t eat carbs” or “Carbohydrates are Bad” statements are just that, Blanket Statements. Statements like these just confuse the general public. The reason people get confused, is that most don’t have a nutrition background or truly understand what qualifies as a carbohydrate. 95% of us look at food as simply that, FOOD. All blanket statements have done is cause people to adjust their diets in a way that keeps their bodies from functioning properly. This is why many people have been going out of their way to avoid certain foods, like bread, rice or potatoes. When in fact, these foods can have a place in a balanced nutrition plan and can play a role in helping you lose weight or gain lean muscle.

Now you know that carbs as a whole are not bad, BUT there are certain types of carbs that are not good for your body. Generally, these types of carbs will make you feel bloated and tired. These types of carbs often contain processed sugars, corn syrup, or are white flour based foods, and the list can go one with all the other processed crap available. If you cannot grow it, or it doesn’t come from minimally processed whole grains, it is not good. Yep, simple as that.

It comes down to the food manufactures like to confuse people. If they can get the general public to buy into what they are saying about a particular food, macronutrient, or diet, they make money and lots of it.

So back to the question at hand… Are Carbohydrates Bad?

NO, but all of us could gain a better understanding to guide our eating habits. Eating vegetables and fruit, as well as high quality, high fiber grains are an important part of healthy nutrition. If you truly want a balanced healthy nutrition plan that will aid in weight loss or muscle gains you really need to have at least 100 to 200 grams per day depending on your daily level of physical activity and exercise.

The overall message is, you cannot consume bucket-loads of refined low quality carbohydrates and chase them down with and extra-large soda and say, “well they said carbs aren’t bad”. I know you are smarter than the average bear and understand that you need to choose your carbohydrates wisely to have a healthy nutrition plan. It is about eating more good foods such as lean proteins, colorful vegetables, a variety of fruits, high-fiber grains, healthy fats, and cutting out the highly processed garbage such as candy, soda, sugar-loaded foods, poor quality breads, and boatloads of pasta.

Another important factor is choosing the correct portions of the carbs you consume. This can be as important as the kind of carbs you choose to eat. Grain and fruit carbohydrates should be smaller portions than vegetable carbs. If you need assistance with nutrition, portion sizes, and proper balance of carbs, proteins, and fats you may want to check out the 21 Day Fix on Beachbody On Demand. It has an amazing nutrition plan that creates the perfect balance of nutrients and portions. If you struggle with cutting out the crap, you definitely want to take a look at adding a total nutrition shake like Shakeology.

When it’s all said and done, if you are eating healthy and choosing wisely 85-90 percent of the time your body will be happy, you will have energy, and you will lose weight, gain muscle or maintain depending on your goals. You now know the truth to the question “Are Carbohydrates Bad?”

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/are-carbohydrates-bad/#!62

Daily Protein Requirements for Men and Women

SHARE this helpful article about protein. Quality proteins in the right amount, spread throughout the day and combined with high quality carbs is for sure the way to go. Great to see the reminder about how much protein is really necessary, on average.

What are the Daily Protein Requirements for Men and Women? The average man in the United States consumes about 100 grams of protein per day, while the average woman takes in approximately 70 grams, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The amount of protein you need daily really is dependent on your gender and activity level, as well as your goals because this determines your total caloric intake which has an effect on the amount of protein you need to consume.

Daily Protein Requirements for Men and Women

The Institute of Health and Nutrition finding is that for general health, men should get around 56 grams of protein per day and that women should get around 46 grams. It is also important to know that the human body cannot properly utilize more than 20 grams of protein in one consumption. Therefore the grams should be spread out throughout the day in smaller doses. When consuming protein it needs to be of higher quality to ensure that you are getting the nine essential amino acids that are needed but your body cannot produce on its own. Meat, fish and poultry provide all of the amino acids, but if you are a vegetarian, you can combine foods, such as rice and beans, or whole-grain bread and peanut butter, to get a complete array of amino acids. Shakeology which is a total nutrition shake, will also provide all the nutrients you need from the protein to the amino acids. Including this shake in your daily nutrition will help you reach your protein needs without overloading the body with hard to digest animal proteins.

It is also recommended that 10 to 30 percent of your total calories comes from protein. This guideline is general and is dependent on goals. Example: 1,800 calories per day, 180 to 540 of those calories should be from protein. Each gram of protein is 4 calories. This would put your consumption at 45 to 135 grams of protein. This proves why it is dependent on gender, activity level, and personal goals.

Most People Get Too Much Protein
 To avoid weight gain, water retention and extra wear and tear on your digestive system, do not take in more protein than recommended. Your body will only use the protein it needs and can process at one time. If you are consuming more than your body needs you will either store it as excess fat or eliminate it. Therefore consuming too much at one time is bad for your body and a waste of money.

Eating large amounts of meat and animal protein each day can be especially unhealthy and hard on the body. Animal products should be eaten in moderation. Plant-based proteins, such as beans, whole grains and legumes are choices that keep the protein levels where you want them and provide a lot of other nutrients. Of course eating a variety of protein sources ensures your body balanced nutrition with all the essential amino acids and prevents it from being bogged down when there is too much of one food item.

Best Result with Your Protein Consumption
Most people don’t realize this, but the muscle gains and recovery do not come from just protein. You need to have a balanced proportion of proteins with complex carbohydrates for your body to actually assimilate the protein for muscle gains and recovery. Therefore you need to consume protein in small amounts, keeping the total grams in one sitting to no more than 20, and include carbohydrates that will optimize protein utilization. This is why we mention plant-based protein sources, as they provide both protein and carbohydrates.

If you are looking at supplements for help getting good protein and carbohydrates you want to use something that is natural and does not have additives or artificial sugars and ingredients. Two of the best sources of high quality supplements are the superfood shake Shakeology, and Beachbody’s Recharge and Recover Protein from their Performance Nutrition Line. These products are clean, high quality protein sources that are perfectly balanced with carbohydrates for optimal assimilation of the protein and super nutrient dense carbohydrates to aid in the process of muscle gain and recovery.

When you are providing your body the proper macronutrient quantities, you will get the greatest results. Too much or too little will keep you from having the gains and results you are looking to obtain.

With the knowledge of protein requirements and overall balanced nutrition, great things will happen for you.




http://www.gettingfittogether.com/daily-protein-requirements-for-men-and-women/#!62

Health Effects of Caffeine

Not only does this article have a lot of good information, it also jives with my experience. I've been drinking coffee now for 50 years and it agrees with me and feels great up to a point, after which it's like I go over a mountain peak and I start to feel not-so-hot. I don't know the mg consumption, but I do know that, for me, somewhere between 2-4 cups is good, depending on the size of the cup. More than that and I start to feel kinda sour and have lower energy.

Caffeine has its perks, but it can pose problems as well. The best thing you can do is to find out how much is too much for you, as well as the overall health effects of caffeine. Once you know the health effects of caffeine you can properly determine whether you need to curb your consumption.

Do you rely on caffeine to wake you up and keep you going? Well you aren’t alone. Caffeine is used by millions of people every day to increase wakefulness, alleviate fatigue, and improve concentration and focus. This can be a problem.

Health Effects of Caffeine

Caffeine is a powerful stimulant, and it can be used to improve physical strength and endurance if used properly, but it can also have some very bad side effects on your health if over used and over consumed.

Where can caffeine be found and is there a difference?

 Caffeine is found in Coffee, Green Teas, Energy Drinks, soda, and in a pill form. Caffeine that you find in soda, pill form, or in the majority of energy drinks are synthetic versions of caffeine which is not a form of caffeine you want to be consuming. Then add the sugar levels that are in soda and most energy drinks, and you are on the road to weight gain and an unhealthy body. If you are going to consume caffeine it should only come from coffee, green tea, or if you are using an energy drink you need to verify that it is coming from green tea or other natural herbs that have been found safe for consumption. The cleanest most natural energy drink on the market is Energize by Beachbody. This product can found in their top selling Performance Nutrition Line.

How much is too much and what are the health effects of caffeine?

Some science says that up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults. The key word here is “Appears”. The newest science has shown that low doses of caffeine may have beneficial effects on the body, where high doses can hinder how the body operates.

Caffeine dosages really should be tailored to each individual. If you are new to caffeine or supplements that contain caffeine, keeping consumption at 100 mg or lower per dose would be a good idea. Typically, 200 mg or less of caffeine has shown to have fat-burning and performance improvement properties. Heavy caffeine use can cause unpleasant side effects, and caffeine may not be a good choice for people who are highly sensitive to its effects or who take certain medications.

Heavy daily caffeine use that is more than 400 mg a day may cause side effects such as: Insomnia, Nervousness, Restlessness, Irritability, Digestion issues and Bloating, Fast Heart Rate, Muscle Tremors, and Weight gain just to name a few.

High doses have been found to not improve performance or aid in fat burning because it causes sedation and relaxation effects by triggering those receptors in the brain. It also creates an inhibition of serotonin levels, acetylcholine, and your adrenaline system. When this happens to these systems you will see slowing in performance, and fat burning abilities.

Of course you only want the health effects of caffeine that are good. So you may need to take a look at your consumption and see how you can curb your caffeine habit to bring your consumption to the levels that will have a positive benefit.

Depending on your consumption, cutting back on caffeine can be challenging. An abrupt decrease in caffeine may cause withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches, fatigue, irritability and nervousness. Fortunately, these symptoms are usually mild and resolve after a few days.

To have health effects of caffeine that will benefit you, try these tips to get your consumption in line:

• Keep tabs. Start paying attention to how much caffeine you’re getting from foods and beverages. It may be more than you think. Read labels carefully. Even then, your estimate may be a little low because not all foods or drinks list caffeine.
• Cut back. Remember to do it gradually. Decrease the amount by a few ounces each day. Avoid drinking caffeinated beverages late in the day. This will help your body get used to the lower levels of caffeine and lessen potential withdrawal effects.
• Go decaf. Most decaffeinated beverages look and taste the same as their caffeinated counterparts.
• Shorten the brew time or go herbal. When making tea, brew it for less time. This cuts down on its caffeine content. Choose herbal teas that don’t have caffeine.
• Check the bottle. Some over-the-counter pain relievers contain caffeine, and can be as much as 130 mg of caffeine in one dose. Look for caffeine-free pain relievers instead.

The bottom line is that caffeine can be a part of your daily routine if consumed at doses that benefit your health versus hinder it. When done this way, most of the time it doesn’t pose a health problem.

Be mindful of those situations in which you need to curtail your caffeine habit. If you plan on using nutritional supplements that have caffeine make sure that is a high quality product that uses naturally low doses of caffeine, such as the Energize from the Beachbody Performance Line. Also keep in mind that when consuming these products you may have to keep your other caffeine beverages to lower levels.

When taking these things into consideration it will provide you the positive health effects of caffeine versus negative effects.

www.gettingfittogether.com/health-effects-of-caffeine/#!62

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CIZE Special Offer Through July 31st!

Order the CIZE Challenge Pack by midnight July 31st and we will send you the FIXATE cookbook ($19.98 value) as our thanks. 100% money back guarantee.

CIZE Special Offer Through July 31st - Currently, the CIZE Challenge Pack including a full month's worth of Shakeology and access to Beachbody on Demand for Internet streaming, is reduced to $140. Through July 31st, we will send a copy of the brand new 21 Day Fix cookbook, FIXATE, to anyone who buys the CIZE Challenge Pack. Click the red button below to buy the CIZE Challenge Pack and we will send you the FIXATE cookbook as our gift.

Exercise for Depression and Anxiety

Gotta SHARE this excellent article. If more people knew what endorphins and endocannabinoids are and how they work and to what they are similar, perhaps the obesity trend would be over as everyone would rush (joke intentional) to exercise for those effects alone.

Depression and anxiety symptoms often improve with exercise. When you have anxiety or depression, exercise often seems like the last thing you want to do, but once you get motivated, exercise can make a big difference. So, how do you Exercise for Depression and Anxiety?

First you need to have a greater understanding on how exercise can make a difference in depression and anxiety symptoms. The links between anxiety, depression and exercise are not entirely clear, but working out and other forms of physical activity have shown that it can definitely ease symptoms of anxiety or depression and make you feel better. Exercise has also been shown to help keep anxiety and depression from coming back once you are feeling better and symptoms have subsided.

How does exercise help depression and anxiety?

Regular exercise for depression and anxiety may help ease symptoms in a number of ways, which may include:

• Releasing feel-good brain chemicals that may ease depression (neurotransmitters, endorphins and endocannabinoids)
• Reducing immune system chemicals that can worsen depression
• Increasing body temperature, which may have calming effects

Regular exercise has many other psychological and emotional benefits, as well. It can help you:

• Gain confidence. Meeting exercise goals or challenges, even small ones, can boost your self-confidence. Getting in shape can also make you feel better about your appearance.
• Take your mind off worries. Exercise is a distraction that can get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed anxiety and depression.
• Cope in a healthy way. Doing something positive to manage anxiety or depression is a healthy coping strategy. Trying to feel better by drinking alcohol, dwelling on how badly you feel, or hoping anxiety or depression will go away on its own can lead to worsening symptoms.

Now that you have an understanding of how it can help, what can you do to Exercise for Depression and Anxiety? Research has shown that physical activity such as regular walking, gardening or other forms of physical activity may help improve mood. Keep in mind that Physical activity and exercise are not the same thing, but both are beneficial to your health. The same research has shown that those who used exercise that incorporated progressive resistance training, and cardiovascular training showed a greater improvement and maintenance of depression and anxiety.

Exercise for Depression and Anxiety

With that said, many people don’t seek out exercise because they don’t want to go to a gym or fitness facility due to their depression and anxiety. So what is the answer?

The answer is to utilize at-home fitness and exercise programs such as Beachbody’s 21 Day Fix, P90X, TurboFire, Insanity, and others that provide resistance and cardiovascular training in a planned and structured format. This progressive exercise combined with a structured plan, and where you don’t have to leave your home is great way to create that improvement or maintain that Exercise for Depression and Anxiety can bring to a person.

One of the other things that many people don’t have with going to the gym to exercise for depression and anxiety is support. With a Beachbody Club Membership, each person gets a FREE Coach to support him or her. This can be a great benefit to those who have to exercise for depression and anxiety. If you start with a Beachbody Premium Membership, you’re first 30 days is FREE, and it gives you access to Beachbody On-Demand, an amazing meal planner, and much more! After your free trial ends, you’ll continue to stream world-class programs, such as P90X®, P90X2®, P90X3®, INSANITY®, and more from our massive Beachbody Member Library.

So take advantage of exercise to provide benefits to your overall health, and to improve or manage depression and anxiety.



http://www.gettingfittogether.com/exercise-for-depression-and-anxiety/#!62

How to Eat Healthy While Traveling

By Mel Batterman

Eating healthy while traveling can be intimidating. Potential weight gain and feeling sluggish doesn’t have to be a part of your travel plans. As we all know, eating healthy on the road can be a challenge. It is easy to load up on the food that is easily accessible, and most of your meals will come from restaurants. Which all can lead to potential weight gain, sluggishness, and detriment to our bodies. So ultimately it will take a bit of pre-travel preparation on your part to make things a bit easier, which is absolutely worth it.

Here are a few suggestions. It truly starts with planning! If you are prepared you won’t be at the mercy of airplane meals or roadside food services. Packing a variety of snacks that easily transport can be as easy as packing all of your other belongings.

1. Handmade individual trail mixes. You can custom make trail mix blends based on what nutrients your body needs.
2. Pre-packaged trail mixes (choose clean, whole organic ingredients).
3. Nuts and Dried fruits
4. Healthy Meal Replacement Shake
5. Raw food bars or good nutritious bars with clean ingredients
6. Bananas, oranges, nectarines, and fruits that have an outer layer that protects the inner food.

Check out and download our book with other tips for eating healthy while traveling. 

SOME ADDITIONAL TIPS:

1. It is always good to eat a healthy filling meal like a salad with lots of vegetables and some protein, or a vegetable burrito prior to your travel, so it can carry you for a bit longer of time frame.
2. When eating at restaurants be sure to look for a health conscious salads and other grilled meats and vegetable options at mealtimes.
3. Be sure to drink plenty of clean water while traveling. Your body needs the additional fluids to stay hydrated and properly digest the foods when it is out of your ordinary nutrition consumption.

How to Eat Healthy While Traveling

Even with all of these preparations, eating healthy on the road while traveling can be difficult. You may find that eating less while traveling is helpful, in fact you can use traveling time as opportunity to fast a bit, and/or eat a vegetarian diet. It is a good way to give your digestive system a break for a few days. Though it can be challenging to find healthy foods outside of the home, do not be discouraged. There certainly are a number of products that can carry you through your travels.
Need help finding your way? How about an on-line meal planner, nutrition guide, health and nutrition coach, and 150 of Beachbody’s Top Rated Fitness Programs Streaming to your cell phone, pad device, or laptop for $2.99 per week, and you’re first month is FREE!

Strength Training Exercises: Without a Gym Membership

Everyone knows what's involved in joining and going to a gym to workout. Even people who've never been have seen it in movies or on television and have an idea. Strength training at home is so much more convenient in many ways, plus you can mix it up easily, save loads of time, and can definitely save lots of money. When you join an online support group you get the motivation, encouragement, and accountability you need, too.

With your busy schedule, you don’t always have time to get to the gym. Whether you’re working full time outside the home, working from home, or a stay-at-home spouse or parent, your schedule is packed with things that you need to get done. That is understandable but that shouldn’t prevent you from being healthy and having the body you’ve always wanted. Strength Training Exercises can be accomplished right in your living room, or any other room in your house. No fancy gym equipment needed, and Without a Gym Membership!

Simply pick a Beachbody On-Demand program that works for you. With Beachbody On-Demand you can fit your workout in no matter what time of day it is, and you can do it anywhere. One of the best things about the Beachbody On-Demand programs, is there is something for every fitness level. Each program as a modifier for each exercise and will show you how to perform the exercises correctly to avoid injury. No matter what your fitness level, beginner to super experienced there is a Beachbody On-Demand program that will work for you.

Strength Training Exercises: Without a Gym Membership

Ideally, you want a program that will challenge you without pushing you too hard. Most of the at-home strength training programs progress at the level that is needed to give you that push. Of course you can always use the modifier if necessary to fit your current activity level. You can choose body weight exercises, or try a workout that uses weights, bands, or other basic tools that you might already have sitting in your home. Of course if you are just getting started and don’t want to commit to buying equipment you can always use canned food or water bottles for hand weights.



If it’s been a while since you last engaged in regular exercise, it’s probably unrealistic to expect yourself to dive in to exercising five or more days per week. If this is the case it would be suggested to start with a basic exercise program that allows you to get in some strength training two or three days per week. It is also recommended that you follow the calendar for the program to help keep on track. Be sure to give yourself small rewards for staying on track. Maybe there’s a movie that you’ve been desperate to see or a book that you’ve been waiting to read. Promise yourself that if you stay on track with your strength training program for an entire week, you’ll allow yourself that treat.

Mix it up! With the huge library offered by Beachbody On-Demand, you can easily access different programs and workouts that will keep your routine fresh and interesting. Having a steady regimen for 3-4 weeks and then changing it up is always a good thing. This can help create greater results.
Workouts and strength training through Beachbody On-Demand is an easy way to get in shape from the comfort of your own home. You don’t have to go anywhere and it will save you some money by not having a gym membership or driving to the gym. All you need is a television, tablet, or computer and a commitment to getting in better shape. What more could you ask for?



http://www.gettingfittogether.com/strength-training-exercises-without-a-gym-membership/#!62

Get FIXATEd on 101 Healthy Recipes

Today's the Day! Celebrity trainer, Autumn Calabrese, is launching her new cookbook, Fixate!

Here's Autumn herself to tell you about her creation.   Click here to watch Autumn's video message.

Click here to sample 5 delicious and healthy recipes included in Fixate.

Get Your FREE Copy!

To celebrate the cookbook launch, we're going to send you a FREE copy of Fixate ($19.95 value), if you purchase either of Autumn's Beachbody Challenge Packs by midnight Friday, July 31st.

Purchase the 21 Day Fix Challenge Pack or 21 Day Fix Extreme Challenge Pack - both of which are already on a special promotion this month from Beachbody.

Buy Fixate!

You can also just purchase Fixate yourself for $19.95 in the US or $24.85 in Canada.

Fixate with the portion control containers costs $24.95 in the US and $42.95 in Canada.

Click here to purchase Fixate.

More Fixate Facts

Autumn Calabrese takes her simple color-coded container system for measuring perfect portions and applies it to 101 of her favorite family recipes to give you Fixate, a delicious approach to healthy weight loss. So you're not just eating tasty, healthy foods-you're eating just the right amount. Each Fixate recipe lists color-coded container equivalents and nutrition  facts, so you can use Autumn's system for measuring portions and make sure your nutrition is on track when you begin 21 Day Fix, 21 Fix EXTREME®, or any other fitness program.

Plus, Fixate includes Paleo, gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian, and Shakeology recipes along with Autumn's personal tips for preparing meals quickly upgrading leftovers, and stocking your kitchen with absolute must-haves.

Click here to read more about Fixate from Autumn's blog.

Here's Autumn with Sagi Kalev and Tony Horton, two other Beachbody celebrity trainers, modeling new fitness apparel at the Team Beachbody Summit, in Nashville, starting July 19th!

P.S. We need more Coaches to help promote a healthy lifestyle and end the trend of obesity. Read our Top Ten Reasons why you should start your own Team Beachbody business. If the time is right for you, contact us asap!

How Often Should I Eat?

Quantity and quality, plus intervals. You don't really have to be a mathematician or an engineer to eat healthy, but you really should apply the basic principles outlined in this article. Eat small portions, of the right stuff, spaced during the day for best health and weight maintenance. Think of it as time-released nutrition. 

How Often Should I Eat? Let’s face it, since the dawn of man the rule for consumption of food was simply to eat to survive. Well our modern society and lifestyle has changed and flipped that simple process.

Obesity rates continue to grow and will be affecting more than two-thirds of Americans in the next 5-10 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So you can see the simple rule has flipped and it appears that humans survive so they can eat.

Through the years we have seen nutrition and diet science, and programs change their design about what foods best suit our needs as a society, but you don’t hear about when to eat. The question that seem to arise most often is “How Often Should I Eat?”

The most popular approach to the question of How Often Should I Eat for general health and weight maintenance has been to spread calories throughout the day by consuming 5-6 smaller meals. The concept of doing this method is that you are most likely to feel less hungry at any particular time, and in turn you will not be apt to overindulge or eat in excess.

A study found in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, shows data on this approach. It states that people who were at their ideal weight and able to maintain their weight reported eating more often than individuals who were overweight and obese.

How Often Should I Eat?

The overall plan is to eat small meals and snacks spread out every 3- 3 ½ hours from the time of breakfast. This keeps you sustained which avoids greater levels of hunger and will limit overeating., therefore providing control of caloric intake and, ultimately control of body weight.

Though we know that eating throughout the day with 5-6 smaller meals can benefit for weight maintenance, how does it measure up for weight loss?

According to a study done by Circadian Biologist Ph.D. Amandine Chaix, consuming meals 5-6 times throughout the day can aid in weight loss, but it needs to be meals that are healthy and portioned appropriately. It was found that if the foods were high-fat, sugar or highly processed that the individuals still became obese. The complete findings found that those fed in the 9-12 hour window with 5-6 smaller meals that were portioned and low in processed, high fat, and high sugar were leaner. “So, already being obese and switching to time-restricted feeding with healthier foods and portions, does create weight loss. That is powerful.” Chaix said.

The research of meal timing shows further benefits in addition to those who want to lose weight and maintain their weight, especially as it relates to the consumption of protein.

When spreading the protein consumption throughout the day in smaller doses the body is able to assimilate and use the protein for greater gains and recovery of the muscle tissue. This can help maintain muscle loss during weight loss, and through the aging process.

How Often Should I Eat?

The answer is 5-6 smaller meals per day, spaced out every 3-3 ½ hours after the consumption of breakfast. You must also keep in mind that for weight loss and maintenance the number of calories at each meal and throughout the day still plays a very large role in this process.

If you are trying to lose weight, you need to consume smaller meals spread throughout the day, create a calorie deficit through portioned meals, and exercise appropriately 5-6 times per week. If you need assistance in implementing a meal plan and exercise regimen that will keep you eating throughout the day and exercising appropriately, Beachbody’s 21 Day Fix combines all of this in one package and you get a FREE Coach to help keep you on track and motivated.



http://www.gettingfittogether.com/how-often-should-i-eat-food/#!62