Balance sheets.
Income statements.
Cash flow.

All of these things are constantly evaluated and scrutinized to determine a company’s financial health.

But what about the health of what makes your company in the first place – your employees’ health?

Fortunately, many companies focus on the happiness of their employees and work hard to make sure they enjoy working for them. This may include team lunches, office outings, free snacks, flexible work hours, and anything else that could be found on a list of what employees want when you do an internet search.

BUT if your employees aren’t healthy overall, they will not be able to enjoy any of this.

So let’s talk about why you should take an interest in your employees’ health and how it benefits the company in the long run.

What Happens When Employees are Healthy
1. Increased focus
There are a number of studies that have shown that regular exercise improves focus. Physical activity immediately boosts the brain’s dopamine and serotonin levels – the hormones that make us happy and feel good. Because of this, it also reduces stress levels and anxiety. This makes it easier for employees to focus on tasks at hand in a more clear manner.

2. More energy
When the body is active during exercise, it increases the oxygen flow throughout the body. This in turn delivers the nutrients your body needs and strengthens the cardiovascular system. When the heart and lungs are strong, this gives the body more energy to work longer and tackle more daily tasks.

3. Increased confidence
Whether it’s to complete a workout that was considered to be challenging or having the strength to bypass an unhealthy snack for a healthier option, there’s a sense of accomplishment that is achieved after reaching a goal. Each goal that is achieved, no matter how small it is perceived to be, increases your level of confidence and the desire to take on bigger and more meaningful tasks.

4. Improved productivity
When you have an employee who is more focused, has more energy, and has more confidence, this employee is able to give more to their job, department, and company. There is a decrease in downtime, the need for breaks, and shrinking from opportunities. They are more excited to see what they can accomplish each day.

 

 

The post How Your Employees’ Health Matters to Your Bottom Line first appeared on Fitness Is NOT A Game.

I give credit to any company that wants to please its employees by providing breakfast.

Whether it’s for an early meeting or just a Thank You, there are better options than the continental breakfast!

Continental breakfasts are chosen because they are easier and generally more affordable (and who doesn’t like muffins, right?). But they also are usually stocked FULL of carbs and nothing else. I mean, where’s the balance?

Here are some things you can (and should) consider for the next time you are considering offering breakfast in the office that will add more nutritional value but still won’t blow the budget.

Oatmeal Bar
What can I say? Oats are amazing! They are super balanced by being high in carbs and fiber to help you feel fuller longer. They also are higher in protein and fat than the other grains so they give you a little bit of everything. And don’t freak out about the fat. We NEED fat and oats have the good fat in them.

They are also versatile.

To add flavor to the oats, you can have a variety of toppings/additions that are on the healthier side like:

• Dried fruit like raisins and cranberries
• Toasted almonds or walnuts
• Natural sweeteners like honey or agave

Parfait Bar
Kudos to the companies that offer yogurts at their breakfasts. If this is you, great. But a way to step it up and make sure your employees are getting the most out of their meal, consider making it Greek yogurt to add more protein and nutritional value. Regular yogurts are typically super high in sugar and carbs but nothing else. Making this swap will be healthier and also help you to avoid the slump you may see in your employees shortly after their sugar high wears off.

Some good toppings to consider would be:

• Fresh fruit
• Dried fruit
• Granola

If you gotta have the continental breakfast…
Maybe your local restaurants don’t offer the previous suggestions. That’s highly possible.

If you absolutely have to order the traditional continental breakfast of bagels and muffins, here are a couple of things I’d like you to consider adding so that they at least have the option of getting some form of protein and balance, as well:

• Peanut butter
• Almond butter
• Boiled eggs*

*You may have cringed at the boiled eggs but some of them come already peeled and reduce the smells drastically.

Bottom Line
Do yourself a favor and keep the productivity of the morning sugar rush by providing a balanced meal to start the day. Traditional continental breakfasts appease to the carbs that people love but don’t benefit you or the employees in the long run.

The sugar high will burn off and can cause a crash. This could lead to lethargy, headaches, and irritability. No one wants any of those in the office.

Also, providing these options will take into consideration the employees who can’t have that amount of carbs. With over 34 million of Americans with diabetes, this is a serious issue to consider.

The post 3 Ways to Fix Office Continental Breakfasts and Improve Productivity first appeared on Fitness Is NOT A Game.

As a Regional Training Manager in corporate America, I split my time between face-to-face trainings with employees and sitting at my desk preparing those trainings.

I absolutely loved the time I was able to spend in front of the training classes but understood the value of the prep work that went into making sure I would deliver the information in the best manner possible.

The problem with the prep work was the amount of time I spent sitting at my desk staring at my computer.

I felt lethargic and knew there had to be a better way to get through the day.

So I asked my supervisor for a standing desk. Initially, the company couldn’t (or maybe wouldn’t) approve my request so I made my own.

I found an old box, an unused file sorter, and thick books to stack on my desk to get my laptop to the height I could comfortably use while standing. Some of my co-workers thought I was crazy but others recognized what I was doing and began requesting standing desks, also.

It just so happened that our company was relocating to a new building within the next few months and decided that this was a good time to add them to the desks of the employees who requested them.

I was so excited!

Here are the reasons that I requested the standing desk in the first place and the benefits I knew I would receive:

1 – Lowers risk of weight gain and obesity
Working in an office environment is typically very sedentary. And on top of sitting all day, there’s a lot of time spent munching on the goodies in the snack drawer while working. None of this can lead to anything good.

But just by standing instead, employees can burn anywhere from 100-200 calories per hour. Compared to sitting which burns anywhere from 60-130 calories per hour, you’re looking at almost twice the calorie burn which could decrease the rate at which weight gain could happen.

2 – Reduce back pain
One of the main reasons I pushed for the standing desk was to reduce the amount of pain that I felt in my lower back from sitting all day. Think about it. How often does your back hurt at work? How often do you hear others complaining of back pain at work?

Prolonged sitting can put extra pressure on the discs in the spine that are meant to move and be flexible. Our bodies are built to be upright. Standing helps the bones maintain their strength and also allows for better blood flow.

3 – Improve mood and energy
When you’re sitting, your brain gets less oxygen. On the other hand, standing promotes blood flow and helps your body get the oxygen it needs.

In addition to the medical benefits, just the act of standing breaks up the monotony of the day. When you’re standing, you are able to move around (and even dance) while working to make it more fun and exciting. It’s less restrictive than just sitting.

4 – Boost productivity
The MAIN reason I requested a standing desk (and the main reason you should want your employees to have one) was because it helped me think clearer to boost my productivity. Let’s just be honest. There are some parts of our jobs that can just be flatout boring. There’s no other way to say it. But they are necessary and still need to be done.

Standing helps to reduce mental fatigue and stimulates the thought process to make handling those mundane tasks easier. Thus, reducing the amount of time spent on one task and the ability to handle more.

Incorporating Standing Desks In Your Office
The great thing about standing desks is that there are a number of different styles.

Depending on the budget and feasibility of restructuring your office, it’s still very possible to incorporate them into your office. And it can easily be done today.

The easiest (and most affordable) way would be to incorporate desktop standing desks. They easily fit on top of the current desks and don’t require any assembly. This is actually the style that I have.

Another option would be to get a freestanding adjustable desk. This allows the employee to keep their workspace exactly the same, no matter whether they are standing or sitting. This is also a great option for employees who may be taller and struggle when sitting at conventional desks.

There are a number of possibilities for choosing which is best for you and your employees. Consider them a great investment in your employees’ health and the success of the company.

The post 4 Reasons Standing Desks Help Your Employees first appeared on Fitness Is NOT A Game.

So many people skip breakfast because they are so busy and constantly on the go. (Does this sounds like you?)

Although I don’t skip breakfast because I like to eat way too much, I do know the feeling of being super busy and needing something that’s quick. I don’t have “extra” time. So finding the concept of making egg muffins was so dope!

I’ve always liked omelets but don’t always have the luxury of sitting down to enjoy one. Plus, we all know that eggs are super nutritious for us and CHEAP. And making egg muffins is like making a walking omelet so it’s just a WIN all around.

Now, I’ll tell you. I don’t really follow a recipe when I make mine. I will basically use any vegetables and seasonings I have on hand that day and then let the ancestors guide me. LOL

I don’t use meat in them often but have tried them with turkey sausage, turkey bacon, and shrimp. They were all really good. 

I also typically use all egg whites (hence, the picture). 

But for my folks who like to start with a recipe first and then modify down the line, here you go. 

Nutrition

Source: Well Plated

The post Recipe of the Week: Egg Muffins first appeared on Fitness Is NOT A Game.

Since so many people skip breakfast because they are super busy in the mornings, I think this recipe is perfect. You can make these ahead of time and you don’t need any dishes to enjoy them. Plus, you don’t have to try to balance a bowl while driving. (Don’t act like I’m the only one who has done that before. LOL)

There are so many ways you can play around with this recipe but I wanted to at least give you the baseline. Have fun with them!

Warning: They are SUPER hearty so you won’t need to eat many of them at once.

Ingredients

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2/3 cup toasted shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or vegan chocolate chips)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Stir everything together. Stir all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.
• Chill. Cover the mixing bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, or until the mixture is chilled. (This will help the mixture stick together more easily.)
• Roll into balls. Roll into mixture into 1-inch balls.
• Serve. Then enjoy immediately! Or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Source: Gimme Some Oven

The post Recipe of the Week: Oatmeal Power Balls first appeared on Fitness Is NOT A Game.

Most people like to go walking with their friends. Whether it’s a quick walk around the neighborhood or taking on an actual trail, it’s easily one of the most fun ways to get a few minutes of cardio activity into your day.

I’m going to give you a little tip on how you can make the most out of your cardio workouts, especially when you’re strapped for time.

Intervals!

Nowadays, there’s a lot of talk about HIIT or high intensity interval training, but my little tip has nothing to do with HIIT. In fact, we don’t even have to go to high intensity in order to maximize the benefits of cardio.

Intervals are effective even without having to push yourself to the limits. The reason intervals work is because they simply challenge the body and, as a result, they make your body stronger.

So, how do you incorporate intervals into your cardio workouts? It’s simple.

When you’re out for a walk at the park, pick out two landmarks. You might choose a tree and a bench. Make sure there’s a reasonable distance between the two – not too close, but not too far either. You might decide to jog from the tree to the bench. Once done, go might go back to brisk walking, then you can pick another two landmarks, but do a sprint from one point to the next.

Not everyone can jog or run a full mile. Their legs might feel like giving in, or maybe they end up short of breath, or maybe their heart can’t handle it. That is exactly the reason why people have to work up and build up their bodies in order to be capable of jogging or running certain distances. It’s a physical capacity that you need to build.

Intervals can be a fun way to effectively train your body to grow stronger and more capable of doing more cardio activity. Furthermore, it helps you to burn more calories.

Now, I suggested jogging and doing sprints, but there are other things you can incorporate into your interval training. For instance, you might decide to do walking lunges from one point to another. I know most people hate walking lunges, but they’re actually such an effective way to really get your thigh muscles involved.

Walking lunges are especially beneficial for people who are looking to lose weight. The leg muscles are the biggest muscles in your body. Whenever the leg muscles are engaged, you’re actually burning more fat than you would by working on a different muscle group. It also promotes faster metabolism.

The key thing to keep in mind when doing interval training is to make sure that you stick to a certain route. If you decide to walk a mile, you might decide to switch things up every 50 yards. Walk at your usual pace, then jog, then walk, then sprint, then brisk walk, then walk at your usual pace again.

You can skip. You can do walking lunges. You can do side moving lunges. You can even walk backwards. There are literally so many different things you can do to keep things fun. As long as you’re willing to try different things, you will never get bored of interval training.

You will see great results once you incorporate interval training into routine. I guarantee it.

I’ll talk to you soon!

The post The Best Kept Secret for Improving Your Running Distance first appeared on Fitness Is NOT A Game.

People often say they eat too much, and they ask me if there is anything they can do to change how much they eat, especially since most of them have a tendency to eat too much unhealthy crap.

Now, one of the most commonly given pieces of advice is to just not eat everything that’s on the plate, but that’s not really practical or polite, especially when the food is actually really good.

If you want to lessen the amount of food you consume each meal, what I have found to be quite effective is drinking water beforehand. What happens is you trick yourself into feeling full even before you start eating. Once you actually dig into your meal, you’re more likely to feel full after a few good bites.

Another way to trick yourself into feeling full faster is to have a serving of fruit or vegetable right before the meal. This is something I do whenever I’m preparing dinner. I might have a serving of fruit while I’m in the kitchen. I also gravitate towards eating the vegetables on my plate first.

The great thing about having fruit or vegetables first is the fact that it contains water and fiber which helps aid digestion. When fiber and water reach your colon first, it’s almost like it paves the way for all the other food that’s about to come in. Naturally, drinking water throughout the meal helps to flush all the food through and it all becomes easily digested by the body.

Of course, you’ll want to make sure that you stick to healthy food choices. But, in the event that you do want to indulge in some unhealthy crap, try to make sure that you drink lots of water and try to trick yourself into eating less of the junk and more of the healthy stuff.

The post 2 Surprising Ways to Eat Less With Each Meal first appeared on Fitness Is NOT A Game.

Like most people, I struggled with push-ups. I would see men doing push-ups and I would envy them because I always thought it was really cool to be able to just get on the ground and knock out a full set of push-ups.

Before I underwent basic training for the Army, I went through a special program called reception where they made sure you were physically fit. Reception only required me to a single push-up to get into basic training. But, by the time I graduated from basic training, I had to be able to do 13 push-ups in two minutes. As an 18-year-old, I was so proud to be able to complete basic training in a span of eight weeks, but I could literally only do 13 push-ups.

Now that I think about it, that’s really, really sad because I’m now past 40 plus and I have zero problems with push-ups. In fact, can do a variety of push-ups with ease. I think I enjoy doing them so much just because that was such a challenge for me. So, I accepted that challenge and I continued to push myself to learn how to get better at doing them. It wasn’t about just doing push-ups all day, every day. It was just a gradual strength that I wanted to build up.

In our Fitness Is Not A Game group, we do a lot of challenges, and one of them was a 100-push-up challenge. The goal was to do 100 push-ups in a day. The challenge was to see how many you could do by the end of the month. We didn’t do push-ups every day. We did them every three days. You could do regular push-ups or modified push-ups.

And, yes, they’re called modified push-ups, but they are not girl push-ups, okay? I feel like I really need to make that point because, when we ran that challenge, a lot of people in the group said, “Oh, I’m just going to do the girl push-ups because I can’t do the regular push-ups.” So, no, they are not girl push-ups. They are modified push-ups.

The tip that I want to share with you is to break it up into sets. It’s all about muscle memory and strengthening the muscle. Tell yourself you’re going to do ten push-ups. But make it a point to challenge yourself to do one regular push-up in that first set. This is especially useful for people who struggle with push-ups.

Challenge yourself to do at least one regular push-up in the first set. Period. Do one regular push-up, then do nine modified push-ups, Stretch it out. Give yourself a little time – maybe 20, 30 minutes, or whatever. If you’re ready to jump back in two minutes later, go for it.

For the next set, challenge yourself to do two regular push-ups and then eight modified ones. For the next set, do three regular push-ups and seven modified. Keep at it until you can actually do ten regular push-ups.

Make sure not to pressure yourself too much because, most of the time, it’s all in the mind. Sure, it’s about physical strength, but many times it’s mental. Many say, “I can’t do it. I just can’t do it.” If you tell yourself you can’t do it, guess what? You’re probably right. But, if you tell yourself, “Yes, I can!” then you’re more likely to figure it out. Just make sure not to pressure yourself into thinking you have to be able to do ten regular push-ups, back to back to back.

Also, because the regular is more challenging as opposed to the modified, it’s more ideal to do the regular ones first. You don’t want to say, “I’m going to do seven modified and then I’ll do three regular,” because, by the time you’ve done the seven modified, you’ve already burned that muscle out.

If you would like to join one of our challenges, you can jump in with the group. Just don’t tell the people who are already in the group that push-ups are coming back.

Whether you decide to join the group challenge, or if you choose to challenge yourself on your own, I hope that you will take it upon yourself to work on your upper body strength by training yourself to do push-ups – particularly regular push-ups – by following the process I’ve just shared with you.

Have a good one!

The post Do You Think You Can’t Do Regular Push-ups? Yes, You Can! first appeared on Fitness Is NOT A Game.

I know it sounds crazy, but you must feed your body enough to burn calories.

Your body is smart. Your body is built to protect you. That’s why it’s not going to let you starve yourself. That’s just how the body works.

Now, I’m going to tell you how metabolism works.

When you eat, you may not realize it, but you’re training your body. Your body says, “All right, I’ve eaten breakfast.” Let’s say you’ve had a bowl of oatmeal, one banana, some hard-boiled eggs, and lots of water. All in all, you’ve consumed around 300 to 350 calories. Your body will use that as storage because that’s the body’s fuel, and we need to start viewing food as fuel for the body as opposed to something that’s harmful or bad.

Food is fuel. Food fuels your body to give you everything you need in order to get you through each day. Whenever you provide your body with enough fuel, it responds by providing you with energy to do whatever it is that you need to do.

Let’s say you’ve eaten breakfast at 7:00 in the morning. At around 10:00 in the morning, you decide to have a small snack – maybe you snack on some almonds and blueberries or something. Your body would still be burning the fuel that it was given at breakfast, but it knows that you’ve just given it some more fuel, so it’s going to continue to give you energy. By lunchtime, the body gets another serving of fuel, so it continues to give you more and more energy.

If you keep providing your body with fuel, it will become accustomed to burning fuel at a certain rate. Of course, you need to be providing your body with clean fuel which you can only get by eating healthy food options. When we’re giving the body the healthy fuel it deserves, it’s going to give you all the energy you need.

Now, let’s switch things up a bit. Let’s talk about those people who say, “I don’t eat breakfast. I typically eat one big meal around dinnertime and that’s it.” What effect might that have on the body?

Remember, your body is smart. It gives you the energy that you need. If you are not fueling it properly, if you just aren’t eating at all, your body goes on reserve. It says, “You know what? I can’t keep burning all these calories because he/she is not going to feed me until dinnertime. If I keep burning all these calories, she’s only going to end up being tired and he/she is not going to have the energy to do anything else. So, I’m going to reserve this, and I’m going to slow down until he/she feeds me again.”

Your metabolism slows down, and the body decides to reserve and conserve all the energy and fuel that you’ve given it because you haven’t given it anything else since the day before.

The funny thing about most of the people who only eat once or twice a day is the fact that they typically don’t even eat healthy stuff. Let’s be honest. Most of these people opt for high-calorie, high-fat food like pizza, burgers, and fries.

When your body is burning fuel at a slow pace and you give it unhealthy fuel to burn, it doesn’t really have time to burn calories efficiently. As a result, the unhealthy fuel doesn’t get burned and it doesn’t get out of your system the way it ought to. Instead, it gets stored as fat.

People who choose to eat once a day need to realize that what they’re doing isn’t healthy. In fact, it’s one of the reasons the scale doesn’t move. When you fail to provide your body with enough fuel to improve your metabolism, you end up with extra fat deposits.

You must start training your body to burn more calories by eating healthy meals in controlled portions which are given at reasonable intervals throughout the day. Once you train yourself to eat properly, you will gradually see the results you’re looking for.

I know it’s difficult for people who don’t like the idea of eating frequently. In fact, it can be a real challenge in the beginning. I won’t say that I was ever one of those people who only ate once a day, but it was hard for me to stick to having three meals plus two or three small snacks a day. I felt like I couldn’t eat that frequently, but I did it anyway. It’s about making the lifestyle change that you need to set you up for success.

I hope you enjoyed that tip because I have even more tips that I would like to share with you. Visit fitnessisnotagame.com/freetips and sign up to receive a freebie that will show you how to improve your body without even stepping on the scale.

Have a good one!

The post Why Not Eating Often Enough is Making You Actually GAIN Weight first appeared on Fitness Is NOT A Game.

(Guys, you’re welcome to listen in. Maybe you’ll learn something that you can pass on to the women in your lives.)

Ladies, I want to talk about something that we all experience regularly, something that affects us in varying degrees, something that we all tend to dread. What is it? Menstrual cycles and cramps.

Many women tend to suffer debilitating cramps during their cycles, and it literally makes them not want to do anything. They’ll often be found saying, “I feel like crap. I’m not going to the gym. I’m just going to lay on the couch and eat bonbons while watching soap operas and talk shows.”

What a lot of women don’t realize is that we should actually be working out during our cycles.

When I went to basic training for the military – yes, I am an Army Vet – all the drill sergeants were male except for two females. During one of the first few weeks of basic training, they split us up so that they would have the guys with the male drill sergeants while the females stayed back and talked to the female drill sergeants. Of course, the male drill sergeants didn’t want to talk about girl stuff.

The female drill sergeant said, “Look, I don’t want to hear any of you say that you can’t do PT stuff because you have cramps. That crap will work on the male drill sergeants, but it sure won’t work on me. I’m a lady, so I know how it goes. You’re actually going to feel better when you work out during your cycle. Trust me.”

Naturally, I didn’t believe her. I was just like, “Oh, she’s just being hardcore.”

Guess what? She was right – absolutely right!

Working out while you’re on your period can be really beneficial for you, but it doesn’t mean that you have to do a lot of strenuous workouts in order to reap the benefits. You don’t have to run five miles or get on a bike. All you need to do is go for a walk, or a jog, or lift weights.

The reason behind this is because your body releases feel-good endorphins whenever you exercise. Endorphins give you a natural high that helps to make you feel better and boost your mood.

Furthermore, endorphins help minimize stress which is one of the major culprits behind debilitating cramps. When you’re on your period and you sweat it out, you are literally sweating out all the stress. You’re sweating out the extra cramps which essentially makes you feel so much better.

I don’t know about you, but there are days when I don’t always want to get up and go to the gym or even workout at home or run out in my neighborhood. You wake up, you experience those cramps, and you literally just don’t want to do anything. But, when you force yourself to go on and get up, magical things can happen! Every time I persist, I find myself feeling better when I’m done, and I really want to pass that important tip along to all my ladies that need the boost.

The important thing to take away from this is to make sure that you do not hibernate during your cycle. When you’re on your period, you need to get out there and get active. If you’re cynical about it, that’s fine. I was cynical about it when I first heard about it, too. But I gave it a shot and found that it really does work.

Give it a try!

The post I Know You Don’t Want to, but Here’s Why You Should Exercise During Your Cycle first appeared on Fitness Is NOT A Game.