"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Harnessing personal strength

What’s strong vs. what’s wrong

by CONNIE ARONSON

 

 

 

The positive psychology movement believes that cultivating what is best in ourselves increases our sense of well-being. Our character strengths and their connection with life satisfaction and happiness is an important research field in positive psychology. A new large-scale study conducted by a team of psychologists from the University of Zurich proved that the largest impact was evident in training the strengths: curiosity, gratitude, optimism, humor and enthusiasm. It's no surprise that these participants were more often in a good mood and more cheerful.

Rather than focusing on our quirks, the newer field of psychology focuses on how humans flourish. The Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, home to the founder of the movement, Martin Seligman, calls it "the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive." We all have problems and stresses, but manifesting your strengths can help you increase your happiness, improve your relationships and achieve your life goals.

 

How happy?http://www.conniearonson.com

 

http://multibriefs.com/briefs/ACSM/ACSM052212.php multibriefs.com In this issue: • Honoring Scientific Leadership

 

To see the best core exercises chart go to www.conniearonson.com !Essential Core is an  educational and motivational poster of the top core exercises. Made for home and gyms, sports medicine clinics, PT clinics, fire stations, sports teams, universities, spas, and anyone interested in a strong flat midsection. No more tearing out magazine ab routines to know what works best for core!

Sometimes simple advice is just smart. We all know that we have to decrease energy balance and increase exercise if losing weight is the goal. Some great advice from a star-studded Ph.D panel recently speaking on Energy Balance and Weight-Loss Confusion at ACSM's 16th Health & Fitness Summit, including Nancy Rodriguiz;University of Connecticut, Laura Kruskall;University of Las Vegas, Nanna Meyer; University of Colorado, and Kris Clark of Penn State.

Eating just 3-4 bites ( 100 calories ) =10 pound weight gain in a year ! That's one of the reason's it is so easy to gain weight!

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Check out my article on how great the roller is for sore , tight muscles, at Www.mtexpress.com. October 7, 2011

 

y grandmother used to laugh at herself in the mirror, and say she didn't recognize the old person looking back at her! She didn't feel old.Yet alot of us look in the mirror and wonder why we don't look like we used to, when we were in our twenties or thirties. Liz Applegate, who is the director of sports nutrition  at UC Davis presented results from a 10 week program called Embrace Your Range, at the American College of Sports Medicine annual Health & Fitness Summit, April 14th."We still have that prehistoric wiring to store fat", she said. We can blame it on estrogen, starting from puberty, as the fat shifts over the decades towards our middle section...but we can also modify our diets toward colorful fruits and vegetables and allocating 25% of our plates to lean protein sources, limit alcohol, and exercise! Over 80% of the women in the program felt more energetic, and healthier, and with the extra protein-much better!

Embracing our Changes Anaheim, Calif.-Embracing the physical changes that come with age can be a struggle for women in conventional weight-loss programs. However, a new program educates women about the physiology of aging and shares strategies to optimize diet and exercise accordingly, said an expert today at the American College of Sports Medicine's 15th-annual Health and Fitness Summit &Exposition. ( my 14 th !) " Body fat shifts as women age", said Liz Applegate, Ph.D.,FACSM. " In a women's 20's and 30's , most fat is concentrated in the hips and thighs. Once a women turns 40, the fat deposits redistribute toward the stomach. Women start questioning why they don't look as they did when they were younger not knowing that these changes are predetermined by biology." To help women adapt to these physiological changes, Applegate- who is director of sports nutrition at the University if California at Davis- started the Embrace Your Range program in 2010. The program employs specialized diet and exercise plans to help women control ab weight gain and reduce the risk of chronic disease. The diet plan stresses protein intake as well as fiber derived from fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains rather than supplements. The exercise plan uses appropriate cardiovascular & strength training techniques for both premenopausal and postmenopausal women. "Most diet- and- exercise plans focus solely on weight loss, but they don't account for the changes that accompany age," said Applegate. "Embrace Your Range helps women accept their body's natural shape changes and use diet and exercise to optimize health..." Embrace Your Range participants report improved body image, greater energy levels and improved body shape.