As Mother’s Day approaches, you always think back of cherished memories that you’ve shared together. You might also tell yourself “I wish I would have listened to her whenever I was younger.” Don’t worry because we all have been stubborn when we were young and growing up. You know they say, “Mother’s do know best”. If you were like me, I didn’t always listen to what she had to say. As you look at yourself in the mirror, do you ever ask yourself why she was telling you to do certain things, or eat certain foods? I eventually found out there was a reason behind her madness, and today I can recall how helpful those tips are.
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“Stand Up Straight”
Having good posture is important for everyone, it especially shines through during training. Specifically, bad posture can shortchange rear delt and back movements and force you to overdo chest movements. That’s before we even get into the dangers it can cause when it starts to corrupt form. Good posture means your bones are properly aligned and your muscles, joints and ligaments can work as nature intended. It means your vital organs are in the right position and can function at peak efficiency.
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“Drink Your Milk”
Whether it’s skim, one percent, two percent, homogenized or chocolate milk in your glass, you always get the same 16 essential nutrients. Milk is a refreshing and nutritious beverage that is great for strengthening our bodies. Even if you didn’t like it when you were younger, there is no denying the health benefits. Milk provides the right amount of bone building nutrients, specifically calcium, vitamin D, protein, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, vitamin B12 and zinc. Did I mention that milk has eight grams of muscle building-protein per cup.
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“Eat Those Vegetables!”
Admit it, she was right to make you wait for dessert.
Vegetables provide nutrients vital for health, growth, and maintenance of your body. Eating foods that are lower in calories per cup instead of some other higher-calorie food may be useful in helping to lower calorie intake, allowing you to lose weight. Diets rich in foods containing fiber, such as some vegetables and fruits, may reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.
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“Go Play”
Team sports are good for learning accountability, dedication, and leadership — they’re also great places to find workout buddies. Training with others will keep you accountable and help you stay focused on your goals. If you can do it on the field, you can do it in the weightroom.
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“Stop Being a Couch Potato”
Regular exercise just makes the body function better. We know, there are plenty of excuses to not go to the gym. Regardless, the benefits of lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, and a host of other diseases makes it worth the extra effort. According to the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, being physically active on a regular basis:
Helps protect you from developing certain cancers.
Improves heart-lung and muscle fitness.
Relieves symptoms of depression and anxiety and improves mood.
Helps protect you from developing heart disease and stroke or its precursors, high blood pressure and undesirable blood lipid patterns.
