Articles / Julia Blanton » Wellness http://juliablanton.com/articles Nutrition balanced with regular exercise are the keys to happiness and longevity Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:34:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Relax With A Book http://juliablanton.com/articles/relax-with-a-book/ http://juliablanton.com/articles/relax-with-a-book/#comments Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:17:27 +0000 Julia http://juliablanton.com/articles/?p=330 Too often when we have down time we go straight to the computer or television. A short 5 minute break becomes an opportunity to pull out the iPhone or Blackberry and check email, text, twitter, or in some way stay engaged with one’s online life. This addictive behavior feeds our high-paced, high-stress lifestyle and leaves us little time to relax and recharge. Perhaps instead of reading your friend’s Facebook updates, consider cutting back on screen time and pick up a good old fashion book.

Reading is one of my favorite pastimes. I take my book with me wherever I go so I can enjoy it during little gaps throughout my day. When you dive into a well written book with an engaging topic or story, it’s like going on a little vacation; an unfamiliar world full of surprises, discoveries, and insights. With books you can travel to any place at any given time and learn about different cultures, customs, history, and people. There is nothing like a winding down at the end of a busy day with a hot cup of tea a great book.

I hope you enjoy some of these books. Please let me know if you have a recommendation for me!

Great Nutrition Books
Ultra-Metabolism (M. Hyman)
In Defense of Food (M. Pollan)
The Diet Cure (J. Ross)

All Time Favorite Books
The Poisonwood Bible (B. Kingsolver)
Memoirs of a Geisha (A. Golden)
The Hummingbird’s Daughter (L. Alberto Urrea)

Great Pleasure Reads
Born to Run (C. McDougall)
The Help (K. Stockett)
Eat, Pray, Love (E. Gilbert)
Peony in Love (L. See)
The Hours (M. Cunningham)
The Hundred Secret Senses (A. Tan)
The Red Tent (A. Diamant)
Marathon Man (W. Goldman)

Favorite Series
Tales of the City (A. Maupin)
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (A. Mccall Smith)

]]> http://juliablanton.com/articles/relax-with-a-book/feed/ 0 Become a Multi-Sport Athlete http://juliablanton.com/articles/become-a-multi-sport-athlete/ http://juliablanton.com/articles/become-a-multi-sport-athlete/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 06:44:06 +0000 Julia http://www.juliablanton.com/blog/?p=40 A triathletes’ extraordinary fitness is a direct result of their diversified training regimen. But what if your “big race” is a tennis match and not a triathlon? Can your three sports be tennis, yoga, and weight training? I am suggesting that we borrow the term “triathlete” to describe one who trains in any three disciplines and, by this definition, that we all become triathletes.

The primary benefit of multi-sport training is injury prevention. Every time you exercise you put stress on your body which, in moderation, it adapts to by becoming stronger. However, repetitively stressing your body in the same way eventually creates muscle imbalances which often leads to over-use injuries. I’m sure you know runners with knee injuries or swimmers with shoulder problems. When people who train in only one sport become injured, they don’t have any other activities to fall back on, which can create an unfortunate (and depressing) domino effect of fitness loss and weight gain. When you train in three sports you are less likely to get injured but if you do, at least you have 2 alternative activities to keep you fit and trim while you recover.

Other perks of multi-sport training include greater overall fitness, reduced incidence of burnout and boredom, more options for staying fit while you travel, and social enrichment by meeting new people with similar interests.

Variety is the spice of life and the key to well rounded fitness and injury prevention. Which three sports define you? Swimming, cycling, Pilates? Dancing, running, surfing? Raquetball, hiking, weight training? Mix it up!

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