PGX and Colour Psychology

Written by Staff Writer - Posted on 5 April 2012

PGX Investigates Colour Psychology and Your Well Being

Can the colour of your home affect your efforts for healthy living?

You may be surprised to discover that the colours you surround yourself with may have an affect on your health and well being. Usually we pick the colours of our home based on personal preference, but now colour experts believe that hues of our homes can have an effect on our emotions.

So how does this relate to making healthy choices and keeping fit? Our emotions have a lot to do with the choices we make. If the colour of your kitchen or the gym walls can help you choose healthy snacks and run that extra mile, then why not give yourself that extra help?! Read on to get a taste of what colour can do for us!

Blue is a colour of calm, promoting physical and mental relaxation. What comes to mind when you think of blue? Blue skies and beach getaways? When you are stress free, your fitness efforts will always be more effective.

Yellow is a bright and cheerful hue that has often affected people in a positive way. It has been shown to help people with better decision-making and adopting a positive attitude. Positivity, however attained, goes a long way in helping us achieve our fitness and health goals. Like yellow, orange is considered to be one of those “happy” colours as well.

Red is a vibrant and stimulating hue associated with energy and activity. It can be a strong colour for your walls that is very well suited to spaces of movement like the stairwell, hallways or the exercise room! A splash of red might give you more of boost than you realize!

Green (my personal favourite) is the colour of nature, relaxation and wellness. Greens of various shades can be inspire calmness or in it’s lighter tones, create an atmosphere of lightness and joy! Whatever shade it is green can bring back a touch of nature and often has positive effect on your mood, which can mean the world of difference to your health.

Making healthy choices can be challenging at times. Positivity and inspiration can make or break a healthy lifestyle. You may not even notice how the colours around you affect your mood, but if yellow in a kitchen can inspire a rush of positivity or if that red exercise ball can get you pumped for your workout, why not surround yourself with mood-lifting colour?!

Want to know more about colour psychology? Visit Pittsburgh Paints’ Voice of Color.

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The London 2012 Olympics

Written by Staff Writer - Posted on 8 February 2012

Welcome back to another week of PGXs’ Thursday Obsessions!

PGX is obsessed with the London 2012 Olympics and the inspiration that it provides the world.

The London 2012 Olympics are finally here, so it’s no wonder that this week we’re obsessed with The Games! Like many people around the world, I’ve been tuning into the 2012 Olympic Games since they began last Friday in London. And like many people, I’ve become obsessed with watching the world’s greatest athletes achieve the seemingly impossible, day after day!

Personally, I find that witnessing these extraordinary athletes achieve their personal bests is incredibly inspiring (nevermind that some of their bests are breaking Olympic Records!). Watching an athlete who has given a sport their all, finally reap the benefits of all of their hard work is inspiring. Not that I believe that the Olympic Games are anywhere in my future, but I find myself wanting to challenge myself in my workouts. I want to run faster, longer and train harder. Here’s to hoping that I can hang onto that Olymic Inspiration when the Games are finished!

Some of my favourite Olympic sports to watch are gymnastics (how DO they do all that?!) and volleyball. What are your favourites to watch? Do you find that the Olympics inspire your workouts?

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Weight-Wise Wednesday: Mediterranean diet

Written by Staff Writer - Posted on 8 January 2012

The Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet uses Mediterranean-style cooking and is considered a heart-healthy eating plan.

The Mediterranean diet is based on a healthy eating plan using the traditional cooking style of countries around the Mediterranean Sea.

Key components of the Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes:

Getting plenty of exercise
Eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts
Replacing butter with healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil
Using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods
Limiting red meat to no more than a few times a month
Eating fish and poultry at least twice a week
Drinking red wine in moderation (optional)
Enjoying meals with family and friends

As the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid shows the diet includes plenty of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables! Many people who switch to this diet say they’d never eat another way! For more on the Mediterranean Diet check out the Mayo Clinic website.

Does this look like something you’d like to try out? Let us know in the comments below!

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PGX Office Tip: Desk Exercises

Written by Staff Writer - Posted on 5 January 2012

Stuck at desk all day? Here’s a simple desk exercise!

Relieve the tension in your legs with this easy desk exercise we’ve found for you!

Do you sit at your desk all day, staring at your computer, hunching and tense all over without even realizing it? Work can be a really busy place that doesn’t always allow you the luxury of a midday stroll. We’ve done some internet sleuthing and found how you can loosen up stiff leg muscles without leaving your desk or disrupting your productivity!

Wellness Matters and BC Living have come together to share this easy exercise to relieve the tension in your legs.

It’s always best to get up from your desk, stretch and take a short walk around to keep your muscles limber, but when short on time, try this desk exercise!

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Matching Music to Movement

Written by Staff Writer - Posted on 2 January 2012

PGX checks out the latest in exercise apps!

Match your music to your pace and never miss a beat while you exercise!

Looking for motivation and the right tunes to get you ready for your workout? There’s a new app available from iTunes that allows you to match the music to your heart beat.

Check out this video featuring how Cadence Run DJ matches the rhythms of your music to a corresponding beats per minute number (BPM).

Get your daily fiber and keep on moving everyone!

Cadence Run DJ is available on iTunes.

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Hula Hooping Your Way to Health

Written by Staff Writer - Posted on 10 November 2011

Remember those young hula hooping days? PGX says get your hula hoop on today!

Exercise doesn’t have to be boring. Just grab a hula hoop (or two or three or even four) and start moving!

Not only does it make a great workout, playing with hula hoops can be a lot of fun! No wonder kids are in such great shape. It’s not just all that energy they seem to be bursting with, it’s their choice of activity. The hula hoop is a great way to get your body moving.

What does this kind of activity do for you? With just one hula hoop, you can have a low-impact, calorie-burning workout that doesn’t require a gym membership. The movement that keeps the hoop spinning around your waist is excellent for toning your core, strengthening your back, and improving your balance and flexibility. Plus it’s way more fun than running on a treadmill, watching a TV station that the person next to you picked.

If one hula hoop can do all that for you, imagine what two or three or four can do! Want to know how many calories you can burn with a hula hoop?

The Chicago Tribune’s Joan Cary has got the numbers and a little bit of hula hooping history for you.

Happy Hula Hooping!

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Changing the Clocks and Your Children’s Health

Written by Staff Writer - Posted on 11 October 2011

With the change of the clocks, daylight fades earlier in the winter months. What does this mean for your children?

It is such a gorgeous sunny day outside as I write this, it’s seems hard to believe that in just a few hours, the sun will have set! Now that the clocks have been put back, our evenings come much earlier. What does this mean for your kids?

A recent study from UK researchers suggests that not changing the clocks would keep your children active by allowing them more outdoor play. What do you think?

BBC Health News reports on this interesting idea.

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Get the TIFF Red Carpet Physique

Written by Staff Writer - Posted on 9 September 2011

TIFF is on and the celebrities are out in full force, looking lean and toned.

PGX looks at how you can get those lean and toned limbs, celebrity style.

With the Toronto International Film Festival, or any Hollywood to-do that rolls out a carpet for that matter, comes the parade of svelte physiques, waiting to get their photographs taken! True, some of the stars could use some more meat on their bones but there are healthy looking, toned figures on the red carpet that are the result of good nutrition and exercise. On Wednesday, eTalk featured celebrity trainer Brent Bishop and he shared three easy moves that you can do at home to get those long lean limbs, flat abs and toned muscles!

These classic but tweaked exercises will help you reach your fitness goals. It won’t be long before those photographers are taking your photo and asking, “Who are you wearing?!”

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Three of our favorite weight loss tricks

Written by Staff Writer - Posted on 7 August 2011

Looking for some new ammo to help shed those pounds to fit into that itty-bitty bikini by the end of the summer? Check out these three easy tips.

Ban clear food containers from your kitchen.

In this case, that old saying ?out of sight, out of mind? may be true. Cornell University researchers found that people ate 70 percent fewer sweets when the food was stored in jars that they couldn?t see through versus clear plastic or glass. So instead of keeping that clear candy dish on your desk or coffee table, store your goodies in a solid container where you can?t see them.

Exercise before work.

After an exhausting day at the office, usually the last thing you want to do is spend a couple hours in a hot gym. Studies have shown that the brainpower we use during the workday makes us lose the will to do much of anything else afterwards. Another incentive to working out in the morning is that you will free up your afternoon for any last-minute errands or appointments.

Crank up the air conditioning.

This trick should be very easy to do these hot summer days. According to research reported on the New York Times, turning down the heat can actually help you shed pounds. That?s because when we are exposed to chilly temperatures, our bodies go through something called non-shivering thermogenesis. The process may cause us to burn an extra 100 to 200 calories a day.

While these tricks can give you that extra little boost to help you slim down, remember that a healthy diet is still key in any weight loss journey. Adding PGX to your meals can also help by making you feel fuller while eating less.

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Spring clean your diet

Written by Staff Writer - Posted on 6 July 2011

The days of heavy, winter-weather comfort foods are over! Warmer temperatures are finally here, and that means we?re no longer craving that hot pot of chili, but instead are reaching for fresh melons and a cool crisp salad. Spring is a great opportunity to clean up our diets, and get rid of those bad eating habits we adopted over the long winter. Here are some tips to help give your diet a good spring cleaning:

Make an inventory of your meals.

We like to think that we can remember everything we eat each day, but you might be surprised at what you are forgetting. Keeping a log of what you eat after each meal is a good way to track any bad habits, and take notice of important food groups that may be lacking on your plate, such as fruits and vegetables.

De-clutter the kitchen.

This means more than just wiping up spills and removing mystery leftovers from the refrigerator. It?s time to get rid of those high-calorie salad dressings, dips and condiments. Also say goodbye to processed meats such as sausage and hot dogs, as well as juice, sodas and other sugary drinks.

Organize.

You?ve cleaned the junk out the cupboards and refrigerator shelves, now it?s time to organize. Stock the pantry with some healthy staples including whole-grain cereals and breads, oats, fat-free popcorn, fat-free refried beans, and diced tomatoes. In the freezer, load up on frozen veggies. Many people don?t realize that frozen vegetables are often more nutritious than fresh produce found in the grocery stores. They?re cheaper too.

Freshen up your taste buds:

More and more local farmer?s markets are opening every weekend. This is a great opportunity to stock up on in-season produce. Chefs and nutrition experts agree, foods taste better and more nutritious when you get them in season. There are many websites out there that can help you find out which fruits and vegetables are ripe for picking near where you live.

A smart diet is important to a healthy lifestyle, but don?t forget about exercise! Many of us are jumping to get outside after spending months cooped up on the couch. Now is the time to dust off those sneakers and get outside for a run, or pull out some gloves and start digging in the garden. Winter hibernation is over, and it?s time to get moving!

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