Chasing the Sun: Your Chief Wellness Podcast with Mark Mohammadpour

Last week I tried on a pair of pants that still had the tags on. It was the first time I was able to wear these pants since I bought them in…2011 (!). No one should have pants for eight years before they can fit into them. 

My advice: live in the now, wear what you can now, sit and enjoy your life where you can and feel comfortable NOW. Live in the NOW! I share a few thoughts on today’s episode! 

It's National Walking Day today! I LOVE walking. I believe it's the simplest, most versatile and impactful form of exercise. I never took walking seriously until I started losing weight and figured out that, coupled with a more balanced eating regime, it helps achieve a lot of goals. It positively impacts my mental health, my physical health and is the simplest form of accomplishment.

Over the years, I have looked at walking with a sense of purpose and intent. How do I look at my life and my schedule and make choices that can involve walking on a more consistent basis? I share my thoughts on today's episode! Happy #NationalWalkingDay!

Throughout college, my college internships and when I started my professional career, I spent a lot of time in my car. Crossing states, multiple traffic jams, parking, walking to school/the office, it takes its toll! Looking back, I spent around 5 hours per week commuting, which is about the American average. 

These are the states with the longest and shortest commutes — how does yours stack up?

Whether you’re driving, a passenger in a car, or riding mass transit, there are a couple realities. First is simply the amount of perceived lost time you have spending that time commuting. Second, there's research that shows your commute can impact decision making at work 

USATODAY.com - Commuters drive stress into the workplace

What are three things you can do? I'll share my thoughts in this week's episode!

It’s March and college basketball tourney season. Time for brackets, Cinderella stories and hours and hours and hours of time in front of a television, our tablet and phone to check out how our alma mater is doing. Sitting on chairs and couches for hours all day is NOT good for our bodies. But watching hoops is SO FUN. What do we do?

Plan ahead. Know the schedule.

These tournaments have HUGE television contracts with a lot of timeouts. One television timeout every four minutes of play, not to mention regular time outs. Then there’s halftime, breaks inbetween games, it doesn’t stop!

I’ll share thoughts on how to incorporate exercise while still enjoying the tournaments this month.

Right it down. Plan ahead. Drink your water, ENJOY the tournaments, but most of all, keep moving! 

Let's talk about the relationship we have with our food. We have parties around food, we have national food days, we watch television shows about food, we read websites, we pin recipes, we post hundreds of millions of photos about food. When we are making permanent changes to weight loss, this can be a significant distraction. How can we enjoy food without letting it overwhelm us? Let's discuss!

Happy March! If you're like me, it's time for winter to wrap up soon! That said, and even though it's still freezing, the second the clock struck March 1 it was like everything was new. It's been a long but fun winter. Still managed to lose a few pounds and stick to my exercise routine. My wife and I walked nearly 50 times in the early mornings between November and February, and the rest of the time went bike riding and/or to exercise class. Our transformation over the last few minutes have been just as much FEELING different and FEELING happier when we know we had a great workout or made the right eating choices. I share a few thoughts on what that means to me in this latest episode!

I recently read a new study about the positive impact on blood pressure when you go walking in the morning. 

https://gizmodo.com/a-morning-walk-may-be-as-good-as-medication-for-lowerin-1832761252

Just last month, a study found that even 30 minutes of light regular exercise could lower the risk of an early death by 17 percent for the average middle-aged American. 

Now, I remember as a kid going to the pharmacy and getting to sit in those chairs with my arm stuck through a blood pressure machine. I thought it was cool because for a few seconds I felt my arm getting squeezed slightly, then some random numbers punched out.

Fast forward to adulthood and I'll tell you, there was a time more than 10 years ago when I was 350 pounds that I NEVER EVER EVER wanted to know those numbers. I never wanted to know my weight, my cholesterol and certainly not my blood pressure. 

But you need to know those numbers. Why?

The American Heart Association says that the increase of blood pressure related deaths is increased by 38 percent between 2005 and 2015, and 103 million American adults have high blood pressure.

So, how do we fix this issue? I share a few thoughts on today's episode. 

There's a REASON why the fable of The Tortoise and the Hare is so popular: it's TRUE!

When it comes to losing and keep off a significant amount of weight, you must go slowly and surely. I share a few quick thoughts to keep in mind as you're progressing through your permanent change. 

Happy Valentine's Day! It's the LOVE episode. GAH, right?? Love and exercise? Why on Earth are we talking about this today? Whether it's taking a specific class, playing a sport you love, embracing a fitness video game, or learning to run a 5K, my message today is that YOU define exercise however you want as long as you're moving. I share three quick tips to help fall in love with exercise, or at least like it a little more. :) Enjoy!

Emergency podcast! It's snowing here in the Pacific Northwest. But does that get in the way of you losing and keeping weight off permanently? No! In today's spur-of-the-moment podcast, I share three quick tips to mentally prepare you for weather-related challenges, stay on track and Chase YOUR Sun! Stay safe out there, friends!