Take Advantage of Summer Weather

Summertime is for relaxing, enjoying the weather and catching up with friends & family…but what about using summer as the season to get back “in shape”?  Summer is when we spend more time outdoors enjoying the sun.  So lets say I take my own advice and start working out by walking or running outside …. what happens when winter comes and life feels more sluggish and I don’t want to walk or run in the snow and slush?  I’ve been looking through magazines and came across Health Magazine that listed the best fitness equipment, and Lifespan Fitness was recognized for having the #1 Treadmill.

After getting advice from some people they either said join a gym or invest in a piece of fitness equipment.  I’m in a dilemma because at one point in my life I was a member of the local gym and I did go regularly for about a year and then I just stopped feeling motivated.  It ended up costing me a lot more money than I would have liked…since I stopped going I still was locked into a contract for 2 years…ugh I don’t want that again.

So narrowing down my options it seems like my best bet is to buy a treadmill.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

How Athletes Keep Bikini Bodies All Year Long

As many of us are working towards getting our best bikini bodies…I started to wonder what some professional athletes are doing right now to stay in shape.  Take for instance one of my favorite NFL players – The Dallas Cowboys’ Terrell Owens.  I mean look at this guys body, it is obvious that he is doing more than going to training camp when  the Dallas Cowboys Travel to San Antonio, TX in the end of July for 2 weeks of training.

It was interesting to learn that T.O. has his own Youth Football Mini Training Camp from June 24 – 25th, and I was even more surprised to find that T.O. uses resistant band training to get such a ripped body – so it is not all about lifting hardcore weights.

T.O. certain does a lot to get ready for the Dallas Cowboys Games, but oh how we love to watch him play on Game Day!

Sitting in Front of a Computer

Sitting in front of a computer all day must be the most unhealthy job that one can do, it isn’t exactly the best thing for your body.  If you have to be at your desk all day long here are some tips:

1. Sit Properly
2. Stand up every half hour to stretch or walk around
3. Stretch your calves
4. Learn to stretch
5. Roll your wrists regularly
6. Roll your ankles regularly, this helps improve the blood circulation
7. Notice if you tend to hunch in front of the keyboard.  To counter that, perform the following exercise: open your arms wide as if you are going to hug someone, rotate your wrists externally (thumbs going up and back) and pull your shoulders back.  This stretch is moving your body the opposite way to being hunched and you should feel a good stretch across your upper chest
8. Contract your abdominal and gluteal muscles, hold them there for a few seconds, then release. Repeat this for every few minutes all day long while you are working at your desk
9. Stretch your arms, legs, neck and torso while sitting.  This will help prevent you from feeling stiff
10. Take advantage of the downtime created by rebooting or large file downloads to get up and try something mroe ambitious such as doing a few push-ups, sit-ups, and/or jumping jacks.  Beware of your snickers co-workers though
11. Acquire a hand gripper.  They are cheap, small and light.  When you have to read something either on the screen or on paper, you probably won’t be using your hands very often so squeeze your gripper. It is an excellent forearm workout
12. Acquire an elastic band (also cheap, small and light) and use it to do the actions mentioned in step 9 (i.e., when stretching your arms, do it by pulling apart the elastic band).  You will not only stretch but it will also work the muscles slightly
13. Take a few deep breaths. If possible, get some fresh air in your lungs
14. Invest in a large size stability ball or stability ball style desk chair, and sit on it with back straight and abs firm. The actual stability ball is more effective, however the chair is a more viable option for use in an office environment. Sit, bounce or do basic toning exercises while watching TV or talking on the phone as well.  Use the actual ball form in moderation when typing, as this is probably not the most supportive seating to prevent carpal tunnel and tendonitis
15. While sitting, lift your legs on the balls of your feet and set them down. Repeat these until your legs are comfortably tired. Then repeat it again about 10 minutes later. Do this whole routine for about an hour or so. This will exercise your calves.
16. Have a bottle of water by your side and make a habit of drinking some every half hour. If you do this consistently you will begin to feel more alert and in the long run you will get thinner.

Also, after a long day sitting in a chair I like to go home and do a quick workout on my treadmill (aerobic style) that way you get all the blood flowing.

Lose the Baby Weight

Parents.com have provided tips from Real Mom’s lose the baby weight:

• Step it Up (use the steps more and more)
• Bust a move with your baby (do squats & situps while holding your baby or playing with him/her)
• Walk it off (take your baby for stroller walks)
• Use your freezer (put snacks in the freezer such as Yogurt)
• Cut back, just a little
• Set a goal
• Fend off Temptation (keep the junk food out of the house)
• Find a baby-friendly gym
• Fuel up before work
• Ask for help
• Keep nutricious snacks on hand
• Work for your Wardrobe
• Play with your dog
• Toss the take-out menus

When my friend was trying to get rid of the left over baby-weight she went out and bought herself personal fitness equipment.  She was determined to get rid of her belly before beach weather 15 pounds later she is half way to her goal!!

Weight Loss Scams

We all see those commercials on TV, magazines & even ONLINE for the perfect weight loss plan, but which ones help and which ones DON’T?!  No one wants to get scammed but then again no one wants to be chubby.  Sometimes the treadmill doesn’t work or maybe we don’t give it enough time to work – that’s probably more like it.  Here are some tips from scamwatch.gov about weight loss scams and what to look for:

• Lacks scientific evidence or demonstrated links between the result and the effects of the program, food, supplement, gadget or process being promoted
• Is sold outside normal commercial distribution channels.  For example, through the internet, by unqualified individuals or mail order advertisements
• Claims effortless, large or fast weight loss such as ‘lose 30 kilos in 30 days’ or ‘lose weight while you sleep’
• Claims that you can achieve weight loss without exercise, or without managing food or energy intake
• Fails to recommend medical supervision, particularly for low-calorie diets
• Claims to reduce fat or cellulite in specific areas of the body
• Uses terms such as ‘miraculous breakthrough’
• Recommends the exclusive use of any type of gadget
• Claims it is a treatment for a wide range of ailments and nutritional deficiencies
• Promotes a particular ingredient, compound or food as the key factor of success
• Demands large advance payments or requires you to enter into long-term contracts

Please remember that if it looks too good to be true IT PROBABLY IS!

Working Out Sucks

Why don’t we have that gene in our body that tells us working out is not a hassle to do?  Sometimes working out really does SUCK.  No matter if you have the coolest treadmill or the best exercise plan, taking the time out of your day can be so annoying.  So, this week while I’m using my elliptical trainer I’m going to try and read a book while I exercise.  I’m a little worried about how annoyed I’ll get about me bouncing up and down while trying to read at the same time.

I think that working out in the winter seasons is much harder than in the summer.  Because I would much rather workout outside by running or taking a walk, than being stuck inside..ughhhhh!!

Does anyone have any motivating advice to give less motivated exercisers??

Fitness Equipment that FITS you

Seems like every week I hear on TV, the radio or by word-of-mouth about losing weight, exercising, joining a gym…

It’s UNAVOIDABLE!!!  We can’t get away from the word “image.”  Whether your image is the way you look or your personality it is everywhere we go.  Losing weight for many can be a struggle.  I have been using my elliptical trainer on and off now for about a month and I really haven’t seen too much changes, other than feeling more energetic and happy that I have stuck to my routine.  I’m really hoping to see some sort of difference SOON.

Does anyone have any suggestions about a routine I should be doing or a meal plan (types of food) that has worked?  Any advice would be greatly appreciated Thanks

Upright Exercise Bikes For All Ages

My grandfather just recently went to the doctor and was told that he needed to increase his daily exercise and continue on his low-fat diet.  To know ones surprise my grandfather was not too thrilled when he heard he would have to continue eating “healthy” foods and snacks and now increase his daily exercise.  Now, my grandfather had an exercise bike that looked like it was from the 50’s so we decided he was in need for an update we bought him an upright exercise bike that surprisingly he LOVES.  For the first week he used it 15 minutes/day and now he is up to 20 minutes a day, progressively becoming more and more into the whole idea of “exercising.”

Is Exercising the Brain Bad?

I was reading an article about exercising the brain, not to get it confused with exercise to lose weight.  Anyways, apparently exercising your brain at an older age can create more of a memory loss.  For more details click here.

Fight a Cold

An article listed the best foods to fight the common cold:

1. 7 servings of fruits & veggies along with 8-10 glasses of water
2. Yogurt
3. Sweet Potatoes
4. Tea (Black Tea)
5. Chicken Soup
6. Beef
7. Mushrooms
8. Fish and Shellfish
9. Garlic
10. Oats and Barley

Along with eating well, regularly using your exercise machines can help prevent colds, at least that is what a friend told me.

Next Page »