Energize your holiday spirit

 Weight Control  No Responses »
Feb 222013
 

It happens every year — the holiday season arrives, with its hustle, bustle and extra demands on your time, energy and good humor. Here are a few suggestions for mobilizing the energy and enthusiasm it takes to create and sustain that holiday spirit.

Energize with exercise

Instead of reaching for caffeine, get out for a walk or an exercise class. It’s easy to drink too much caffeine when you’re on holiday overload, when summoning the energy to get through the day feels like squeezing water from a stone. While too much caffeine makes you tired and wired, a good workout helps you feel physically relaxed but mentally alert. It relieves feelings of tension and stress, and helps you concentrate. And, unlike caffeine, it enhances sleep quality and offers wonderful health benefits. Continue reading »

New moms: get your body back

 Health and Fitness  No Responses »
Sep 172012
 
postnatal-workou

It sounds like you’re on the right track, so don’t give up! You don’t say how long you’ve been following your exercise program, but keep in mind that you didn’t gain those pounds overnight and you won’t lose them that way either. Here are some ways to maximize your calorie burn so you see quicker results: Continue reading »

Need an energy boost? Look at the iron content of your diet!

 Fitness  No Responses »
Sep 072012
 
Need an energy boost

Do you feel tired even though those consistent workouts are supposed to provide you with more energy? Low iron stores may be the culprit. Having low iron stores does not mean you are anemic but you could be one step away. An individual who has anemia does not have enough iron to produce red blood cells, which are essential in delivering oxygen to the body’s tissues. Symptoms of low iron stores can include fatigue and decreased aerobic endurance.

One study looked at the endurance level of 42 healthy women who had low iron stores but who were not anemic. The study focused on whether their iron status was negatively affecting them at the gym. Half of the women were given an iron supplement and the other half were given a placebo. They were put on a four-week exercise program where they rode a stationary bike five times a week for 30 minutes. The women who took a supplement raised their iron stores to normal and their energy levels increased as well.

Need an energy boost Continue reading »

Weight training in addition to cardio exercise, to gain muscle mass and burn fat

 Featured, Fitness  No Responses »
Sep 032012
 
Weight training

You need weight training in addition to cardio exercise, to gain muscle mass and burn fat.

Many people believe that just doing cardio exercise at home is enough to burn fat.  For anyone wanting to get into shape, your goal should be to lose fat and gain muscle mass.

The truth is that yes running, biking, or other types of aerobic exercise is good for burning fat.  It’s also good at burning your muscle tissue as well, if you are not weight training.  This is why you need to include weight training into your regular daily fitness routine.  Remember Balance and consistency are your key to gaining muscle mass and burning fat.  When I say balanced, I mean training all of your body parts equally, eating a well balanced diet,  and at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise in your daily exercise routine.  I also recommend vitamins and supplements to enhance your body’s fat burning process. Continue reading »

Beware Of Over-Training

 Health and Fitness  No Responses »
Aug 232012
 
Beware Of Over-Training

Exercise is a good for you – most of the time. Like anything else, too much of it can be harmful. When it comes to smart fitness training, more isn’t always better. Sports coaches and fitness experts know that overtraining seriously compromises safe and effective exercise. Over-training can occur from consistently working out too often, too intensely or for too long. It can reduce performance and increase the risk of injury.

Sometimes people over-train because they’re enthusiastic about a certain sport and end up practicing overzealously. Or, exercisers are so anxious to reach their fitness goals, they work out too frequently and/or too vigorously. Everyone has different training goals and fitness levels, so defining over-training is difficult. But there are common symptoms associated with over-training. Some possible signs include: insomnia or trouble sleeping; irritability; elevated resting heart rate and/or blood pressure; fatigue; loss of appetite; feelings of depression; and susceptibility to colds, flu and injury. People who are suffering from the effects of over-training often regard exercise as a chore when it used to be a source of enjoyment. Continue reading »

Why Use a Heart Rate Monitor

 Health and Fitness  No Responses »
Aug 222012
 
use a heart rate monitor
  • Benefits
  • Determining Your Target Zone
  • The Main Reasons People Exercise with HRMs
  • Fitness Basics
Did you know that if you exercise too hard, you could actually be teaching your body to store fat, instead of burning it? That’s right, as your heart rate exceeds your Target Zone, your body actually begins to store fat instead of burning it and begins to produce acids which burn and strain muscles.
Fitness & Effectiveness
- Do you know whether or not your work out keeps you in your Target Zone long enough? For improved cardiovascular fitness you need to maintain your heart rate within your Target Zone for at least 15-20 minutes per work out.

Cardiovascular Conditioning
- Help strengthen your heart & lungs by increasing the time spent in your target zone.  Continue reading »

Exercising with a Health Challenge

 Health and Fitness  No Responses »
Aug 182012
 
Exercising with a Health Challenge

The prescription for recovering from or for dealing with a medical condition should always include physical activity. It increases energy, strength, balance and coordination, plus it may ease the pain and discomforts of your condition.

Initially, you should request clearance and detailed exercise guidelines from your healthcare practitioner. Then you should enlist the help of a certified fitness professional qualified to work with someone suffering your physical problem.

A fitness professional will note the details of your health and physical history and evaluate your strength, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness. This person will also help you establish realistic goals and design a safe, effective exercise program in consultation with your health practitioner. Continue reading »

Cross Training

 Health and Fitness  No Responses »
Aug 172012
 
Cross Training

Cross training, performing various kinds of exercise rather than sticking to one routine, makes you less likely to grow bored and drop out of your exercise program. Frequently changing your exercises also makes you less vulnerable to injury: the stress of working out is spread out more evenly on your muscles, joints and bones.

For cross training:

  1. Vary your aerobic routine, don’t do the same thing all the time; add new wrinkles to your program
  2. Add strength training and stretches to your exercise program
  3. Alternate activities, for instance, by swimming today and walking tomorrow.
  4. Break up your workout into various activities (For instance 15 minutes of stair stepping , 15 minutes on the treadmill and then 15 minutes on an exercise bike, 15 minutes on the elliptical)
  5. Combine aerobic exercise with strength training in one session, alternating weight lifting with aerobics.

Exercise and Heart Disease

 Health and Fitness  No Responses »
Aug 122012
 
Exercise and Heart Disease

Perhaps the first area of sports medicine to show the benefits of exercise conditioning was in heart disease. From the Framingham study in the 1970′s and 80′s to the Harvard Alumni report, to Nathan Pritikin and his reports on low fat diets and exercise, to the more recent work of Dr. Dean Ornish, the first reports, and some of the most applicable, relate to the use of exercise in the prevention and treatment of heart disease. This was true almost fifty years ago when cardiologist Dr. Paul Dudley stated that “almost any kind of exercise plays a role in maintaining health in coronary patients”.

In the past fifty years medicine has created many types of procedures for correcting malfunctioning hearts. The echocardiograph, persantine thallium (nuclear medicine scan), bypass surgery, angioplasty, etc. all have made an impact on survival percentages for heart disease patients. However, the downside to this technology is that many heart patients may have cardiac abnormalities within months of their surgeries if lifestyle changes are not adopted as part of their recovery process. Continue reading »

The Short Bout Exercise Program

 Health and Fitness  No Responses »
Aug 072012
 
The Short Bout Exercise Program

Wouldn’t you like to be able to train and look like an athlete? Are you finding it hard to lose those extra pounds? It’s probably because your current fitness level doesn’t allow you to work out at a sufficient intensity to burn enough calories.

TO BURN FAT CALORIES, CONCENTRATE ON BURNING TOTAL CALORIES
The Short Bout Exercise Program™ is a new and revolutionary approach to exercise that will allow you to burn more calories in less time. Combined with the lifetime warrantied Wellness Machine, the program is designed to fit into your work day. Continue reading »

Learning Center – Exercise

 Fitness  No Responses »
Jun 042012
 
fitness model

Exercise is that magic elixir that can make just about everybody feel better. A strong, fit body gives you confidence and fills you with energy. For women reaching midlife, exercise also helps lower the incidence of menopausal-related illnesses and conditions.
Benefits of Exercise
Here are ways cardiovascular and/or weight-bearing exercise can help:

Reduces risk of developing heart disease, the leading cause of death in women older than 50;
Decreases risk of developing osteoporosis and bone fractures;
Decreases risk of developing diabetes;
Helps control hypertension;
Can replace feelings of depression with a sense of well-being;
Helps maintain good body weight. Continue reading »

Normal Levels of Cholesterol

 Featured  No Responses »
May 242012
 
cholesterol-levels

What Are Normal Levels of Cholesterol? Part 1

The first in a two part series.

Do you know what the acceptable levels are for each of the different types of cholesterol? There are different types of cholesterol? Yes there are. The three most well known types are LDL, HDL and triglycerides. Typically people with high cholesterol will give their overall composite cholesterol level. However, knowing what are the normal levels for each type of cholesterol is very important to your heart health. Continue reading »

12 Beauty Resolutions

 Food and Drink, Health and Fitness, Women  No Responses »
May 202012
 
resolutions

The beginning of every year is a great time to make changes in your life. And when you’re thinking about making a change in your beauty routine, it often goes much deeper than purchasing a new lipstick. Your beauty is 100% attached to your physical and mental well-being. But don’t let that overwhelm you! We’ve pinpointed the basics in these 12 beauty resolutions to consider as this new year approaches. You might think about implementing one resolution per month to beautifully guide you through an entire new year. Continue reading »

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