Set Your Sails for Better Fitness in the New Year

The Steps to better fitness are quite like the steps you would take in most any endeavor.

Decide what you want:
Write down your goal. Get a picture of what you want to look like. Put a picture of your favorite beach on your dresser - make it the first thing you see in the morning and the last before you settle in at night. Keep a picture of the perfect, ideal body on your fridge - or on your desk. Constantly reinforce your desire.

Put together a plan:
Break your goal into small, manageable tasks. Like walk 20 miles a week by February 1. ( That's only about 3 miles a day - a Very reasonable goal! )

Do three sets of ten push-ups every other day by March 1.

Same for crunches on your exercise ball ( you get more out of your crunches when you do them on the ball!

Swim for 20 minutes twice a week.

Jog for 20 minutes 3 times a week.

You get the idea.

Focus on taking the steps required. Act upon your plan. Every day! Do something towards the completion of your goal(s). Hard work wins out here! You can't delegate anyone to run your laps or do your strength training!

Get feedback. Assess your results each week. Each month. Are you hitting your targets? If not, maybe you can adjust the plan accordingly. Shoot for the moon - wherever you land is way better than where you were when you started!

Keep after it. Never give up. Perseverance helps you reach your goal. Keep focusing on the daily action steps towards your goal!

All these steps are much easier if you make it fun. Do your workouts with friends. Vary your routines. Play a variety of sports. Whatever you find most fun!

If weight loss is one of your goals - the quickest way to lose weight fast (and keep it off) is with daily exercise.

Do you want to look good on Spring Break? Or at the beach this Summer? Start now! Make a little progress each day. Those little bits add up to a whole lot! And don't forget to keep eating healthy foods. You can have a much leaner body before Spring Break - and a tighter tummy by Summer! The choice is yours! Go for it!

Choose Better Health

The Holidays are such a wonderful time of the year! So good, in fact, that many of us celebrate with food. Lots of good, rich food. Tastes great. And some of our favorite have very little nutritional value. Along with a more sedentary lifestyle of sitting behind that desk and far too little time exercising, the pounds just seem to pile on.

Luckily there are natural and healthy ways to lose weight fast! Getting in shape fast is a goal one can reasonably expect to reach. Just how fast is entirely up to me! I get to make the choice to eat more sensibly, exercise and lose weight fast. I don't expect to lose this pot belly in a month. But two or three months is certainly a realistic target.

How much exercise is needed to make a difference in your weight depends on the amount and type of activity, and on how much you eat. Aerobic exercise burns body fat. A medium-sized adult would have to walk more than 30 miles to burn up 3,500 calories, the equivalent of one pound of fat. Although that may seem like a lot, you don’t have to walk the 30 miles all at once. Walking a mile a day for 30 days will achieve the same result. I think I'll strive for three to five miles each day! And get in some weight training to start building muscles.

If you consume 100 calories a day more than your body needs, you will gain approximately 10 pounds in a year. You could take that weight off, or keep it off, by doing 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily. The experts concur - the combination of exercise and healthy eating is the surest way to start getting in shape fast.

The choice is yours. Choose to adopt healthier habits. Choose to have more fun playing sports you enjoy! Choose to schedule some time each day for exercise. Be a little selfish - and guard your daily exercise time. You can choose to look better and feel more energized. To enjoy the many benefits of better health - eating healthy foods and getting in shape!

Holiday Fitness tips

The weather outside is a bone-chilling 5 degrees. We still have snow and ice covered streets. Not exactly ideal conditions for jogging or even a brisk morning walk. The winter months can present obstacles in our quest for better health. Especially if you enjoy outdoor activities and sports.

With all the Holiday parties and fun December brings, many of us find it hard to fit in any exercise time at all.

No worries. Here are a few tips to Keep You Going:

* Adopt a specific plan and write it down.
* Keep setting realistic goals as you go along, and remind yourself of them often.
* Keep a log to record your progress and make sure to keep it up-to-date.
* Include weight and/or percent body fat measures in your log. Extra pounds can easily creep back.
* Upgrade your fitness program as you progress.
* Enlist the support and company of your family and friends.
* Update others on your successes.
* Avoid injuries by pacing yourself and including a warmup and cool down period as part of every workout.
* Reward yourself periodically for a job well done!

Many health enthusiasts are turning extra rooms or unused space in their homes into their own mini fitness centers. Why leave the comforts of home when you can exercise and enjoy better fitness in your own home gym?

A few pieces of low impact exercise equipment and some free weights will help you stay fit during these frigid winter days! If you still want to lose a few pounds - the quickest way to lose weight fast and keep it off is with daily exercise. You can enjoy healthy eating habits , exercise and lose weight fast!

Christmas Fudge

Staying fit through the Holidays can be a challenge! Last night Christmas parties everywhere featured seasonal, and not to mention deliciously rich culinary treasures! Everything from Prime Rib to barbecue and then there were the desserts! I'm feeling my belt tighten just thinking about that delicious chocolate mousse! And the fudge at work all week! Forget the sugarplums - I'm having visions of Christmas cookies and candies dancing through my head!

No small wonder Jolly old Saint Nick is always pictured as pleasingly plump! Today, Moms everywhere will be baking Holiday favorites. Chocolate - a traditional Christmas favorite - is already flying off the store shelves! Russell Stovers and and fine chocolate makers enjoy record sales during this wonderful time of the year!

Chocolate fudge for Christmas is such a delicious treat. Make some and bring it your work-place or share some with family and friends this week. Here is a pretty easy chocolate fudge your loved ones are sure to enjoy:

Melt one-quarter cup of butter. ( Use real butter - unsalted if you wish )

Mix together in a separate dish one cup of white sugar, one cup of brown sugar, one-quarter cup of molasses and one-half cup of cream.

Add this to the butter, and after it has been brought to a boil continue boiling for two and one-half minutes, stirring rapidly.

Then add two squares of Baker's Premium No. 1 Chocolate, scraped fine. Boil this five minutes, stirring it first rapidly, and then more slowly towards the end.

After it has been taken from the fire, add one and one-half teaspoonfuls of vanilla.

Then stir constantly until the mass thickens.

Pour into buttered pan and set in a cool place.

Cut into squares and wrap a bunch in plastic wrap or tin foil and top it off with red and green ribbons!

Merry Christmas! Enjoy the Holidays with your favorite chocolate treats and don't forget to keep eating healthy!

Lose that stomach fat

The best way to lose belly fat is exercise! Lots of it! So get up and get moving. Make healthy exercise a habit. Have fun - get out and play with your friends or classmates. Enjoy the journey to better health. You are more likely to stay healthy and keep exercising if you're having fun.

It is important to exercise at an intensity vigorous enough to cause your heart rate and breathing to increase. How hard you should exercise depends to a certain degree on your age, and is determined by measuring your heart rate in beats per minute.

The heart rate you should maintain is called your target heart rate, and there are several ways you can arrive at this figure. The simplest is to subtract your age from 220 and then calculate 60 to 80 percent of that figure. Beginners should maintain the 60 percent level, more advanced can work up to the 80 percent level.

Regular exercise offers you many benefits. Frequent aerobic exercise will improve your cardiorespiratory endurance, the ability of your heart, lungs, blood vessels and associated tissues to use oxygen to produce energy. The energy your body needs for exercise.

Find some good running shoes and hit the trail - or the mall and start walking. Do a five or ten minute warm-up. Some nice, easy stretching. Then gradually increase your pace for a couple minutes. Now it's time to kick it in.

Walk fast. Then slow it down a bit for a few minutes. Then - pick up the pace again. If you feel good enough to jog - go for it! Run as fast as you can for a minute then back off to a moderate pace. If you pick up the pace earlier in your run - or walk - you'll burn more calories! Repeat this pattern for fifteen or twenty minutes. Then make your last five or ten minutes of jogging at a steady, slower pace.

Patience is essential. Don't try to do too much too soon and don't quit before you have a chance to experience the rewards of improved fitness. You can't regain in a few days or weeks what you have lost in years of sedentary living, but you can get it back if your persevere. And the prize is worth the price.

Build a healthier, leaner body while getting rid of excess body fat. The best way to lose belly fat is with lots of exercise! And don't forget to keep eating healthy foods!

Start getting in shape fast and you'll lose your stomach fat in no time at all!

Eat Smart for leaner, sexier Abs

If you want have leaner Abs - it's going to take some work - and sacrifices. For me the sacrifice comes in the form of donuts - and sugar filled sweets.

Somewhere in an old music store lies a CD ( more likely a vinyl album ) containing the memorable smash hit by Tommy James and the Shondelles - Sugar Sugar.

Yesterday I met the most interesting lady. She was watching no less than six preschool aged children - all playing on a public playground. I didn't count them all. She did have the help of her nine year old son. It took her ten minutes just to get them all loaded into her over-sized van and into their respective car seats. An amazing women might better describe this picture of patience. I would have a full head of gray hair and completely frazzled nerves had I even thought of attempting to care for so many precious little ones.

One little girl - I guessed to be the youngest - had the prettiest big eyes nestled into her lovely little face. My new acquaintance explained that she was in the process of adopting this quiet little Angel. She went on to say that she used to weigh more than other children in her age group - due to a lousy diet, laden with Sugar! This little gift from God had some behavioral issues as well - attributable in some part to a diet full of sugary drinks and foods. Changes to this little girls diet have resulted in the loss of five pounds and improved behavior.

This got me to wondering - What am I feeding my little boys? Earlier that morning, after dropping my oldest son off at school, I introduced his little brother to one of my favorite places - the local donut shop. Yes, "This is Living" I proudly explained to him as we both dived into our newly found treasure trove of sugary delights. Before we could navigate the two miles to our nearest discount store we had managed to polish off almost half of our dozen donuts. Washed down with some sweetened chocolate milk, of course.

One hour later after running through the massive bargain store I decided to get him out of there before we both went crazy. On our way home I found myself fighting with a perfectly normal and lovable little two year old over the merits of staying in his car seat. He was under the influence a classic sugar-rush. He didn't want to sit anywhere!

How can I impress upon my children the importance of eating healthy? Especially after a trip to our favorite donut shop?

The quickest way to lose weight - and keep it off - is twofold.

One - Stop eating junk that serves no nutritional purpose. Sugar and donuts fall into that category. Why are all the good things so bad for us?

Two - Start getting at least 30 minutes of good cardio exercise each day. Or at least five days a week.

Three - start exercising your stomach three days a week. Let the muscles rest between workouts Crunches, rowing machine, pull-ups, and squats. Get an exercise ball and do sit-ups on the ball. Then get out and run or walk for 30 minutes.

There are natural, healthy ways to lose that belly fat. The best way to lose that belly is with exercise and healthy eating!
Perhaps I'll ponder on this as I drink my morning coffee - with two scoops of sugar.

Holiday fitness

Would you like to lose a couple more pounds before 2009 rolls in? Losing weight in December can be a real challenge! The weather outside is not always ideal. Then there are the Holiday parties and all those delicious goodies that start appearing in break rooms across this great land of ours.

Well there is still hope. You can drop a few pounds before Christmas. Are you getting to the gym a few times a week? Can you work out at home before the children get up and the morning rush hour sets in? How about sneaking in a walk at lunch? Or have a walking meeting? Take a few associates with you and delegate someone to record the key ideas or take notes!

Are there stairs in your building? Run the stairs for fifteen or twenty minutes a couple times each day! If the weather cooperates - get outdoors and enjoy the fresh air and this beautiful December. Park as far away as possible at the Mall and get a good brisk walk in while you do a little shopping!

Do you have some barbells and dumbbells at home? Get some time in with your free weights before work and you'll burn more calories all day long! Get your exercise time in early for maximum benefit all day! Then enjoy these December evenings before the Holidays with your friends and loved ones!

If you are just getting started on a fitness program - Today is the perfect day to start getting in shape fast. Make eating healthy and exercise your new habits. and you'll be on the road to natural, healthy weight loss! Health experts agree that the quickest way to lose weight is with plenty of eating healthy and daily exercise!

Eliminate Holiday Stress!

Are you getting stressed about the endless list of things to do before the Holidays?

A few simple steps and some creative scheduling will have you forgetting those stressful thoughts before the week is over!

First – make a list of those things you want to get done between now and the Holidays. Make room for changes. Now, read over your list and put a big “1” next to those tasks and items which are a must do.

Get up and go for a walk. Congratulate yourself for taking a positive first step. Enjoy nature breathe in the fresh air. If you are unable to get outdoors – think about a pleasant place while you walk indoors. Focus on your breathing and take slow, deep breaths.

Think about your list. Make a mental note ( or call your voice-mail and leave yourself a note ) of any additions or changes. If your list seems just too long or too much for you to handle – think about what you can delegate or even postpone. Keep walking.

Get at least a thirty minute walk – each day. Walking, especially outdoors, is a wonderful way to reduce your stress and clear your brain! Or, run if you prefer. Many enjoy swimming at their local Y during these cooler months. Walking is free! Try it – you’ll soon be hooked! It’s OK to be a little selfish with your time!

Numerous university studies confirm - happiness and good health go hand in hand. As we improve our health and exercise regularly we tend to gain a better perspective on life’s many twists and turns. Many develop a more realistic, lowering of expectations, and a tendency to be more easily content with what they have.

A proactive approach to living a healthy lifestyle offers your best opportunity to preserve your vitality. Simple habits yield healthy results. Get more sleep, exercise, eat healthy. Accept and adapt to your limitations.

Numerous studies also confirm that optimists live longer, more satisfying lives. So if you don’t see yourself as the optimistic type, learn to be one. Make a promise to yourself to make your first thought of every day a positive one. Many people get a certain peace of mind through early morning prayer. Join the countless millions who enjoy a little early morning exercise. Try to read something positive like some inspirational quotes or affirmations to start your day off right.

You can enjoy a much better quality of life if you get a little exercise most days of the week. Combine healthy eating habits with your daily exercise and enjoy a much healthier and happier lifestyle! Whether you are out to improve your self esteem or striving to get rid of that pot belly you’ve been lugging around - start getting in shape fast and watch your stress disappear!

Build a Leaner, Sexier Body

Are you still wanting to lose a few pounds before the New Year? You can build the leaner, more muscular body you've been wanting!
Luckily we have many natural and healthy ways to lose weight fast. The quickest way to lose weight - and keep it off - is via a daily regimen of exercise and healthy eating choices!

Regular exercise or physical activity helps us in many ways:
helps you to be more productive at work increases your capacity for physical work
builds stamina for other physical activities increases muscle strength helps your heart and lungs work more efficiently Consider the benefits of a well-conditioned heart:
In 1 minute with 45 to 50 beats, the heart of a well-conditioned person pumps the same amount of blood as an inactive person's heart pumps in 70 to 75 beats. Compared to the well-conditioned heart, the average heart pumps up to 36,000 more times per day, 13 million more times per year.

Feeling, looking, and working better - all these benefits from regular physical activity can help you enjoy your life more fully. You can join the multitudes of others who eat healthy, exercise and lose weight. Getting in shape fast is a fun adventure! You can get rid of belly fat and sculpt a muscular and healthier body.
Start today! Make today an even better day and get up and have some physically active fun! Don't forget to start slow - warmup and stretch.
Begin exercising slowly to give your body a chance to limber up and get ready for more vigorous exercise. Start at a medium pace and gradually increase it by the end of the 5-minute warm-up period.
With especially vigorous activities such as jumping rope, jogging or stationary cycling, warm up for 5-10 minutes by jumping rope or jogging slowly, warming up to your target zone. It is often a good idea to do stretching exercises after your warm-up period and after you exercise. Stretch slowly and steadily, and don't bounce when you stretch. Focus on your breathing!
Remember - enjoy your fitness journey more when you have fun. Play a variety of sports. Exercise with others when time permits. Have Fun!