Tuesday’s Top Ten: A Few of My Favorite Exercises

I enjoy writing about fitness. I enjoy working out. I enjoy learning about fitness. Once upon a time, I was one of those people that bought every fitness fad product that came down the line. I bought books by the tonnage (but I think that has more to do with the fact that I love books) and I bought lots of tools from hand weights to stability balls to resistance bands. What makes it neat is I use pretty much every one of these pieces. Still there are some exercises and exercise routines that I love above all others and … Continue reading →

Five Years Later: The Aftermath

Everything closed around us on September 11th as businesses retail and otherwise closed and sent their employees home. We gathered together, hugging our family and trying sometimes for hours to contact loved ones elsewhere to let them know we were okay. My nephew’s father called at one point – late in the evening after hours spent on both sides trying to contact each other. His relief that his son and his son’s mother were all right was palpable over the phone. The Story Unfolded In the days afterward, this country battened down the hatches as recovery efforts in New York … Continue reading →

Five Years Later: Let Us Take a Moment . . .

Remember, remember the 11th of September when airplanes, terrorists and plots. I see no reason why the attacks should ever be forgot. Yes, that is a twist on the Guy Fawkes rhyme, but I think it’s appropriate in its own way this morning. I have witnessed several disasters in my life, including watching the television when the Challenger exploded during takeoff during my middle school science class. I remember the frightening images of the Waco compound burning. I remember being in New York in 1993 when explosions rocked the World Trade Center from bombs in the parking garage. I remember … Continue reading →

Late Summer Colds & Your Fitness Plans

So yesterday morning I woke up with a stuffy nose, body aches and the low-grade fever. Thrill a moment, all the symptoms of a summer cold. I dislike summer colds because you’re already uncomfortable, but combine the misery of a cold with the high temperatures soaring into the 100s and it’s a perfect recipe for disaster. Fitness Plans As I’ve mentioned before, you can work out while you are sick, but you need to judge your condition not on how tired you are, but on how sick you are. Since I was running a low-grade fever and I was having … Continue reading →

10 Things You Need to Know about Nutrition & Fitness

The following 10 things are what you need to know about nutrition and fitness. It’s not just that you are what you eat, but you are when you eat and how you eat. The following list comes from Pamela Smith’s Eat Well, Live Well. A nutritionist, Pamela Smith teaches that people become fitter by eating healthier. Never Skip Breakfast – Breakfast has the reputation as the most important meal of the day for a reason. It provides you with a boost for your energy levels and metabolism from the beginning of the day rather than letting your metabolism slow down … Continue reading →

5 Reasons to Hire a Personal Trainer

Periodically, I’ve revisited the topic of personal trainers and the reasons why it’s a good idea to consult with or work with one. There’s a lot more to a personal trainer than being available to the rich and the successful. Personal trainers are for more than stars and athletes and while they may seem expensive on the surface, the long term value of working with a personal trainer may far outweigh the costs. The top 5 reasons you should hire a personal trainer are as follows: Completely Out of Shape – Looking to finally get on the fitness bandwagon and … Continue reading →

Friday Fitness Thoughts – Your Thoughts Wanted

I’ve been writing the Fitness blog here for more than seven months. I actually got started on writing this Fitness blog in November of 2005. It’s hard to believe that it was nine months ago that I began this journey with Families.com after submitting my information and resume along with my list of ideas for writing about fitness. Those of you who may read my blogs on a regular basis may have seen me bounce around to the various different topics and currently I write regularly for the Marriage and Baby blogs, though I have done a lot of work … Continue reading →

Triathlon or Bust 9: Chocolate Milk and Jelly Beans

Over the last few years I’ve watched my road biker husband drink all sorts of weird, powdered concoctions in the name of “recovery.” I called them his performance-enhancing drugs, which isn’t that funny given all the recent scandals about doping in professional bike racing. But my point was, what’s wrong with regular food to meet even a competitive athlete’s needs? After realizing the importance of proper nutrition after starting my triathlon training, and how difficult it was to get it right, I was on the verge of giving in and trying one of the yucky-looking protein shakes. Then I read … Continue reading →

The Fitness Club Checklist

When it comes to choosing a fitness club – how do you know the one you are looking at is the one you want to join? How do you weigh one fitness club against another? Obviously the cost is a huge factor, the dues, extra fees and guest fees are all going to weigh in on your decision – but what else do you need to make your decision? Here’s a few things to run down and document in order to facilitate making your choice about a fitness club. First and foremost, how do you like the facility? Is it … Continue reading →

Happy Mother’s Day to All Moms

Good morning! Happy Mother’s Day! I wanted to take a few minutes today and share some personal thoughts about Mother’s Day and what it means to me. Growing up, the two primary influences in my life were my mother and my grandmother. I never knew my father and many of my friends growing up were either in the same boat as I; or they saw their fathers very rarely. While I know today is Mother’s Day and a day that we honor and celebrate our mothers, grandmothers and more – I wanted to take a moment to be grateful that … Continue reading →