The presidential election has just taken a new turn, with the announcement that Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan will be Mitt Romney’s running mate. What in the world does this have to do with fitness? Stick with me here. You would think that our interest would be in what Paul Ryan stands for. What exactly are his political beliefs? Yet what we have learned is that people aren’t looking into his values and political views. They are looking to see him shirtless. In fact, Google searches for him accompanied by the word “shirtless” have gone up. You don’t know whether to … Continue reading →

In my blogs, I talk a lot about the long-term health benefits to a fit lifestyle. I emphasize how fitness is about more than just losing weight; it is about preventing serious diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Well last week I read an article about immediate health benefits you can reap as a result of exercising. It was found that it could reduce the number of days you miss work because of respiratory illnesses, such as the common cold. Are you one of those people that always seem to catch a cold? Do you find that you … Continue reading →

How often have you said, “I don’t have time to exercise”? Well the truth is…we have lots of time. It really all comes down to what we do with it. Think about this…we have 10,080 minutes in a week, which equates to 168 hours each week. That is a lot of minutes and hours. Yet we tend to fill it with important and not so important stuff. We fill our time with necessary and unnecessary things. At some point we have to make some hard decisions. What things can go so that we can focus on our health? How much … Continue reading →

When it comes to weight, women have been given many different messages over the years. In fact, there was a time when it was an insult to be called skinny. Think about Marilyn Monroe, the one time sex symbol of the 50’s and 60’s. That was a very different time period, in which curves were in. You see, there was a time when the soft shape of a woman was appealing. But today “thin is in.” In fact, the thinner the better. I am so glad that my husband prefers curves. Not only does it release me from the pressure … Continue reading →

We have reached the end of my “52 Fitness Changes” series. I will be ending with the final two changes in this blog but I also wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to encourage you. My suggestion is you print off these changes and then decide which order you will follow them. But it doesn’t have to be one change per week. You could step things up a notch and decide you are going to make two changes each week or more. Maybe if you are really driven, you will make one change per day. The point is that … Continue reading →

Continuing on with the blog series, “52 Fitness Changes,” we are going to tackle fitness changes for weeks 31 through 49. By this time we have made some significant changes that will help our overall health. Remember that fitness is more than just exercise; it is changing the way you eat. It is not dieting; it is creating a new lifestyle. Week 31 – don’t skip meals (helps to avoid you becoming too hungry and the risk of overeating) Week 32 – implement circuit training into your workout routine Week 33 – switch to a whole grain diet (with your … Continue reading →

We have discussed ten fitness changes that can be made over a period of ten weeks. Just one change a week and by the end of the year, you will have created some new healthy habits. Today’s blog is going to introduce twenty new changes that you can make. As a reminder, these are changes you will make over a period of twenty weeks. Week 11 – buy a pedometer and keep track of the number of steps you take each day, making 10,000 your goal Week 12 – implement strength training into your workout routine Week 13 – start … Continue reading →

I recently introduced you to the idea of making 52 fitness changes. As a reminder, this isn’t something I suggest you do at one time. Instead, you spread these changes out and make one change a week. Since there are 52 weeks in a year, by the end of the year you will have done some amazing things to improve your health. I also suggested that you print these blogs, to use as a reference. You can follow the order I suggest or change things around. You can also tweak some of the changes I suggest to fit you better. … Continue reading →

Imagine how different your life would be if you made 52 fitness changes. Of course, most of us cannot even imagine such a thing. It would be too much. But what if you broke that down? Instead of making 52 changes at one time, you made one change per week? Now that sounds a bit more doable, doesn’t it? Well that is going to be my challenge for you in the next five blogs. I am going to provide a breakdown of changes you can make each week. My suggestion is that you print these blogs, so you have them … Continue reading →