Out With the Old, In With the New

This is it…are you ready? Out with the old and in with the new. It’s that time of year again. It’s a New Year with new beginnings to look forward to, new goals to set and a new you to strive for. But before we can really charge ahead, we need to look back. What did the year 2012 bring to you in the way of fitness and health? Was it filled with stress, sleepless nights and backaches? Did you find yourself doing battle with the scale? Was your exercise program nothing more than a noble attempt? Or was it … Continue reading →

Giving Up Before You Have Started

Don’t give up before you have even gotten started! Those are my words of advice and hope for anyone who has come off the past week of the holidays feeling defeated. You might have done a lot of indulging. In fact, it could be that you ate enough the past several days that you’re wondering if there is really any hope to becoming a fitter person. In thinking about the New Year, you might be questioning how it can make any real difference. What’s so magical about the start of a New Year anyway? How can that change the outer … Continue reading →

Use Smartphone to Lose Weight

If you’re anything like me, your smartphone has become a third arm. Of course, I feel like I can justify this because I have a son in the military. But the truth is that it would be attached to my side anyway. So why not make good use of it? It already allows me access to my email, Facebook, the weather and so much more. I might as well see if it can help me lose weight. A new study finds that a standard weight loss program can be more effective when you incorporate your smart phone. With so many … Continue reading →

Reducing Holiday Stress

A fit lifestyle encompasses more than just eating right and exercise. It includes getting enough sleep, cutting out bad habits such as smoking and other areas that affect your overall health. In fact, stress can wreak havoc on your body and may even contribute to weight gain. With the holidays in full swing, its time to think about the impact that stress can have on your body. Medical experts say that this is the time of year in which people are prone to heart problems, such as heart attacks. Stress can be physical, emotional, financial or a combination. Learning how … Continue reading →

Benefits of a Workout Buddy

Although I believe that something is better than nothing when it comes to exercise. The fact remains that your level of fitness will improve the longer you work out. So the question becomes, how do you make that happen? It wasn’t that long ago when a friend of mine told me she had worked out at the gym for an hour. I was really impressed. Then she mentioned it was with another friend and they had gotten to talking so much, they lost track of time. I can’t even imagine losing track of time while exercising. But I can definitely … Continue reading →

When the Weather Is Frightful

“Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. And since we’ve no place to go, let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!” Hmmm…maybe I should rewrite this Christmas carol. How about “And since we’ve no place to go, let us exercise! Let us exercise! Let us exercise!” I know. It doesn’t have a nice ring to it. Plus who wants to exercise inside their cozy house when there are so many other enjoyable activities to do? Most of us would rather curl up in front of the fireplace with a good book, sip on … Continue reading →

Give Yourself the Gift of Fitness

I love to give gifts, especially to my children. Although it’s not as fun anymore, now that they prefer money or gift cards. In this season of giving, it’s important to remember our own needs. Not necessarily the material ones but our health. So how about giving yourself the gift of fitness? Maybe you are the person who has never been very active. It could be that you don’t even really struggle with your weight, so what’s the point. Too often we look at exercise as a way to lose weight or tone up. But it’s good for your heart … Continue reading →

Bad Habits

Bad habits…we all have them. But bad habits in fitness can make losing weight difficult. The problem with habits is that they are difficult to break. So a new way to approach this is to look at it as not having to break habits but developing new ones. It sounds more positive, doesn’t it? Let’s start with some bad habits when it comes to food. How many times does your family get fast food? It’s gotten so bad that eating out once-a-week is looked at as healthy. One of my goals for the New Year is going to be cutting … Continue reading →

Super Size Me…Not!

Although this movie was made in 2004, I didn’t see it until recently. It is the documentary, “Super Size Me.” Let me tell you, if you have a McDonald’s habit that you are trying to kick, all you have to do is watch this movie and I can almost guarantee you will lose your appetite for the fast-food chain. I did. In fact, I lost my appetite for a lot of things…that is, anything that is fatty. Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock decided to conduct an experiment in which he would only eat food from McDonalds for 30 days. He went into … Continue reading →

Starvation Diet Doesn’t Work

Have you ever tried a starvation diet? Many years ago I did and quickly discovered that this doesn’t really work. Sure, it can help shed some pounds but it could also be harmful. And without changing your eating behaviors, you will likely end up putting the weight back on. So what is the answer to losing weight? According to new research there are three specific ways you can drop pounds without depriving yourself. The first is something I have written about in the past, the benefits of keeping a food journal. When you monitor your eating habits it can help … Continue reading →