Tag Archives: exercise

6 Ways to Keep Up the Motivation

It’s just been about a month and a half since many of us have made resolutions for a fitter, healthier New Year.  It is also the time that enthusiasm starts to drop off.  But there are ways to keep up the motivation. First, reevaluate the goals or resolutions that were made on January 1st.  It might be time to tweak them. It could be a matter of upping the ante or facing reality that what you thought could be done isn’t doable.  Keep things realistic. Second, put some variety into your fitness routine.  It might be time to sign up … Continue reading →

Give Yourself the Gift of Love This Valentine’s Day

Most of us associate Valentine’s Day with the receiving or giving of gifts to others.  How about making this year one about giving the greatest gift of all?  I’m talking about a gift that begins with you…loving yourself enough to make some important lifestyle changes. Now that the New Year isn’t feeling so new anymore, many of us start to lose grip on the goals and resolutions we set.  The energy and enthusiasm we felt in the beginning of the year to exercise more and eat less has started to wane. In fact, some people might even be suffering from … Continue reading →

Physical Activity Reduces Risk of Dementia and Alzheimer’s

After just writing about the importance of seeing fitness as something that encompasses body, mind and spirit, I wasn’t surprised to read about research just published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, which indicate that regular exercise may help prevent cognitive problems.  Specifically it’s found that those who remain physically fit during the mid-life years were almost 40% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s or dementia. Previous research has found that regular exercise can prevent a host of other health problems, such as arthritis, certain types of cancer and stroke. It’s also been found that an individual’s level of health during … Continue reading →

Body, Mind and Spirit

Fitness is most often equated with exercise.  But it’s so important that when striving for overall health, we look at not only the body but the mind and spirit as well. I like to think of this as a wheel with three spokes.  One spoke represents the body, one the mind and the other spirit.  When one spoke is broken or missing, everything is thrown off balance. Body is the part where we focus on exercise and eating right.  The type of exercise and eating plan will be different for each person.  It’s going to depend on where you live, … Continue reading →

Lifestyle Replacing Diet Plans?

You might be surprised to learn that less and less people (especially women) are dieting.  At first, this might sound like a bad thing.  After all, isn’t obesity a significant problem in the United States?  Shouldn’t more people be dieting? Well there are a couple of issues to consider.  The first is that many women are starting to embrace and accept their bodies.  Not that they don’t want to make healthy changes.  But there is less concern about being stick-thin. Others truly don’t see having too much weight as being unattractive. There are a couple of ways to look at … Continue reading →

Types of Heart Rate Monitors

My last blog talked about how heart rate monitors can improve fitness.  Now we are going to look at the different types that are available and who would benefit from having one. However, I feel a reminder is in order here.  Always consult first with a doctor before starting a new exercise program. The two basic types of heart rate monitors are chest strap models (which go around your chest) and finger sensor models (wristwatch style, where you touch a sensor with your finger).  A variety of features can be found with both types. The following are some of the … Continue reading →

Improving Fitness with a Heart Rate Monitor

When it comes to fitness devices, most of us are probably more familiar with the benefits of a pedometer than a heart rate monitor.  But you might want to consider investing in one, if you want to improve your fitness even more. Exercise is about more than just how often you do it and for how long.  The level (or intensity) of the exercise is just as important. A heart rate monitor can keep track of your heartbeats, allowing you to stay in the appropriate heart rate zone.  In other words, you don’t want the intensity of your exercise to … Continue reading →

Setting Fitness Goals with a Pedometer

There are many different ways you can set fitness goals for the New Year.  One is by using a pedometer. What I love about these is you can pick them up for as little as $10.  But you can certainly spend much more on a nicer model. One type of goal you might want to set is taking 10,000 steps a day.  If that sounds like too much, you can reduce the amount. Some people like to figure out the average number of steps they take and then set goals from that.  The best way to do this is calculate … Continue reading →

Unhealthy Behaviors and Emotions

Does psychology play a role in the ability to lose weight?  For some people, the battle to shed extra pounds requires more than a good diet and exercise plan.  There could be something much deeper going on. In fact, some experts believe that in the majority of cases where people struggle with their weight, there are unhealthy behaviors and emotions involved.  If that’s true, then the best plan in the world won’t be able to conquer the problem. So it comes down to the heart of the issue.  It may go beyond the lack of willpower to stop eating when … Continue reading →

Blowing Off Steam

Having an ex adds a lot of undue stress in your life; have children with that ex and the stress multiplies by about a hundred…thousand…ok, it’s more like an infinite amount of stress that never ends with the signing of the decree. You’d think it get easier now that you’re not together, but it’s actually a lot harder when neither one of you is trying to make things work anymore. My ex and I try to keep things as civil as possible when it comes to Logan. I don’t want him to ever feel caught in the middle of his … Continue reading →