Tag Archives: exercise tips

A is for Abdominals

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Let’s get serious about changing our thinking on shrinking. In this case, we’re talking about that annoying belly fat that most women suffer from after giving birth. But what you need to focus on is not just that belly fat, but also the entirety of your middle. This area of your body is called your core and it focuses on your abdominals You want exercises that target your entire core. Crunches, for example, are great for your upper and front abdominal muscles. They don’t work your oblique – to work your oblique, you need to perform bicycle crunches. You also … Continue reading →

Journal – Kick Off

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I mentioned yesterday that I would be publishing my July journal to the fitness blog. It’s my way of demonstrating how you can keep a journal that promotes your own personal fitness. First and foremost, my journaling motivates me. It inspires me to keep going – even when I’m tired, discouraged or otherwise out of sorts. Journaling is methodical and it actually soothes me as well as inspires me to do more and to reach farther. It’s also a learning experience. Through my journaling, I discover things about myself that I didn’t know or I figure out what parts of … Continue reading →

Exercise Haters Anonymous

Do you hate exercise? Would you attend a meeting for exercise haters anonymous? Do you feel ashamed of the fact that you hate exercise, but not enough to push yourself into an exercise program? Do your palms get sweaty when other people talk about personal trainers? Does your heart race when you hear people making plans for hitting the gym? Well, relax. To be perfectly honest, exercise in and of itself doesn’t sound appealing. If you live in a world where you are constantly crunching time and finding five minutes to yourself is an onerous task, then trying to set … Continue reading →

Exercise & Trauma

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A few years ago, when I lived in Virginia we faced 9/11 with fear and uncertainty. I remember the absolute silence in the skies as all planes were grounded. I remember worrying about the friend of ours who worked at the Pentagon and the hours it took to find out whether he was still alive or not. I remember with cold, crystal clarity the sickening realization that my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and nephew were originally going to fly out that morning, but changed their flights to later in the day because my sister-in-law didn’t want to have to get up so … Continue reading →

Becoming a Parent Means Becoming Sedentary?

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Don’t scoff, that’s what a recent study done by an exercise physiologist at the University of Pittsburgh. Apparently, when you get married – your workout habits are not likely to change, but when you become a parent, they change significantly. Now, don’t get upset – those of us who are parents recognize that this is a problem. Most moms struggle with the pregnancy weight and after one or more children, that struggle becomes omnipresent in their lives. As a new parent, you probably feel like you’re on the go, all the time. You barely sleep. You are being pulled in … Continue reading →

Are You a Spoon?

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Wondering what a spoon is outside of an eating utensil or a very a snuggly position with your spouse? Well, wonder no longer. A spoon is a body shape that means you carry excess weight on your hips, thighs and behind the knees. My legs are somewhat spoon like, even when I am at my peak weight; my legs are larger than my upper body would indicate. Spoon Doesn’t Equal Overweight Before you get the wrong idea, just because your lower body is larger than your upper body, don’t believe that this is an indicator of being overweight. I felt … Continue reading →

The Fitness Blog Week in Review May 6 – May 12

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Wow, halfway through May and the summer fitness season is ramping up. We’re going to spend a lot of time over the next few weeks discussing summer fitness including biking, swimming, outdoor sports and much, much more. My daughter is interested in checking out soccer this summer along with her swimming, jazz dancing and gymnastics – what do you and your family have in the way of summer plans? I’d love to hear about it. Sunday, May 6 It can be difficult to get started on a new fitness plan when you are trying to balance a dozen other responsibilities … Continue reading →

Fitness Tips: Do You Know what the FIT Formula is?

The FIT formula involves the variables that you can adjust in order to change around your walking program around and to maximize your personal benefits. By restructuring your workout, you can avoid being trapped on a plateau and you can stay on track for meeting your personal goals. So what does FIT stand for? Frequency Intensity Time Let’s take a look at what these variables are so you can understand how modifying them might affect your workout. It’s also important to realize that when you change one variable, you affect the other two. So if you want to modify your … Continue reading →

The Fitness Blog Week in Review October 28-November 3rd

Good morning and welcome to our first week in review for November. It’s the 11th month of the year and it’s getting cold outside! With 19 days left to go till Thanksgiving we have a lot to be thankful for and we’ll start with our ten reasons to be thankful for fitness later on today. In the meanwhile, here is our Fitness week in review: Saturday, October 28 In It’s Beautiful Outside: Get Out of the House discussed that getting your kids off the sofa and out of the house is something we should take every opportunity to do. In … Continue reading →

Fitness Tips: Something to Talk About

I needed something else to talk about today here in the fitness blog so I started flipping through my fitness magazines and looking at my fitness equipment. Here are a few more fitness questions that you may have been looking for answers to: Why do they post warnings on treadmills about vertigo? Whether you are a beginner or used to working out, you may experience dizziness, disorientation or vertigo while you are working out on a cardiovascular exercise machine whether it’s a treadmill, a stationary bike or a stair master. This can be caused by a number of factors including … Continue reading →