Live Healthy - Be Happy

Exercise can help you take charge of your health and maintain the level of fitness necessary for an active, independent lifestyle. If you want less stress and more happiness - start a fitness program! A little daily exercise can maintain or improve your physical health and your state of mind!

Many people think that as we age, we tend to slow down and do less; that physical decline is an inevitable consequence of aging. For the most part, this is not true. According to The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, much of the physical frailty attributed to aging is actually the result of inactivity, disease, or poor nutrition. The good news is – many problems can be helped or even reversed by improving lifestyle behaviors.

One of the major benefits of regular physical activity is protection against coronary heart disease. Physical activity also provides some protection against other chronic diseases such as adult-onset diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, certain cancers, osteoporosis and depression. In addition, research has proven that exercise can ease tension and reduce the amount of stress you feel.

If you're like so many of us and just want to shed a few pounds ( or, in my case - Quite a few pounds! ) you might enjoy the benefits of having your very own home gym. You can start with some simple free weights and a jump rope. Many fitness enthusiasts are burning tons of calories working out on an Elliptical Trainer.

Whether you want to lose weight or simply enjoy life more - the key is daily exercise - of any kind. Exercise can help you get rid of that belly and improve your outlook on life. You can feel less stress and have more fun when you get a little exercise every day!

Lift Your Spirits

The last weekend in March brought blizzards and plenty of wintery weather to much of the middle part of North America. South Texas, on the other hand, was seeing warm temperatures much like we'll soon be feeling this Summer. We have but eight or nine weeks to get our beach body ready for another summer filled with days at the beach and warm summer nights!

If you've been putting it off - start your fitness program today! Start indoors if you have to. Just get up off the couch and do some kind of exercise! Simple routines you can do right in the comfort of home are easy on the pocketbook! And great for your waistline! Get up and get started getting back in shape!

Do you have a jump rope? Or how about some common dumbbells? You don't need to spend $75.00 a month at that fancy-pants health club or gym. Now that Spring is bringing milder weather to many of us - get outside if you can. Take the children for a walk to the park or the schoolyard.

Let them run around and run off some of that youthful energy! Try to keep up with them! You'll all enjoy the time outdoors and the natural high that exercise brings upon us all! Show your little ones how fun it is to get outside and play! Enjoy some of the thrills we all experienced growing up. Running around until we had to slow to a walk and catch your breath! Having fun and burning calories at the same time!

The surest way to lift your spirits and get into a better mood is good old fashioned exercise! Health experts around the world agree - the safest and quickest way to lose weight is exercise and eating healthy foods!

Looking Years Younger

The great motivational speaker and author - Zig Ziglar - has long been a proponent of planning your success. Setting goals, making a plan to achieve these goals and then carrying out the plan.

If you want to feel and look younger - or maybe you'd just like to enjoy life a little more - the good news is - You Can Reach Whatever Goal You Set! Would you like to lose a few pounds before warmer weather settles in? Maybe you'd like to look great in that hot little 2-piece you saw last week at the mall?

Better fitness leads to a wonderful, life-changing bunch of benefits. Start Today. Don't wait. Start getting in shape - fast! Make a few simple choices and enjoy a healthy lifestyle and all the benefits of better fitness! Here are a few ideas to help you get rolling:


Set goals. Set short-term and long-term goals. A short-term goal may be to walk 5 to 10 minutes, 5 days a week. It may not seem like a lot, but any activity is better than none. A long-term goal should be to do at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week. You can accumulate your physical activity in shorter segments of 10 minutes or more. An example of a long-term goal is to walk briskly on 5 days of the week by the end of 6 months.


Reward yourself! Whether your goal was to be active for 15 minutes a day, to walk farther than you did last week, or simply to stay positive, you deserve recognition for your efforts. Some ideas for rewards include a new CD to motivate you, new walking shoes, or a new outfit.


Get support. Get a family member or friend to be physically active with you. It may be more fun, and your buddy can cheer you on and help you stick with it.

Track your progress. Keep a journal of your physical activity. You may not feel like you are making progress but when you look back at where you started, you may be pleasantly surprised!

You can enjoy life more and feel better. You can look years younger and have a slimmer body! Start getting in shape fast!

Getting Started - Getting in Shape

Have you ever wished you could reverse the old aging clock? Or maybe just wish you had a little more energy? Are you searching for better balance in your life? Would you like less stress and maybe a better outlook on life?

Many hard working , busy people - just like you and I - have found when you start getting in shape, your life starts changing for the better. Better fitness and healthy habits lead to a long list of benefits.

Think about reasons why you have not been physically active. Then try to come up with some ways to get past what is keeping you from getting active.

Have you ever found yourself saying . . ?

"I haven't exercised or played any sports in a long time."

Well, just choose something you like to do. Many people find walking helps them get started. Before you know it, you will be doing more each day.

Or how about my all-time favorite excuse - "I just don't have the time."

Start with 10-minute chunks of time a couple of days a week. Walk during a break. Dance in the living room to your favorite music. Get up a few minutes before the rest of the family and enjoy twenty minutes on the elliptical.
It all adds up.

Or, how about - "It costs too much."

You don't have to join a fancy-pants health club or buy expensive workout equipment to be active. Play tag with your kids. Walk briskly with your dog for 10 minutes or more.

Start by doing what you can, and then look for ways to do more. If you have not been active for a while, start out slowly. After several weeks or months, build up your activities—do them longer and more often.

Walking is one way to add physical activity to your life. When you first start, walk 10 minutes a day on a few days during the first couple of weeks.

Add more time and days. Walk a little longer. Try 15 minutes instead of 10 minutes. Then walk on more days a week.

Pick up the pace. Once this is easy to do, try walking faster. Keep up your brisk walking for a couple of months. You might want to add biking on the weekends for variety.

The key is getting started! Start getting in shape and you'll soon enjoy some of the positive results fitness offers us all!

Lose That Pot-Belly by Summer

Can you drop twenty pounds before Summer? You Bet You Can! The Quickest way to lose weight - and keep it off - is with daily exercise AND eating healthy foods. Many health experts suggest losing two pounds a week. Maybe three. Gradual weight loss - is more easily sustainable.

What kind of healthy foods should you eat? Concentrate on more veggies and fruits and less red meat. Don't get me wrong - I love a good steak or a big juicy hamburger fresh off the barbecue grill! Beef is fine - in moderation! Try to include salmon or a fresh water wild caught fish several times a week.

Cut out sugars and trans-fats. Do you like donuts? If you want to lose some weight - you might want to limit that delicacy! Same for cakes and candies. If you're like me you enjoy a cool one now and then. Most beer contains around 150 calories. It's up to you. Those are not exactly healthy calories!

Your body needs fuel for daily exercise. Beans, whole grains, and omega-3 fats are healthy components of any diet. Don't forget to start your day with a healthy breakfast. Try a egg-white omelet and whole wheat toast for some much needed protein.

Focus on eating a variety of foods every day - grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, lean meats, and low fat dairy products. The base of the diet should come from carbohydrates in the form of starches and sugars. Fluids, especially water, are also important to the winning combination.

When starches or sugars are eaten, the body changes them all to glucose, the only form of carbohydrate used directly by muscles for energy. Whether carbohydrates are in the form of starches (in vegetables and grains), sucrose (table sugar), fructose (found in fruits and juices) or lactose (milk sugar), carbohydrates are digested and ultimately changed to glucose.

The body uses this glucose in the blood for energy. Most glucose is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles. During exercise glycogen is broken down in the muscles and provides energy.

Muscles develop from training and exercise. A certain amount of protein is needed to help build the muscles but a nutritious, balanced diet that includes two or three servings from the meat/bean/egg group (6-7 ounces total) and two to three servings of dairy daily will supply all of the protein that the muscles need.

Extra servings of protein in foods or protein supplements do not assist in muscle development. Unlike carbohydrates, protein cannot be stored in the body and any excess will be burned for energy or stored as body fat. Don't let it turn to fat! Exercise and burn those calories!

You can eat healthy, exercise and lose weight fast!

Benefits of Fitness

"Being active not only helps you feel good physically, but it gives you time to yourself to sort through your schedule and prepare for the pressures of your day. The better you feel about yourself, the more productive you can be — at work and at play." Nolan Ryan - The famous Baseball Pitcher

No one would argue the value of fitness to overall health. But "being fit" means different things to different people. To the professional athlete, physical conditioning is the vital link to staying in the game. To most people, its more a matter of meeting the demands of everyday life without getting overly tired — and handling the occasional fastball thrown your way.

The health benefits of physical fitness are both physical and mental, lowering your risk for many diseases, while helping to increase longevity and improve your self-esteem and ability to manage stress. You'll be more productive and safe at work, and better equipped to hit home runs when they're needed.

WHAT IS FITNESS?

There are several components to overall physical fitness. The primary building blocks are cardio endurance, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility. Other factors include your muscle-to-fat ratio (body composition), agility, sense of balance, and reaction time (especially important for sports).

The most beneficial program for overall fitness is one that addresses each of the primary fitness components:

* aerobics ( running, swimming, biking, rowing, or walking) for cardio function
* strength training and conditioning for muscular strength and endurance
* stretching for improved flexibility

If that sounds like too much to handle, don't despair. You don't have to do it all every day, and every bit you do, helps. Just start slowly, and build gradually. Commitment is a must. Enjoy life more! Start getting in shape fast and enjoying a life of better health and fitness!

Enjoy Low Impact Exercise at Any Age!

If losing some weight is one of your goals this year we are lucky to have so many healthy and natural weight loss options. Low impact exercise helps you to get in shape and lose weight - all without placing too much stress on our knees and ankles. Save your knees - take advantage of a low impact exercise program! Here are just a few ideas:

Go for a walk. It’s that easy to reap the benefits of moderate endurance exercise. Each time you walk - simply go a little farther. As the weeks pass, gradually increase the pace, or speed, of your walks. Try to walk on grass or dirt if you can for even less stress on your joints.

Summer is almost here - sign up for a water aerobics class. Or see if your local YMCA offers indoor water aerobics classes. Water is great for reducing the pressure on your key joints. And you can get a really decent workout in the water! Aerobic workouts in the pool are really great if you need to save your knees! And the resistance in the water helps you get good workout!

Strength training is a great way to sculpt muscle, but if you want to be sleek and strong, why not give Pilates a try? Many fitness experts believe that this workout can help you develop long, strong muscles, a flat stomach, a strong back, and improved posture. And like working out with weights, Pilates strengthens connective tissue (tendons and ligaments).

Another popular option is widely enjoyed right in the comfort of your own home. My 80-something Mother has a exercise bike right in her living room. I guess when you're past 80 you can decorate your house any way you see fit! She rides that silly thing every morning! And loves it!

The options are practically endless. You can exercise and lose weight fast at any age!

A Smaller Size Before Summer Arrives

Many Schools teach a few very basic exercises. Who can forget lying on the gym floor straining to lift your head and shoulders up just one more time as we tightened our abs? Or pushing your young frame up just a few more times? And jumping jacks? How simple these 3 exercises were. And effective.

Going back to the basics might just help anyone return to the same fitness level we enjoyed in healthier years!

Push-ups work the chest, shoulders, abs and triceps for general upper-body strength. Pushing against a wall is an alternative for those of us needing an easier start. Try moving your hands closer together or a little wider apart to work muscles in your chest differently. Put your feet up on the first stair of your staircase or on a child's chair for an even tougher push-up!

And would you like tighter abs? Two simple exercises can greatly impact your stomach area.

The classic sit-up or crunch has been effective forever in helping tighten up tummies everywhere! First lie on the floor with your knees bent. Lift your upper body into a like you are looking for your waistline. Do not strain your neck. Then while you upper body is lifted off the floor - twist at the waist before lying back down.

The 2nd piece of the puzzle to lose your belly is cardio. You simply have to burn off lots of calories. Start walking. Then walk a little more, a little faster. Then, if you can - start jogging. Pick up the pace. You want to walk ( fast ) or run for 20 to 30 minutes five days a week. If you're more comfortable walking you'll see better results if you build up to walking for 45 minutes. At a good pace.

You can get into a smaller size before swimsuit season arrives. Health experts everywhere agree - the quickest way to lose weight is with lots of exercise and eating healthy foods in moderation!

Healthy Habits for Getting in Shape

Have you ever seen what happens before a football game starts? Or a basketball game? The athletes use the time before the game for warm up and stretching. They prepare their bodies for the workout.

Before you exercise, you should always warm up your body. When you warm up your body you increase your blood flow and get your muscles and joints ready to exercise. Most people are warmed up when they begin to sweat and breathe heavier. Warming up makes your muscles more limber and decreases your chance of being injured during exercise.

Once you have warmed up, you can do a few easy stretching exercises that will prepare your whole body. You should specifically target the muscles that will be used while you are working out. Focus on your muscles as you stretch. Breathe deep and slowly exhale. Never bounce your muscle. Keep the stretch slow and easy. When it starts to hurt its time to back it off!

Once you have completed exercising you are ready to cool down. It is just as important to cool down after exercise as it is to warm up before exercise. When you cool down you should let your breathing return to normal. It is best to walk around for a few minutes while your breathing returns to a normal rate and to let your heartbeat slow down. After you have walked around for a few minutes after your exercise, you are ready to begin your cool down stretches.

Stretching again after you have cooled down will help prevent injuries, help to
increase your range of motion, and will prevent soreness. You should complete the stretches you did before the exercise and add more stretches for the specific muscles worked. This helps your muscles stay flexible.

The benefits of better fitness can last a lifetime. Enjoy life more leading a healthy lifestyle! If you've been inactive for a while - join the fun. Start getting in shape fast and enjoying a life of better health and fitness!

Make a Plan for Better Fitness

If you are seeking better fitness and health or if you want to lose weight you can succeed if you make a plan!

Set some short-term goals and reward your efforts along the way. If your long-term goal is to lose 40 pounds and to control your high blood pressure, some short-term eating and physical activity goals might be to start eating breakfast, taking a 15 minute walk in the evenings, or having a salad or vegetable with supper.

Focus on two or three goals at a time. Great, effective goals are —

* Specific
* Realistic
* Forgiving (less than perfect)

For example, "Exercise More" is not a specific goal. But if you say, "I will walk 15 minutes, 3 days a week for the first week," you are setting a specific and realistic goal for the first week.

Remember, small changes every day lead to big results in the long run. Also remember that realistic goals are more achievable. By reaching your short-term goals day-by-day, you'll feel good about your progress and be more likely to continue. An unrealistic goal - like losing 25 pounds in 2 weeks - may end up leaving you frustrated.

Being realistic also means expecting occasional setbacks. Setbacks happen when you get away from your plan for whatever reason – maybe the holidays, longer work hours, or another life change. When setbacks happen, get back on track as quickly as possible. Also take some time to think about what you would do differently if a similar situation happens, to prevent setbacks.

Keep in mind everyone is different – what works for someone else might not be right for you. Just because your neighbor lost weight by taking up running, doesn't mean running is the best option for you. Try a variety of sports or physical activities. Try golf, volleyball, walking, swimming, tennis, or group exercise classes to see what you enjoy most and can fit into your life. These activities will be easier to stick with over the long term.

Many enjoy a variety of sports and workouts. The key is staying with your exercise and healthy eating plan.

Tone Your Body

Walking and Jogging are great for overall fitness and losing weight. You can tone your body even quicker if you add some strength training to your fitness plan. Start building muscles and kick-start your fitness level. You can tone your body and feel more energetic with every other day weight lifting.

Experts generally agree that taking a day off in between strength training workouts is best for healthy muscle growth.

Getting Started:

Try to do 8—12 repetitions per activity that count as 1 set. Try to do at least 1 set of muscle-strengthening activities, but to gain even more benefits, do 2 or 3 sets.

You can do activities that strengthen your muscles on the same or different days that you do aerobic activity, whatever works best. Just keep in mind that muscle-strengthening activities don't count toward your aerobic activity total.

There are many ways you can strengthen your muscles, whether it's at home or the gym. You may want to try the following:

* Lifting weights
* Working with resistance bands
* Exercises that use your body weight for resistance (i.e., push ups, sit ups)

More tips for building muscles

The Family Health Plan

Have you been to the Doctor lately? Who can afford to? Don't get me wrong - I love our Doctors. They saved my son's young life. And every dollar I've had to pay them is worth it every time I see him smile, laugh, or just run around the playground! I avoid Doctors - I know I need to drop a few pounds. Everyone knows we should probably get an annual check-up. Who has time or the co-pay, assuming you're lucky enough to have health insurance?

Unless you've been living in a cave for the past 20 years or so you already know health care costs have skyrocketed. And, from what the news people say - the bill will only continue to grow. We are so fortunate to live in this era of the most incredible medical science and technology. As we age our need for health care can skyrocket. Don't let health care costs cripple your budget. Or ruin your retirement plans.

Stay in shape. Or start getting in shape - fast! Maintain a healthy lifestyle and you are almost certain to enjoy lower health care bills - at any age. The statistics lead to a simple conclusion. If you are healthy and maintain your fitness - you will spend far less on health care than the average person. This is especially true in the good old USA.

A few simple changes in your daily routine bring about great results! Make small, manageable changes in your daily diet and exercise habits. Realistic changes that you can do. Don’t over do it and try to reach for an unrealistic goal. Take it easy and enjoy your journey to better fitness! Do what you truly know you can do, like walking 20 minutes every day.

Make it a habit to include more vegetables and fruits in your daily diet. Cut back on refined sugars, soda and junk food. Small changes practiced daily will almost inevitably lead to big results! Pretty soon you won't even miss those Sunday morning cinnamon rolls and donuts! That big bag of deep fried potato chips won't be so tempting!

If you're like most of us and miss a day or cheat a little ( everyone loves ice cream ), don't give up. Simply decide to do better tomorrow and the next day. At the end of the week, or even a month, measure your progress. Have you seen some results? Want more? Revisit your plan and make some changes towards facilitating your success.

Regular, even daily action is vital to your success. Take whatever steps you can today! And then again tomorrow. Make fitness your new habit! You don't have to lose ten pounds in 1 week. Take your time. And keep after it! The relentless pursuit of a better body only happens when you take the necessary steps. Lots of of steps - walking and even running if you feel up to it!

The quickest way to lose weight or build a more muscular, toned body is with daily action. You can exercise and lose weight fast. Start eating healthy foods, exercising more and you are on the road to getting in shape fast! You'll soon notice a difference. You'll stand a little taller, feel more energy and feel better about yourself in no time!

The Journey

It doesn’t matter what age you are when you begin to exercise, or how long you may have been inactive.Exercise will always improve your physical condition. Exercise improves flexibility, strength, and endurance. It is important to begin any exercise program slowly and build up gradually.

Many have found it takes a few months to get back into good shape - depending on how long you’ve been inactive and your current physical condition. Just keep at it. Exercise a little every day. Keep eating healthy foods and soon you’ll look younger and feel great!

Stick with it, and you will see results!

Some tips for getting started.

Warming Up

Preparing the body for exercise is important for people at any age and all fitness levels. A warm-up period should begin with slow, rhythmic activities such as walking or jogging in place.

Gradually increase the intensity until your pulse rate, respiration rate and body temperature are elevated, which is usually about the time that you break a light sweat. Do some easy stretching exercises before moving on to the strength and endurance activities.

Once you begin your daily exercise routine, keep these points in mind to get the best results:

* Always drink water before, during and after your exercise session.
* Make exercising a part of your daily routine. You may want to set a regular time to exercise each day and invite a friend to join you.
* Start gradually, about 5 to 10 minutes at first.
* Gradually increase the time and intensity of your exercise each day. Try to work up to about 30 or 45 minutes.
* Breathe deeply and evenly during and between exercises. Don’t hold your breath.
* Rest whenever you feel the need. Your body gives you signals. Listen to your body and avoid injury.
* Keep a daily written journal of your progress. Record your progress and your success!
* Many find it more fun to exercise to music or with friends. Keep it fun!

The key is getting started. And sticking with it! There are plenty of natural and healthy ways to lose weight fast. Health professionals seem to agree - eating healthy foods combined with daily exercise is the quickest way to lose weight.

Take your time. If you’re new to this whole exercise thing - don’t worry - you can soon be enjoying a much healthier lifestyle - at any age. Enjoy your journey to better fitness!

Start today! Start building muscles and getting in shape fast. Soon you will look great and feel great! Take some time for yourself. You deserve to feel good. Have more energy. A better outlook. Be a little selfish and make some time just for you.

Looking Good at the Beach!

Health Experts and Medical professionals agree - exercise and building muscles help burn more calories throughout the day. Exercise elevates your mood and can greatly enhance your self esteem. The benefits of exercise and a healthy lifestyle lead to a longer, happier, more satisfying life.

Start today. If you’ve been out of the habit of exercising for awhile ( like me! ) start small. Take a walk. It's really that simple. Get some kind of physical activity most days of the week. Start your morning off with a nice brisk walk. Walk fast. Slowly build up to jogging. Supplement your walking or jogging with some weight training. Building muscles reduces fat.

How much exercise is enough? Well, it kind of depends on what you want. If you just want to maybe drop a few pounds and get back to a healthier looking waistline, thirty minutes a day three or four times a week might help you reach your goal. If you want results fast, you might consider walking or running five days a week and getting some weight lifting or resistance workouts every other day.

Your body needs rest. A healthy body needs at least six or seven hours of sleep each night. More if you are still in your teens.

And you need the proper fuel for your exercise. Protein in the morning is great on the days you work with weights. A healthy breakfast is important every day. Pass on the sugar at breakfast - or any time if you can.

Sugar is one of God's gifts and still those calories are pretty much empty. They are of no value. Kind of like Beer.

I love beer! And after one or two - the calories are pretty much a waste of time. And will usually just end up around my waistline - if I don't run them off!

No more pulpit. The point is - eat healthy. Lots of fruit and veggies. Get enough of the good, omega-3 fats from salmon or sardines or even walnuts. Stick to whole grain bread. Skip the trans fats and use Olive oil whenever you can.

Picture how you want to look this Summer. Picture yourself looking good at the beach! Think about that picture every day. Then get out and get some good, heart pumping exercise and lose weight fast! And keep eating healthy foods!