Simple Changes Lead to Big Results

The Journey to better health and fitness can bring about many lasting benefits - in addition to losing weight. Not only will you get rid of that belly - you will realize more energy! Fitness is to your body what fine tuning is to an engine. It enables you to perform up to your potential. Fitness helps us look, feel and do our best!

Do you ever find yourself wishing you had more energy as your day progresses? Do you ever wish you could have more fun - maybe enjoy life more?

Get out your planner or even just a plain notebook. Write down one goal for this week - keep it simple. Something you feel confident you can get done. Like walk around the block 4 times or walk for 15 minutes at lunch. Then do it. As many days as you can, while leaving at least one day a week to rest your body, find some time for exercise.

As you reach your initial goal - write down another, new goal. Remember - keep it simple and be realistic. Maybe preparing your own healthy lunch or dinner rather than hitting the fat-food drive up window. Or doing some resistance exercises every other day. You don't need anything fancy at first. Simple steps help you get the ball rolling! Help your fitness journey gain some momentum with simple, daily efforts.

Small, simple changes every day can lead to big results over the long run! Kobe didn't just start lighting up the nets this year. He practices his art every day. And keeps his body in top physical form to handle the grueling demands of an NBA season. That Guy on TV who lost 150 pounds in one year walked every day and changed his eating habits. Change takes time!

At the end of every week - look at the goals you wrote down. Evaluate your progress and decide what new goal(s) you want to tackle! Reward yourself for your success! You deserve it! Buy yourself a new pair of really comfortable walking shorts. Recognize when you're meeting your goals and be proud of your progress!

Then, keep moving. Capitalize on the progress you've made and build upon your success! If weight loss is one of your desires - the quickest way to lose weight is with consistent vigorous exercise and eating healthy foods! You can feel better. You can have more energy and enjoy life more!

Keep setting (and reaching) small, simple goals. Gradually build your exercise time and intensity each week. Enjoy eating more healthy foods in moderation. Dieting is Easier When You Love the Food. Delicious meals shipped to your door. It's a proven strategy that works!


You can live longer and have more fun along the way if you start with small, simple changes!

Develop Healthy Habits Early

Practicing good fitness and eating habits early in life will help your child increase the chances of growing into a healthy adult.

Playing sports can motivate the couch potato or video game addict ( like my boys ). Encourage your children to play and enjoy whatever sports they show an interest in. Sports help fill up their idle time, minimize the habits of fast-food and relieve stress. Plus, the personal and emotional rewards can last a lifetime! They develop a better sense of self-esteem and important social skills.

Getting Started

The best sport for your child is one that she or he finds fun and interesting. To encourage a healthy and active lifestyle, you might casually expose your child to a variety of sports and physical activities and let the child's desires and abilities serve as your guide. Whether your child's interests are baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, swimming or running- your child is likely to find a sport that he or she enjoys!

Your child is likely to enjoy a sport more if allowed to learn in a relaxed atmosphere while having fun and receiving support and encouragement from adults. Athletics for youngsters should be thought of as a means of entertainment and recreation. Adults shouldn't pressure a young child to focus only on winning even if exceptional promise is shown.

A young athlete who might show natural talent in a particular sport must work hard and show dedication in order to succeed. Any child can learn and improve with positive support and coaching. A child learns by example. Much of what is seen and heard, and how the child is treated-on the field and off-can have lasting effects. An atmosphere that is fun and educational is likely to promote healthy self-esteem in your children!

Give your child the gift of healthy living!

Build Muscles - Lose Fat

Would you like to pick up the pace of your fitness efforts? Maybe start seeing more results in less time? Strength training can help you burn more calories and tone your body!

If you combine weight training with flexibility and aerobics, and your program is balanced enough, you don't have to be concerned about developing over exaggerated muscles."

If you think lifting weights is just for pumped-up hard-bodies who flex their pecs in public, think again. Building muscle benefits everyone man or woman, at any age. In fact, older people may have the most to gain from weight or resistance training, because strength is so crucial to functioning independently.

Weight training will give you the strength and endurance to perform daily tasks more efficiently and safely during work, errands and recreation.

It can also:

improve your body's muscle-to-fat ratio, helping you burn calories more efficiently and lose weight;

help prevent injuries, especially to the arms, legs, and back;

balance aerobic exercise; and

help you develop a toned body

If you're just beginning, talk with a professional who can help you test your strength and recommend the best exercises for your ability and objectives. Improper lifting or lifting too much at one time can cause injury. Be careful not to do just upper-body and leg work - include some abdominal training.

The best way to lose your belly is with plenty of cardio and tone those ab muscles!

Catch a Wave

Many people say that exercising regularly helps them have more energy, sleep better, and simply, enjoy taking time to do something good for themselves.

The more active you are, the more you benefit. For example, you can further reduce your risk for many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, colon and breast cancers, and osteoporosis, by doing more than the minimum 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week. Incorporating up to 60 minutes of cardio activity may also help you to prevent unhealthy weight gain or to manage your weight, if that is your goal.

Some of us suffer from the yo-yo factor—weight on, weight off, weight on, weight off. Sure, we can lose the weight, but how do we keep it off for good? That may take at least 60 to 90 minutes of daily moderate-intensity physical activity. Sounds like a lot—no kidding! But it’s the truth based on the data of people who have successfully lost weight (at least 30 pounds) and kept it off for at least a year. Keep your perspective and start small—do your physical activity in 10-minute moderately intense increments and build up. Eventually, you will become your own success story.

Different intensities and types of exercise offer different benefits. Cardio or aerobic activities exercise your heart and increase your ability to be physically active for a longer period of time. This type of endurance makes it easier to carry out harder tasks for longer periods of time—whether it’s keeping up with your kids or grandchildren, or playing basketball with your co-workers. Strength training or resistance exercises also contribute to muscular endurance. Strength training is especially beneficial as we get older. As we age, we tend to lose bone and muscle mass, making it difficult to carry out everyday activities: getting in and out of a chair, carrying groceries or laundry, or just walking. Together, cardio and strength training work your whole body. Vigorous physical activity (for example, surfing, jogging or other aerobic exercises) provides greater health benefits for physical fitness than does moderate physical activity and burns more calories per unit of time. Aside from all the health benefits, what a bonus that it also seems to make us feel better about ourselves.

Now to the biggest challenge: How do we fit this into our life? Our busy, already-pressed-for-time, on-a-budget life?

Use the Buddy System: Some days it’s hard to talk yourself into an activity. Working with others who are going through the same thing can be motivating, especially when you promised that you would meet for a walk in the park, or a tennis match, or signed up to take a yoga class together. You don’t want to let your buddy down. In the process, you end up not letting yourself down either. Buddies can be co-workers, spouses, neighbors, or even faraway friends that you stay in touch with via e-mail and provide encouragement. Heck, your walking buddy can even be your pet!

The Great Outdoors: Opportunities for physical activity may be closer than you think. Take advantage of public parks and pools. There are millions of acres to explore—walk, hike, surf, swim, kayak, canoe, and bike. Also consider being a volunteer. Whether it’s leading a hike or cleaning a trail or playground, you are making a difference in your life and others’.

Enjoy What You Do: If yoga in a room full of people isn’t your thing, why do it? There are hundreds of activities to choose from.

Find something you like and chances are you will stick with it. Maybe you were a swimmer when you were younger, but haven’t thought of it since high school. Many local park and recreation facilities, or area schools, have open or lap swims. Some people enjoy walking around a nearby school track, or if you prefer indoors, walk at your local mall. What about hiking at a local, state, or national park; playing in a tennis, soccer, volleyball, or basketball league; or taking a Pilates, or tai-chi class a couple days a week? Don’t limit yourself. Don’t get discouraged. Pick a few activities to try out, rotate them, and slowly you will figure out what works best for you. Trying something new can be fun and give you more confidence to pursue other activities.

Body Slimming Tips

How hard can it be to get rid of belly fat? Sitting at a desk for 8 hours each day all too often results in some belly fat. What you eat is another critical component of the size of our stomachs. The good news is - you can enjoy eating healthy foods, exercise and lose weight fast!

A certain amount of body fat is necessary for everyone. Experts say that percent body fat for women should be about 20 percent, 15 percent for men. Women with more than 30 percent fat and men with more than 25 percent fat are considered obese.

How much of your weight is fat can be assessed by a variety of methods including underwater (hydrostatic) weighing, skinfold thickness measurements and circumference measurements. Each requires a specially trained person to administer the test and perform the correct calculations. From the numbers obtained, a body fat percentage is determined. Assessing body composition has an advantage over the standard height-weight tables because it can help distinguish between "overweight" and "overfat."

An easy self-test you can do is to pinch the thickness of the fat folds at your waist and abdomen. If you can pinch an inch or more of fat (make sure no muscle is included) chances are you have too much body fat.

If you exercise frequently you will increase lean body mass and chip away at your overall fat level. Depending on the amount of fat loss, this can result in a loss of inches without a loss of weight, since muscle weighs more than fat. The proper combination of diet and exercise will help you shed both body fat and overall weight. Try these simple body slimming tips to help you get started!

If you eat more calories than your body needs to perform your day's activities, the extra calories are stored as fat. If you do not take in enough calories to meet your body's energy needs, your body will go to the stored fat to make up the difference. (Exercise helps ensure that stored fat, rather than muscle tissue, is used to meet your energy needs.) If you eat just about the same amount of calories to meet your body's energy needs, your weight will stay the same.

So if your desk job has your tummy growing a little - get up and get some exercise. Work out on your Elliptical Trainer before heading out for work. Many fitness enthusiasts love their early morning exercise time. It tends to leave you feeling more energized for the rest of the day!

You don't have to spend a fortune joining the local health club. Get some simple and inexpensive home fitness equipment and exercise at home whenever you feel like it!

Enjoy Life More - Tips for Better Fitness

Getting in shape and staying fit should be fun and enjoyable! Fitness can be a whole lot of fun - something we look forward to! Why not share your fun with others - like your family and friends! You can walk together, play tennis, run with the dogs, play ball with your children. Make fitness an integral part of your lives so that its never a chore.

But that doesn't mean its not hard to devote the time to it that we'd like to.

It seems there are more demands on our time than ever. Many of us - just like you, can find it challenging to work fitness into our schedules. And I'm as guilty as anyone of putting it off until tomorrow. What's the secret? There really is no secret to staying fit. But there are a lot of misconceptions about what it takes including that physical activity takes too much time. Even a little is better than none. You don't need lots of time; just take advantage of the opportunities you have.

Or, Make Time for Better Fitness! Write it down in your planner and stick to your plan. Devote some time each day to fitness fun with your family or loved ones! It doesn't have to be anything fancy. A bike ride with the little ones or a nice long walk with a favorite friend will do wonders for your spirits - and your waistline!

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."

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 worn out or overly tired. Fitness helps you handle that occasional curve-ball life seems to throw your way.

The health benefits of physical fitness are both physical and mental. You'll reduce your risk for many diseases, while helping to increase longevity. You can improve your self-esteem and your ability to manage stress. You'll have a better outlook on life! Try these 10 tips for better fitness.

Some people say "life is short" - so why not make the best of it? Have as much fun as you can! If you've been out of shape or inactive for a while here are some easy and effective body slimming tips to help you tone up and start getting in shape!

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Lasting Weight Loss Starts with That First Step!

Small steps lead to big results. Kobe didn't just become a superstar overnight. He worked hard - a little ( or a lot ) each day and eventually became the basketball powerhouse so many enjoy watching today! Whether you want to run a marathon or just lose a few pounds - you can reach your goal if you just start with a few small steps!

The biggest mistake that people make when starting an exercise plan is starting too fast or too hard. Take your time – and strive to make exercise and strength training a lifelong habit. You’ll be on your way to a stronger, leaner and sexier body in no time! If weight loss is on your list of goals - you'll get the best results if you combine daily cardio with strength training every other day!

After the first week or so of strength training, you should start doing each exercise with weights that you can lift at least ten times with only moderate difficulty. (If a given exercise seems too difficult—if you cannot do at least eight repetitions — then the weight you are using is too heavy and you need to scale back.) No worries – take your time. Small steps lead to big results! Just keep at it!

After just a few weeks of strength training, reassess the difficulty of each exercise with your current level of weights. You may start doing the overhead press with one-pound dumbbells, for example. By the end of the second week, the exercise may feel too easy—that is, you can easily lift the one-pound dumbbell through the full range of motion and in proper form more than twelve times. Increase your weights to two- or three-pound dumbbells and see how the exercise feels at the new weight level!

To realize the greatest benefits of strength training, it’s important to consistently increase the intensity of your workout by challenging your muscles with heavier weights. This continuous challenge helps your muscles grow strong – and stay that way! Progressing slowly will boost your feelings of accomplishment and your self esteem!

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Make the choice – start slow and gradually increase your time and intensity. And, be sure to include some time for stretching! Stretching will help keep your muscles flexible and healthy! Building Muscles is one way to tone your body and pump up your metabolism and burn those fat cells!

Remember - the quickest way to lose weight and keep it off is with daily exercise and eating healthy foods!

Steps to Better Health

1. Find something to laugh about every day! Even if it's on the TV. Whatever gets you laughing!

2. head off stress - don't give in to negative thoughts. When you start getting a bad thought - turn it into a happy or positive one. Some people say prayer helps them on this one.

3. Exercise a little every day. Even if it's just a pleasant walk thru your favorite park or Mall. Get away from home and get some exercise. If you want to really get your body in bikini shape add 3 days of cardio workouts (biking, rowing, walking, running, swimming) for at least 30 minutes.

4. Drink water - not soda.

5. Avoid the fat food industry - er... i mean the fast food ..... ( you know! )

6. Help someone who is less well off than yourself and don't tell them - or anyone! ( Keep it your little secret! )

7. Love someone. Even if its your dog - it helps you live longer if you have someone to love!

8. Eat healthy foods! More fresh vegetables and fruits! Less red meat and try to cut the sugar. Stick to whole grains. More about eating healthy foods!

9. Repeat step #3. Try something new. If you're a little overweight ( or a lot ) - the quickest way to lose weight is start getting in shape - fast!

10. Think pleasant thoughts. Start every day with some positive thoughts. Some people gain unbelievable results starting their day with prayer or meditation.

Ten simple habits you can easily adopt and start your own journey to a better, healthier life!

Summer Fitness Tips - Eating Healthy Foods

You and I can exercise until we have no more energy to do just one more rep or go another block, and if we don't enjoy eating healthy foods - in moderation - we'll never lose those last few extra pounds. Eating the right foods can have a big impact on our weight loss efforts!

Summer is the ideal time to enjoy a healthy variety of natural foods. If your town has a farmer's market, head out this weekend and see what kind of locally grown fruits and vegetables sound good to you!

Ideally, you might want to try a diet that provides enough energy in the form of carbohydrates and fats as well as essential protein, vitamins and minerals. This means a diet containing around 50 percent of your calories from complex carbohydrates (whole grain breads and pasta), no more than 30 percent of calories from fat ( try some cold-water, fresh caught salmon a few times a week ) and the remaining (about 10-15 percent) from protein.

Enjoy a variety of foods every day - grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, lean meats, and low fat dairy products. The base of the diet should come from complex carbohydrates.

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 of meat, beans, or eggs and two to three servings of dairy daily will supply all of the protein your muscles need. Try an egg-white omelet filled with your favorite veggies and a little low-fat cheese!

Fluids, especially water, are also important to healthy weight loss in the Summer. Dehydration can hinder even the finest athlete from playing their best game.
So bring along a big jug of water when you head out to the tennis courts or the softball fields this Summer!

Dieting is Easier When You Love the Food. Delicious meals shipped to your door. It's a proven strategy that works!



Looking to be more fit then you were in 2008? Let Bodybuilding.com provide everything from workout plans to nutritional supplements.


If you want to lose a few pounds this Summer - you can exercise and lose weight fast! Keep eating a sensible diet of healthy foods and you'll be on the road to better health and fitness!

The Fitness Combo

Better Fitness requires simple habits - eating healthy foods and plenty of physical activity. Many of us who work in office settings or in careers where being physically active just isn't in the cards are faced with getting our workouts playing sports and exercising.

Summer is an ideal time to sweat away a few extra pounds. Do you want to lose some weight this year? Are you worried about getting into last year's 2-piece? And looking good in it? Are you shying away from going to the beach or the lake?

Stop worrying and start getting in shape - fast! Fit in a jog before work and a nice fast paced walk after supper. Start your day with a protein rich breakfast and you'll lose more than if you skip breakfast. Fit more fiber into your healthy eating plan.

The quickest way to lose weight this Summer and keep it off is with daily exercise. Jogging, swimming, or hitting the bike trail will help you sweat off massive calories. Bring along a bottle of water - you'll need it in the warm Summer weather!

Looking to be more fit then you were in 2008? Let Bodybuilding.com provide everything from workout plans to nutritional supplements.