Pilates Works

The four seasons give us so much to be thankful for. This time of year you may be grateful for your warm bed and the car heater. The weather outside is colder than an igloo in Alaska. It's just plain COLD!!! If you're like many fitness buffs in North America - you might enjoy working out indoors during these frigid Winter days. Are you too busy to make it to the gym? Try these simple and effective exercises in the comfort of home.

Turn up your speakers and follow along as she leads you in some toning exercises.

Where would you rather be tomorrow? Sitting next to a warm, crackling fire or running through the snow? If you're like me - you might enjoy both! Why not get some fresh air and run off some of the inevitable workday stress - and then retire for the evening in the warm comfort of home!

If you'd prefer to avoid running in streets that look like this - you might enjoy a warm, safe place to get your daily exercise!

Avoid the tendency to settle into a nice warm easy chair for the evening.

Exercise and stay active. So many of us tend to spend a great deal of time sitting. Its unavoidable – we sit at our desks for hours on end, and in the car. Then we go home and sink into a favorite recliner. The human body was built to move.

Having a hard time fitting exercise into your schedule? Sneak some in while you're watching a favorite comedy. Laughter and exercise go great together! And you might just burn a few more calories while laughing away your stress!

Keeping it Simple

Keep it Simple, Silly - is more often than not the best course to take. When losing weight is your goal, simple exercises are often the most effective. Simple changes to your eating habits can help you fit into a smaller size in just a few weeks!

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 healthy pursuits – walking, swimming, tennis, or group exercise classes to see what you enjoy most and can fit into your life.

Burn More Calories in Less Time

If you want to tighten up some of those problems areas of your body - try mixing in several high intensity interval training sessions each week. You'll burn more calories in less time and build some muscle tone while you're at it.

Try this simple routine to get you started – Warm up for a few minutes. Do some slow and focused stretches. Start your cardio for a couple minutes at a moderate pace. Then, kick it into high gear and sprint for 30 seconds to a minute at the highest intensity you can muster. Slow down and do a couple minutes at your moderate pace while you catch your breath!

Once you’ve returned to a more normal breathing pattern – kick in those afterburners again and go all out again for 30 seconds or so. Then back to your normal pace. Repeat eight or ten times. You’ll torch more calories in less time, while you burn fat faster. And keep burning those unsightly fat cells long after you finish your workout!

On your strength or weight training days – use a little lower weight and do more reps. Focus on your form. In between sets – get on the bike or treadmill and go as fast as you can for a minute or so. Or get out the jump rope and jump for a minute or two. Then do another set – lower weights – more reps! Repeat for the duration of your workout. You’ll tone those muscles and really burn some major calories!

Fitness experts have discovered the powerful secret to burning more fat in less time – with interval training! Do some fast paced cardio early in your workout and then a few more times over the course of your workout. Your body will torch those fat cells much faster! You’ll start seeing results much quicker!

If you are pressed for time you can still get a great workout and burn loads of calories in as little as 20 minutes. Rowing enthusiasts seem to prefer the Concept2 Model E Indoor Rowing Machine with PM5



If you want to slim down and lose belly fat or tighten up your abs - It won’t be easy, especially at the start. The best results come from plenty of heart pumping cardio mixed in with regular strength training. As you begin to feel better, look better and enjoy a new zest for life, you will be rewarded many times over for your efforts.

Health Care Costs are Skyrocketing

Government economists project a trillion dollar price tag - over the next decade - to fund health care for some 30 million people. And these numbers are from the men and women who have been known to stretch the truth in an election year.

What can you do to help keep those astronomical price tags from growing even higher?

Enjoy a healthy lifestyle. Practice healthy habits. Watch what you eat and stay active. Get off the couch and get some exercise - every day.

The benefits are clear and measurable.

You really can enjoy life more. You can have more energy and more fun.

Yes, you can cut your stress levels - substantially! You can ward off the post-Holidays let-down. Ward off the blues. Reduce or even eliminate signs of depression.

You can lose weight! You can have a much better attitude and a brighter outlook on life!

You don't have to spend a fortune. Many healthy, happy, and contented folks have never set foot in a fancy health club. ( And there are many who do - regularly! ) The point is - you can get healthy and enjoy a better quality of life and never need to part with much of your hard earned cash.

Take stock of where you are today. And then consider where you'd like to be in terms of your health. Do you want more energy for handling everything this wonderful life throws your way? Maybe you just want to lose a few pounds before swimsuit season returns.

Decide on a goal. Then start moving toward your goal. Do whatever type of sport or exercise you most enjoy. Start a new habit. Drop an unhealthy habit or two. If you've been inactive for a while - no worries - just start small. And then pick up the pace a little bit at a time.

You can save your money when you lead a healthy lifestyle. Do it for you! Do it for your country!

Start today! Start saving money. Your money!

Thinking Warm

When the weather outside prevents you from getting your daily run - why not make the best of your time indoors! Exercise indoors! Good old fashioned squats with hand-weights and jumping rope will warm you up on even the coldest Winter day.

Turn on a nice, relaxing playlist or tune into your favorite beach movie! Have some laughs watching an old school beach movie - Check out Gidget or Annette or how about an old Elvis flick? Exercise indoors while you laugh away your worries!

If you find yourself searching for the perfect beach destination to escape the Winter blast - you might enjoy the lazy, and beautiful beaches of Key West! Check out a weekly rental or even a 2 week stay if you prefer. The sights, sounds, and smells of the ocean breeze are sure to create memories that last a lifetime!

If people watching is more to your liking - head to the infamous and still beautiful beaches at Daytona Beach Florida! Drive your car right on to the beach and head out for a day of sun and fun!

Or, head over to the Gulf side and discover the pristine views from St Pete Beach. Less than hour from the Tampa airport - you can enjoy the laid-back ambiance found in the St Pete beaches! Or drive over to Clearwater Beach for a day of water sports and fun!

Toned and Tighter Butt

Do you wish you could have a toned, tighter butt - like you had back in High-School? Check out this great workout for a tighter , toned butt -

Here's a healthy goal for anyone: sweat every day; not a mere perspiration, but a good, old-fashioned sweat.

If you're tired of the gym, try a fun alternative. Start with walking and shed around 240 calories per hour at a moderate pace. Pick up the pace and torch off even more unwanted pounds! Try something new. Swimming laps burns around 422 calories each hour.

If you want to look better from the rear - get out and walk or run every day. Try a healthy variety of exercises for a Toned, Tight Butt.

Burn Calories and De-Stress After a Long Day

After a long day at work or school or chasing toddlers around the house, how do you let go? How do you relax after a stressful day? Exercise is one trick used by many stable, healthy people just like yourself. We all get stressed. Its totally natural. An inevitable side-effect of living. How you choose to deal with stress is entirely up to you. Many of us have tried other - less effective and often quite expensive - remedies. Learn from our mistakes - you most often will not find any relief in the bottom of a whiskey bottle - or that bottle of pills so many Doctors make so much money selling.

Are you looking for a different way to handle stress? Try this:

Want to burn some calories and re-energize? Try this calorie burning, metabolism booster:

Your might even find that you start looking a little trimmer. Maybe your waist size will drop a bit. Daily exercise combined with healthy, natural food choices will help tone your abs, core, arms, butt, and legs. You may even raise your heart rate to boost your metabolism and burn even more calories throughout the rest of your day. A good, long 20 minute run will trigger certain chemical reactions in your brain that produce a natural high.

Can't make it outside to run? Don't feel like running through a foot of snow? Grab a jump rope. Walk - or run - in place right in the warmth and comfort of your living room. You can enjoy life more and handle stress with some daily exercise.

A Warm Winter Workout

Are you ready for Spring? Does the latest Winter storm have you stuck indoors? Enjoy a nice warm cup of your favorite coffee or tea and then hit the rowing machine for 15 minutes. Jump rope or work out with your exercise ball for a few minutes. They say that ab exercises done on the ball are more effective!

The possibilities are practically endless. And you don’t even have to get out and brave the cold. While Winter's blast is keeping so many of us indoors, maybe this beach workout will help warm you up.

Getting to the gym can be a real challenge this time of year. Why not get some refreshing exercise in the comfort of home?

Science has carefully explained the stretch, but many of us seem to refuse to take the lesson. The stretch extends the body so that the veins, where congestion is most liable to take place and where pressure of blood is weakest, are so elongated that the blood flows more easily from the arteries, where the pressure is strongest, through the veins back to the heart and circulation is equalized and stimulated.

This effective, 30-minute routine uses a special blend of Yoga and Pilates-inspired body weight exercises mixed with plyometric moves and several short rest periods to challenge the abs and build strength. You'll have a blast as you engage all of the muscles of the body and develop a firm and shapely physique with this intense beach body workout.

Enjoy the Winter season with some energizing exercise.

Exercise Inside in Winter's Blast

Are you snowed in? Do you have trouble getting to the gym? Is your schedule filled to the brim? If finding time for exercise is a challenge, work out at home! If you're stuck indoors more than you like this Winter - you can still get some exercise without even leaving the house. Turn down the heat and get an awesome workout in your living room! Many runners and healthy fitness lovers use rowing machines during the cold, snowy weather. Why risk injury when you can enjoy an efficient, calorie burning exercise in the comfort of your home?

You can burn a bunch of calories and really get your heart pumping on your very own indoor rowing machine.

If you are pressed for time you can still get a great workout and burn loads of calories in as little as 20 minutes. Rowing enthusiasts seem to prefer the Concept2 Model E Indoor Rowing Machine with PM5


Rowing ( or any strenuous exercise ) is even good for your brain! Give your brain a boost and plenty of healthy oxygen with some honest to goodness heart-pumping exercise! Don't just take my word for it - listen to these guys:

Get out your mp3 player and row while you listen to your favorite music. Research shows that listening to your favorite tunes while working out helps to keep you going up to 10 or 15 percent longer!

Start Your Day Off Right

How do you start your typical day? A cup of coffee? Some quiet time maybe? Or is it a quick shower and off to the races getting the little ones off to school and day-care?



Some healthy fitness lovers enjoy a few minutes of exercise in their early morning routine. These healthy folks find they often have more energy throughout the day after some refreshing early morning exercise. Try it for a couple weeks. Get up a few minutes earlier each day and start your morning with some slow stretches and an energetic, heart-pumping run. Don't feel quite ready for running yet? Start walking. Gradually increase your time and intensity a little each day. The key is to get your heart-rate up and get to the point where your lungs are really working! Every few minutes - push yourself a little harder for a couple minutes. Then back off to a slightly more comfortable pace.


For a more toned, and muscular body - add some simple weight-bearing exercise to your routine. Do a couple sets of 10 push ups before you head out for the day.

Follow up your morning cardio with a protein packed breakfast. Give your body a good dose of healthy protein early and your metabolism will stay elevated longer throughout the day. Your body will be burning calories hours after that energizing morning run! Give your fat-burners a healthy kick-start every morning and you'll soon feel like you have more energy.

Try this daily for 21 days. Exercise every day. Or, at least 5 days out of every week. Daily exercise will kick into gear those endorphins that help you enjoy life more. These miracle chemicals usually lead to more happy days and far fewer stressful days!

If you have been - like so many of us - slowly adding inches around your waistline and mid-section, take heart! You can enjoy life more with unimaginable levels of energy and vitality. Try starting your day with some energizing exercise and see if you don't feel more energetic all day!

Simple Workout You Can Do Anywhere

Are you bored with your workout routines? Many fitness experts say variety is a key to gaining better overall results from your workouts.

Resistance bands offer a simple and effective alternative to weights. You can toss them in your backpack and use them anywhere!

Don't have resistance bands? You can grab a decent set for around $30. Buy some resistance bands here.

Resistance bands will help you build muscle and tone your whole body.

Looking Good in Your Swimsuit

It's that time of year again. February brings smiling little faces offering a variety of Girl Scout Cookies to tempt your willpower. And then comes the annual rite of passage for countless teenage boys - the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

Christie Brinkley - the famous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model - is in her 50s - knockin on 60's door. Denise Austin - the fitness guru seen on TV for years - has reportedly reached the half century mark too! Despite their age - they both still manage to stay healthy and look radiant! They have maintained the kind of healthy bodies one might normally expect of someone in their teens or early 20s!

These two happy celebrities are proof positive that you can postpone looking old! You can still look great in your 50s and beyond!

What's their secret? Two simple and powerful habits are at the core of their outstanding fitness levels. They exercise regularly and consistently eat healthy foods!

Whether you are in your 30s or fast approaching your 50s - its never too late to start your own fitness program. The benefits of a healthy lifestyle will have you wishing you'd started years ago! Enjoy life more. You can look better - healthier and more vibrant! You can improve your outlook on life and have more fun than you ever dreamed of! More energy and zest for living are yours for the taking!

Why not get a head start on your New Years resolutions! Start today! The sooner you begin the sooner you can start enjoying life more and looking years younger! Start getting some exercise every day.

You won't need to spend a small fortune to get started. Do you have a Family Video in your neighborhood? They offer free fitness videos. Or check out the local library and grab an exercise video! ( They probably have several of Denise Austin's excellent workout videos. )

Not ready to join that fancy health club in your neighborhood? Save your money. You can get a great workout with just a few simple and inexpensive pieces of home fitness equipment!

The key is getting started. And staying active. Fitness is a journey to be enjoyed!

Keep eating healthy foods. Drink plenty of water and try to get a good night's sleep every night. Give your body the healthy nutrients it needs and plenty of rest! Better fitness is really just the result of a few simple, healthy habits! A healthy lifestyle is yours for the asking.

Get Started with Yoga

Could your life use a little more relaxation? Do you ever wish you could have more energy? Do you want less stress in your hectic life? Yoga is an easy and effective way to combat stress and help you enjoy more energy.

Check out these great starter stretches - The Relaxation pose and crocodile poses to relax the lower back. Shoulder exercises to relax the neck and shoulders. Sitting forward bend for flexibility. Inclined plane for strengthening the back. Spinal twist for good massage of the abdominal organs. Final relaxation to really let go.

Join the millions of healthy fitness lovers who enjoy the benefits from these exercises and self-development techniques for body, mind and spirit.

Grab a Yoga Mat and get started.

Yoga offers a centuries old, proven technique for controlling the body and the mind. Try to follow along the videos above and see if you don't feel a difference in your energy level. You just might find your stress level start to go way down as well!

Trim and Tone by Summer

   Every day is a great day to burn off some fat and tone your body.

Two simple - and very effective habits - will get you on the road to getting in shape fast.

Habit 1. Throw out all your sweet, sugary snacks. If it has sugar - in any form - toss it. Stop eating it. Start drinking water and eliminate soft drinks. Even those diet drinks. Drink water. Eat more protein and less carbs. Unless you are running or working your body real hard. Then you'll need some complex carbs - like those found in whole grains to help fuel your demanding workouts.

Habit 2. If you want a slimmer, sexier body shape you simply have to exercise most days of the week. Start today... Do something to make your body work harder than usual. Even a brisk 45 minute walk can do wonders! Make exercise a daily habit.

Want to look even hotter at the beach this Summer? You can have tighter abs, and a leaner - more muscular body shape!

Adopt the 2 simple - and effective - habits that are sure to result in a toned and muscular body shape. Eat healthy foods and embrace the daily exercise habit. Try a wide variety of workouts and as many different sports as you can enjoy!


Decide which area(s) of your body you want to improve on. Then get a jump rope and some simple hand-weights. Maybe a yoga mat and an exercise ball. You won't need much. Dust off that bicycle in the garage and use it - ride it hard! Walk ( or better yet, run ) for 45 minutes 5 days a week. Start today! Summer may be here before you know it!

Beating the Winter Blues

Are you stressed out this Winter? Does all the snow and cold have you feeling blue?

Getting outside and enjoying nature can pose a challenge when the wind-chill is at single digits or lower! If you’re like many healthy fitness-lovers you might find it way easier to get some exercise indoors on these freezing cold winter days.

Avoid the Winter blues - enjoy a relaxing escape with yoga. Here is an easy way to get started:

Don't beat yourself up if you have been inactive for years! Take it slow! Enjoy the journey! The lasting benefits will come much easier if you are having fun at this!

Take a moment when your mind is free. Focus your attention to receive joy instead of gloom, love instead of hate. You can exclude the thought of evil or you can yield and allow the tempter to desecrate your shrine. Whichever choice you make, these first moments of your day's living will color the whole course of the coming hours.


Can you wake as wake the birds? In their joy and singing share?
Stretch your limbs as do the herds, And drink as deep the morning air?
Quick as larks on upward wing, Can you shun the demon's wiles, Promptly as the robins sing,
Can you change all frowns to smiles?

Can you spurn fear's coward whine, Meet each day with joyous song?

Then will angels guard your shrine, Joys be deep and life be long.

Simple Steps for a Flat Tummy

Do you want to lose another inch or so around your waistline? Are you wishing you could have tighter, sexier looking abs? These Simple Steps to a Flat Tummy will help you enjoy trim and toned abs before Summer!

When you combine a vigorous program of strength training and frequent aerobic workouts you stand to burn more calories – even after your workout! Your metabolism stays in high gear for hours!

Try this simple routine to get you started – Warm up for a few minutes. Do some slow and focused stretches. Start your cardio for a couple minutes at a moderate pace. Then, kick it into high gear and sprint for 30 seconds to a minute at the highest intensity you can muster. Slow down and do a couple minutes at your moderate pace while you catch your breath!

Choose a comfortable time of day to exercise, not too soon after eating and when the weather outside is not too harsh. Or workout indoors! Many people find it more enjoyable to exercise with others. Invite a friend or family member to join you.

How to Get a Flat Stomach in 5 Easy Steps! Getting a flat tummy doesn't have to be painful or daunting! These tips are so easy and fun that you can do them too!

The Best Way to Lose that unsightly belly fat is with a two-fold approach.

Plenty of aerobic, heart pumping exercise combined with eating healthy foods are the keys you need to shed those unwanted pounds. Kickstart your metabolism with some early morning protein. Then get as much exercise as you can throughout the day!

Keep eating healthy foods. Drink plenty of water and try to get a good night's sleep every night. Give your body the healthy nutrients it needs and plenty of rest! Better fitness is really just the result of a few simple, healthy habits! A healthy lifestyle - and lean, sexy abs - can be yours for the asking.

Get Slim and Trim

Are you feeling a little heavier after all those Christmas goodies? Join the club! You're certainly not alone! Well, if you're feeling a little bloated or just want to drop a size, you may want to add some abs exercises to your daily routine. After all, Who doesn't want a leaner, better toned stomach?

Do you want to shred your Abs and enjoy a leaner, healthier body shape? Try setting a few goals and then do everything you can to reach them. Simple is good. Like - "I'll walk / run for 30 minutes every day this week". Then do it!

Goals and plans are great. Nothing happens until you act on those plans. Keep moving. Do something every day! You can reach that lower weight. Yes, you really can drop two or more dress sizes before Spring. You can lose that belly and get toned and slim!

No need to spend a small fortune on health club dues every month. Stick with simple, basic exercise routines and you can sculpt those sexy abs everyone wishes they could have!

Work towards daily exercise routines. Try a variety of healthy exercises - vary the length and intensity of your workouts and you can - over time - enjoy a slimmer body.

If you want to get in shape, working out with weights will make you look trimmer and more toned. Resistance training also helps you burn more calories even after your workout is over. Several research studies have shown that weight training in the morning boosts your metabolism for the rest of the day. Be sure to fuel your workouts with plenty of protein early in your day.

Exercise gives you a natural high unmatched by any drink or drug. And it helps you get rid of stress!! Try it. What have you got to lose - except maybe a few pounds and even a few inches around your waistline!


Enjoy eating healthy foods – good, natural foods that are high in nutrients, fiber, “good fats,” and lean protein. Enjoy a variety of fruits and vegetables daily. Get some protein early in the day

Staying Motivated

Well, January is in the record books. The Super bowl is over. Winter is here in full force. Are you ready to make this your best year ever?

Here are just a few steps to think about and hopefully help you to your best year(s) ever!

1. Decide to be Happy. Ignore and forget the inevitable stuff that gets in your way. Put those negative thoughts and feelings aside as soon as you start to experience them. Turn them into a positive. Find something better - or more pleasant - to focus on! You're in control. Decide to choose a happier life!

2. Get at least 30 minutes of exercise - of your choosing - every day. Even if it's just a nice walk with your favorite loved one(s). Want to lose some weight, enjoy life more or achieve a better level of fitness? Kick it up to 45 minutes a day!

3. Turn off the TV for 30 minutes every day and read something positive. Or go to bed a little earlier and get a great night's sleep! The point is - enjoy that TV a little less and all that life has to offer a little more. You can always hear about the news tomorrow - or who won the latest round of your favorite talent show!

4. Get outside - connect with nature. Breathe in some of that fresh air and contemplate the all the beauty nature has to offer!

5. Choose to eat healthy foods. Enough said. You know!

6. Set reasonable goals - and write them down. Experts suggest that written goals - have a better chance. While you're at it write down the steps you plan to take in order to reach those written goals.

7. Evaluate your progress and decide to adapt your goals or the steps you need to take to reach them. Take a few minutes each evening to decide what your priorities are for the following day. Every weekend or so - take an honest look at where you are. What's working and what maybe isn't worling so well?

8. Enjoy the Journey. Share some time with those you love. Or find someone new to enjoy this great life with. Try something new. Pick up a new sport or pasttime. Get out there and enjoy life. Life is short - don't we owe to ourselves to make the most of this brief time we have?

9. Forgive yourself if you falter. Everyone who accomplishes anything meaningful has to overcome obstacles. If you fall down or fail. No Worries! Get back up! Persist!

10. Laugh more! Find something funny to read or watch on the tube. What have you got to lose? Except that frown on your face or the worrisome thought which get in everyone's way from time to time! Take the advice of that master songwriter back in the 80s - Don't Worry - Be Happy!

And just 1 final thought - or bonus step. Learn to Love yourself and share your love with as many others as you can. Practice random acts of kindness as often as you can. Share your Love.

And Have Your Best Year Ever!

Refresh and Rejuvenate

Sunday is a good day to refresh. Maybe take some time just for you...

Every day is a perfect day for a little exercise!

Spending a few minutes a day doing slow, deliberate stretches can also help you manage stress more effectively giving you a chance to momentarily shut off outside stressors, and focus, physically and mentally, on your stretch.


If you want to get healthy and enjoy life more in a slimmer, toned body - try yoga! Yoga is a great way to relieve stress. For centuries people have enjoyed the many benefits of yoga! In the 1980s, yoga became popular as a system of physical exercise across the Western world. Yoga in Indian traditions, however, is more than physical exercise, it has a meditative and spiritual benefits. There is evidence to suggest that regular yoga practice has been shown to improve mood and anxiety.

The three main focuses of Hatha yoga (exercise, breathing, and meditation) make it beneficial to those suffering from heart disease. Overall, studies of the effects of yoga on heart disease suggest that yoga may reduce high blood-pressure, improve symptoms of heart failure, enhance cardiac rehabilitation, and lower cardiovascular risk factors.

Try it - you may just find yoga compliments your current fitness efforts very nicely.

If you want to lose a few pounds or tone up your body - Start small – make a few healthy choices in your diet and make an exercise plan! Adopt some simple habits and enjoy a long and healthy life. Take a few small steps each week and gradually increase your exercise times.