Planning for Better Health and Fitness

One of the biggest secrets to healthy lifestyle success is to plan ahead. With just a few simple tips you can save time and cut some of the stress in your daily life. Plan for some exercise everyday. Or some kind of sport or physical activity.

If you want to lose some weight - plan to incorporate the 2 vital keys into your daily schedule. Make time for exercise. And stick to eating healthy foods!

Involve your family or loved ones. Enjoy your journey together! Keep meals simple! Foods that keep your family healthy can be fast and easy to prepare. Unless it’s a special occasion, keep cooking simple and involve kids or other family members.

Cook several main dishes when you have more time-like on weekends. Make soups, stews, or casseroles to freeze for the next week. Cook extra for later.

Do some tasks ahead. Washing and trimming vegetables, cooking noodles for a pasta salad or lean ground meat for tacos a few hours, or the day before, can save you lots of time during busy weekday evenings. Saving time in the evening enables you to have more time for exercise or active family fun! Take the dog for a brisk paced walk. Chase your kids around the school playground! Enjoy your extra time together!

Plan fun, and energizing activities for all family members to enjoy a couple times a week! For example, go on a family bike ride, plant a family garden, or pack a picnic meal to eat at the park and afterward go on a family hike. Plan (with your kids) fun activities for the whole family. Make a regular date to walk with friends or neighbors. Join a new activity group, like aerobics or yoga. Sign up for the company softball or basketball team.

Make time for physical activity by walking, jogging or swimming during your lunch hour or take fitness breaks instead of coffee breaks. Do something fun - and give your energy level a boost! Try jumping rope, some good old fashioned calisthenics, riding a stationary bike or other home fitness equipment while the kids are busy playing, at school or sleeping.

Plan ahead. Make active time part of your daily or weekly routine and write it on your calendar! Invite a close friend or family member to join you in the activity. Sharing the experience with someone will make it more enjoyable and you can keep each other motivated.

A Better Quality of Life

A bit of daily exercise will not only help you lose weight and enjoy life more. It very well may help you live longer too!

According to the American Psychological Association over 50 million Americans live largely sedentary lives, putting them at increased risk of health problems and possibly even shorter lifespans. In a long term study of more than 40,000 adults, 16 percent of deaths were directly related to sedentary living. This percentage did not include deaths complicated by other illnesses such as obesity, smoking, high cholesterol, or diabetes. The bottom line: lack of exercise was to blame.

Men who did just moderate levels of exercise lived, on average, up to six years longer than their sedentary peers. A study of over 14,000 women showed that active women were 55 percent less likely to die of breast cancer than women who chose not to exercise and stay in good shape.

The facts are clear - if you want to enjoy life more and live longer - your odds are much better if you get some exercise most days of the week!

For the best results - try a balanced approach. Combine weight or resistance training with flexibility and aerobic exercise. If your program is balanced enough, you wont 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! Women and Men - 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.

And keep eating healthy foods - in moderation! An extra slice of bread or one extra soft drink a day – or any other food that contains approximately 100 calories – can add up to ten extra pounds in a year if the amount of physical activity you do does not increase. If losing weight is one of your goals - Exercise more each day and start cutting calories. You can lose excess weight in the most efficient and lasting way.

If you want a slimmer, sexier looking body - the best way to lose belly fat is with plenty of good old fashioned exercise! You can exercise and lose weight fast!