Keys to Better Fitness

Some health experts suggest there are four keys to better fitness:

Endurance builds your energy and “staying power.” It results from exercise that makes you breathe hard, like aerobic activity. Jogging, swimming, even riding your bicycle can help you build your endurance!

Strength comes from working out your muscles. Resistance training – with weights – is an excellent way to build healthy muscles and your strength!

Balance training can help prevent you from falling—standing on one foot, getting up from a chair without your hands or arms, or simply walking heel to toe help train your brain to balance. This kind of activity is especially important for older individuals.

Flexibility is what you gain from regular light stretching exercises. Try Yoga for a fun and healthy way to keep your muscles healthy and flexible!

Try cross training your body with a healthy mix of workouts and different sports. Buy some home fitness equipment and work out whenever your schedule permits!

If a midday visit to the gym isn't realistic for you, take a walk or at least step away from your desk during lunch. Are there multiple floors in your building? Walk the stairs a few times. Pick up the pace. Take 2 stairs at once. Keep moving.

Life is a journey, enjoy the journey!

Your Best Day Ever

You can have your best day ever - Every Day! Make every day a healthy day! Get a little exercise - or a lot! Our bodies are designed to move and be active. To work hard and develop strength. Your body will need the right fuel for building healthy muscles.

Your muscles develop from training and exercise. Protein is vital to help you build healthy muscles. Some nutrition experts recommend a nutritious, balanced diet that includes two or three servings of meat, beans or eggs and two or three servings of dairy every day. On days you plan to lift or do strength training - try getting a healthy dose of protein early!

When you eat starches or sugars your 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.

Your 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. Usually there is enough glycogen in muscles to provide fuel for 90-120 minutes of exercise.

Most exercise and sport games do not use up glycogen stores so eating carbohydrates during the activity usually isn't needed. But for some athletes, eating or drinking carbohydrates during exercise helps maintain their blood glucose and energy levels.

Most athletes need not be concerned with "carbohydrate loading," the special technique of eating a lot of carbohydrates for several days before an endurance event. Instead, focus on getting enough carbohydrates everyday. The best way to ensure plenty of energy for exercise is to eat a nutritious, balanced diet that is high in carbohydrates and low in fat. Enjoy a healthy variety of different foods!

Keep eating healthy foods, exercise daily and you really can lose weight and keep it off! Make every day your best day! Start getting in shape - fast!