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How to Keep your Daily Health in Check

Setting a goal for where you want to be health-wise is an important step in developing an overall healthier lifestyle.  Many different attributes can contribute to this overall sense of well-being, but it is only after implementing these new procedures daily that you will begin to notice a difference, physically and mentally.  It is amazing what just a few simple lifestyle changes can do to your body image and health.

Coming up with a daily exercise routine is an essential part of boosting your own self-confidence as well as feeling more energized.  Starting off with a simple cardio workout and building up your endurance over the weeks is an easy way in which to achieve your daily exercise as well as feel healthier.  Taking walks around the neighborhood or even going to a nearby park makes a world of difference to your body, especially when it is accustomed to sitting inside an office all day.  Once you become used to this smaller amount of exercise, you can enhance it by jogging or even running for a set amount of time every day.  After a few weeks, you should notice substantial results which should help you continue your workout routine.

Summer months present the best time for a new change in lifestyle because of the amount of outdoor activities which you can participate in.  Outdoor sports on the weekends or even lap swimming at neighborhood pools are great ways in which to enjoy the summertime and still keep up a healthy way of life.  If cardio workouts become boring to you, you might want to look into outdoor activities which your community offers.  Many towns now have biking trails on which to ride for a few miles in a natural part of the town, and there are also many intramural teams that you can join to put yourself in more of a sports setting.  It is always important to vary your workout routine so that it does not become tiring to get stuck doing the same things every day; it can lead to a hesitance to work out when you are on the same trail. 

Keeping up with a daily exercise routine will increase your overall happiness with your life because of the large difference a bit of exercise makes in the long run.  Your entire body will feel healthy, from your skin to your muscles and the added bonus of involving yourself with outdoor activities causes more vitamin D to be added to your life which is always an energy booster.  By monitoring your food intake at the same time, you will be ready to go for summer weather and will be able to continue this type of habit for months to come. 

This post was contributed by Nicole White, who writes about masters of health care degree. She welcomes your feedback at Nicole.White222 at gmail.com

My big Christmas break project

Well, I'm back!  What a great last few weeks it’s been!  My wife and I have been all over the place visiting family and friends for the holidays.  I don’t know why it works this way, but whenever we visit family, I tend to forget all the stresses of work and focus more on fun with the family.  With that said, Christmas and New Year’s are over, and it’s back to the grindstone we go.  I’m excited about 2009 because I have some big plans for this year.  I have goals I’m moving toward achieving, milestones to reach in my business, and business relationships/partnerships I’m in the process of developing.  This year’s going to be a great year!

Like I said, these past two weeks were unbelievably relaxing.  I was able to get away from the usual work and just relax, but being the person that I am, I sometimes get ADD and have to do something.  I can't just sit still and completely relax.  So what did I do, I created a video to advertise the Fat Dissolver Program.  Here's the final product; let me know what you think.  I think it's kinda funny, but that's just me. 

FYI, if you're interested in the Fat Dissolver Program, I'm running a 20% off special right now to get the 50+ downloadable exercises and the 57-page eBook for only $39.95 instead of $49.95.

Fat Dissolver Program Sneak Peak

I thought I'd share with you one of the exercises in the Fat Dissolver Program.  This way you can see what it would be like and decide if it's right for you.  Also, get this, I decided to run a special with the Fat Dissolver Program that if you purchase the program and refer 3 friends or family members to purchase the program too, just let me know when they buy the Fat Dissolver Program, and I'll refund the entire amount you paid for it yourself.  It's my gift of saying "thank you" for spreading the word.  Hope you enjoy the video! 

I might be publishing my next post on Friday, instead of Thursday.  We'll see, but either way, I just wanted to give you the heads up.

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It's finally here!

Well, as you know, I've been working on this new fitness program.  Well, guess what.  It's finally here!  Since I've had people say they wished I lived by them so they could be trained by me, I decided to do the next best thing.  I created the Fat Dissolver Program; this program contains an eBook that explains why crunches are NOT the most effective way to lose your stomach fat, and after reading the book, the program features something that I think is really cool.  I decided to take the top exercises that I've used with me clients to help them lose up to 30 lbs. in 3 months, and what I've done is recorded them and made them downloadable.  Originally, I was going to turn them into two DVDs, but I decided that if I made them downloadable, not only could you watch them on your computer, but you can also play them on your video iPod or portable windows media video player.  And if you have the necessary tools on your computer, you can actually make your own DVDs of the exercises!  If this is something you feel you could find helpful for the start of the New Year, make sure you go to the site and get access to the program today!  And if you don't want it for yourself, could you help me out and tell your friends?  I would really appreciate it so much.  Also, you can sign up to be an affiliate and get paid if you send an email to a friend and they click on the link and purchase the program or if you provide a link on your site and someone clicks on it and signs up.  (The details are on the site.)  Thanks again to all of you who've been asking me about the program.  I can’t believe I finally finished it!  I hope you like it; have a great rest of your day!

Dan

Grab your copy of the Fat Dissolver Program!

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Exercise tip of the week

I apologize for taking so long to post something again; these next two weeks are unbelievably busy, and I don't really have any time to sit down at a computer and write blog posts.  I'll try my hardest to post something next week, but I'm not 100% sure of the possibility. 

On that note, before I go, I wanted to at least throw something out there.  I don't know about the area you live in, but here in Columbus, OH, it's been uncharacteristically cold for this time of year.  For those of you looking for an exercise idea that allows you to stay indoors, but not on a treadmill, try the mall.  Santa's come to town, Christmas decorations are set up, cheerful music is playing over the loud speaker.  Walking in the mall can be a great option for those of you looking for something different.  How about setting a time with a friend, going to the mall with the commitment that you won't be distracted by the window displays, and walking at an intense pace for 30 minutes.  If you're going to do this, make sure it's during the weekend; weekends would be to crowded to allow for a good walk.

So that's it for this week.  Again, I apologize for being so short, but hopefully after Thanksgiving will be better.  If I don't post anything until after Thanksgiving, I hope all of you have a great time with family and friends, and remember, Thanksgiving is one day, so try to keep the abnormal eating to one day too.  On the other days, make sure you portion out the great food.  If you do, you'll be a lot happier when you step on the scale after the weekend.

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Marathons are a whole different breed

Just when I got done telling you that I can't find anything on running being bad for your joints, I did find this article on marathons being hard on the heart.  As the responsible blogger that I am ... I wanted to make sure to keep you in the loop about these findings. 

As the title says, running is one thing, but marathons are a whole different animal.  I'm going to bring out the main point of this article, but I want you to go to the link and read the whole thing because there are some very interesting findings discussed in it.  After reading this article, the main point to share is that marathon running can cause a great amount of stress on the muscles and the heart.  This stress was determined by finding minor leakage in the heart of marathoners after finishing the race.  Of course, the major effects of marathons have been seen with the death of two well-known marathoners within the past year, as well as a number of "not-so-well-known" marathoners over the years. 

The good news is that even though effects on the heart have been found, these effects haven't been found to be long-term.  What that means is the risk for a heart attack is raised during a marathon and for a few weeks after, but after that, the risks seem to diminish and the positive, long-term health benefits associated with training for and running a marathon override the short-term risks.

Basically, if you decide to train for a marathon, realize what you're getting yourself into, and take it seriously.  I know people who have just gone out there and "winged it", and I can't help but grimace after reading about the effects of that.  How do you take training seriously?  Just as Tuesday's post discussed, make sure you start your training early enough, pace your training schedule, run in the proper shoes, make sure you give your body a break with training, make sure you're getting enough miles in each week (this article says that at least 45/week significantly reduces risks compared to 35/week or less), etc.

Here are two wonderful resources to check out.  The first is the article that led to this post, and the second is Hal Higdon's site for marathon training programs.

Happy training!

How to exercise with bad knees

I can't tell you how many times I've worked with a client who has bad knees.  By now, I hope you've heard me say it enough that exercises like squats and lunges are some of the best types of exercises to do to burn off fat.  But what happens when your knees won't allow it?  Are there any ways to get around bad knees, but still be able to work on the lower body?  The answer is yes.

Before we get into lower body exercises to do, I first want to get into upper body exercises to do.  Your upper body is pain free, so you need to use that to your advantage.  When I have clients with bad knees, I throw in lower body exercises from time to time, but since their upper body is OK, that's what we stick with most of the time.  The important thing is to create circuit-type workouts that keep your upper body challenged during the entire workout.  I might have a client do a row exercise, straight into a chest exercise, and back to a row.  Or, if I'm in a gym, I may have a client do an upper body exercise, and then hop on a stationary bike, an elliptical, or a treadmill ... whichever their knees can handle.  I would have them do a short 30-second or so burst on this machine and come back for another round of the upper body exercise.  Whatever upper body exercises you do, make sure you have a general idea of what your workout is going to be because you want to make sure that you don't have a break in between wondering what to do next.

As far as lower body exercises go, we know that squats and lunges are out, so it's time to improvise.  If you have access to weight machines, there's always the option of hopping on one of those, but I like to stay away from machines for the most part.  Another option is to use a step.  Now I know that steps are painful most of the time, but the steps you want to create barely come off the ground.  Exercise steps, you know, those green or purple steps you can buy at any store with a fitness section, are perfect for these exercises.  There are all kinds of exercises to do with a step.  You can do balance exercises, side step ups, backward step ups, forward steps ups, you can add in shoulder presses, curls, raises, etc. with your step ups.  Like I said, an exercise step is a great option to incorporate into your workout.  Another great mode of exercise is using resistance/exercise tubes.  I love these little things because they're extremely versatile.  You can tie a big knot in it and wedge it under the door, or you can tie it around a pole.  Once you do one of these, you can then tie the other end around your foot and start doing different leg exercises like bringing your knee to your chest, leg extensions, leg curls, leg kickbacks, leg holds with the tube tight, raising your leg out to the side or bringing it across your body.  To incorporate a step into your exercise, you can place a step on top of the tube, and do different exercises while lying down on the tube.  You can do different leg holds, leg raises, Butt Blaster-type exercises (kneeling on the ground and pushing your foot up toward the ceiling), etc.  You need to be careful with these exercises, though, so make sure the tube is actually secure under the step so that it doesn't snap up and hit you.

So my suggestions, if you do have bad knees and want to lose weight, are make sure your calorie intake and eating habits are where they need to be.  Incorporate step exercises and resistance tube exercises into your workouts.  Make sure you maximize your effort with upper body exercises.  Have your workouts planned out.  Keep your intensity level up throughout your workouts.  If you don't have any health issues that would prevent you from doing circuit training, then do circuit training, and make sure you find some method of cardio you can do (i.e. bike, walk, row machine, etc.).  If you can incorporate these different techniques into your workouts, your bad knees shouldn't be what stops you from staying healthy and fit.  As always, though, these are just suggestions.  Make sure you get your doctor's approval before trying any of these exercise, as they may not be appropriate for your level of knee problems.

Being sick is no fun

That's right.  I'm sick today.  I've been sick for the past few days, and even though I'm starting to get over what I have, today is probably my worst day to talk to anyone.  Why is that?  Because I have no voice. 

I don't know about you, but having a voice that is scratchy is very frustrating.  And I'll be honest ... I'm not really in much of a mood to sit here and type today, so I'm going to be quick.  I hope you understand.

Did you know that exercise can actually be good for the sick body? ... that is if you have a cold.  You typically still have enough energy in the reserve to exercise with a cold, and by doing so, you keep the blood and hormones flowing.  Have you ever felt OK when you were sick, but the day you decide to stay in bed, you feel worse.  I like to describe it as your body becomes stagnant, even though your immune system is anything but that when fighting off an illness.  So moderate exercise can help the body keep the energy flowing, and remember that exercise strengthens the immune system, so if you have a cold, moderate exercise can help you fight the cold off even faster.

Now if you are sick with more than just a measly cold, you won't want to exercise.  At this point, your body needs all of the energy it can get to fight off the illness, and if it's having to split its energy between providing your immune system with a boost and providing your body with a boost for workouts, that's not a good thing.

To sum it up, moderate exercise, when you have a cold, can be good for you; any type of exercise during an illness that's more severe than a cold is not smart.  At this point, your body needs all the rest and energy it can get, and exercise would be counterproductive. 

I would always ask your doctor if it's OK to exercise when you're sick.  What you think is just a cold may be different than what your doctor thinks is a cold.

Alright, I'm done for today, and no, I'm not going out to exercise.

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"Just do it!"

Last weekend, I was at a fitness conference out in New York City ... well actually Stamford, CT, but close enough.  This conference wasn't like the typical fitness conference, though. ... You know, the ones filled with spandex and muscle shirt lovers.  This was all about getting some of the brightest fitness minds into one room and bouncing ideas off of each other.

This conference was absolutely amazing.  The room was filled with visionaries such as multi-million dollar fitness authors, the Yankees strength coach, the Philadelphia 76er's strength coach, celebrity fitness trainers, fitness professionals generating 6 figures in 1 MONTH, etc.  Needless to say, the ideas thrown around the conference room during this weekend were ideas that I feel are going to shake up the fitness industry in the months and years to come. 

As amazing as the success was in this room, the more amazing thing was the people I was able to meet.  Not only did I come away with some amazing fitness-biz ideas, I also came away with another idea.  You want to know what it was?

It was that there were so many fitness ideas.  (Pretty simple, huh?)

What do I mean by that?  I mean there are so many ideas out there on how to stay fit, but nobody had every idea.  Some fitness professionals concentrate on one area of fitness, some concentrate on another.

I say this because it just goes to show that you don't have to like all ideas of fitness; you just need to pick one idea.  Pick one technique that you enjoy doing and build your workouts around it.  If you love to run, then build your workouts around it.  If you love to swim, do the same.  If you love to throw sand bags around, knock yourself out.  Whatever it is, make the idea you enjoy doing your strength, and then add a twist to it.  Maybe you like throwing sand bags around.  How about throwing sand bags around while incorporating jumping jacks in between each throw?

Just be active.  Don't worry about finding the right place, time, or method to get you to your goals; just get out there and do something.  Do something you enjoy because if you enjoy it, you're more likely to stick with it.  And if you stick with it, you're more likely to get the results you want.

As a little company, you might have heard of, called Nike says, "Just do it!" 

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