Exercise is one of the best ways to feel good.  You want to feel great from the inside out.  There is nothing better than being happy and healthy at the same time.  When you have the right method of exercise, you will see that you can put your life on the right track and get your heart pumping.  Taking the time to put your health first is very important.  When you are able to grow as a person and use exercise as a method of release, you will feel good about who you are. 

Getting out to do exercise is a good idea. You can join a gym to get out there and get motivated. Sometimes exercising at home is not always the best method for everyone.  There are many people that need the extra push to get them on the right track.  You can get involved with many of the local organizations and join a health club that will put your needs first.  This is a great idea that will help you strengthen your body and feel better about who you are and your personal growth.

If you are someone that can exercise from your home and stay motivated, you should do it. You can buy some extra gym pieces that you think will help you achieve your personal goals. You can get any thing that you want or like to help you get in shape.  You will see that once you start a good exercise routine, you will want to stay motivated and on track. This will get you the results that you want so that you can feel good about growing as a person.

Another way to exercise is to get outside and do what you want. You can play sports or take up a great hobby outside. You will enjoy getting out there and getting great exercise as well as getting fresh air that will help to get the blood pumping.  This is one way to feel great about you and to be able to make your body work hard at staying in shape. You will want to keep in shape so that you are able to look and feel your best.  Working hard is going to take some time, but eventually you will see that you can adapt to getting in shape and this will make you a better person. 

Personal growth is something that you want to feel good about. You will want to make sure that you are proud of who you are and what you are achieving in life.  You will want to do something that will grab your attention.  You can join a club, find a great hobby or meet some new friends that will help you make your life better. This is going to be a great idea that will keep you feeling as good as you can. You will appreciate this when you see what a better person it makes you and how you start to feel about yourself. 

 

When we are at the lake house I can kill two birds with one stone, have a beautiful garden and a better looking body!

While gardening is usually thought of as a productive way to grow beautiful plants and obtain tasty fruits and vegetables, few gardeners have ever considered the immense amounts of exercise one can get in the process of gardening. While you can get almost as much muscle (if not more) exercise as you do working out, it is very productive at the same time.

You may wonder how gardening could possibly give as much exercise as working out. Just think about all the various facets of preparing a garden. There are holes to be dug, bags and pots to be carried, and weeds to be pulled. Doing all of these things help to work out almost every group of muscles in your body.

My brother is a fanatic about working out. Almost every time I call his house, I end up interrupting some muscle toning activity. I’ve never really enjoyed working out, though, as it seems that the constant lifting of heavy things just puts a strain on my body with no immediate positive results. But while he is into working out, I am almost equally enthusiastic about gardening. I work outside improving my garden almost every day. I think I definitely surprised my brother when he realized that I am almost as muscular as he is; but I have never lifted a single dumbbell!

Before you go out into your garden, you should always stretch out. Even if your goal isn’t to work out and get exercise, it’s still a good idea. Often gardeners spend long periods of time hunched over or bent over. This can be bad for your back. So not only should you stretch out before hand, but you should always take frequent breaks if you’re spending long amounts of time in these positions.

Weeding and pruning are some of the best workouts a gardener can get. With the constant crouching and standing, the legs get a great workout. If your weeds are particularly resistant, your arms will become particularly toned just from the effort required to remove them from the ground. If you plan on taking the whole workout think very seriously, you should always be switching arms and positions to spread out the work between different areas of your body.

One of the most obvious ways to get exercise is in the transporting and lifting of bags and pots. Between the nursery and your house, you will have to move the bags multiple times (to the checkout, to your car, to your garden, and then spreading them out accordingly). As long as you remember to lift with your legs and not your back, transporting bags and pots can give you a fairly big workout, even though you probably don’t make those purchases very often.

Mowing your grass can also be a great exercise. If you’ve got an older mower that isn’t self propelled, just the act of pushing it through the grass will give you more of a workout than going to the gym for a few hours. During the course of mowing the grass, you use your chest, arms, back, and shoulder to keep the mower ahead of you. Your thighs and butt also get worked a lot to propel the mower. Not only do you get an all around muscle work out, but it can improve your heart’s health. It’s good for you as a cardiovascular activity, as well as a great way to lose weight due to the increased heart rate and heavy breathing.

If you plan on using gardening as a way to get in shape or lose some weight, you can hardly go wrong. Just be sure to stretch out, drink plenty of water, and apply sunscreen. As long as you take steps to prevent the few negative effects such as pulled muscles, dehydration and sunburn, I think you’ll have a great time and end up being a healthier person because of it.

You can get audio or video tapes that give breathing instruction and teach relaxation techniques at health food stores, bookstores, and by mail order. It’s probably fine to learn breath and relaxation from a tape or booklet, but don’t try the yoga exercises without a skilled teacher. He or she can make corrections, caution you when necessary, and help you to adapt poses, if you need to.  Make sure you get one or two good Exercise Mats, because you will be working on the floor.

It will be worth it to you to spend a little time finding an instructor who is right for you. Your diabetes nurse educator or other health care professional may be able to recommend a yoga instructor. Get referrals for a yoga instructor as you would for any professional you might wish to consult.

Yoga instructors aren’t required to be certified, but many are, through many different programs. Ask prospective teachers if they are certified. A certified teacher isn’t necessarily better than someone who isn’t certified, but it’s something to consider.

Yoga is fun, healthy, and calming. It’s a wise way handed down over several thousands of years. There is little danger in yoga, and even a little progress brings with it freedom and peace of mind.

Although most people with diabetes can exercise safely, exercise involves some risks. To shift the benefit-to-risk ratio in your favor, take these precautions:

Have a medical exam before you begin your exercise program, including an exercise test with EKG monitoring, especially if you have cardiovascular disease, you are over 35, you have high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol levels, you smoke, or you have a family history of heart disease.

Discuss with your doctor any unusual symptoms that you experience during or after exercise such as discomfort in your chest, neck, jaw, or arms; nausea, dizziness, fainting, or excessive shortness of breath; or short-term changes in vision.

If you have diabetes-related complications, check with your healthcare team about special precautions. Consider exercising in a medically supervised program, at least initially, if you have peripheral vascular disease, retinopathy, autonomic neuropathy, or kidney problems.

Learn how to prevent and treat low blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia). If you take oral agents or insulin, monitor your blood glucose levels before, during, and after exercise.

If you have type I, and your blood glucose is above 250 milligrams per deciliter, check your urine for ketones. Don’t exercise if ketones are present, because exercise will increase your risk of ketoacidosis and coma.

Always warm up and cool down.

Don’t exercise outdoors when the weather is too hot and humid, or too cold.

This guy puts it all out there:  what’s working for him, what isn’t, and why.  He’s honest – and I think that goes a long way to making the blog a good read.  Like many of us, he has good days and bad days on his diet, falls off the wagon and gets back on again.. all the stuff that we know happens but so many of us don’t want to own up to!

It’s also great to be able to benefit from his experience and research – he reviews some of the more recent breakthroughs and products, such as lipo 6, which makes the blog informative as well as inspirational reading – he’s done the research so you don’t have to!  I’d never heard of lipo 6 before, but I’m thinking of giving it a try.  Let’s face it, I need to lose weight and all of the new years resolutions in the world are not going to get me to the gym, or even on the stepper that I have in my loungeroom.  It’s just too hot here at the moment to exercise. (Well that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!)

Lots of tips, articles and valuable information too.  He even has a section called “Don’t do this!” It’s good to know that someone out there is stuggling along just like I am.  We need all the encouragement we can get!

Check it out at www.viruz.com.

    1.  Dieting is only about willpower — In truth, willpower must be
        combined with a behavior modification and a comprehensive approach to
        weight loss.

    2.  Extreme weight loss is safe — Extreme dieting is unhealthy and is a
        recipe for weight-loss failure and disappointment.

    3.  Calories don’t matter: avoiding carbs or fat is the key to weight loss
        — In reality, a calorie is a calorie whether it comes from
        carbohydrates, fats or protein. Establishing a calorie deficit by
        cutting back on calories consumed plus burning more calories through
        activity produces sustained weight loss.

    4.  Certain foods can burn fat and make you lose weight — Some foods with
        caffeine may speed up your metabolism in the short run but no foods
        burn fat.

    5.  Starches are fattening and should be avoided when dieting — Actually,
        many foods high in starch — such as bread, rice, pasta, cereals,
        beans and some vegetables — are low in both fat and calories but like
        all foods, should only be consumed in smaller portions to lose weight.

    6.  Low-fat or no-fat means reduced calories — Not always. If the
        manufacturer adds sugar, flour or starch thickeners to improve the
        flavor and texture of the food after the fat is removed, the product
        may contain the same number of calories as the full-fat product.

    7.  Skipping meals is a simple way to cut calories — Although it may seem
        logical, studies shows that people who skip breakfast and eat fewer
        times during the day tend to be heavier.

    8.  Eating at night increases weight gain — It doesn’t matter what time
        of day a person eats. What makes a difference is what and how much
        they eat and how much physical activity they get during the day.

    9.  You can lose weight just by exercising — Although physical activity
        is very healthy, research shows that exercise is not an effective
        stand-alone weight-loss solution and should be combined with smarter
        food choices and portion control.

    10. Diet drugs are the only effective option — The Food and Drug
        Administration has only approved the use of two prescription diet
        drugs for seriously obese people only and cautions consumers to beware
        of unproven claims that tout special ingredients in dietary
        supplements that can help overweight men and women lose weight and fat.

    11. Natural or herbal weight-loss products are also effective — Dietary
        supplements that claim to be “natural” or “herbal” are not required to
        go through rigorous scientific review to prove they are safe or that
        they work.  Buyer beware.

    12. It is possible to burn fat without dieting — Diet patches, creams,
        wraps, belts and other devices don’t work. There is nothing a person
        can put on their body or rub into their skin that will cause them to
        lose weight.

According to the coalition, the method for losing weight matters a great deal. While there is “no size fits all” approach to weight loss, weight management experts recommend setting realistic goals at the outset and obtaining responsible guidance from properly educated and trained professionals. Achieving a healthy weight loss also requires behavior
modification, a supportive atmosphere and following a comprehensive weight-loss program that is sustainable — meaning the method must address ways to keep weight off long term.

    “Most heat escapes through the top of your head,” according to Harris. “So a warm hat is a must. Dress in layers to retain heat and wear breathable clothing to avoid over-perspiring. Try to decrease the bulk of the clothing as this can add additional weight that can slow you down and make running awkward and inefficient.”

Other tips from Harris:

    *Make sure you get an adequate warm up and pre-run stretch, this raises
     the body temperature and limbers the muscles and connective tissue in
     preparation for the run.

    *Stretch thoroughly after you run. As your body temperature decreases
     muscles may tighten.  Take advantage of your body’s natural heat and
     stretch the muscles while still pliable.

    *Fuel up on healthy foods or snacks a few hours before; simple fruit
     sugars (fresh fruit, dried fruit, etc.) are best, digest quickly and
     convert to usable workout fuel quickly.

    *Cover all your extremities including your ears.

    *Mittens are warmer than gloves. Either way, make sure your hands are
     covered.  Frostbite attacks extremities first.
It may be cold outside but there’s no need to put the brakes on when it
comes to winter running!

    A growing body of science confirms rapid eating is a root cause of excess caloric intake. The National Institutes of Health website agrees.  “Changing the way you go about eating can make it easier to eat less without feeling deprived,” the NIH website says. If you slow down, your brain gets the fullness message before you outpace your body’s built in defense mechanism against overeating.

    Research presented at the prestigious Obesity Society (NAASO) Annual Meeting in Boston by scientists at the University of Rhode Island correlated rapid eaters with consuming significantly more food than subjects who were made to eat slowly.

    The study, entitled “Eating Rate and Satiation” by Kathleen Melanson and others, measured subjects of normal weight in two conditions. It found meal consumption among the rapid eating cohort was 3.5 times faster than the slower eating group. Meal weight and energy intake were significantly higher among the rapid eaters, the study concluded. 

    This study adds to the increasing body of research on weight loss, satiety and the ill effects of rapid food consumption that are tied to faster paced lifestyles and ever increasing waistlines.

    The renowned Pennington Biomedical Center at Louisiana State University conducted a groundbreaking study on slower consumption and reduced food intake using a device fitted to the upper palate to decrease the capacity of the oral cavity. This research, published in 2004, showed that by physically decreasing the capacity of the oral cavity with the device, subjects took smaller bites, chewed more thoroughly, could not gulp food, savored the meal longer, and slowed intake until their satiety response was triggered.

    The Pennington study was sponsored by Scientific Intake, the pioneering, Atlanta-based company with broad, international patents on non-invasive approaches to dietary restriction at the mouth instead of surgically at the stomach. The Pennington study results were published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Obesity Research.

    In the study, users of the Scientific Intake device reduced food intake by 23% over the control group (each group was instructed to eat until satisfied) and the slower eating device group did not feel hunger any sooner than the controls, who consumed significantly more food. Caloric intake was reduced by 533 kcal over three meals and no adverse events occurred. Non-device control group participants ate faster and consumed more food before feeling satisfied.

    Scientific Intake is currently conducting a major clinical trial for submission to the Food and Drug Administration. If approved, the device would be the only non-invasive device indicated for the large population of overweight and mildly obese Americans who have not attained a Body Mass Index of 35 and above, the level required for surgery.

    Other research on the link between eating slower and weight control
includes:

    – At the 2005 NASSO meeting, Rei Otsuka, et al presented eating rate data on 4,742 Japanese men and women spanning several years, showing rapid intake was tied to obesity (and slow intake was not).

    – “Does Slower Eating Rate Reduce Food Intake?” by Don Williamson, et al at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center presented at NAASO in 2004 “suggests that a slower rate of eating results in less food intake compared to a faster, steady rate of eating.”

    – A study by S. Sasaki, et al, “Self Reported Rate of Eating Correlates With Body Mass Index in 18 Year-Old Japanese Women,” was published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2003. It concluded that the rate of eating showed a significant and positive correlation with BMI.

    – In 2004, “The French Paradox” published in Psychological Science (Rozin, et al) showed that smaller portion sizes and a much more leisurely eating rate helped explain the lower obesity rates found in that country.

According to Dial, “Slimness, for right or wrong, is equated to healthiness in the psyches of most Americans and conversely, if you look healthier, your friends and family will psychologically assume that you’ve lost weight.” To help people who may have fudged on their diets earlier this year, Dial offers five look slimmer, faster tips for anyone longing to look fabulous this holiday season.

1. Practice Posture Control
Standing upright correctly makes the abdomen contract and gives the midsection a more svelt look. Also, correct posture evokes images of youthfulness. Almost every child has flawless posture, but this perfection deteriorates as people give in to the pull of gravity as opposed to using body muscles to keep correct posture in tack. Dial emphasizes that, “Perfect posture slashes inches from your waistline and the improved blood circulations gives an overall look of youth and vigor.”

2. Correct Constipation
Another aspect of the human body that degenerates with time is the digestive system. A faulty digestive can add a pouch to the lower abdomens of women. No amount of sit-ups can tackle a belly bulge caused by constipation. The easiest way to fix it is with an herbal laxative like Colon Cleanse, which is available at most health food stores. Dial predicts, “Once the bowel movements are corrected over the course of 1-2 days, the bodily waste is expelled and the belly is tremendously flatter.”

3. Balance Bulging Hips
Even after a colon evacuation, using some spandex tricks can quickly firm up floppy hips. To tighten hips and stabilize the buttocks giggles, use a supportive hose such as the body contouring leggings offered by Spanx. They fit conspicuously beneath any tight fitting evening wear. As an added tip, Dial suggests, “Just adding 20 extra minutes to your daily exercise routine of 20-30 minutes will help burn excess cellulite lying around the lower torso. Plus reductions in body fat are evident in as little as two weeks.”

4. Procure Perfect Skin
Flawless skin is a timeless indication of health. Yet for bodies marred by acne scars or stretch marks, Noixia offers a body scrub that smoothes away skin imperfections in the shower. Also, as winter hits the lower temperature continually hydrate your skin inside and out to keep your skin looking youthful. Drink herbal tea rosehip and chamomile tea, with a teaspoon of primrose oil added. This soothing mix both tones the skin will adding additional moisture. A wide variety of skin soothing herbal teas are available at health stores like Whole Foods.

5. Simply Smile Brighter
The most important way to evoke an image of health is to wear a bright, genuine smile. There is no shortage of teeth whitening agents of the market today including Crest Whitening Strips. Mixing one part water with one part 3% hydrogen peroxide is another easy way to create an at-home whitening system. Gargle with the solution for 45 seconds and rinse. You can also brush the teeth with a teaspoon of baking soda to add extra whitening.

This holiday season, says Dial, “When you give yourself the gift of health, you’ll not only look better but save money in the process.” While shopping for gifts this holiday season, remember, according to a study in the December issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association about 50 million Americans spend 10 percent of their family income on health care, an increase of more than 10 million people in the past decade. For health researcher Dial, the Christmas look better, faster tip for Americans this year is, “Focus on the fast, easy and doable ways to be healthy and look slimmer so that you’ll have more money to spend on presents.”

    1. Brave the Mall: While Internet shopping offers convenience, the mall offers endless ways to get up and going. During this holiday season, get off the sofa and brave the mall instead of shopping online. Power walk from store to store, press through those crowds and build muscle  carrying that toaster oven for Aunt Nancy and that MP3 player for Cousin Ralph!

    2. Walk, Don’t Ride: One of the easiest ways to fit 30 minutes of activity into your holiday shopping routine is to walk rather than ride.  If you live in the city or close to your local shopping center, leave the car at home and walk there and back.  If you have to drive, park farther away from the store entrance and walk the rest of the way.  You’ll not only burn calories and build muscle, you’ll also save money on gas — use those extra dollars to treat yourself to something special (something healthy of course)!

    3. Avoid the Easy Way Up: Convenience is not your friend – activity is!  While you are out shopping make every effort to take the stairs instead of the escalator or the elevator.  Carrying items weighing 25 lbs or more up a flight of stairs is considered “vigorous activity” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Take the stairs anywhere and everywhere — in the subway, at the mall and in the parking garage.

    4. Pack a Healthy Snack: While activity is key to living healthy, nutrition is equally important.  When you are on the hunt for the perfect gift why not bring along a nutritious “snack pack” instead of eating fatty fast food at the food court?  A tote filled with an apple, trail mix, baby carrots, and a bottle of water will give you the energy you need to maneuver those crowded aisles.

    5. Give the Gift of Activity: Encourage those around you to get healthy and active by giving the gift of activity.  Give your sister a six-month health club membership.  Buy your brother a set of boxing gloves.  Rekindle your parents’ passion for disco with dance lessons.

       Physical activity comes in many shapes and forms so you can find fun ways for all of your friends and family to get active and healthy!

GOT H20
Oh, by the way, don’t forget your water. Experts recommend drinking at least 8 – 10 glasses of water a day. However, exercising increases the metabolism and the release of toxins, requiring a higher intake of fluids.  The beneficial properties of water are realized throughout the body and the scalp. Remember, what’s good for the body is good for the hair.

Be Courageous
Maintaining a healthy body may mean trying something new or stepping outside of one’s comfort zone — and that takes courage. Try encouraging a friend or family member to take the first step, or get a workout partner. Celebrate milestones and talk about your accomplishments. You’ll have fun getting dressed and leaving the workout clothes behind.  

Tell a friend. Go to http://www.proline-intl.com for info on the Soft & Beautiful with Curves Healthy Resolutions campaign and how to get two free weeks at a Curves fitness center.