How to Increase Exercise in Daily Life

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By Summer Banks
User-Submitted Article

Exercise is important in daily life, as it serves to maintain a healthy body. Therefore, you stand a better chance of fighting off diseases that are brought on by stress and lack of exercise.

Instructions

Step 1

Start slow. Begin by engaging in less stressful exercises like, walking for 30 minutes a day and walking up and down the stairs.

Step 2

Add flexibility exercises. Begin and end your walking sessions with some stretches to increase flexibility.

Step 3

Add strength training. Strength training can also be incorporated into your daily routine by holding 3lb dumbbells as you walk.

Step 4

Add calisthenics. Sit-ups and push-ups are also advisable, starting with five then moving the target higher with time. The sit-ups help in reducing fat stored around the stomach, while push-ups burn fat on the upper back and the upper arms.

Courtesy of www.ehow.com

What is really in you Hot Dog?

Beef and Port - Both are high in protein - and in unhealthy saturated fat and cholesterol; the meat could come from pig and cow skeletal muscle and by-products.

Mechanically Separated Turkey - A pastelike substance produced when tissue is removed from bones through a high-pressure sieve. This product is versatile and cheap - and not just for turkey dogs.

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Pickens County Bike-A-Thon

Are you a biker? Would you like to be? And if you are/were, would it make you feel good to know that you’re ‘biking’ helps others?

Well, A few people in Pickens County, GA are about to put on a Bike-A-Thon for a GREAT cause!!! It is for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Pickens County!!!

The Bike-A-Thon will be right before the Walk-A-Thon, Which is in 63 days at the Lee Newton Memorial Park, Jasper, Pickens County, Georgia on, Saturday and Sunday, April 24-25 and is for the Relay For Life of Pickens County, GA

We need volunteers!!! Let me know if you are interested in doing this Challenge! The Ride!!! ~ It might be a mile or Ten Miles or a 65 mile ride like my niece, Courtney, is doing in San Francisco for the bike marathon called the “Cinderella Classic” in SF. If they can do it, we here in Pickens County can do it!

Whatever the miles, it is going to be well worth it - the Bike-A-Thon will be tough but we can do it. Let me know that you are willing to be a biker…send me an email at Beth@getfitjasper.com and tell me you’re in!!! Whose with me!!! Let me know!

A bike-a-thon ~ riding a bike, something we all did as kids, its fun, its good exercise and by doing it now, its for a great cause…come on-let’s do it together!!!

I appreciate each and every one of you who are willing to do this Bike-A-Thon, it will be fun, it will be challenging but in the end, it will be worth it!

Top Excuses for Skipping a Fitness Workout

Written by Jeff Behar and Lynn Glenn

Some people like working out, but let’s face it even the most energetic people sometime feel like skipping a workout. The following are some of the most common excuses for missing a fitness workout. Are any familiar to you?

Most Common Excuses for Missing a Fitness Workout

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February is American Heart Month



Courtesy of American Heart Association

Hypertension is the single most significant risk factor for heart disease. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can injure or kill you. It’s sometimes called “the silent killer” because it has no symptoms. One in three adults has high blood pressure, yet, about 21% don’t even know they have it. Of those with high blood pressure, 69% are receiving treatment, yet, only 45% have their blood pressure controlled.

What is High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a widely misunderstood medical condition.

The blood running through your arteries flows with too much force and puts pressure on your arteries, stretching them past their healthy limit and causing microscopic tears.  Our body then kicks into injury-healing mode to repair these tears with scar tissue. But unfortunately, the scar tissue traps plaque and white blood cells which can form into blockages, blood clots, and hardened, weakened arteries. Read the story »

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Label Lingo: Natural

Americans are shelling out more for “natural” foods than ever before - but does the label guarantee healthier picks? Not Always! Here is what you need to know:

TRUST IT - when its on meat and poultry packaging, The USDA requires these products to be free of artifical ingredients, colorings, preservatives and unnecessary processing.

USE CAUTION - when it is on anything else. Products can be packed with sweetners or flavorings and still carry a natural sticker.

OUR ADVISE - Check the nutrition label. All of the ingredients - good for you and no so good - are listed there. Our Rule of Thumb: Avoide anything you cannot pronounce!!!

Tips for Exercise and Weight Loss

Keep a food journal. Write down what you eat, when you eat it, and most importantly, what feelings seem to drive your “hunger.”

The opposite of exercise is innercise — taking a look inside and working on your emotional and spiritual health.

You can find humor in the midst of stress. This is when you really need it and when your sense of humor seems to abandon you.

Say “thank you” after a compliment instead of your natural reaction to discount it. Remember if someone were to give you a gift you would say “thank you.” Be gracious, accept the compliment, and take it in. Read the story »

4-30-09 Exercise of the Week - Ab Crunches

Teresa Mullis, personal trainer at BodyPlex of Jasper, shows Beth the proper way to do the Ab Crunch on a stability ball with a weighted medicine ball.  Roll down the stability ball with feet shoulder width apart, lower back on the ball - hold ball up toward the ceiling, chin up and looking toward the ceiling, contour your back around the ball and pull up with the abs - always looking toward the ceiling - crunch, pulling the lower abs to the spine.

Portion sizes are key to controlling caloric intake.

For many dieters, knowing the proper portion size is the first step to losing weight. Here are some tips: bagels should be the size of a CD, meat should be the size of a deck of cards, side dishes should be the size of a mouse and fruit should be the size of a closed fist.

The American Dietetic Association recommends using these visuals to control portion sizes:

• A medium potato should be the size of a computer mouse
• An average bagel should be the size of a hockey puck
• A cup of fruit the size of a baseball
• A cup of lettuce is four leaves
• Three ounces of meat is the size of a cassette tape
• Three ounces of grilled fish is the size of your checkbook
• One ounce of cheese is the size of four dice
• One teaspoon of peanut butter equals one die
• One ounce of snack foods–pretzels, etc. equals a large handful

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35 One-Minute Weight Loss Secret

Sneaky ways to slim down

By Linda Mooney , Linda Mooney is Prevention’s former beauty editor. She’s currently on hiatus from her Manhattan home so she can write her first novel from Topsail Island in North Carolina.

All you need is a minute to start shedding pounds! Here are dozens of successful strategies to cut calories and burn fat that take 60 seconds or less. With about 1,000 waking minutes in everyday, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to slip these weigh loss tips into your routine and watch the scale go down. If you’ve already begun your weight loss, these can maximize your efforts and speed results.

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