Walking for Health

You want to start with something you know you can do every day.  So starting off by lifting heavy heights or doing sprints right away are going to leave your body sore and make you less likely to workout the next day.

Lunch Break Walking

A great way to start a workout routine is by taking a half hour walk during the lunch hour.  The goals right now are to get your heart pumping, break a little sweat and make your body to want to do it again the next day.  Once you get into a routine, your body will crave the exercise and will begin to want more.  Also, walking will prepare your legs for the running you’ll be doing in the coming weeks, which we’ll get into in my next article.

By Kevin Finley

I’m talking about jacking your treadmill up to its max, then holding on for dear life. Sure the sweat starts flowing and those shoulders and biceps are pumped. But the fact is that you’re probably burning less calories than if you were at half the incline and pumping your arms by your side.

Treadmill Hill Climb

If you’re able to hold that high incline and pump without holding on you are indeed burning calories at a marathon rate. However, most people hold on, and as soon as you grab the monitor you are taking the resistance off your legs, the giant muscle group that is so successful at burning calories. Your arms and shoulders are holding you in place, while the treadmill glides underneath.

Think About It

The benefit you get on the treadmill comes as a result of you having to keep your pace at exactly that of the treadmill, or fall off. Too low a speed is no challenge. High speed is great. Speed that causes you to hold on or fall if may look cool, but you’re not using this machine to best of its ability.

Treadmill Hill Climbing

Interval training works best at burning calories, whether running or on the treadmill, trade off fast sprints for a easier fast-walk or jog. While running is hands-down a great calorie burner, once you hit 40 your knees don’t need the impact of uphill climbing. Outdoors and setting your own pace is more exhilarating, but you need to pace and push yourself. A running track is best. If you only have uneven pavement to run on, get a treadmill for home or join a gym. What you spend will easily pay you back in better knees and a thinner waist line.

Creative Walking

The lower body has the most muscles that work in synergy, so they burn the most calories when walking, running or climbing. The thing is, we weren’t meant to live into our 50s and still want to ski, skateboard, bicycle and otherwise beat up on our knees. So the smart person would intersperse some other lower body activities, along with walking, running and climbing.

I know this may sound silly, but skipping is not a bad workout and it’s easy on the knees. If you want silly, look to those folks who think Pilates is going shape the perfect body. Try walking with different gaits, walking while lunging, or performing some sprint work with jumping jacks and skipping rope on a grassy or other easy-give surface. Dust off those old roller blades—it’s great exercise. And don’t be afraid to bring along a pole. Just buy a 4-5 ft. piece of closet rod, put one-inch plastic caps on each end and you have a balance pole, extra brake and emergency pivot point.

Work that lower body, but work it different ways, and make it – not your upper body – do the work.

By Laura Dayton

Yes, there are numerous reasons or excuses one can cite for carrying around those extra pounds. Many people blame a fast-paced lifestyle that doesn’t allow proper time for good eating. Some point to poor metabolism, believing that counting calories just won’t work for them. Most commonly, though, the real reason is a diet high in fat and calories and low in fiber and nutrients, along with an insufficient level of exercise. While nutrition is extremely important, it goes hand-in-hand with burning calories through some sort of fitness plan.

Exercise Procrastination Exercise

Many people who have experienced a roller-coaster ride of weight highs and lows have failed to integrate proper nutrition and exercise into their daily lifestyle. Often, these same people have always impulsively turned to the latest diet trend, only to become discouraged when the most current weight-loss trick didn’t peel away the pounds as was promised. Does this sound familiar?

If you’ve passionately followed a fad diet only to find it didn’t work, you may have gotten discouraged. If you’ve ever lost weight quickly only to rebound with the same old bad habits when you reached your target, you know that diet integrity needs to be a constant element of your lifestyle. Maybe you have decided that you just don’t have the patience for that long road that is the only real path to the sexy figure you long for. Or maybe you’re clinging to the excuse that losing weight just isn’t in the cards for you. Nonsense!

Stop the Procrastination

The fact is you can change your metabolism by boosting it with aerobic activity. And you can lose pounds forever if you maintain a higher standard for what you put in your mouth. It may not happen quickly, but it will happen if you follow the rules. Why then, are you putting it off?

You have probably delayed your diet for any one of a few reasons mentioned above. It could be disillusionment atprevious failed attempts. It could be the fear that you will never lose the weight. Or, quite simply, it could be that you are addicted to the comfort that certain foods provide.

When you lose the weight, (and you will if you just stick with it), you’ll have more energy. You’ll probably have a more upbeat outlook. And your health will certainly be greatly improved.

You’ve surely heard the adage about today being the first day of the rest of your life. That’s a poignant message for anyone who needs to reclaim their health through weight loss. So stop procrastinating. There is no tomorrow in weight loss.

By Mike Brooks

There are some great Yoga shows in the mornings. In Australia, men everywhere tuned in at 6am to watch Gloria and the girls on Mats outside the Opera House. In the US, there are a tonne of Live Exercise Programs that radiate over Networks at all hours of the day and night.

TV Yoga

The problem? You can’t rely on TV for fitness.

Yes that’s right! While it’s tempting to sit in front of the television and put on your favorite exercise program, you might be forgetting one very simple thing that make the television an incredibly ineffective device for exercise…It’s addictive. Shocking I know. But in all seriousness, how can anyone be expected to exercise effectively if their only motivation for performing the exercises is doing them in-sync with a program on television.

More TV Yoga

Grow up! TV is not the answer. You don’t need someone to do the exercises in front of you. Learn them once, remember them and get outside to exercise as hard and as fast as you can. one other problem associated with exercise programs on television is that they change so regularly. Times, hosts, programs, they can all be different from day to day. Exercising to TV program offers no stability and no motivation. Two things that are essential to maintaining a healthy exercise regime.

Get off the couch, changing channels won’t help you!

By Tim Howard

Bring Lunch to Work

By bringing a lunch to work, you control what is being put into the meal, which can lead to a smaller waistline line. At a restaurant, there is no way of knowing how much how oil is being put into a pan to make your dish. Even dishes that have been deemed healthy can be some of the worst menu options. Salads sound good. A mix of vegetables and salad leaves are wonderful things to put into your body, but they aren’t the problem. The dressing can quickly negate those greens and then when you add buttered croutons, bacon bits and meat the salad quickly becomes an unhealthy option. This doesn’t include the side of garlic bread that a lot of salads come with.

The first step is getting into the habit of packing a lunch. Our evenings and mornings are valuable and every minute is usually accounted for. There are kids that need to get to school or practice. There are evening obligations as well, so you may not want to make a meal before bed or when you get up, but the decision to do so is your first step towards a healthier lifestyle.

Fitness Lunch

In the weeks and months to come, I’ll go over how to make the brown bagged lunch healthy. I will also delve into the other two meals of the day and healthy snacking options. In addition to eating right, excise has to become part of the ritual for the working person to get back into shape. Again, the workday consumes most of us, making it hard to find extra time to go to the gym, go for a walk, run, swim or bike ride. It’s not impossible tough. In fact, you could be leaving the office every evening with two healthy meals in the books, a workout and only a nice dinner to finish the day. How is that possible? In my next article, we’ll go into the art of the lunch hour workout routine.

By Kevin Finley

There are many of workout programs to choose from. In order to lose weight, Cardio is probably your first point of call when you first start that exercise program. In terms of Cardio there are also a tonne of different exercises that will ALL build your cardio-vascular endurance, burn calories and help you lose weight. Starting out is fun. It’s exciting and you feel great doing it. But what if you’re not doing something you enjoy when you’re exercising?

Choose YOUR exercise

Too often people are convinced to run when they don’t want to, to swim when they prefer the bike or to row when they’d rather do Yoga. The question is one of motivation. How can you motivate yourself to do something you don’t enjoy? The answer is…not without an extreme amount of will power. But who has time for that, am I right? Instead…find an exercise that YOU actually enjoy!

Do you run for exercise?

If you want to play tennis, play tennis. It you want to jog, jog! The fastest way to opt-out of exercise is to convince yourself that you should be doing something you don’t enjoy. This is one of the few circumstances where it is actually good to take the easy way. Doing Cardio exercises that you enjoy is the best way to stay motivated to exercise

By Tim Howard

Never discount the importance of support when exercising and dieting. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people is one thing, going to the gym and exercising, eating right and staying focused are others. But telling your family that you’re trying to lose weight and feel healthy will give you a great support network that you might not have even considered! Best of all, you’re virtually guaranteed to get honest advice from your family. Whereas friends will sometimes be inclined to boost your ego, families have a habit of being obsessively honest. Let them help you by being your harshest critic.

Family Exercising

Be strong. sometimes you won’t hear exactly what you want to from your family. But keep in mind that if they’re critical it’s because they’re doing the right thing by you. Be sure to pick family members to tell that will give you honest feedback. And have a thick skin about it. Remember, you asked for help! Don’t be offended if you receive criticism.

Family Exercise

And remember…The family that plays together stays together. There’s every chance that telling your nearest and dearest that you’re trying to lose weight will encourage them too. You could even end up exercising and eating right as a whole family. Take walks and runs together or join sporting teams that are community and family based. Lots of these exist if you know where to look. Or join sporting clubs that have junior, men’s and women’s teams within them. That way you can play a sport together and watch each other play as well. Make a day of it and start enjoying your weekend as a group.

By Tim Howard

I know, I know…it’s monotonous and boring. But it’s also very very important to your diet. Note: This does not just mean calorie counting. Calorie counting is incredibly outdated. Watching your calories won’t mean you’re more in tune with what you’re actually putting in your body.

Read your food Labels

The idea here is to monitor the TYPES of things you’re eating as well as the quantity. Try to avoid sugars and fats. The golden rule when it comes to watching what you eat;

If it doesn’t mold. Don’t eat it.

Read your food labels!

This means staying away from cornflakes and sweets in favor of fresh fruits and vegetables. But what’s that you say? Fruits don’t have labels? Well actually they do, just not on the skin. Even fruits that are preserved are better for you than anything with artificial colors and flavors.

Try to stay clear of Dairy whenever possible. It’s not the best addition to most foods, even though it most definitely molds.

By Tim Howard, Vancouver SEO specialist