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The last post in my series about eating healthy and finding deals on health food addresses a question many of us have had at one time or another: What does it mean to "go organic," and, "why buy organic?" Once again, Victoria has an awesome and informative post that addresses these questions, then finishes with mouth-watering recipe chock full of organic food.  Thank you for sharing your passion with us Victoria! Making the choice to purchase and consume organic food is a personal one. However, it is a choice that you should feel very good about making. By purchasing organic foods, you are ch......
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In part 3 of our series, Healthy Eating on the Cheap, financial blogger Victoria, happens to also be a health food nut who is passionate about organic eating. She has some great tips for buying organic foods if you are buying on a budget.  Thank you for blogging for me today Victoria! Buying Organics on a Budget Perhaps you have decided that purchasing organic foods is going to be a priority for your family. Although your budget may not have much wiggle room, there are ways to make this lifestyle work. Fortunately with more and more interest in organically grown food, there are many options a......
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We stump, stoop, slouch…so much so that the quality of our everyday lives can be directly affected from these posture problems.  I thought of this while sitting at the computer working, and had to stretch to relieve that nagging tightness between my shoulder blades. At the same time, I noticed a whole slew of other bad habits I was committing, and quickly set about practicing what I preach. Why good posture is important: Practicing good posture can improve your breathing, decrease your risk of injury, help you move more easily through the tasks of daily living, and also improve your sports ......
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Not long ago, if your neighbor had told you she was training for a triathlon, you might have looked at her crossed-eyed and with one eyebrow raised. Once thought of as an endurance sport for athletes who had both an unnatural pain threshold, and oodles of time on their hands, triathlon has in recent years become a sport for anyone who likes variety, has a few hours each week to dedicate toward training, and enjoys challenges small and large. No longer a sport just for the guys, the proliferation of female participants in triathlon events proves its growing popularity: in the late 1990s, women ......
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Did you give yoga a shot once upon a time, only to walk out mid-class, scratching your head and wondering, what was I thinking? It is possible the style you tried didn't match your personality, athletic ability, or just moved at a pace geared more toward advanced yogis than beginners. It isn't uncommon to feel lost during your first several classes, but there is a way to ensure you don't feel too out of place: pick the right style of yoga first. Before you write off yoga for good, try a class that is a better match for your personal style. I've compiled a short list of the most common yoga sty......
Jul

16

Go Rita, Go! At 90, Rita does more than most people half her age (remember a few posts ago when I mentioned that most Americans spend 90% of their time indoors? Ya know what they’re doing indoors? They’re watching TV!) Not Rita – she is logging miles and loving every minute of it. The secret is starting now. Don’t wait – start moving today and find your fountain of youth!


Jun

23

Summer schedules are usually jam-packed with activities, from camp for the kids to vacations — it is easy to let workout schedules slide this time of year. With careful planning and simplified equipment that can be toted with you, there isn’t any reason your fitness routine has to take a back seat to all of the other activities you have planned.

Small, lightweight equipment is the key: Resistance tubing is great, packs nicely in any suitcase and you can use it to work the entire body either right in your hotel room, or wrap it around your waste and jog to the nearest park and work out there. Trees, fences…even parking meters, make great anchors to wrap the tubing around for chest presses, rows, tricep push backs, bicep curls, and lateral rotations for the obliques. And don’t feel silly doing this – boot camp classes are so popular now that seeing people working out in the park (esp in bigger cities) is very common. Jump roping is another terrific, on-the-road calorie burning tool. Again, these items fit right into your carry on or suitcase. Does it get any easier than that?

Another option is to take a TRX trainer. This suspension training system, originally developed for the Navy Seals, is becoming very popular in group fitness settings, personal training studios, and for in-home use. It is a terrific, total body strengthening and conditioning tool that weighs less than 2lbs, sets up in under 1 minute, and can be used in the hotel room or outdoors. You can purchase one from
FitnessAnywhere
and can also see instructional videos on the website.

No equipment? No problem – many hotels now have fitness TV, so you can order up a workout to do right in your room. You can also take your workout to the nearest park or playground and do strength training there – no equipment needed. Park benches make great steps for step ups to strengthen the hips and glutes; you can also do tricep dips and push-ups. Find the nearest playground and do the monkey bars, pull-ups, chin-ups…get creative, and most of all, have fun!

Take advantage of the hotel pool and fitness room. For business travelers – the pool and fitness room are busiest in the early morning and evening. For leisure travelers at a resort, these tend to be the least busy times. It is hard to muster the motivation to exercise while on vacation, but keeping up with your routine will make your vacation more enjoyable, and when you come home you won’t be faced with the daunting task of working off gobs of extra calories or making up lost ground toward your fitness goals.

Need a routine to follow while your gone? There are a number of online sources you can check out before you go so that you have a resource you feel comfortable using.

1. Fitness magazines have exercise pictures, video, and descriptions that take much of the thinking out of what to do when. Check out these routines at Shape, Self, Fitness, and Women’s Health.

2. Yoga Download. For yoga enthusiasts, there are so many videos to choose from, you could do a different yoga routine every day of your vacation. Download the videos to your iPod or laptop computer in a flash.

3. Have a personal trainer design a travel workout for you! Your fitness goals, exercise experience, vacation locale and itinerary, and the time you have available to workout all factor into an effective routine, and trainers know all too well how tough it can be to stay on top of your workout when you’re on the road. Need help with your vacation fitness routine? Feel free to contact me.

Jun

10



When you are trying to lose weight, it is common to think of food as the enemy. While it is true that excess calories and saturated fat contribute to overweight and obesity, it is important to keep in mind that food itself isn’t the problem, but the amount consumed (along with a sedentary lifestyle) that results in weight gain. If your goal is weight loss, some calorie restriction is necessary, but you should set the minimum at 1200-1300 calories per day to keep your fat-burning fires aflame. Go much lower than that and your body will go into starvation mode and conserve every calorie it can. Inadequate nutrition = weight plateau, tough workouts, illness/suppressed immune system, and a host of other problems. To calculate your specific calorie requirements, click here.

So what can you eat? Remember the saying, “all things in moderation?” This holds true for eating as well. There are no “bad” foods, only bad habits. Try replacing simple starches and refined white flourwith whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Grab an apple instead of a sweet snacks like cookies and muffins. Keep in mind that food is meant to nourish your body and help it run more efficiently. So FUEL your workouts with good, nutritious foods and feel good knowing your body is getting healthier every day!

Try these pre- and post-workout meals from Cooking Light

More healthy food suggestions:

Smootie King

Food Fit

Visit the post, Food for Thought, for more tips!



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