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I'm sure you've heard the saying, "a calorie is a calorie," and that when weight loss is the goal, you can probably loose weight on a 1,200 calorie/day diet whether it is 1,200 Twinkie calories or apple calories. At this point, you might be thinking, "Cool! I'll go on the Twinkie diet!"   Our bodies are smarter than that though, and I say, thank goodness. I know - I'm no fun at all :-). Last week at the grocery one of my kiddos held up a box of Twinkies and had the audacity to ask me to purchase them. I nearly burst a vessel in my forehead trying to restrain myself from smashing the box with......
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Being that it is summer, and there are vacations, kids home from school, camps, a lot of running around in circles...sometimes a workout is hard to knock out, even when intentions are high. When that happens, I have a 30-minute, total body workout that requires very little equipment, yet will leave you dripping in sweat. Wanna hear it? Here it is... You'll need:  a set of 10 or 12lb wts (lighter if you like), a resistance tube 5-10 minute warm up @ 40-50% max heart rate Set 1: 10-14 Burpees (also called pop squats) 3-way lunges w/ dumbbells: Start with weaker leg leading. Take one lunge forwa......
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Stumbled upon a few deals I'd like to pass along: 20% off planners! For all of you planners out there (you know who you are, planning each workout weeks in advance), get a head start on school year planning at MomAgenda. MomAgenda is offering 20% off small School Year books (use code: schoolyearsmom) Visit MomAgenda.com, offer expires 7.31.2011 *P.S. I LOVE MomAgenda planners. Seriously, love them - totally created by moms, for moms. Enough said. EatingWell magazine has a new book out: EatingWell 500-calorie Dinners for $22.45 (10% off the regular price). While you are planning workouts in you......
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Check out this video if you are unfamiliar with trigger point therapy... TPR Therapy, Ironman competitor Have you ever wished you could afford a personal masseuse? One who could come to your home, preferably daily, to help relieve you of the knots and muscle tightness that inevitably occur from daily workouts and, well, being a mom? In search of a solution to my IT band issues, I tried a chiropractor (not money well spent), stretching, massage therapy (therapist too gentle to release deep tissue), and my O.D. The O.D. provided the most valuable information: without proper biomechanics, the bod......
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The mysterious " fat burning zone " continues to confuse many gym-goers. The theory goes something like this: working out in a "zone" of intensity that is less intense for at least 20 minutes will burn more fat calories than calories from carbohydrate. Is this true? Yes and no, but mostly no. You actually burn more calories from fat right now, sitting still, reading this post, than you do on the treadmill. That is because in the resting state, the body burns a higher percentage of fat calories. As you crank up the exercise intensity, you burn a little less fat per calorie. However, it really c......
Mar

17

So how do you get your iPod-loving, DS-playing, YouTube-watching kids off their duffs and onto their feet? By encouraging movement, rather than exercise.

A whopping 40% of children already have at least one risk factor for heart disease and reduced fitness due to inactive lifestyles, yet there are opportunities everywhere you look that have the potential to turn mundane activities into heart-pumping, muscle-strengthening movements. The trick is to make the activity fun, and not seem like exercise at all.

Try this fun game…
Carpet Coaster Frenzy

Ages: 6-8

Instructions: Pair up players in groups of two and give each group two plates.  Using only the feet, players pass the plates back and forth to one another from a variety of directions for 30 seconds. Clever twist: have them stand on one leg, then bend down and push the plates with hands only and without letting the other leg touch the floor.  All of the reaching and lunging activity strengthens  leg muscles and gets hearts pumping too.

Mar

15

As an advocate for outdoor fitness, I’m always on the lookout for fun, new ways to engage in physical activity in the great outdoors. I just stumbled upon some far-flung fitness fun called “Geocaching,” or modern day treasure hunting. A great activity the whole family can enjoy, the game of Geocaching is spreading like wildfire: currently there are over 1 million players in over 200 countries spanning the globe.

What you need:

1. A portable GPS Devise

2. Trail supplies (water, snacks, extra layers of clothing, cell phone, and extra batteries for the GPS. It is a good idea to also bring a map and a compass.)

3. Something to leave in the cache once you find it.

Use geocaching as a way to lure your kids outside and explore your local surroundings, or to get a dose of Mother Nature when traveling. All too often we opt for guided city tours, or stick to our tried-and-true travel plans, but geocaching is a fun way to explore your surroundings and get some exercise!

For more information, visit Geocaching.com

A final note regarding safety: Always tell someone where you are going and (again) take your cell phone with you!

Mar

01

May I complain about the Ohio weather a second longer? It’s the pits. But this cool tool from Virtual Active could have us “winter haters” running in prettier settings, like Yosemite, sooner than later. Say wha?

Check this out…with Virtual Active, you can preview a library of fun, scenic places to run (bike, hike) that have been filmed live. Beginning today (March 1), you can download a free, 30 min sample on iTunes! Grab the freebie while you can…prices are regularly $9.95.

How fun would it be to fake run through Yosemite while you’re on the hamster wheel? Apparently the technology they use to film these real-life adventures makes the video experience very smooth and realistic.

If any of you try it out before I do, let me know what you think!

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