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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

Backpacker magazine recently joined forces with The Outdoor Foundation to identify the best cities in the United States to raise a child with an outdoor attitude. Not surprisingly, many of the cities are the same ones listed on “America’s Healthiest Cities.” Sunshine, moderate temperatures, beautiful scenery…yeah, yeah, yeah – we know, the weather in Ohio stinks. Who made the list?

1. Boulder, CO
2. Jackson, WY
3. Durango, CO
4. Flagstaff, AZ
5. Juneau, AK
6. Seattle, WA
7. Colorado Springs, CO
8. Burlington, VT
9. Fort Collins, CO
10. Lebanon, NH
11. Asheville, NC
12. Portland, ME
13. Hood River, OR
14. Manchester, NH
15. Harrisonburg, VA
16. Eureka-Arcata-Fortuna, CA
17. Sevierville, TN
18. Bozeman, MT
19. Rapid City, SD
20. Brevard, NC
21. Madison, WI
22. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
23. Glens Falls, NY
24. Duluth, MN
25. Wheeling, WV

There are plenty of ways to entice kids to go outdoors for physical activity, even if the climate you live in isn’t perfect year-round. Rock climbing, hiking, cycling, and geocaching, and kayaking are fun activities the whole family can participate in during spring, summer, and fall. In the winter, sledding, snow shoeing, ice skaing, cross-country and downhill skiing…even schlepping through the snow wearing snow boots gets their hearts pumping.

With the winter Olympics just around the corner, you might also put together a mini-Olympics in your neighborhood.

  • Bobsled: Grab your sled, find the nearest hill, and time the kids as they cross a make-shift finish line.
  • Snowshoe race: Even if you don’t have snow shoes, you can have the kids run a 50 yard dash throw the snow.
  • Snow ball roll: Have the kids roll a snowball across the yard, or around the house. (note: the ball will get progressively harder to roll the bigger it gets, so this is a tough one.)
  • Snow volleyball: String up a net and divide the kids into two teams. Encourage them to get to 8 or 10 points (more than that, and they’ll likely lose interest). Nerf balls make fun volleyballs if you need to substitute for the real thing.
  • Snow ball shot put: As you might guess, this is just like the regular shot put, only the kids use a snow ball. See you can catapult it the farthest distance.

To add to the fun, award medals to every child – and don’t spend a bundle, make your own using metallic paint, cardboard, and ribbon.

Most importantly, let the kids have fun!

May

21

Children are great dreamers. When I was about six or seven years old I imaged I would be a gymnast in the Olympics, then a few years later I imaged I’d be a figure skater (in the Olympics, of course). I have four children, and I’m amazed at the images they conjure up of what they will do, see, hear and be when they “grow up.” At some point along the way though, you forget that you are allowed to dream or, in fact, be anything you want to be. Whether self-imposed, or learned, limits can keep you contained within your safely tested boundaries. I have learned over the years, however, that the only difference between you and the image in your mind, is whether or not you believe you can do it. My motto: “while you have the moment, seize it!” Or in other words, there is no tomorrow, just a “series of todays.” If you have a dream, whether it to lose weight, run a marathon, or simply to live a healthier lifestyle, get out there and do it. Make it happen. Don’t waste another minute.

A recent article in the New York Times might provide the inspiration you need. Check it out: Keeping Priorities Straight, Even at the End

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