Who wants to go outside to exercise during the winter in the Northeast? I know for me it's a struggle to lace up my shoes and go out for a jog when the sleet is pelting against my office window.
So how are you supposed to stay in fantastic shape during the colder months of the year? Here are 5 little secrets that will keep you on track until it's shorts and t-shirt weather again!
1. Ice Skate!
During the winter it's usually to cold, to dark, or to dangerous to walk or run outside on the roads. Not to mention slippery. To get in a great workout and stay relatively warm (at least without the wind chill) ice skating is the way to go. Yes, you can go to a local pond and shovel off the snow to start a pickup game of hockey, but even better yet is to go to the local ice rink for a free skate.
A free skate is just a few hours where the rink opens up for the public. It is very reasonably priced (about $20 for two with skate rentals) and ice skating is a great workout! A few laps at a elevated pace will certainly get you sweating.
Haven't ice skated since high school? Don't worry, Ann and I went a month and a half ago for the first time in a long time and picked it up again just like riding a bike. But if you are worried, it doesn't hurt to get a pair of kneepads!
2. Wear Under Armour
If you're a trooper and need to be outside this thermal wear is the way to go. It's expensive, but it will keep you warm AND dry. The fabric is engineered to wick sweat away from your body. This means that you won't be soaked to the bone and freeze up on those cold days when you're working out hard.
Under Armour makes tops, bottoms, headgear, gloves, etc., so you can accessorize and wear them all under your workout clothes for maximum winter comfort!
3. Know Your Physical Limits
Yes, you could exercise outside all winter long, but there are some days when your health is more important than pushing it.
Have you ever gone outside on one of those days where the air is so cold to breathe in that you have a coughing fit right there on the spot?
Well if you have, or even if you haven't, your body is telling you something very important… the air is too cold for you to safely warm it up before it gets to your lungs. You should never exercise outside when the temperature is more than 80-90 degrees below your body temperature. Your lungs will pay for it.
This is called exercise induced asthma (EIA) and its symptoms include wheezing, chest tightness, coughing, chest pain, shortness of breath and can lead to chronic asthma.
So if you think it's too cold, it probably is. Stay inside and see tips #4 and 5!
4. Learn a Bodyweight Exercise Routine
A bodyweight routine is a series of exercises that need no equipment and that you can do in your own home. There are many types of bodyweight routines... yoga, pilates, yoglaties, aerobics, etc. These routines will get you in great shape in the privacy and warmth of your own home.
When you are doing these routines, you must be sure that you get a cardiovascular workout as well as a stretching and strengthening workout. If you can't go outside and get your heart rate up, then you have to do it inside. This requires a little more creativity!
Repetitions of squats, bear squats, upward dog-downward dog, jumping jacks, etc can serve as a fantastic cardiovascular and strengthening workout that covers all fitness bases. To find out more about bodyweight routines, visit our website and take a look at our "Lifestyle Fitness Points System." In this program you will find all the exercises, I've mentioned above, plus 10 routines you can start using right away no matter what your level of fitness is!
5. Start Your Own Personal Gym
Now's the time to think about getting a treadmill or elliptical machine... or maybe even that Bowflex you were looking at a year ago. Having your own equipment and knowing how to use it will keep you motivated and help you stay on track.
You'll never have the "I don't have time to go to the gym" excuse anymore. The gym will be right there waiting for you. Talk about convenience!
Shop around and you'll be rewarded with the best deals!
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Friday, January 06, 2006
2006: What's In and What's Out in the World of Weight Loss and Fitness
Part 1 of 2
I'm under the impression that the health and fitness world wants to keep the information that I'm about to tell you as a guarded secret. Why? So we don't lose our jobs! If everyone one knows what's new and hot in the industry, who needs to fitness professional, right?
Well, I'm willing to take the chance and actually give you the information--burst the bubble and tell you what the buzz is in our little world--so you can get a quick start in 2006 on your fitness and health goals and get yourself in the shape you've always dreamed of.
There's always new and incredible products on the market and believe me some of these things are absolutely awesome! But others, as I'm sure you know are complete duds... how many of you still have the Thigh Master?
Which diet should you try? Which supplements should you buy? Where is everyone exercising this year?
This year it looks like some of the old standbys, I mean thousand year old standbys, are in, while some of the fads of 2005 are fading fast--soon to be outdated and replaced with what REALLY works!
So without further ado, here's a list of what's in for 2006 and what is old new from 2005.
Atkins is OUT
Sorry, no more pepperoni and sausage pizzas sans crust. The Atkins company went under last year after operating briefly without it's fearless leader, Dr. Robert Atkins, who died of complications from a fall on the ice in 2004... which certainly is something I've always found fishy... considering the heart risks that come with his diet. Could something like an MI cause a sudden collapse on a slippery sidewalk? Hmmm.
The Atkins Diet helped people lose record weight, but also caused greasy skin, raised cholesterol and increased the chance of the yo-yo diet by promoting a way of eating that at best could be called "grossly unnatural".
Raw Foods IN!
Carol Alt is our new leader. The raw food revolution has taken its hold due to her persistent work and promotion. More people are recognizing the benefits of raw foods and how they can increase your health.
Diets full of raw foods--30-40% is OK, 50-60% is excellent--will help lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, regulate blood sugar levels, help you lose weight and get you healthy in no time.
What's so special about uncooked foods? Much of the cooked and packaged foods we eat are completely depleted of nutrients because of the way they are prepared. Raw foods not only keep the nutrients intact--just as nature wanted--they also carry live enzymes that your body needs for great health and fitness.
Get out and buy a book or two on how to cook (sorry... "prepare"!) raw foods, incorporate them into your diet once a day and you'll see the difference immediately!
Bench Press OUT
Sorry, Muscleheads, the bench press is old news. Keep piling on the weight and watch your shoulders and rotator cuff disintegrate. Other exercises that are definitely out for the recreational lifter are: Leg Curls (Quad and Hamstring), Dead Lift and Military Press.
Each of these exercises are too often abused and cause a large number of gym injuries every year.
If you do them, be sure you have a trained fitness professional help you with your form... but even then be wary, they were most likely trained in the old school.
Body Weight Exercises IN!
Could you believe that exercises over 5000 years old could be making a comeback?!?!
There's a reason they are still around... they work!!!
Exercises like the Upward Dog/Downward Dog, Hindu Squat, and the Sun Salute are coming back big time because exercise professionals have seen their benefits over and over and over again.
These exercises don't isolate, they give you a full body workout stimulating all your muscle groups, your GI system, your nervous system and your heart. Talk about efficiency!
Hydrogenated Oils OUT!
No more Trans-Fats! We won't take it anymore!
For those of you who don't know, trans-fats or hydrogenated oils are what the big food companies have been putting in your snack foods since the 1960's to extend the shelf life of their products.
These are modified oils that can take a serious toll on the body--scaring arteries and causing heart disease.
You body reads these fats just like it would other fats and distributes them accordingly... problem is, the trans-fats don't do the same functions that the regular fats do... in fact they do NOTHING except hang around and clog your arteries.
Next time you pick up any packaged food, look at the ingredients. If you see hydrogenated oils (or partially) put it down and try a new product without them! Beware, this might be a trying task. Many of the foods we eat have been loaded with this stuff for years.
But if you stick it to the trans-fats, your body will thank you!
Cod Liver Oil... IN!
You heard me right. Cod Liver Oil is IN!
Your grandmother might be proud to hear it... but many people think gross, gross and more gross!
But what's great is that you can get the oil in pill form for those of you how don't like the thought of swigging a tablespoon of this miracle oil every morning.
Why is it good for you?
Vitamin E and Omega 3 Oils are essential for your circulation and lower your risk of cardiovascular disease! Good fats work wonders for your heart.
In the winter, get a product like Carlson's that has vitamins A and D added. The A will help with your skin, eyes and mucus membranes. And since you're probably away from the sun more often than not in the cold months, you can get the D from the oil for strong bones and calcium absorption!
That's it for the first half... next week, I'll continue the list with the best "-biotics", why core strength training is causing more injury than good, and more!
Stay tuned!
P.S. If you haven't gotten the "Lifestyle Fitness Points System" yet, you need to get your head examined!
It costs you only $35.00 for a great program that will get you more energy, help you be more productive and help you lose weight and feel fantastic!
$35 is less than the cost of a month at the local gym. You can't go wrong!
Click Here today to get your copy. Hurry, we're going to raise the price after the next 15 copies are sold!
I'm under the impression that the health and fitness world wants to keep the information that I'm about to tell you as a guarded secret. Why? So we don't lose our jobs! If everyone one knows what's new and hot in the industry, who needs to fitness professional, right?
Well, I'm willing to take the chance and actually give you the information--burst the bubble and tell you what the buzz is in our little world--so you can get a quick start in 2006 on your fitness and health goals and get yourself in the shape you've always dreamed of.
There's always new and incredible products on the market and believe me some of these things are absolutely awesome! But others, as I'm sure you know are complete duds... how many of you still have the Thigh Master?
Which diet should you try? Which supplements should you buy? Where is everyone exercising this year?
This year it looks like some of the old standbys, I mean thousand year old standbys, are in, while some of the fads of 2005 are fading fast--soon to be outdated and replaced with what REALLY works!
So without further ado, here's a list of what's in for 2006 and what is old new from 2005.
Atkins is OUT
Sorry, no more pepperoni and sausage pizzas sans crust. The Atkins company went under last year after operating briefly without it's fearless leader, Dr. Robert Atkins, who died of complications from a fall on the ice in 2004... which certainly is something I've always found fishy... considering the heart risks that come with his diet. Could something like an MI cause a sudden collapse on a slippery sidewalk? Hmmm.
The Atkins Diet helped people lose record weight, but also caused greasy skin, raised cholesterol and increased the chance of the yo-yo diet by promoting a way of eating that at best could be called "grossly unnatural".
Raw Foods IN!
Carol Alt is our new leader. The raw food revolution has taken its hold due to her persistent work and promotion. More people are recognizing the benefits of raw foods and how they can increase your health.
Diets full of raw foods--30-40% is OK, 50-60% is excellent--will help lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, regulate blood sugar levels, help you lose weight and get you healthy in no time.
What's so special about uncooked foods? Much of the cooked and packaged foods we eat are completely depleted of nutrients because of the way they are prepared. Raw foods not only keep the nutrients intact--just as nature wanted--they also carry live enzymes that your body needs for great health and fitness.
Get out and buy a book or two on how to cook (sorry... "prepare"!) raw foods, incorporate them into your diet once a day and you'll see the difference immediately!
Bench Press OUT
Sorry, Muscleheads, the bench press is old news. Keep piling on the weight and watch your shoulders and rotator cuff disintegrate. Other exercises that are definitely out for the recreational lifter are: Leg Curls (Quad and Hamstring), Dead Lift and Military Press.
Each of these exercises are too often abused and cause a large number of gym injuries every year.
If you do them, be sure you have a trained fitness professional help you with your form... but even then be wary, they were most likely trained in the old school.
Body Weight Exercises IN!
Could you believe that exercises over 5000 years old could be making a comeback?!?!
There's a reason they are still around... they work!!!
Exercises like the Upward Dog/Downward Dog, Hindu Squat, and the Sun Salute are coming back big time because exercise professionals have seen their benefits over and over and over again.
These exercises don't isolate, they give you a full body workout stimulating all your muscle groups, your GI system, your nervous system and your heart. Talk about efficiency!
Hydrogenated Oils OUT!
No more Trans-Fats! We won't take it anymore!
For those of you who don't know, trans-fats or hydrogenated oils are what the big food companies have been putting in your snack foods since the 1960's to extend the shelf life of their products.
These are modified oils that can take a serious toll on the body--scaring arteries and causing heart disease.
You body reads these fats just like it would other fats and distributes them accordingly... problem is, the trans-fats don't do the same functions that the regular fats do... in fact they do NOTHING except hang around and clog your arteries.
Next time you pick up any packaged food, look at the ingredients. If you see hydrogenated oils (or partially) put it down and try a new product without them! Beware, this might be a trying task. Many of the foods we eat have been loaded with this stuff for years.
But if you stick it to the trans-fats, your body will thank you!
Cod Liver Oil... IN!
You heard me right. Cod Liver Oil is IN!
Your grandmother might be proud to hear it... but many people think gross, gross and more gross!
But what's great is that you can get the oil in pill form for those of you how don't like the thought of swigging a tablespoon of this miracle oil every morning.
Why is it good for you?
Vitamin E and Omega 3 Oils are essential for your circulation and lower your risk of cardiovascular disease! Good fats work wonders for your heart.
In the winter, get a product like Carlson's that has vitamins A and D added. The A will help with your skin, eyes and mucus membranes. And since you're probably away from the sun more often than not in the cold months, you can get the D from the oil for strong bones and calcium absorption!
That's it for the first half... next week, I'll continue the list with the best "-biotics", why core strength training is causing more injury than good, and more!
Stay tuned!
P.S. If you haven't gotten the "Lifestyle Fitness Points System" yet, you need to get your head examined!
It costs you only $35.00 for a great program that will get you more energy, help you be more productive and help you lose weight and feel fantastic!
$35 is less than the cost of a month at the local gym. You can't go wrong!
Click Here today to get your copy. Hurry, we're going to raise the price after the next 15 copies are sold!
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