The Fitness Maven

Many people don’t start to exercise because they can’t imagine themselves bouncing around at a Zumba class or showing up to a gym in a cute little workout outfit. But who says that you have to do these things? One of the secrets to starting and sticking to an exercise routine is to realize that you can exercise YOUR way. What does this mean? If you enjoy walking, then walk. Take a trip around the block with your dog or your friend or your earphones. That’s exercise. If you love to read, then sit on a stationary bike and enjoy that time to read and get your heart rate up. If you think that you’ll only exercise if you have a lot of other people around – then sign up for that Zumba class or aerobics class. But do it your way. You don’t have to exercise in a certain way or fit a certain model in order to get yourself moving. Think about who you are – not who anyone else is – and just get moving in the way that makes you the most comfortable.

You may have heard this saying before – but it’s really important to hear again. Monday is the beginning of the week; it’s the time to get back onto your exercise routine even if you ate that chocolate cake over the weekend or enjoyed those beers. If you never miss a Monday to exercise, the chances are that you’ll then exercise on Tuesdays, Wednesday, Thursday and beyond. When things go right on Monday, it tends to set the tone for the week!

Many people ignore injuries and just continue doing their exercise. What they don’t realize, however, is that they can be making their injury worse. It’s worth it to take off a few days from your exercise routine to see if it gets better. If it doesn’t, you should seek out the attention that you need and have a doctor check the injury. Sometimes this will put you back on your feet quickly, sometimes it will mean that you need a cast or another intervention and sometimes it will mean physical therapy. No matter what it means, it’s always better to get it checked out then to simply ignore the small problem…which may turn bigger.

This is certainly interesting. We all assume that you should ice an injury and let yourself rest for a bit after hurting yourself. However, now, even the creator of the R.I.C.E method is having second thoughts.

The author of the R.I.C.E method, Dr. Mirkin, said “I do not believe in cooling anymore.” In his forward to the second edition of his book Iced! he said that “And research now shows that both ice and prolonged rest actually delay recovery.”

Read all about the controversy and the more recent thoughts about recovering from injury.

Many people get intimidated by the idea of exercise because they assume that they have to put on tight clothing, sign up for a gym and go and jump around. This is not, however, the case. Exercise just means moving, and every little bit counts. Here are some creative ways to move more and to get your body going.

1. Take the stairs. All the time. If you work on the fourth floor, imagine how much you will get your body moving if you take the stairs every time you come into and leave the building. The same is true for errands, at your home, etc.
2. Park far away from your destination. If you’re going to the mall, try to find the farthest parking spot, rather than the closest. First of all, this will allow you to feel less tense as you maneuver around the crowds and it will get you moving.
3. Take more steps today than you did yesterday. The step counters that are available today are great for getting people to track their everyday movements. Try to walk more steps today than  you did yesterday. Everyday!

There are many weight loss programs, each one unique and best suited to different types of people with a variety of needs. If you are in a hurry, let’s say you have a wedding coming up, or some other occasion, and there really isn’t time to lose weight slowly, you might want to consider a great program called Shapely Secrets. Strictly speaking, this is not a “weight-loss” program, but really a fitness program. This program helps you slim down and look your best in a mere 7 minutes each day. That is because of a revolutionary technique called Diametric Resistance. This fitness program is for anyone who doesn’t like counting calories and can’t spend much time exercising. Combined with the 7 secrets to being thin and shapely, Shapely Secrets will help those extra inches around your waist disappear.

Another interesting program is well suited to those that like to use their computers for everything, even for helping them to lose weight. Check out “Train with me Online” and see what this web site has to offer by way of variety and convenience so that you can lose weight as effortlessly as possible. Train with me Online has over 400 challenging video exercises and more than 100 workout routines, and is just like having a personal trainer, but easier.

If you are more interested in dieting than in exercise, consider trying Dr. Kushner’s Personality Type Diet.
Based on the popular book by Dr. Robert Kushner in partnership with his wife Nancy, this program bases its methodology on discovering the potential dieters character traits which cause us to have the eating habits we have, and why it’s so hard to change them. The dieter fills out a 70 question survey which reveals fears, feelings and attitudes in an effort to overcome the weak places that keep us from having a healthy relationship with food, exercise and coping.

Those were just three of the almost endless number of unique programs with which you can achieve your goals of recovering health and reaching your ideal weight.