Apple and nike are working together to make big changes to the Nike+ program in the future.

If you are not yet aware of Nike+ it is a system where you have a sensor in your shoe (doesn’t have to be a Nike shoe) and and iPod. I do not have one yet but the idea is very exciting. You simply put the sensor in or on your shoe. Start up your iPod and start running. The sensor picks up your steps and distance and tracks your speed and when you finish you sync with iTunes to have it track your stats.

A little geeky but I am a sucker for the geeky stuff. Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks for visiting. To get started why not subscribe to the 21 day fitness plan at the top of this page. Look in the red box, it is right there.. Thanks Bill

For an individual who is overweight, exercising to lose that weight is one of the most rewarding activities he/she will ever embark upon.  However, there are literally thousands of activities you can do to burn calories.

It can be intimidating, to say the least, wondering where to start with such a varied array of exercises.  There are certain activities, though, that can take calorie burning to a whole different level. Listed below are the top X ways to burn calories (note: number of calories burned per activity assume a body weight of 150 pounds and exercise time of 30 minutes).

These activities can be split up into three general groups: Gym activities, training and sports activities, and daily life activities. The top gym activites for burning calories include: Read the rest of this entry »

Newsweek has an article this week called 7 Silly Get in shape Gimmicks. The list is strange and includes the following:

Weighted Hula Hooping
Strippercise
The Bodyblade
Cirque du Soleil-Inspired “Aerial Aerobics.”
Wind-Relieving Asana
Wii Fit Ski-Jump
Dorm Room Workouts

So what do you see in all of these different faux-exercises? Well to me it looks like they are all bad ideas that are an extension on something good. Yoga is good, stripping may be good exercise, the Wii is good exercise when done correctly and of course the hula hoop is fun and helps your core strength. Read the rest of this entry »

I occasionally post articles by Craig Ballantyne from Turbulence training. What happens is he will send me articles and if I feel that one of them is good then I will post it here. Well here is one about getting started with high intensity training like Turbulence training suggests. I thought this was interesting because people that are really overweight think that exercise is not possible for them at all.

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Fat loss for obese people can follow the same Turbulence Training workouts that fat loss for advanced people will follow, but we just need to adjust the exercises and intensity. The principles remain the same.

We’ll use multi-muscle exercises. We’ll do them in superset pairs. And yes, we’ll even use interval training for this. It will be modified, but we can still do it.

Recently, my friend and nutrition expert Dr. Chris Mohr interviewed me on how an obese person can use Turbulence Training for fat loss. Read the rest of this entry »

For a few years I was riding a really crappy mountain bike but last year I finally bought myself a decent mountain bike, by decent I mean about $225.

The new bike was good for a year but then I had trouble with the crank being loose and had to take it in to get some work done. The tech at the bike store said I needed to replace the crank but the housing was seized and was not fixable. Fortunately for me there was a 1 year warranty for the bike so I just got the value of the bike as a replacement.

So here finally is where the story turns to my new Diamondback Odyssey. I paid and extra $30 and picked up the bike in the picture here. The new Diamondback Odyssey has a few features that my old bike did not, holder screws for the bike bottle, better gearing, better shocks. Most of all the bike frame fits my body a lot better. I love riding this bike because it fits me great.

I am especially amazed at how quickly in retrospect that me last bike degraded. I can feel the stability of this bike even though the last one was only a year old. I am really seeing what kind of affect that proper and regular maintenance would have helped my last couple of bikes even though my last one was defective.

I ride my bike to and from work everyday, especially tough in winter but in summer the ride is a breeze. I have had a few snowy mornings riding and the new bike has been awesome for the conditions.

I will be writing soon about how to choose a bike, especially since it is the time of year that beings out a bunch of bike sales but just wanted to intro the new member of my family, my new mountain bike.

This morning my wife bought my daughter and son a couple of jump ropes, the problem was they were really long ones that are to be held by two people.

It is a snowy day today in Calgary and so of course the kids wanted to jump rope so we pushed the table aside in the living room and the kids learned to jump rope. It was tons of fun and of course pretty good exercise.

Did you know that a 160 pound person would burn 760 calories in an hour jumping rope? This is the same exercise output of running 6 miles in an hour. I am not sure how good a shape you would have to be in to do this and the coordination that you would need to jump rope for an hour but jumping rope is the speed secret for boxers and other athletes.

Jumping rope is not only good for your coordiantion but it uses the muscles in your arms, shoulders, legs and glutes and is great also for improving your balance. Another great thing about jumping rope is how easy it is to do. Nowadays with 10 foot ceilings in houses it is easy enough to jump rope indoors all winter.

Try jumping rope and see how exhausting but fun it can be as an alternative exercise for you.

Moderately strenuous exercise, about 30 minutes a day, can lead to enormous benefits in terms of your mood, health, weight and the ability to live an independent and fulfilling life. The exercise doesn’t need to be athletic or difficult. Studies have shown that simply walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes or more on most days can lead to significant health improvements. Add simple strengthening exercises two or three times a week and the benefits are even greater.

The January issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter lists some of the benefits of 30 minutes of exercise a day:

Lower blood pressure: A reduction of 5 to 10 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) is possible. In some cases, that’s enough to prevent or reduce the need for blood pressure medications.

Improve cholesterol: Exercise often increases the concentration of high-density lipoprotein (HDL or “good” cholesterol in the blood), especially when accompanied by weight loss. Exercise also helps reduce triglyceride levels.

Prevent or manage type 2 diabetes: Exercise helps insulin work better, lowering blood sugar.

Manage weight: Coupling exercise with a healthy diet is the best way to shed fat and maintain a healthier body composition.

Prevent osteoporosis: Exercise may increase bone density and protect against bone mass decline, especially if weight-bearing activities are involved.

Prevent cancer: Exercise has been shown to strengthen the immune system, improve circulation, reduce body fat and speed digestion. Each has a role in preventing cancer, particularly cancers of the colon, prostate, uterine lining and breast.

Maintain mental well-being: Exercise may help reduce stress, improve mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety, improve sleep and boost moods.

Increase energy and stamina: A lack of energy often results from inactivity, not age.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/

eDiets has an article telling us what fit people do. It is right on the mark

1. Sleep well and wake up naturally. Many fit people arise without an alarm clock feeling energized, rested and hungry. They have set fitness goals and a plan to achieve them. People who are fit fall asleep easier, have more quality sleep and require less sleep than someone who is unfit. Lack of sleep is strongly associated with obesity. Sleeping helps the body repair, rebuild and recover.

2. Get prepared. Fit people pack their gym bags the night before, have clothes laid out for exercise, toiletries packed for a shower, clothes for work and an appointment in their planner for physical activity. They regard their workout appointments as highly as any other business or social commitment. Read the rest of this entry »

I never did post about our new Wii and the relationship that we are beginning to have with the box of plastic and silicon chips.

It has been a great time and all the family seems to be enjoying the Wii. On Christmas day we unpacked the box and hooked it up and just played a bit and then were out doing family stuff all day and into the night. On Boxing day (December 26th) we finally got to play the Wii lots and had a  great time taking turns with the sports games of the Wii Sports disk.

In Wii Sports there are Tennis, Golf, Bowling, Baseball and Boxing as well as a Wii Training, which is practicing for any of those sports and Wii Fitness which is a test that the Wii puts you through to see how good you are at using the controllers and your coordination. The games on the disk were easy enough to use with the two controllers. Read the rest of this entry »

I got an email from Craig Ballantyne of Turbulence Training and today he dropped an article that he said I could reprint to my blog so here it is. The article is about all the ways that you can make sure that you do not gain any weight this holiday season. I hope you learn some tips from it.

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

I was at a big event last week and was reminded how important it is to have strategies for this season of high-calorie parties and busy schedules. But I get ticked off by the tired old suggestions you find on the Internet or in magazines like Woman’s World.

Often the suggestions are lack any substance, because the writers don’t want to imply you actually have to make a sacrifice to succeed. They make fat loss sound easy, as if all you had to do was park at the far end of the parking lot and you’d burn all the calories from 5 shortbread cookies. Read the rest of this entry »