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.

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: calgary, calories, exercise, jumping rope

Well I have to preface this post with a warning that what I am about to write about is a high fat high calories snack that anyone trying lose weight will want to always avoid.

Okay, Peanuts and raisins. This is a great snack for people that have trouble gaining weight and people that are tying to bulk up. I know that most people are not too interested in bulking up, instead they will want to lose weight. I remember back a few years working out a lot with weights and having friends that could not gain muscle trying anything to get the calories needed. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: calories, carbohydrates, exercise, gaining weight, weights

If you look deep in all of the US Government info on the internet you can find gems of information. I am not exactly where I found this first but a couple of weeks ago I found the Small Steps site that is targeted at adults and teens to get them in better shape and to improve their fitness. Here is just a few of the tips

1.     Add lettuce, tomato, onion, and cucumber to sandwiches
2.     Add vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms or tomatoes to your egg or egg white omelet
3.     Ask a friend to exercise with you
4.     Ask for more vegetable toppings (like mushrooms, peppers, and onions and less cheese on your pizza
5.     Ask for salad dressing on the side
6.     At sandwich shops, ask for leaner cuts and smaller amounts of roast beef, turkey, or ham; extra lettuce and tomato; and whole-wheat, oatmeal, or rye bread Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: eating, exercise, fitness tips, government fitness, health, portion control, Simon Says, Turkey, US Government

I have been away on vacation for the last few days. I went with my family on a vacation to Hawaii. We spent 7 days in Waikiki and the rest of the island of Oahu and I have a few stories that I am looking forward to telling about the weather and sunburns, about eating at restaurants, about exercise and workouts and also about people trying to have the best beach body.

I am still getting my bearings back since I have had to move back and forth across four timezones but I am less sleep deprived today then I was yesterday.

More articles this week. I am hoping to be a bit of a posting demon getting lots of tips up this next week.

Oh, and the Biggest Loser? I have missed two straight episodes so I will need to watch those and post about those as well.

Tags: beach body, exercise, hawaii, island of oahu, Oahu, restaurants, sleep, sunburns, waikiki, workouts

When it comes to weight loss, you should never take someone else’s advice. One reason behind this is that everyone’s weight loss adventure is different. There are people who never reach their weight loss goals, and then there are people who not only conquer their food intake successfully but also lose weight and become slim.

There are folks who never lose beyond a certain amount of weight and then get stuck to that level; others make it successfully to the top. If you really want to lose weight, the best way to do this is to set a weight loss goal, and for that you need to have a clear idea of what you really want from your weight loss program.

Here are the four basics that you need to internalize to help you lose weight and not only continue losing but not put it back on Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: body fat, exercise, fatty food, food, food habit, food habits, food intake, lifestyle, on food intake, passion, small changes, weight loss goal, weight loss program

Research has proven that if we’ve a single objective as our goal, and if we direct all our energies and resources towards the achievement of that objective, we can’t but win the goal. It is really true, and when it comes to weight loss, it is no different either. The very first thing you need to do is to make your weight loss goal your priority, and then enlist all the available resources and time towards achieving it. That is the only way you can lose weight.

I am not telling you to neglect things that are more important than weight loss, but I am pretty sure that the number of such ‘very important things’ is fewer than what you think, and I am also sure that you can, if you want, accommodate your weight loss program in this short list of ‘very important things’.

You see, nothing is more important than your health. If your health goes for a downhill, everything else that you set as ‘important tasks’ will have to stop. Now, how does this relate to weight loss? Well, you might not be aware of the fact that obesity is the forerunner of several harmful diseases such as diabetes, heart related diseases, hypertension, etc. Therefore, the main reason why you should lose weight is not just to look and feel good, but to make sure you live a healthy and long life. There are some ways you can ensure that you always find time for your weight loss program. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: diabetes, exercise, exercises, health, hypertension, junk food, obesity, objective, weight loss goal, workouts

We all know that positive thinking is good but I for one get a little irritated when I see people that apparently never have a negative thought, it makes me feel like they are tuning out some of the stuff in life just to make sure that they are not negative. I am probably not being fair though because one of the real reasons that people do not lose weight is because negative thoughts will cause them to fail before they even have a chance to lose weight.

Lets Get Positive about Weight Loss Now

If you really want to achieve any goal, you need to think positive. This is true not just of weight loss goals but of every type of goal you might have. Be it a business or a family goal, you cannot achieve it unless you succeed in overpowering negativity. Once you set a goal, there will be obvious roadblocks on your way in the form of negative thoughts and feelings that will make you depressed and de-motivated. Your job is to weed out those negative thoughts from your mind and replace them with positive ones. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: exercise, losing weight, negativity, positive thoughts, weight loss goal, weight loss program

There are so many different weight loss pills and products out there that they often try to distract us from the basics, or shall I say that WE get distracted by the lure and high promises of these supplements? It is not surprising that people are falling in love with those pills. After all, if you can lose twenty pounds just by popping a couple of pills, why would you diet and exercise? However, the fact remains that if your weight loss program is based only on these magic pills you can never really lose any substantial amount of weight permanently. These supplements shouldn’t be treated as substitutes for natural weight loss. Your focus should only be on diet and exercise, not on these diet pills!

1. Check your diet: The old saying goes that you become what you eat. As much as you disbelieve it, it holds true even to this day. Have you ever watched the health of those who eat burgers regularly? Or that of your friends who often coax you to visit a fast food restaurant? Do their bodies indicate anything healthy about them? When you eat fatty foods, does your body react in a certain negative way? I know it sounds all clichéd, but unless you are going to cut down on sugar, fat and processed foods, you can never hope to shed pounds.

2. Cardio Exercises: Along with keeping an eye on your diet, you should also do cardio exercises. Cardio exercises come in various forms, such as stair climber, running on a treadmill, biking, rollerblading, etc. Cardio exercises should be an important part of your weight loss program for they help you to burn fat faster than you’d otherwise! Cardio exercises also get your heart pumping at the proper speed, as well as conditions your body to any amount of workload. If you have ever got tired while lifting weight, walking or running for miles or climbing the stairs, cardio exercise will help to adjust your body to these types of activities!

3. Resistance training: Cardio exercises are not enough. Along with cardio, you should also do resistance training. In fact, resistance training is even better than cardio exercise, for it not only helps you burn fat but also builds your muscles. The more muscles you have, the faster you will be able to burn fat. Resistance training can be of different types such as yoga, weight training, etc.

In the end, I would only like to say this much: if you want to lose weight properly then you need to follow the three-fold plan as I outlined above. If any of the above components is missing from your weight loss program, you may not be able to lose as mush weight as you really want to! Also remember that weight loss pills are called “supplements” for a reason – they are supplements to natural weight loss efforts. Therefore, while they can be very helpful in helping you shed even more pounds, they shouldn’t be treated as substitutes for diet and exercise!

Tags: cardio exercises, climbing the stairs, diet pills, exercise, food restaurant, magic pills, natural weight loss, resistance training, stair climber, supplements, weight loss pills, workload

Ever noticed that when you are tired and do not feel like exercising that it quickly passes when you just get up and get a bit of movement? Well you are not alone. A recent study from the University of Georgia seems to prove that exercise will over come tiredness. Here is a quote from the author of the study:

“Too often we believe that a quick workout will leave us worn out, especially when we are already feeling fatigued,” Tim Puetz, who helped conduct the study, said in a statement.

“However, we have shown that regular exercise can actually go a long way in increasing feelings of energy, particularly in sedentary individuals.”

So next time that you are tired remember this post. Even better, start to exercise without even thinking about it. If you are even a little tired it is really easy for your mind to convince you not to workout at all.

Tags: Author, energy, exercise, feelings, Georgia, puetz, sedentary individuals, Tim Puetz, tiredness, university of georgia, workout

Here is more info from my local pharmacy about Cholesterol, its types and preventing high levels of bad cholesterol.

Cholesterol is bad. Right? No!

A high total cholesterol level is bad. A high level of LDL cholesterol is bad. Cholesterol itself is necessary for good health. And HDL cholesterol is actually good for us.

We couldn’t live without any cholesterol at all, because this waxy material is used to form cells and produce hormones. About 80% of the cholesterol in our bodies is manufactured by our liver. The other 20% comes from the food we eat. As long as we have the right amount of cholesterol in the right balance, we’re okay. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: amputation, angina, bad cholesterol, chest pain, cholesterol, cholesterol level, coronary artery disease, diabetes, exercise, food, food groups, grain products, Heart and Stroke Foundation, heart attack, heart disease, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, levels of stress, lower-fat dairy products, milk products, natural remedies, pharmacist, stroke, vascular disease