I found this article last year about fall fitness written by Rob Williams of the Vancouver Province Newspaper. One of the things I have noticed this year is that I am really noticing the change of seasons and how it is affecting my attitude, energy, and workout patterns

Whether there are kids in the picture or not, September is a time when a lot of people do a mind-shift, putting the golf clubs, bikes and tennis rackets away for another year and establishing the habits and patterns that will shape their fall and winter schedules.

In fact, September is second only to January as a time when fitness springs to the top of the to-do list, with gyms and training studios buzzing with activity and motivated new members. At the same time, family and business commitments seem to increase, and the days get shorter and darker. Read the rest of this entry »

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: Golf, ipod, Rob Williams, Tennis

Are you looking for natural weight loss secrets? This is a good approach to losing weight. “Natural” means without the help of potentially dangerous diet pills, fad diets or surgery. Natural weight loss is a way to move towards your ideal weight while keeping your health in mind. After all, what’s the point of losing weight if you have to sacrifice your health? You want to look and feel your best, now and in the long run!

Here are 7 tips that will help you in your quest to lose weight naturally:

Drink plenty of pure water. This is good for keeping the body hydrated and keeping your metabolism working smoothly. However, it’s also a good “trick” to drink water instead of other, less healthy beverages. Water is especially important when exercising, but you should drink it throughout the day whether working, playing or resting. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: karate, plant-based beverage, surgery, Swimming, Tai Chi, Tennis

Are you stressing over what you’ll wear for upcoming summer activities? Does your old swimsuit fit? Worried you’re so out of shape you’ll look silly riding bikes with the kids or playing tennis with your friends? What about those revealing summer clothes? After indulging all winter, it’s time to make a change and reclaim your sexy summer body. Now is your chance to gain the confidence you need to enjoy this special season and lose that fat that keeps you from feeling and looking your best.

Having a sleek summer body is easier than you might imagine. With a little time and extra planning, you will find yourself sliding right into cute summer shorts and loving the way you look in sexy swim wear.

Let’s get started…

Stay Hydrated to Lose Fat

Water is needed for your body to function smoothly (including burning fat!), so plan to drink a minimum of 8 full glasses of water every day. Read the rest of this entry »

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The fun and fitness that is Wii fitness has no comparison, after a year or so I am still having fun with this thing. After running around the living room for half an hour, impersonating a tree, punching the air and whacking invisible tennis balls, any casual observer could be forgiven for thinking you might be a little off-the-wall.

But the Wii has revolutionized gaming. The main difference is that you experience it, you don’t just sit there and play! It is not like the old style of gaming where the only body part that moves was your thumbs. Oh no. The Wii is the perfect solution for those with sloth-like tendencies because it blends socializing with doing exercise that is actually fun! Playing the Wii involves stretching, balancing, an increased heart rate and getting very hot! Cast aside stereotypes of gaming being mainly a male (usually young male) pastime. Using the Wii can involve the whole family with friends thrown into the mix too. Put simply, it’s for everyone.

Currently, the Nintendo Wii games console has reached worldwide sales of 50 million units. The president Satoru Iwata expressed recently that it was “more than they could have possibly hoped for.” Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: casual observer, coach, Liverpool John Moores University, Nintendo, president, Satoru Iwata, Tennis, the British Medical Journal, United Kingdom

You know why people make excuses? Whenever the mind figures out that it needs to do something different than the routine, it is filled with doubts, fears and apprehensions, which in turn culminate into excuses. If you are excusing yourself from buying a home fitness equipment, you are not alone.

However, you need to understand that excuses won’t take you anywhere. I can give you a variety of reasons why you should buy an exercise equipment, but unless you really go and buy the equipment and do that damn workout, you are neither going to lose weight nor acquire a toned-up body as per your desire.

Here are some of the common excuses people make for not buying a home-based exercise equipment.

1. Lack of company: There are many people who quickly get bored of workouts if they have to exercise all alone, day after day. Such people prefer to hit the gym simply because there is some company for them. However, you don’t need to workout alone even if you use home fitness machine.

Convince your family regarding the importance of fitness, then buy a couple of extra fitness equipments for your other family members. This way, you won’t have to workout alone and at the same time, it would help keep your family members fit and healthy.

Another way is to let your family play their favorite sports while you workout in the background. For example, if your family members are interested in table tennis, buy them a table for playing tennis. On the other hand, if football is their passion, you can buy them a football goal instead.

2. Insufficient space: Are you worried about space for setting up the fitness equipment at home or storing it for later use? If the former is the case, then it might be a valid reason for not buying the equipment. People living in small flats barely have any space left after installing tables, beds and large couches; if that is the case with you, you either need to get rid of the couch and setup your fitness equipment in its place, or forget about buying a home-based equipment.

If however, you have enough space for setting up the fitness equipment at home but are worried about where to store it after the workout session is over, there is good news for you. Most manufactures today understand the needs and demands of the common man. They know that not everyone who buys a fitness equipment lives in a king-sized flat.

Modern exercise machines are becoming more and more portable and compact than before, so as to make it easier for you to store them after use. Most fitness machines can be folded and tucked away safely at a corner of your house after you are done with them. As such, you don’t need to worry about it.

3. Absence of professional guidance: Many people excuse themselves from buying a fitness equipment because they feel they won’t be able to make proper use of it in absence of professional guidance. While this is a true and valid objection, it is equally true that if your workout routine begins at early dawn or late night, you are not going to get a fitness trainer who would be at your beck and call.

So your best option is the internet. You may or may not be aware of it, but these days you can get custom workout and diet plans tailor-made to your needs and equipments, all for a small monthly fee. If you subscribe to any such program, you would get professional guidance not only on fitness but also diet and nutrition; let’s face it, every one knows how important dieting is in the sphere of weight loss.

Tags: exercise equipment, favorite sports, Fitness Equipment, football, home fitness equipment, home-based exercise equipment, table tennis, Tennis

Are you a woman who is very desperate to lose weight fast? Then I am sure you have fallen for those bold weight loss ads which get published in women’s magazines one time or other. Truth to be told, if ever there was any truth in the saying “tall hype and minuscule result”, it would surely apply to those magazine ads. These ads make you believe that you would lose weight in just a week or two with the recommended diet programs. Fact is, you would lose only your time and money instead of weight.

These ads are very well-tuned to a certain demographic: educated women belonging to middle and upper classes who want to lose weight fast with the least effort on their part. There are many women, young and old, who are very desperate to lose all the extra pounds as fast as they could.

Naturally, any diet program which claims to fulfill their desire would attract them. What they don’t know is that such diets are good only for a few days; in other words, you would be losing weight rapidly for the first few days after which, it would be an upward trend (read weight gain). Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: basketball, food, food intake, Swimming, Tennis

Healthy eating is the first step to making sure that you are getting yourself more fit. There a a lot of great advantages to eating better and these include more energy, better concentration and less stomach and digestive problems. Currently, the typical American diet is low in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and high in saturated fat, salt, and sugar. As a result, more Americans than ever are overweight, obese, and at increased risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain cancers.

Older people are most likely to improve their eating habits, but nutrition is important for people of all ages, says Walter Willet, M.D., chairman of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health. “We know that when people have health problems or their friends become ill, these are strong motivators of change,” says Willet. “The more serious the health condition, the more serious the change. We’d rather people made changes early and prevent health problems in the first place.”

So what if you’re feeling trapped by a diet full of fast-food burgers and cookies? You can work your way out slowly but surely. Here are tips to move your eating habits in the right direction.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: and Blood Institute, and Dietary Supplements, baked whole-grain corn tortilla chips, Barbara Schneeman, broil food, cancers, Chairman, chairman of the nutrition department, Cindy Moore, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, corn tortilla chips, diabetes, director, director of nutrition therapy, energy, Eric Hentges, fat-free products, food, Food and Drug Administration's Office of Nutritional Products, food diary, food groups, food package, food product, food products, grain products, Harvard School of Public Health, heart disease, high blood pressure, hypertension, kidney disease, Labeling, lower-salt products, Lung, make smart food choices, Marilyn Tanner, milk products, National Heart, nutrition therapy, pediatric dietitian, physician, potassium chloride, similar products, squash, St. Louis, stroke, Tennis, USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, vegetable oil, Walter Willet, Washington University School of Medicine

Workouts are something hated not only by kids but also adults. Now, if you hate workouts as much as your kid then this article would benefit both of you. Believe it or not, a well-balanced workout regimen could single-handedly keep you fit and healthy throughout your whole life. And of course, no one said you need to do boring cardios for hours or spend 24 hours in your local gym. Simple activities could help you and your kids keep the pounds away.

One reason behind the ever-increasing level of childhood obesity is the increasing addiction of children to video games, PSPs, etc. If they sit and watch video games all day, when would they find time for workouts? The only way to break this habit is to take them regularly for a walk along the park. At the beginning, kids may hesitate to move beyond the world of video games.

Good news is that I have a remedy for this too. Ask yourself first: are YOU an active parent? If not, set a daily schedule for morning walks and then when you come back home tell your kid how much you loved and enjoyed the walk as well as how much your body benefitted from it. The more interesting you make it to him, the more he would be willing to walk.

Slowly you could scale it over to the next level which includes jogging, running, swimming, etc. – activities which would help your kid burn even more calories than he would by walking.

But like I said, they won’t make the first move unless you do, and to be honest, you should move your body too as obesity is harming you as much as your kids. When they see that you prefer to walk, run and jog instead of sitting at home and watching movies, they would soon emulate you and do the same.

Also, if there is any sport that you are passionate about or used to indulge in during your youth, you should start participating in that sport again. It could be anything which makes your body move and sweat, such as cricket, basketball, tennis, etc. Note that by ’sport’ I don’t mean chess or other board games; they are as bad as video games.

Like anything else in life, neither you nor your kid would find time for such activities unless you set a schedule for them. You should prioritize your health over even your most important tasks; once you do that, you would automatically find time to do the activities which would keep you away from fat belly and flabby arms.

Of course, the same applies to your kid too.

Tags: basketball, chess, cricket, obesity, Swimming, Tennis

Knee exercise is vital if you are suffering from the painful condition of arthritis in the knee joints. The right kind of exercise can help to maintain or possibly even increase your range of motion, which helps to prevent the knee from causing sudden acute pain or giving way. Exercise helps to maintain healthy cartilage. It is also important to build strength in the muscles and tendons that support the knee, so that you avoid putting unnecessary stress on the joint itself when you walk, climb stairs etc.

Exercise To Strengthen The Knee

Choose a chair the right height so that you can sit on it with your feet flat on the floor and thighs horizontal. Consciously tighten the muscles in the right thigh (it can be helpful to put your hand on your thigh at first to feel the muscles tighten). You should see your kneecap move a little.

Then push out with your heel, point your toes and move your toes around in a slow circle. Continue for up to 30 seconds, then repeat with the other leg.

Do not let your knee fall away to either side. It must stay in a straight line with your leg. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: arthritis, chair, pain, Swimming, Tennis, volleyball

People learn only from their peers, and this holds true for adults as well as kids. It is no secret that the level of childhood obesity in the world is rising alarmingly with every passing year. Even though parents tend to blame their kids’ unhealthy lifestyle habits as the root cause of obesity, the fact remains that if parents are willing, they can change those habits during the growing years of their children.

Remember that a stitch in time saves nine; if you nip these bad habits of your kids in the bud then they would always remain fit and healthy. If you are clueless about what to do in this direction, I will tell offer you two tips on that.

Make no mistake, even though now I am a fitness professional, I too was a big, fat ugly kid hated by my class mates and neighbors alike. Just like your kids I too loved all the tasty and yummy junk foods my parents used to feed me.

My parents believed that I would cry less if they feed me delicious foods all the time; however this didn’t help at all as I cried even after all that ‘pampering’; if anything, I fell prey to unhealthy eating habits for which I had to pay dearly later on.

When I grew up a little, Mac Donalds became my regular destination and their burgers my all-time favorites. To top it all, my parents even took me to a doctor for they thought I was grossly underweight and malnourished, and oddly enough, that doctor only gave reassurance to my parents’ fears.

I don’t even need to tell you the end result of it all; soon I had a fatty belly and a pair of flabby arms which I hated very much (even though my parents seem to have no issues with them).

After keeping up with the taunts of my schoolmates for a while, I thought that enough was enough, and one day decided that I would lose weight no matter what.

1. Encourage your kids to idolize professional athletes and bodybuilders: These days, kids usually idolize movie stars and prefer to sit on the couch the entire day and watch movies of their favorite idols. There is nothing wrong with hero worship at all, as long as it helps your kids stay fit and avoid weight gain. Idolizing movie heroes and heroines won’t be of any use to them; on the other hand, idolizing professional sportspersons, body builders and athletes would really help them stay active all the time.

While it is true that I indulged in hula hopping because it was a very popular sport among our neighborhood kids, I played tennis mainly because famous tennis players such as Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick were my idols (they still are).

When kids consider athletes to be their heroes, they like to emulate their active lifestyle and have a have a healthy body like them, which in turn means that your kids would start eating healthy and indulging regularly in outdoor games.

2. Don’t stop your kids from participating in sports: So when I decided to lose weight, I started spending much more time in my favorite sports than I used to.. Thankfully, unlike the parents of some of my peers, my parents never prohibited me from indulging in outdoor sports.

Take a cue from this: if you are a parent and wish to keep your kids fit and healthy then keeping them from indulging in sports is just stupid. Far from making your kids sit at home and forcing them to stick their eyes on books throughout the entire day, you should actually encourage them to become active in life, since only active kids are able to keep the fat away for the rest of their lives.

Really, that is the only thing I did, apart from changing my unhealthy eating habits, in order to acquire the fit body that I still maintain. And you thought it was too difficult to help your kids lose weight.

Tags: Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, favorite sports, obesity, outdoor sports, Tennis