Health and Fitness Blogs

Think happy thoughts. And yes, I'm serious about this one. In exploring the effects of positive thinking, researchers have found that individuals who think positively tend to have lower rates of depression, a better ability to cope with and manage stress, an increased life span, and are more likely to adopt and adhere to an active, healthy lifestyle long-term. The process of consciously changing the way we think about something is called cognitive restructuring, and requires us to develop a mindfull awareness of our automatic thoughts, or the that takes place in our minds all day long.

You're proactive about your health--eating better and moving more. But those pounds just aren't falling off like they were.Hitting a "plateau" can be one of the most frustrating situations you face while working toward your goals. The reason for a plateau varies from individual to individual, but I believe most can be overcome by making one slight change to your workout--incorporating intervals into your training.

We live surrounded by a 24-hour , all-you-can-eat buffet. And yet some people manage to stay lean while everyone else gains weight. Is it will power? Genes? Metabolism?"Given teh world we live in, the real question isn't why people get fat, but why some people manage to stay thin," says obesity researcher Eric RavussinHere are some purprising new leads into what packs on the extra pounds...and how to keep them off: LeptinQ. What do we know about obesity that we didn't know 20 years ago?

Many people mark the beginning of Spring with 'Spring Cleaning' at home.  How about Spring Cleaning of your healthy lifestyle goals?  Now is the time to reflect on the first half of your year - are you where you thought you'd be?  How can you fine-tune your goals to help you achieve success throughout the remainder of the year? Setting yourself up for success when goal setting can be as easy as creating a specific plan.  I like the training acronym S.M.A.R.T. for goal setting. 

White, wheat, or rye? Years ago, that was pretty  much all you had to decide in the bread aisle.Now sliced bread has to share shelf space with a growing cadre of wraps, flat-breads, pitas, naans, bagels, English muffins, and other breadoids. More are whole grain (if not 100 percent) and higher in fiber (if not the best kind) than ever before. And many are thinner, which is a boon for consumers who aim to stay that way themselves. Thinner also means they're lower (if not low) in sodium. 

 I have noticed in a majority of my clients a significant amount of overtraining of the rectus abdominis (6 pack muscles). Even in older clients, and overweight clients the fashionable thing to do is crunches, weighted sit-ups, and ect. This is happening because of the sexy aspect of those exercises. They bring about strength and definition to the region and therefore are glorified in the media. Training the rectus abdominis muscles is a good thing but it is not the optimal way for the casual exerciser to train his/her core. 

I don't know about you, but I like one meal a day I don't have to think to hard about. That's breakfast. In our house, my husband and I work out 5:30-6:30 if possible.  The alarm goes off at 5, then we have some time to get our barrings, drink some water, move a bit, and get to it.  Then 6:30-7 is rush time to wash and dry before the kids are up and begging for breakfast and atten

Good news for older adults: part of the prescription for a healthier, better retirement is exercise. Physical activity protects against declining health and fitness and adds years to your life. Join the growing number of older adults who are actively demonstrating that exercise helps keep a body strong. 

If you're like most Americans, you use an average of nine products, containing about 126 unique ingredients, every day.  And each of these products contains an array of chemicals and fragrances, most of them synthetic petrochemicals and many of them potentially toxic.  The FDA loosely regulates chemicals placed in every day products.  In fact, the FDA does not deem a chemical harmful until harm is done. Plus, if harmful the only requirement is that it's labeled, not restricted.  It follows the rules of not guilty until proven harmful leaving us and

Exercise Etc. reiterates the importance of functional training - and what I've been doing - specifically with "whole body integration."  Read on: