5 Fitness Goals for the Summer

When it comes to goal setting, most of us think about the New Year. That’s the time when resolutions are made. But summer is a perfect opportunity to do the same. If there is ever a season to really be committed to a fit lifestyle, summer is it. It’s the perfect time of year to start eating healthier and incorporate more physical activity into your day. So with that, here are 5 fitness goals you should have for the summer. The first goal is to eat more fruit. Not only is this the season for some of the freshest fruits … Continue reading

Fitness Can Be Fun

Not only can it be fun, it should be fun, especially for children. These days when most kids would rather be sitting in front of the TV, the computer or spending time playing handheld video games it is harder to get them motivated to exercise. When parents hear the word exercise, most think of working out in the gym on a treadmill or lifting weights. But for kids, exercise should be any activity where they are physically active. That means playing soccer, basketball, and football, attending dance class, riding bikes or simply participating in a game of tag. Fitness is … Continue reading

Dear Heather … Jump Rope Fitness

Dear Heather, Sorry to hear about the problems you’ve been having, but I was hoping you could answer a couple of questions. You’ve talked about using a jump rope for workouts before and that sounds more interesting than my other options. I have three kids – ages 8 to 12. They like the jump rope and I thought this would be a great way for us to play together while I get to workout. But I’m not sure how to start a jump rope program that will give me good fitness benefits. Can you help? – Mom x 3 Jump … Continue reading

The Idiot Box & Fitness

In the February issue of Pediatrics a magazine, a study was published that may actually surprise you – it certainly surprised me. It states that if your teenager or child is not getting enough exercise – the blame does not lay with the idiot box or television. In fact, the study also revealed that there was no relationship between the amounts of time a teenager spent watching television and their level of physical activity. While this may fly in the face of conventional thinking because we tend to think of the television as leading to couch potatoes and the couch … Continue reading

The Marriage Blog Week in Review for Jan 20-26

Good morning, if you noticed a curious lack of the marriage blog week in review, I have to plead guilty. I wrote most of it, but yesterday, my daughter had a birthday party and we went out together to attend. It was a roller skating party and for those of you who follow my fitness blog posts, you know that my daughter and I have been roller-skating a great deal frequently, well we enjoyed ourselves roller-skating, but I was whipped after an hour and half on the skates and my legs felt like spaghetti. I’ll talk more about that in … Continue reading

Post-Natal Fitness: Aerobic Workout

Aerobic workouts are about maximizing the oxygen demands of the body, increasing your heart rate and respiration and generating some good old-fashioned healthy sweat. Any workout program you are going to engage in is going to have an aerobic component. Kaye Siders wrote about a great program she used called The Firm and there are some definite advantages to that program so you might want to check it out. Among my library of fitness programs is the XBox Yourself!Fitness – this is a gaming system workout that can also be purchased for the Playstation 2. This is a great option … Continue reading

The Three Elements of Fitness

Do you know what the elements of fitness are? They include strength, flexibility and endurance. These three elements are combined in almost all fitness programs, especially those that are designed to offer a balanced and healthy active lifestyle. When it comes to the three elements of fitness, you don’t have to design an exercise program for your children to incorporate those as they do in their everyday activities. Check them out on the playground or at the park and pay attention. When they are playing tag, the person who is ‘it’ is often getting quite the endurance workout. When they … Continue reading

The In of In-Line Skating

I’ve mentioned before that I really want an elliptical glider to work out on, but in lieu of that, I’d love to inline skate. It’s on my wish list for an anniversary or Christmas present this year. I want a good set of recreational in-line skates so I can add skating to my repertoire of activities and so that I can keep up with my daughter when she is riding her bike. All the power walking in the world can’t keep me side by side with her when she is really riding. The Investment In-line skating is relative inexpensive compared … Continue reading

Winter Packages That Won’t Bust Your Budget

Our city’s Christmas parade takes place on Thursday. This Thursday. As in a mere two weeks after Halloween and more than a month before Santa makes his trip around the world delivering presents to good little boys and girls. Consequently, I am not at all surprised to see an onslaught of advertisements for Christmas-themed travel packages. The bundled accommodations and activities are a cost-effective way to enjoy holiday festivities with your family. Some popular choices being offered for winter 2012 include: West Virginia: White Sulphur Springs is home to the stunning Greenbrier Resort which is featuring a winter package dubbed … Continue reading

Be Flexible during the Busy Holiday Season

If there was ever a time in which busyness could become a good excuse for not exercising, it is certainly during the holidays. Most of us are working, taking care of families and trying to find time to make holiday preparations. I feel that stress of trying to get everything done. It is the middle of December and I don’t have all of my gift shopping done. I have yet to bake cookies and there are upcoming parties to attend, let alone planning out Christmas day in which I am hosting. But instead of using busyness during the holiday season … Continue reading