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Debunking Exercise Myths

Exercise myths are great because they are either so patently untrue that it’s easy to dismiss them or they sound suspiciously like great advice so they are easy to believe. We’ve all been taken in by common fitness myths. My favorite was the one I believed for years. If you’re not going to give it your all and exercise every day or at least every other day, then exercise is a waste of time. That’s complete bunk. Sure, exercising every other day is ideal, but even if you can only get out and walk for an hour or two a … Continue reading →

Answers to Fitness Myths

I asked you yesterday about some of my favorite fitness myths and gave you a list of some common urban advice I’ve seen bantered about with regards to fitness and getting in shape. I asked you which ones were true and which ones were false. Here’s a refresher for those of you may have missed the original blog on this topic: True or False: If you want to lose belly fat, then you need to do sit ups and crunches to make that happen. There’s an easy way for everyone to lose weight, you just have to find the one … Continue reading →

My Favorite Fitness Myths

Fitness myths are a dime a dozen and I don’t think anyone knows where they all get started. Like the whisper game, one person says it and then another and then another and before you know it, these little gems are considered just basic facts when it comes to getting in shape and getting fit. So I’m going to give you a little list and you might call it a pop quiz – some of the following are definitely fitness myths, do you know which ones are? True or False: A. If you want to lose belly fat, then you … Continue reading →

Fitness Fallacies – Mistakes We Make

When it comes to working out, there are a number of questions we need the answers for and no, I’m not talking about what fat-burning supplements to add to your diet or what magical miracle pill works this week to help you achieve your weight loss or fitness goals. No, the questions you need to ask are what are my goals, will this help me achieve my goals and is it safe? One of my goals here at the fitness blog is to bring you information on how to achieve your goals, help inspire you to meet them and most … Continue reading →

Kid Fitness: Three in Ten Children Are Obese

That’s a terrifying number. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the number of children with obesity in the 6 to 11 year old range has quadrupled in the last 25 years. The American Obesity Association says that three in ten American children are overweight with the highest numbers happening among Hispanic, African-American and Native American children. Obesity comes with it’s own particular health problems including heart disease and diabetes that can continue to affect them throughout their lives and there is a very real belief that obesity could soon top smoking as the most preventable cause of … Continue reading →

Family Fitness: Get Back Up

We have special exercise needs. Our families and our children have special exercise needs. Our teenagers have very specific exercise needs and we need to keep this in mind as they develop. They can be far more susceptible to damage from overuse of their joints, bones and muscles during exercise. How many of us have injuries relating back to our teenage years? (I do! I have a bad knee.) Too many of our kids are spending way too much time in front of the television or playing video games online or off. They are not getting the time to run, … Continue reading →

Kid Fitness: Red Light, Green Light

Have you ever played red light, green light with your little ones? The principle of the game is pretty straightforward. You say red light and your kids stop. You say green light and they start racing around or moving. Red light, stop. Green light, go. We started playing this particular game with our daughter when she was just 2 years old and by the time she was three, she knew what it meant. Red Light: Stop. Green Light: Go. This system can be applied to our activity levels, our eating choices and more. We teach our kids what’s good and … Continue reading →

Kid Fitness: A Guide for Physical Activity

So how much activity should you child engage in regularly? How much is enough? How much is too much? How do you weigh one activity against another? With childhood obesity the rising concern of many parents, it’s important to understand how to engage your kids in activity and what the definitions of activity and inactivity are. Everyday Activities Everyday activities are the kinds of activities where our children should be spending most of their activity time. So what is included in everyday activities? The following are a sampling, though they are going to be different from child to child: Riding … Continue reading →

Kid Fitness: Flexing The Mind

We talked about stimulating your child’s mind earlier and why this is good for them. Here are a few more exercises designed to help stimulate the minds of older and younger children alike. You might try a few out for yourself as well. Observation Challenge – You perform this exercise by putting a few objects on a tray and giving the child about 10 to 20 seconds to look at it, then cover it up – ask them to name all the objects that are on the tray. You can add the number of items or reduce the observation window … Continue reading →

Kids Need Brain Fitness, Too

The old motto of use or lose it applies to our brain as much as it does our body. We know that if we don’t exercise our bodies regularly, they won’t stay in tip-top shape. The same thought applies to our minds, especially the growing and developing minds of our children. Their brains are constantly developing, learning, growing and changing. We need to help them tone and strengthen it and this isn’t just about education and going to school. There are plenty of ways we can promote brain fitness in our homes and with our children. The following are a … Continue reading →