Lateral Shoulder Raises

Lateral shoulder raises is a good exercise to build and shape your shoulders.

Don't Settle For The Middle-Age Bulge

You just turned 48 years old and you start to notice the spare tire around your waist you picked up a couple of years ago now looks inflated. You tell yourself it's time to lose some weight so, the next morning you put on your jogging shoes and you go for a run.

You've been running everyday for 2 weeks now and your spare tire still looks the same and now your knees and lower back are starting to ache. You think "when I was younger all I had to do was to run a couple of miles to lose weight. I'm getting old and weight gain comes with the territory." So, you become discouraged, quite your running program and accept your life as an slightly over-weight middle-aged adult.

You don't have to live the rest of your life slightly over-weight and out-shape just because you are approaching your mid-life years. I'm over 50 and I feel as fit, and as strong as I did in my 20s. A proper exercise program and a balanced diet are the keys to a healthy and fit life at any age. I can help you shed those extra pounds, get in shape and feel better about yourself.

Your Health, Your Responsibility,

In all the health care reform debates has anyone heard anything about rewarding those of us who choose to do the things to stay health and fit. Most of the chronic diseases of today such as heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory diseases are the result of life choice. People who exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, and don't smoke enjoy greater health and cost our employers, insurer's, and our society a lot less in health care than those who do not.

I believe those of us who have healthy lifestyle habits should be rewarded rather than paying higher insurance cost to cover those who choose to have unhealthy lifestyle habits. Why should I have to pay extra for the health care cost of someone who chooses to be inactive, eat poorly and smoke. What ever happened to personal responsibility?

Personal Health Care Reform

I was at the beach last weekend and I was amazed at how over-weight and under-fit most of the people were. Reforming our nations health care system should begin with Personal Health Care Reform. The leading causes of death and disease in our country are those associated with lifestyle choice. Unhealthy choices such as smoking, poor eating habits, inactivity, and alcohol abuse cost us billions of dollars each year in health care costs. I think it's time for each of us to make our own Personal Health Care Reform legislation and improve our personal health and fitness level. Not only will we feel better, we will also save a lot of money in for everyone.

Life Happens Now

It's amazing how hearing the ocean waves crash on the shore clears your vision on life. I took a long walk on the beach yesterday and I was overcome with a sense of well being. I realized that I had at that moment everything I needed to be happy and healthy. I instantly knew that my life happens in "the now". The cares of yesterday are but a memory that cannot be changed and the thoughts of tomorrow cannot be lived yet. Life is to be enjoyed now.

This revelation made me realize how much I had to be thankful for today.

Belief, Imagination, and Determination Are The Keys To The Life Of Your Dreams

Belief, Imagination, and Determination are the keys to living the life of your dreams.

Belief in an all encompassing goodness.
Imaging what you want in life and knowing you are good enough to have it.
Determination to make your dreams a reality.

Exercise of The Week Video

I'm pleased to announce that each week I will be posting a video of one of my favorite exercises on my website. The exercise for this week is the Seated Low Row. This exercise helps you to build and shape your upper back. The back is the largest muscle group in the upper body and probably the most neglected. Strengthening your upper back causes you to have better posture and to look better in your clothes.

Visit my website at http://www.fit-to-be.com/Health---Fitness-Links.html to view the proper technique for this exercise.

Make-up Your Mind To Be Healthy and Fit

I made-up my mind a long time ago to be healthy, strong, and fit. One of the biggest influences on this decision was Charles Atlas.

I grew-up a skinny kid always dreaming of being strong and having a muscular physique. One day I discovered a Charles Atlas ad in the back of my comic book. I thought WOW! "if I could only look like Charles Atlas someday". I ordered Atlas' materials and that was the start to where I am today.

I hope that I can one day influence someone to be healthy, strong, and fit. But, you have to make-up your mind to be.

What's Your Image of Aging?

Daily I hear people attributing some ache or pain to "getting older" or I hear people saying such things as; "I'm beginning to look just like me parents". The mental image of aging they have is one of declining mental and physical health. So, these people surely come to realize declining health and fitness in their lives as they get older.

Your body is designed to be healthy and fit all of your life. Do you know your body completely rebuilds itself every 11 months? That's right each year you have a completely new body. I believe your body gets it's plans for rebuilding from the mental image you hold of what "getting old is".

By constantly holding an image of health and vitality in your mind your body will be rebuilt and maintained in a healthy and energetic pattern. I know this to be true for me. I'm in my 50s and I am as healthy, strong, and fit as I was in my 20s. I recently beat a 15 year old running sprints. I hold an image of healthy aging in my mind and that's what I get. The phrase "you are as old as you think you" are is true.

If Is To Be It's Up To ME

I went over half of my adult life thinking that my environment and circumstances controlled my life and what I could do. It wasn't until I was in my 40s that I realized I had the power to change my life by changing the way I thought about my life. My greatest limitation in life was thinking I was a victim to my circumstances.

Once I realized that I had the power within me to change the circumstances around me I started to attact the things in my life that I wanted. I now focus on attracting health, happiness, and prosperity into my life and those are the circumstances I get. I know that "if it is to be, it's up to ME".

Too Much Cardio Ladies

As a personal trainer I am in and out of health clubs all day. I love to observe the things that people do in their efforts to "get in shape". The major thing I see women doing is cardio, cardio, cardio and not that much strength training.

While cardio is an important part of any fitness program it should not be the primary focus especially if you are female and getting older. Strength training should be the foundation of you fitness plan as you age.

Strength training is so important because it builds and maintains muscle. Maximizing your muscle mass is important because it is the component of your body that burns the majority of the calories you consume each day. As you age your body naturally loses muscle mass and therefore, your body burns less calories each day. Guess what you body does with all those extra calories you are now not burning? It stores them as fat.

Women naturally carry less muscle mass than men which make the process of aging, losing muscle, and gaining body fat magnified. Consequently, this situation makes strength training a must for aging women who want to lose weight and tone-up their bodies.

Your Health, Your Choice

Deciding to live a healthy and fit life is the most important decision you can make on your quest to improve your quality of life. Your health and fitness is a mental choice. The leading causes of death and disease in modern society are those associated with lifestyle choice.

Choose to smoke and use tobacco products and you also choose to increase your risk of lung cancer and heart disease. The average smoker's life is 10 years shorter than someone who does not smoke.

Choose to abuse alcohol and you also choose to increase your risk of liver disease and certain forms of cancer. Choose to drink moderately and you choose to have better health than those who drink heavily or abstain from drinking at all.

Choose to be inactive and to have a poor diet and you also choose to increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Choose to exercise and eat a healthy diet and you choose to have more energy, feel better, and sleep better.

Your health is your choice alone. Decide today to take responsibility for your life and to live a healthy lifestyle and reap the benefits of your choice.

Take 30 For 30 Days

Developing Healthy Habits

With all the news today about health and fitness. You know the importance of having a healthy lifestyle. The difficulty is incorporating healthy habits into your life.

What is a habit anyway? Webster defines a habit as a pattern of behavior acquired as a result of frequent repetition. Therefore, in order to acquire some new pattern of behavior you must repeat the behavior on a regular basis. Then this new behavior becomes a habit and consequently, becomes a part of your daily activities.

Following this logic, if you wish to realize the benefits of a healthy lifestyle you have to repeat some healthy pattern as a part of your daily or weekly activities. Then these healthy patterns become habits and a part of your lifestyle.

Whether your goal is to lose 10 lbs, fit into those smaller jeans, or to have more energy to do your daily activities, then you must develop habits to achieve it. Otherwise, you are just wishing your goal will magically materialize.

Take 30 For 30 Days

This idea occurred to me while I was outside walking enjoying one of the beautiful days recently. I think it is a simple way to incorporate a healthy habit into your life. Take a brisk pace 30 minute walk each day for the next 30 days.

Walking is one of the best exercises to incorporate into your daily activities. It is easy to do, can be done almost anywhere, and does not require any special equipment. Walking has numerous health benefits such as:

Weight loss and maintenance
Lowering blood pressure
Decreasing the risk of heart attack and stroke
Strengthening muscles, bones and joints
Boosting energy levels
Reducing stress

Just think, in as little as 30 minutes a day you can experience the above benefits. 30 minutes a day is only three and a half hours out of the 168 hours in each week.

I challenge you to take a brisk 30 minute walk for the next 30 days and I guarantee you will be amazed at how much better you will look and feel. Also, you will have developed a healthy habit that will become part of your lifestyle in the process.

50 and Feeling Good

I'm starting a blog because I'm 50 years old and I feel as great as I did at age 25. I just beat a 15 year old running back in sprint drills on Thursday.

I don't have any of the aches and pains that my contemporaries complain about. I want everyone to know that they can be healthy, fit, and full of energy at any age. It's a matter of making healthy choices each day.