We’re well into winter now which is, among other things, prime time flu season. The Center for Disease and Control estimates that anywhere between 5% and 20% of US residents get the flu each year, with more than 200,000 people being hospitalized because of it. Fortunately, there are actions you can take prevent the flu.

There’s the obvious answers: wash your hands, cover you mouth when you cough, and get a flu shot. Of course, people involuntarily (or voluntarily) forget to do these things from time to time. Lucky for us, there are even more ways to help prevent the flu. These tips work great even if you ARE part of the 85% who wash their hands (I know only 85%, isn’t that gross!? ) Anyways… Read the rest of this entry »

Fitness Magazine wrote a short article on the fitness blues a few weeks back. In it they touched on a few tips for keeping up your fitness when the weather turns, including doing it for yourself, and staying consistent. While the article focuses on two extreme runners who love running outside (in Alaska) the reality is that many of us hate the cold weather. While we’re still in first month of the year, it’s safe to say there is probably a correlation between cold weather and the downfall of people’s new year’s resolutions. Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, so we’ve talked about the most common health and fitness New Year’s resolutions, and we’ve talked about guidelines you can use in order to stick to them. Now it’s time to take action. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel on your resolution. For instance, pick something you’ve tried before, but didn’t see all the way through.

Take dieting for example. As one of the most common resolutions out there, there’s no doubt many people have taken multiple stabs at this one, only to find themselves back at square one sooner or later.

Starting a diet is easy. Sustaining a diet is trickier Read the rest of this entry »

When it’s time to make New Year’s resolutions, there’s no question that health/fitness goals are always on the top of the list. As we touched on in our last post, USA.gov lists resources for 13 popular New Year’s resolutions, and six of those resolutions are health or fitness related. Among them:

-       Eat Healthy Food

-       Lose Weight

-       Get Fit

These are really great goals to have in the New Year. These are also very generic goals. Therein lies the problem with these resolutions, or any resolution for that matter. We find comfort in generic goals. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s that time of year once again when we all make a list of new year’s resolutions, strictly adhere to them for about a month, and then gradually fall back into our old patterns and behaviors. Why does this happen so often? Are we lazy? Do we lack ambition? It’s more likely that the new year’s resolutions we make are just too general, and we create goals that are too broad.

Think of it as driving to a new destination. You have to cover the distance from Point A to Point B; you can’t just instantly arrive where you want to be. There are turns to make, and sometimes you may take a wrong turn, and will have to find your way back to the right path. But you will eventually arrive, and these tips will help you get there.

Read the rest of this entry »

The holidays are in full swing. There’s shopping to be done, cookies to be baked, halls to be decked, along with all your other usual daily activities. Something’s got to give, and it may just be your workout regimen.

It’s okay to give yourself a little vacation from exercising, especially at this time of year with so much else going on. But be careful. This is also the most treacherous time of year, with all kinds of treats available at work, at home, and in the stores. Not to mention, because you’re so busy, you may opt to eat out more often to save time. Even if you scale back your workouts, there are still some great holiday fitness tips you can follow to keep the pounds from creeping on over the holidays.

Read the rest of this entry »

Give the gift of fitness this holiday season!

Fitness Gifts Under $100

Kettle Bells: A kettle bell is one of the most versatile pieces of exercise equipment. It can benefit any person who is looking to tone problem areas or can be used to increase the intensity of aerobic routines.
Resistance Bands: Resistance bands can be used to add intensity to any strength exercise. They make fitness accessible anywhere because they are easy to transport. These useful fitness tools can also be used to increase the intensity of aerobic routines.
Stability Ball: Exercise stability balls are a very popular exercise tool. They can be used for many purposes. Some uses include increasing the difficulty level of abdominal workouts and providing an unstable surface to incorporate more core muscles when performing kettle bell exercises.
Push Up Bars: Help develop upper body strength with push up bars. Push Up bars provide a great range of motion with on the go convenience.

Fitness Gifts Over $100

Elliptical Machine: Elliptical training machines are some of the most popular pieces of fitness equipment. They provide the benefit of aerobic exercise coupled with exercise motions that tone all major muscle groups. The low impact motion allows for intense exercise without joint impact.
Treadmill: Treadmills have always been extremely popular gifts for runners in your household. Treadmills are very effective for aerobic fitness training as well as weight bearing exercise.
Exercise Bike: Exercise bikes provide a convenient, low impact cardio workout. They are easy to use and have proven to be effective at raising the heart rate, developing cardiovascular fitness, and burning calories while limiting the impact on knees and leg joints.
Home Gym: This gift will provide all of the benefits associated with purchasing a barbell set alone, but will also provide more exercise variations.

For tips on selecting the right elliptical trainer, treadmill, exercise bike or home gym, please take a look at our elliptical buying guide, treadmill buying guide, exercise bike buying guide and home gym buying guide.

Getting stuffed on Turkey day is easy as most of the foods found on a traditional Thanksgiving dinner table are very high in sugars, fats, and carbohydrates. While eating healthy on Turkey day seems impossible, there are some alternatives. These options offer the same great Thanksgiving tastes, but with a few adjustments can allow for a much healthier late November feast.
Read the rest of this entry »

Halloween is a spectacular holiday, but it is full of dense, sugary, creations designed to make you want more. It is ok to step outside your normal health guidelines on this holiday, however it is important to not take your exceptions too far. Staying on track for Halloween will help you stay on track for the rest of the holiday season as well. It is very hard for parents and adults to resist the delicious treats and even harder to limit how much candy your children will eat. We hope to provide you with some helpful tips on how to keep Halloween healthy and fun for everyone.

Read the rest of this entry »

When you start feeling diminishing returns from your workouts, chances are you have fallen into a workout rut. This happens to everyone at some point or another. But don’t worry! You can easily recover from these ruts and we hope to provide you with some tips on how to do that. The first step is to take some time and analyze exactly what your routines have to offer and hopefully pin-point the weaker points that should be changed. One very common cause for a rut is not challenging your body enough.
Read the rest of this entry »