Tips For Staying In Shape While Traveling

Tips for staying in shape while traveling:





If you are visiting family:

1. Take advantage of local trails or tracts, most local high schools allow the use of their tracts.



2. Plan a morning walk to a local farmers market (http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/maps.htm) , or to a local shop.



3. Spend time with family and friends by going for a walk around the park or neighborhood.



4. Help out around the house by pitching in with cleaning, gardening, mowing, etc.

Check out the city you are visiting:

1. Visit area exercise classes close to your destination, many will let you try the class for free, you can go to the city you are visiting website for local classes.



2. Take a guided walking tour to get your exercise and get to know the city better.



3. Challenge your travel companion to a pedometer contest. Whoever racks up the most steps gets treated to a healthy dinner or some sort of pampering the next day.



4. Plan your trip so that you are visiting a particular city when there is a 5K walk or run, check out http://www.active.com/ for information.

If you are planning a road trip:

1. Rent or bring your own bike, find local riding trails at http://www.traillink.com/.



2. Plan hikes along the way, a good way to stretch after riding long distances, check out http://www.nps.gov/applications/parksearch/topicsearch.cfm or http://www.americanhiking.org/.



3. Look for places to swim, most hotels have a nice pool (to make sure, check out http://www.swimmersguide.com/ ), local YMCA's, or if you prefer the outdoors check out http://www.swimmingholes.org/ .

If your headed for a beach:

1. Park your car and walk back and forth to the beach.



2. Bring toys to play with, like Frisbees, balls, and seaside games, shovels and buckets for playing in the sand and picking up shells.



3. Rent or bring equipment for snorkeling, kayaking, or sailing. (Many shops offer lessons)



4. Walking or running in wet sand burns extra calories.

Enjoy your vacation, stay fit, and be safe!

Blessings for a Glorious Day!

Food Advertisements, Think About It!

Food advertisements, think about it!



What types of foods do you tend to see advertised the most? It seems like the most advertised foods are those with the least nutritional value and the highest calories. It's big business, literally, to promote fast food and junk food. Millions of dollars are spent each year by big companies to try to get you to pick their chips, burgers, sodas, and alcoholic beverages over another brand. These products are plentiful, easy to get, inexpensive, and made to taste good. Isn't it ironic how you seldom see advertisements for foods we should be eating, like fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, etc. Being bombarded with powerful advertising images promoting nutritionally poor foods as best, no wonder we're reaching for the wrong foods. Before buying these products try these tips:



Be informed, get the facts: If you see an ad that makes junk food look tempting, go to your computer, check out the manufacturer's website, and check the nutritional information for that food. When you see how many calories, fat, or sodium it has, it won't look so appealing.



Stick to the perimeter at the grocery store: Most of the highly advertised, processed foods are in the inner aisles of the store. Skipping those aisles will help cut down on temptation. Make sure you have a list to shop from that contains a healthy variety. The outside aisles typically have the fresh foods and that's where you want to be.



Make healthier choices by empowering yourself: I'm sure we've all been in the situation where you need to eat and the only options around aren't the most healthy ones. If you are in this situation, where all you have to chose from is fast-food restaurants or convenience stores, you need to know which choices are better than others. Get fresh foods, like salads and sandwiches with lean meat and vegetables. Skip the dressing, mayo, and other high calorie condiments, or have them on the side so you can control them.



Question the ads: If a cheeseburger where being promoted by an overweight, out-of-shape model, instead of a lean, fit model that looks to be enjoying every bite, would you buy it? Is the food in the ad the best choice for your waistline? Do you really "have" to have it? The answer is, probably not.



Makes you stop and think, doesn't it?



Blessings for a Glorious Day!

Improve Your Body Image

Improve your body image - you'll look at yourself differently!



Think of your body, what image do you get? What thoughts come to mind? Do you focus on the things you like or dislike? Most people focus on the things they don't like. If you are like so many that struggle with their weight you might find it difficult, or don't even know how, to work toward a better relationship with your own body. But you can learn to accept and appreciate yourself.



A healthy lifestyle isn't just about exercising and eating better, it's also about accepting and embracing your body and treating it well. It's about celebrating each milestone you've achieved in getting to your ideal weight, not waiting until you get to the final goal and then celebrating. If you notice your clothes are fitting loser or you have more energy, celebrate it! It's about staying motivated in order to achieve success. It's important to notice all the steps along the way, not just the final destination.



Remember that not many people fit the "supermodel" standard of beauty, but that is what we see on TV and in magazines all the time. It can make you feel like you aren't measuring up, or make you feel inferior about your body image. First of all, look around you, how many people do you see in the real world that look like that, not many - right, so don't compare your body image to theirs. Each one of us has at least one good thing about us we like, let's start with that and build on how we can improve our images inside and outside. Like the song says "One Day At A Time".



Let's start this week paying particular attention to the messages we send ourselves about our body image. If they are mostly negative, replace them with more self-accepting thoughts. Take a good long look in the mirror and find the things about your body you like and say them out loud. Start thinking of your body as something special that deserves your great care and attention, your worth it!



Blessing for a Glorious Day!

What's Your Excuse?

What's your excuse?



Do you always seem to have an excuse not to exercise? Remember, it's your body, your health, your decision, let's hope you chose wisely! Here's some helpful tips:

• The only time I have to exercise is early in the day and it's hard to my act together in the morning. Solution: The night before get all your workout clothes, shoes, gym bag, and a healthy snack the night before so you are ready to go in the morning.


• The weather is bad. Solution: Pop in an exercise workout DVD, something fun and upbeat, like dance aerobics. You can also invest in some home workout equipment and some free weights (canned goods works great), or simply walk up and down the stairs for 15-20 minutes.


• I'm too tired! Solution: Try splashing some cold water on your face or if you need a little more help try some healthy energy for a great pick-me-up that will get you focused on your workout. Chances are that once you get moving you start to feeling more motivated and energized.


• I can't seem to lose any weight, why bother? Solution: Remember that working out isn't just about losing weight, it's about improving your health, flexibility, strength, and mood. Getting slim takes a little time and good nutrition. If you want to get great definition, try branch chain amino acids to lean out faster.


• I get bored with my routine. Solution: The solution is simple, change it up. One day walk, run, or jog. The next day do aerobics. The next day do weight training. If don't want to exercise alone join a class or get a group of friends or co-workers together and make a social activity.

Now you have no more excuses, so lets see how great you can feel!

Blessings for a Glorious Day!

Great new, refreshing drink, great energy!

If you love lemonaide and want more enrgy, you've got to try this great new drink, you'll love and it's full of vitamins. Great tasting, energy, and good for you, what more could you ask for?!

Lemonaide Slam

Have A Safe Happy Memorial Day!

Have a Safe, Happy Memorial Day!

I would like to wish everyone a safe and Happy Memorial Day weekend & say a HUGE "Thank You!" to all the men and women who have given their lives for our Freedom, please remember them this weekend.

Have fun with your family and friends, soak up some Vitamin D and remember you can still enjoy all the great food, just think about portion size.

God Bless This Great Nation & God Bless and Protect All Of You!

Magnesium And Cardiovascular Disease

Magnesium and cardiovascular disease -

Metabolism of magnesium is very important to insulin sensitivity and blood pressure regulation. The observed associations between magnesium metabolism, diabetes, and high blood pressure increase the likelihood that magnesium metabolism may influence cardiovascular disease.

There has been some observed association between higher blood levels of magnesium with lower risk of coronary heart disease. In addition, some dietary surveys have suggested that a higher magnesium intake may reduce the risk of stroke. There is also evidence that low stores of magnesium increase the risk of abnormal heart rhythms, which may increase the risk of complications after a heart attack. These studies suggest that consuming recommended amounts of magnesium may be beneficial to the cardiovascular system. Please consult your physician if you have any concerns about whether or not you are getting enough magnesium in you diet. As you have read over the past several days magnesium is very important and beneficial to your health.

Blessings for a Glorious Day!