Get Fit Before January!

Don't wait until January to get fit! What will be different in January? By January, you could have 15 pounds less body fat! You won't have to make a "New Year's resolution." Make a lifetime fitness resolution right now!

REFOCUS your fat loss and weight loss goals...right now is a good time of year to do this (really, every day is a good time)....Anyway, if you're frustrated and overwhelmed from the whole exercise/fitness/meal plan/fat loss/weight loss puzzle, make some changes!

If you are in an "exercise rut," start exercising again by doing something you enjoy like walking, playing a sport or jogging. If you do this, you are more likely to keep your exercise routine going.

You might need to get an exercise buddy to help you. Research has proven that you are more likely to succeed with your weight loss and fat loss goals if you have a weight loss buddy (social support or accountability partner). Who are your weight loss buddies? It helps to have more than one because life's events are unpredictable.

Whatever the case, get started exercising now! Don't wait until January---that's 3 months away!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Pushups On Ball With Knee Tucks

Doing pushups on the swiss ball with knee tucks is great core, arm and chest strength exercise. This exercise also will improve your balance and coordination.

Burning low ab fat is a priority for many of you....as you age, fat tends to settle in the abdominal area. Because of disease risks, abdominal fat is one of the worst areas to have body fat. Do more pushups on the ball with knee tucks!

The pushup on ball with knee tucks requires more muscles to be activated, such as stabilizers, arm , chest, shoulder and core muscles.

Building core strength is important for you to avoid injury and increase power output during your workout. Intense, powerful workouts will help you burn more calories and fat during and after your workout.

Are you looking for a challenging upper body/core exercise? Change up from the normal crunches, reverse crunches, etc. Try this exercise the next time you workout (3 sets/10 reps).



1. Start by getting in a push up position with your feet on top of a ball.

2. Perform a push up balancing on top of the ball. Return to the starting position and then tuck your knees in towards your chest.

3. Return to the parallel position and repeat.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Osteoarthritis: Treat with Exercise

A review article from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver shows that exercise does not increase the rate of knee damage in people with osteoarthritis, and usually reduces knee pain and disability (Canadian Family Physician, September 2009).

If you develop pain in your knee that was not caused by an accident or trauma, your doctor will usually check you for known causes of joint damage. If he finds no cause, he will tell you that you have osteoarthritis, which means that he doesn't know why your knee hurts. Most people with osteoarthritis (not associated with trauma) are overweight, do not exercise, and/or have weak muscles that support knee movements.

Osteoarthritis causes a higher incidence of disability than any other chronic condition. It makes exercise difficult, and not exercising increases risk for heart attacks. One in three North Americans over 60 have X ray evidence of osteoarthritis.

People with osteoarthritis should avoid contact sports, but exercise is more effective than any medication to treat this condition. The best activities include swimming and other water- based exercises, stationary cycling or cycling on the road, and muscle strengthening exercises using Nautilus machines or similar equipment at a gym. People with knee osteoarthritis should avoid sports that involve sudden shocks to the knee, such as when the foot hits the ground during running. Inactivity and overweight increase your chances of further knee damage and often lead to a joint replacement. More on arthritis

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Burn Fat With Jump Rope

That's right! Burn more fat with jump rope exercises! Stop looking for the next big fat loss secret! Pull the jump rope out of the closet and starting burning fat!

Here are 4 easy, effective ways to use the jump rope in your workouts:

1. Do jump rope intervals for your cardio workout. A good 20-minute routine would be to jump rope for 1 minute and walk for 2 minutes. Do this rotation for 20 minutes. Try to jump as fast as you can.

2. Jump rope for 10 minutes before your weight lifting workout. This technique will really get your heart rate up.

3. Jump rope for 30-45 seconds between each weight lifting set. These lower body cardio blasts will really get your heart rate up.

4. Jump rope for 10 minutes after your weight lifting workout.

All of these jump rope exercises will help you burn more calories and fat before and after your workout.

Jumping rope will also help improve your balance, coordination and overall body tone.

So, start jumping already!

Get FREE Training and Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-Body with Six Pack Abs! This ebook, created by Certified Nutrition Specialist & Certified Personal Trainer, Mike Geary, details over 27 specific metabolism-boosting secrets that you can use to strip off your stubborn body fat faster and easier and get your six-pack abs! Contains unique workout methods and nutritional strategies to slash body fat and take your body to a whole new level of leanness. Get Your FREE Book Now!

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Perseverance And Weight Loss

Perseverance, or not giving up will give you the permanent weight loss and fat loss you want! You can have the right meal plan and a great workout program but you will always fail if you don't have perseverance! That stay-with-it attitude, no matter what happens....that formula will give you success with anything in life!

I was thinking today about what motivates people to do what they do....I'm not a psychologist so I looked at myself....there's alot of things that have motivated me to do certain things: fear, peer pressure, not wanting to let others down, searching-for-answers, enjoyment, determination, etc.

Why did I start exercising at a young age? We knew nothing about childhood obesity. Here is my exercise program growing up: playing games after school every day at the Boys Club or in the neighborhood until dark and playing sports year-round (and we pretty much walked or biked everywhere we went)! The common thread? I enjoyed both activities---probably too much! I didn't think about heart rates, exercise technique, repetitions, cardio or any of that stuff. Just having fun.

When it comes to exercise, research has proven that you are more likely to stay with your exercise program if you enjoy it. But, no matter how much you enjoy exercise, you still need something else to "keep it going." You guessed it! Perseverance! Its the "bulldog mentality" that nothing is going to keep me from reaching my fitness goals. When you have those "bad days," its determination that will pull you through. A GREAT COMBINATION TO STAY CONSISTENT WITH YOUR EXERCISE PROGRAM---ENJOYMENT AND DETERMINATION! Mix in a well-designed exercise and nutrition program and you will "get 'ur done!"

Don't put it off! You owe it to yourself!

Get FREE Training and Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-Body with Six Pack Abs! This ebook, created by Certified Nutrition Specialist & Certified Personal Trainer, Mike Geary, details over 27 specific metabolism-boosting secrets that you can use to strip off your stubborn body fat faster and easier and get your six-pack abs! Contains unique workout methods and nutritional strategies to slash body fat and take your body to a whole new level of leanness. Get Your FREE Book Now!

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Preventing Loss of Muscle Strength with Aging

As you age, you lose muscle size and strength much faster than you lose endurance or coordination. Researchers at the University of Nottingham in England show that a major cause of loss of muscle is that aging prevents muscles from responding to insulin and that exercising helps to slow this loss of muscle size and strength (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, September 2009).

Insulin drives amino acids into muscles to help them recover from exercise and maintain their size. Researchers traced radioactive amino acids and showed that insulin drives the amino acids into muscles much more effectively in 25-year-olds than in 60-year-olds. They also showed that the blood flow in younger people's legs is much greater and supplies far more nutrients and hormones. However, three exercise sessions per week over 20 weeks markedly increased blood flow in the legs of the older subjects, enough to reverse muscle wasting.

People of all ages can use this information to help themselves become stronger. Athletes in all sports train by stressing and recovering. They take a hard workout, damage their muscles, feel sore the next morning, and then take easy workouts until the muscles heal and the soreness goes away. The athlete who can recover the fastest can do the most intense workouts and gain the most strength.

Eating a high carbohydrate-high protein meal within half an hour after finishing a workout raises insulin levels, increases amino acid absorption into muscle and hastens recovery (Journal of Applied Physiology, May 2009). The carbohydrates cause a high rise in blood sugar that causes the pancreas to release insulin. Insulin drives the protein building blocks (amino acids) in the meal into muscle cells to hasten healing from intense workouts. Muscles are extraordinarily sensitive to insulin during exercise and for up to a half hour after finishing exercise, so the fastest way to recover is to eat protein- and carbohydrate-rich foods during the last part of your workout or within half an hour after you finish.

Here's how Diana and I (ages 67 and 74) use this information on insulin sensitivity. We ride hard and fast for about 20 miles on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. On our recovery days, we ride slowly for one to three hours. Mid-day we go to a buffet restaurant and eat a large meal with fish, shrimp, vegetables and other sources of protein and carbohydrates. After eating, we ride slowly for one or two more hours. Riding before we eat makes our muscles very sensitive to insulin. This causes insulin to drive amino acids rapidly into our muscles and help them recover faster. Riding after we eat helps us to avoid a high rise in blood sugar that damages cells. You can use either plant or animal sources of protein; both contain all of the essential amino acids necessary for cell growth.
More on principles of training

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You Need A Meal Plan

Everyone needs a meal plan! You need to have some sort of idea of what you are going to eat for the day. If you don't have a meal plan, you might eat anything at any time! If you have a plan, you are more likely to follow it or at least eat similar foods.

Haphazard eating or grazing is probably the biggest killer of meal plans! And, if you don't have a meal plan, grazing with high-calorie and high-fat foods will skyrocket your calories day after day.....you know where that leads.....

Its the same story folks, a caloric imbalance is the cause of weight gain (consuming more calories than you burn in a day). If you want to speed up your metabolism and burn more calories then exercise regularly (strength training and cardio exercise). Also, eat right and often. Eating small meals every 3-4 hours will keep your metabolism humming and will keep your body from shifting to "starvation mode" (storing fat).

As the week goes by, compare what you eat to your grocery list and planned menus. Another key to your success is to record what you eat in a food journal. This will hold you accountable on a daily basis. Step by step, day by day, week by week...stay with your grocery list and meal plan most of the time and you will succeed!

You can get a FREE Meal Plan with my e-course!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Use Massage Therapy To Recover From Intense Exercise

Use massage therapy to recover from intense exercise. Getting proper rest is also a big part of recovering from exercise. Your muscles might need 48-72 hours between intense weight training workouts. Young people usually need even more rest between weight training workouts.

If you treat your soft tissues (muscles, skin, tendons, etc.) better, you will find that your workouts will be more efficient. You will also be less susceptible to injuries. A tight, rigid and fatigued body is a precursor to certain injury. Find a massage therapist (type) that works for you and your exercise goals.

There are hundreds of types of massage therapies. I will discuss a few just to give you an idea of what to look for.

Active Release Techniques - Active Release Techniques are a collection of different “hands-on” soft-tissue techniques that treat changes in tissue texture and tension. If a muscle stays tight for a period of time, it weakens. Muscle weakness affects your workout performance and leads to injuries. Active release techniques brings the muscles back to the tension and movement they should have.

Swedish Massage - Its purpose is to increase circulation and blood flow. The massage strokes are often in the direction of the heart. Oil or other lotions are used to allow for smooth massage strokes.

Deep Tissue Massage - This type of massage is a favorite among exercisers because it focuses on joints and muscle groups. The massage therapist pinpoints deep layers of the soft tissues to relieve pain or stress.

Neuromuscular Therapy - This type of massage is used to address postural imbalances. The massage is used to reduce pain/tension and strengthen the soft tissues.

Myoskeletal Alignment Technique - Postural distortions are identified and corrected using Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) and myofascial techniques are used to lengthen tight muscles and tone weak or inhibited muscles.

Structural Muscular Balancing - Chronic contraction in the muscles are released through gentle massage techniques.

Recovery from intense exercise is critical for your body's muscles to rebuild and grow.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Eat To Build Muscle And Control Binge Eating

Eat to build muscle and control your binge eating during the day so you don't overeat when you do eat! Do this by eating small meals every 3-4 hours (never skip breakfast) to keep your metabolism ramped up. Building muscle will also speed up your metabolism.

Another way to control your hunger pangs is to eat protein with every meal. You don't need to do protein shakes...just eat the right foods. Research has proven that protein keeps blood sugar levels more steady and helps you feel fuller for a longer period (slower digestion). Protein also keeps the hunger hormone (ghrelin) in check so your hunger doesn't spike so high.

Eat more protein to repair tissues and build muscle....I have always said to get your nutrition mainly from food...there's plenty of protein in the foods we eat...Good food sources for protein are:

lean beef, lean chicken, fish, eggs, milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, cheeses, beans, peas, nuts and seeds. If you are vegetarian, there are plenty of protein food sources for you.

If you feel fuller for longer periods, you will eat less and you won't binge eat if your hunger pangs are "not out the roof" when you do eat. Use your eating smarts!

Remember to drink enough water during the day! You will slow down your fat loss and weight loss efforts by dehydrating your body. Drinking enough water will also help to control your hunger and flush toxins from your body. Aim to drink about half your weight in water every day. Foods and drinks with water would count as water consumed.

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course!

My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course will help you manage your fat loss and weight loss day-in and day-out! THIS e-Course is ABSOLUTELY FREE! How many times have you followed your meal plan and exercise program all week and then blown it on the weekend by going on an eating binge? If that's you, then you need this 7-day e-Course!

Staying on your fat loss track through all the events of life can sometimes throw you off kilter...this 7-day e-Course will tell you exactly what to do!

Are you still doing the same poorly designed workouts and getting the same "little or no success results" from your workouts? This can leave you feeling OVERWHELMED AND READY TO GIVE UP!

YOU WILL GET FREE FAT-BURNING WORKOUTS WITH THIS e-Course!

And, if you haven't yet figured out how you need to be eating, you need a meal plan to follow! It takes more than just working out...if you burn 500 calories during a workout and later eat 800 calories, you are just "spinning your wheels" and not making progress!

YOU WILL GET A FREE MEAL PLAN WITH THIS e-Course!

Are you worth the time it takes to manage your fat loss and weight loss?


Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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What Causes Prostate Cancer?

We don't know what causes prostate cancer, but a study from Harvard School of Public Health shows an association between the common sexually transmitted infection, Trichomonas vaginalis, and risk of the type of prostate cancer that kills (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, September 9, 2009). Researchers analyzed blood samples collected in 1982 from 673 men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer more than ten years later. Trichomonas vaginalis infection was associated with a more than triple risk for the type of prostate cancer that kills.

Trichomonas vaginalis infects about 174 million people each year and is the most common non-viral sexually transmitted infection. Up to three-quarters of men infected with Trichomonas vaginalis may have no symptoms at all. Trichomanes can usually be cured just by having all sexual contacts take metronidazole for five to ten days.

Several other cancers are caused by bacterial infections. For example, the bacterium Helicobacter pylori is the most common cause of stomach cancer. Bacteroides fragilis, a bacterium that causes diarrhea, has been associated with colon cancer (Nature Medicine, September, 2009). Chronic infections activate your immune system to cause inflammation, which can block apoptosis to cause cancer.

More than 90 percent of prostate cancers probably should not be treated because they cause no harm. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (September 15, 2009) followed men with early stage prostate cancer who were cared for without surgery or radiation. Ten years later, only six percent had died from prostate cancer. The average time from diagnosis to death for untreated prostate cancer is more than 22 years. However, five percent of prostate cancers may need immediate treatment as they grow rapidly and can kill. A reliable test that tells which prostate cancers are likely to kill would save anxiety, potency and continence for a lot of men. Such a test is not available at this time. The authors of this study recommend that doctors and patients reconsider the watch and wait option. More on prostate cancer

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Eat Less, Burn Fat And Lose Weight

Eat less food, burn fat (with regular exercise) and lose weight! While its true that you inherit a certain body type, don't blame genetics if you're overweight or obese. Ultimately, your body weight will depend on how much you eat and how much you exercise (including an active lifestyle), not your genetics. Hard, smart exercise and a good meal plan can overcome "bad" genetics!

If you consistently eat more calories than you burn (caloric surplus), you will consistently gain weight and add on body fat, no matter what your genetics may be. If you are active and exercise regularly, it will help you burn more calories. It will also keep your metabolism "humming along." Part of being active is to walk as much as you can every day.

You need to know how many calories you need each day. Start by learning your basal metabolic rate (how many calories you would burn if you did nothing all day). You must maintain a daily caloric deficit in order to lose weight and burn fat. If you exercise regularly, it will be easier for you to achieve your caloric deficit.

Keep a food journal. Research has proven that you will have a better chance of succeeding with your meal plan and fat loss if you keep a food journal! By logging your actual food choices, you are holding yourself accountable throughout the day. You will also be forced to plan your meals better. It will also help protect you from binge eating and emotional eating if you write down why you eat what you eat!

Take responsibility for your body and do the things necessary to change your body composition!

Get my FREE Fat Blaster eNewsletter and get my FREE REPORTS, "My Fitness Hut's 10 Must Know Fat Loss Tips" and "My Fitness Hut's 20-Minute Fat Blasting Cardio Workouts!"

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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A Weight Belt Hinders Core Strength Development

Should you use a weight belt when doing exercises like squats and deadlift? The answer is generally no.

Unless you are a powerlifter using super heavy weights, you shouldn't use a weight belt. You need your body to develop core strength and stabilization without the help of a weight belt. If this means lifting a little lighter load to develop core strength then that's okay! Don't let your ego lead to low back injuries!

If you are recovering from a low back injury, a weight belt could come in handy until you recover. In this case, tighten your belt during the lift and loosen it between sets. Research shows that your blood pressure can significantly elevate during the lift while wearing a belt.

As a general rule, you want your body to develop strength under loads that it can handle. Sacrifice lifting less weight on exercises like squats, deadlift, good mornings and standing shoulder press to naturally strengthen and stabilize your core and other musles.

Train hard and safe!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Athletic Abs Training System

My Fitness Hut’s Athletic Abs Training System will give you the sculpted, toned abs that you want! And, you will build those abs using every day movements! We all kneel, stand, walk and run, so your abs and overall body strength and stability should be trained for you to live an active life every day!



That is the essence of my Fat Blaster Athletic Training System, which is training movements and not just muscles! Some of you are competitive athletes and some of you are not. Competitive athletes should try Sports Fitness Hut’s Athletic Abs Training System!

This training system has 3 levels: basic, intermediate and advanced. So, you can progress at your own pace. You can have the TONED ABS you want for summer if you start now! This workout will also work perfectly with any Fitness Hut full body strength workout program!

Get your Athletic Abs Training System now!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Fitness And Nutrition Assessment

So, what will a fitness and nutrition assessment tell you? Well.....



Identify your fitness goals and determine why your fat loss and weight loss efforts have failed or succeeded in the past. You also have to get your motivation right for your exercise program to work for you. This step takes you being "very honest" with yourself! Sometimes it is a painful process.

You will learn your body composition (body fat % vs. lean mass %). You will also learn "where you are fat." Excess abdominal fat has been shown to be a precursor to diseases such as cancer.

When's the last time you had your body measurements taken (chest, arms, neck, hips, waist, etc.)? This is part of your fitness assessment.

What's your health history? You might need a doctor's clearance before you can begin an exercise program.

What are your eating habits? Part of your assessment will look at what you are eating, how you are eating and changes that you need to make.

What is your basal metabolic rate? Don't know? You will after your fitness assessment. This rate helps you set the daily calories you will need.

Have you had low back pain for some time? If so, you probably have postural problems that need to be corrected. And, yes, a postural assessment is part of your fitness assessment.

Had any muscle spasms or "knotted muscles" lately? Then, you need to improve your flexibility. The fitness assessment will tell you where your muscles are tight, lengthened or weak.

When's the last time you checked your resting pulse rate? Your resting pulse rate will tell you how hard your heart is working in a resting state. For instance, my resting pulse rate was 58 beats per minute the last time I checked it. That's pretty low. When I was at peak condition as a college athlete, my resting pulse rate was 54-56 beats per minute.

How ready is your body for physical activity? You don't know? You will after your fitness assessment!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Use Lactate Threshold instead of Maximum Heart Rate

My report on the unreliable Maximum Heart Rate formula brought many questions on how heart rate SHOULD be used for training. Competitive athletes often use a guide called lactate threshold (LT). When you exercise, your muscles require oxygen to convert food to energy. If you exercise so intensely that you cannot get enough oxygen, lactic acid accumulates in your muscles and spills over into your bloodstream. This makes your muscles more acidic which causes terrible burning, and you to become short of breath and slow down as you struggle to get more oxygen. Your lactate threshold occurs when you exercise at the highest average heart rate you can maintain for 45-60 minutes. RoadBikeRider.com offers the following guidelines for cyclists; the same principles can be used in any other endurance sport.

"A good way to find your LT is to ride a fairly flat 15-mile course at a hard pace. Use a heart monitor that averages heart rate for the distance or just check it occasionally to see where HR settles.

You'll quickly find that you can maintain a certain high HR, but if you go a few beats higher you'll start panting and be unable to control your breathing. Trial and error will reveal the highest HR you can maintain for the distance. That's your LT.

Three simple exercise zones based on your LT heart rate are sufficient. These guidelines should work for most riders:
Recovery takes place about 40 beats below LT
Endurance is built on rides about 25 beats below LT
Breakthrough training is done from 10 beats below LT to about 5 beats above LT
No heart monitor? You can do just as well by monitoring your perceived exertion. For instance, recovery rides should be so easy that you barely feel the pedals. The idea is to take a 'walk' on the bike. Hard efforts, such as intervals and climbing, should be at the limit separating steady-but-labored breathing from panting and gasping. By experimenting you'll find this LT boundary."

Whatever your sport, I recommend subscribing to RBR's free newsletter; it's full of useful information for exercisers.

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Warmup To Workout Hard!

Don't waste time when you warmup for your workout! Your warmup should get you ready to workout hard! Warmup is not a time to play around or talk with your friends!

A good dynamic warmup is a MUST before your workout. A dynamic warmup will prepare your body best for a tough workout. Do static stretches after your workout (when muscles are warm) to increase your range of motion.

During your dynamic warmup:

1. Make sure your "power center" is flexible. Your "power center" consists of the glutes, hips, quadriceps and hamstrings. This area of your body is prone to some hard-to-recover-from injuries!

2. Your hip flexors need to flexible. Tight hip flexors cause many problems, including problems with your glutes and hamstrings.

3. When you warmup, practice relaxing your face, shoulders, arms and torso. You want your body to work like a "well oiled machine."

Some good dynamic warmup exercises are lunges, jumping jacks, jump rope, jogging and step ups.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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NSAIDs Interfere with Proper Training

Ibuprofen and other NSAIDs (Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs - Motrin, Advil, Alleve and so forth), taken before or after exercise, interfere with the benefits of training for fitness and athletic competition because they delay healing of damaged muscles (British Journal of Sports Medicine, August 2009). You train for sports by taking a hard workout that damages muscles and makes them feel sore. You then take easy, less intense workouts for as long as it takes for the soreness to go away. Only then should you take intense workouts again. Swimmers take hard and easy workouts every day, but athletes in virtually all other sports allow at least 48 hours between intense workouts.

Biopsies done the day after a hard workout show bleeding into the muscle fibers and disruption of the Z-bands that hold muscle fibers together. Injured muscles release healing prostaglandins that cause collagen to be laid down in muscle fibers to make them larger and stronger. They also cause pain. NSAIDs block the training effect by blocking healing prostaglandins, thus delaying recovery and collagen production. They prevent bones, muscles, tendon and ligaments from thickening and becoming stronger.

Athletes taking NSAIDs during competition are at increased risk for bleeding into their kidneys, and for intestinal bacteria to enter their bloodstreams (Brain, Behavior and Immunity, November 2006). An estimated 60 percent of athletes competing in triathlons and other endurance events take NSAIDs because they think that it will block the pain of competition. NSAIDs have not been shown to block the pain and fatigue of competing in athletic events that require endurance.

Ordinary aspirin delays muscle healing by blocking many of the same healing prostaglandins that are blocked by NSAIDs. Aspirin also increases risk for
bleeding if you should have an accident.

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Nutrition Tips For Weight Loss Management

Here are some nutrition tips for successful weight loss management. Sixty to 70% of your weight loss and fat loss success or failure will depend on what you eat and how much....So here it is: some broad nutritional guidelines:

Make the commitment to change your eating habits no matter what it takes...this commitment will help you overcome the stumbles and setbacks along the way.

Start keeping a food journal as soon as possible! Research has proven that you will have a better chance of succeeding with your nutrition plan and fat loss if you keep a food journal! By logging your actual food choices, you are holding yourself accountable throughout the day. You will also be forced to plan your meals better and avoid binge eating and emotional eating.

Get an accountability partner such as a spouse, friend or personal trainer. You can challenge each other to make good food choices.

Add foods to your menu that you like. You are more likely to stay with a menu loaded with foods you like. I am amazed at some of the "healthy menus" in some magazines! Do people really eat that stuff! Find healthy, nutritious foods that you like and get rid of the foods that are bad for you (interpreted "adds fat to your body").

Set your daily calorie intake based on your basal metabolic rate and your activity level. This way, you won't eat too much or too little. Maintaining the right amount of calorie deficit (burning more calories than you consume) is the key to burning fat and losing weight.

I don't recommend any diet that omits one of the macronutrients (carbs, protein, fat). Your body's metabolism needs all 3 macronutrients to work efficiently.

The various "body organ cleansers" out there on the market are not the key to your fat loss and weight loss.....regular exercise (weight training and interval cardio) and good nutrition are your tickets to a permanent lean and toned body. Use the cleansers if you want for cleaning you out I guess. Just remember that healthy foods such as fruits and veggies also play a role in keeping your body clean (and alot less expensive)!

Along the same lines, there are no magic pills, powders or creams that will give you a permanent lean and toned body.

Control calorie intake by eating more water-based foods (volume eating). The basics of it is to eat as many foods with high water content/low calories as you can. Foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables are examples. These types of foods help you to feel fuller (satiety) while eating fewer calories. For instance, grapes with the same calorie amount as raisins will provide more satiety and theoretically help you eat less the rest of the day. Energy density of food is a key component when trying to add volume to your diet. Energy density (ED) is defined as the amount of calories of a food divided by its weight in grams.

You would basically focus on foods rich in fiber with high water content (or low ED value). Fresh fruits (apples, etc.) and vegetables (such as tomatoes and broccoli) whole grain pastas, rice, whole grain breads and cereals, soups, salads and skinless white chicken/turkey are some examples.

Get enough sleep! Researchers have found that the less sleep the test subjects got, the higher their body mass index. The shorter sleep time altered the subjects hormone levels, energy decreased and appetite increased. And we already knew that decreased energy affects your workout performance. What's enough sleep? The general rule is 8 hours of sleep a night. Some may need more sleep or a little less than 8 hours. Don't sabotage your exercise program and weight loss efforts by not getting enough shut-eye.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Feed Your Muscles And Get Lean

If you want to build muscle, burn fat and get lean then feed your muscles before your weight training workout......you will need energy for your workout and you want to continually provide nutrients to build muscle on your body.....

Pre-workout nutrition should mainly include carbohydrates and proteins. If you haven't eaten properly, a protein shake will work in a pinch.....

Your body depends heavily on fuel from carbohydrates (glycogen) for energy during an intense weight training workout. Eating fruits, vegetables, smoothies, etc. 1-2 hours before a workout will build up your glycogen stores. I ALWAYS PREFER TO GET MY NUTRITION FROM FOOD...BESIDES, SUPPLEMENTS AND DRINKS ARE EXPENSIVE AND MANY OF THEM DON'T WORK!

If you are a protein shake type of person, research has shown the effectiveness of pre-workout protein drinks (such as whey and casein). These drinks will make enough amino acids available to take advantage of the increased blood flow to your working muscles. Also, your muscles get 2 times as much benefit from a pre-workout protein drink compared to having just a post-workout protein drink.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Combining Yoga And Weight Training

Combining yoga and weight training can have mental, emotional and physical benefits. If you've been thinking about taking a yoga class, go right ahead. You need to learn to do yoga correctly to get maximum benefits.

According to a study commissioned by the American College of Sports Medicine, combining yoga and weight training helps you with anxiety, tension, energy and fatigue. Weight training helped most with producing positive moods. Yoga provided the most benefits with anxiety reduction and calmness. Of course, weight training also provides other physical benefits such as improved strength, bone density and metabolic health.

Personally, I don't practice yoga. But, I am for any activity that promotes health and fitness. If you're looking for ways to enhance your fitness and well-being, disciplines such as yoga and pilates are great alternatives. Its important to learn these disciplines (both mental and physical) to reap the benefits.

Yoga and pilates also have strength benefits, especially in how they improve core strength and flexibility. There are many different disciplines of both yoga and pilates so it is important to find the particular one that best suits you.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Does Late Night Eating Cause Weight Gain?

Late night eating can add unwanted pounds to your physique---depending on how much you eat during the entire day! Late night eating will not, in and of itself, automatically make you gain weight.

If you consistently eat more calories than you burn (caloric surplus), you will consistently gain weight and add on body fat, no matter when you eat.

If you do eat a late night dinner, think about what you have already eaten that day. This will help you stay on track with your daily caloric intake goals. So, high-fat fast food is probably not a good idea for your late night dinner! The same goes for late night snacks---it all adds up, no matter when you eat it. If you like sugary snacks, the calories can add up fast and get out of control!

Personally, I will usually eat a light late night dinner (if I happen to eat late) like tuna and a salad. And, a late night snack will be something like popcorn, nuts or fruit. For me, its easier to sleep on a "light stomach."

You should know how many calories you need each day. Start by learning your basal metabolic rate (how many calories you would burn if you did nothing all day). You must maintain a daily caloric deficit in order to lose weight and burn fat. If you exercise regularly, it will be easier for you to achieve your caloric deficit.

Keep track of how much you eat during the day, whether its early eating or late night eating! Doing this will help you control your weight gain.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Gym Class Wallflower To Fitness Enthusiast

"I Was A Gym Class Wallflower" is an article contributed by Heather Dugan, my good friend, voice-over talent, fitness enthusiast and professional traveler:

It’s true. Pressed against the cafeteria wall, hoping to camouflage my lack of athletic experience and skill as blasé disinterest–that was me. This surprises all those who missed my mandatory sixth grade gymnastics routine–heavy on dramatic spins and arm flourishes that did little to hide the fact that my abilities were limited to somersaults, ballet-style cartwheels and half of a back walk-over (as I recall it, half of my three minute routine was spent ineffectively attempting to kick my way back out of a backbend…riveting humiliation when viewed on a TV monitor outside the cafeteria during the high traffic lunch hour!).

I’m a fairly fit 40-something now, but the truth is, I sort of stumbled into personal fitness.

My first foray into team sports came my senior year of high school. Lacrosse. How good was I? Good enough to be my coach’s gift to an opposing team when they were short a couple of players for our game. My team won–that is, the team I arrived with, not the team I guest-played for, but I chose to call it a victory. And it was. I’d shown up and put my feet on the field.

I began running towards the end of college, primarily for the opportunity it provided my friends and I to pass a local fraternity on a regular basis. Running didn’t require great amounts of coordination (right left, right left… I could do that), and once I got past the whole “do I look silly” question, I found I enjoyed it.

The running habit stuck. My folks didn’t really know what to make of it when I returned home for summer break. We’d hiked and biked in the course of our travels, but with a regular exercise routine, I’d now swung far out of “normal” for my family. I kept at it anyways, because I was already noticing some remarkable benefits: less stress, more confidence, focused “thinking time” -and best of all, my “skinny” body now had runner’s legs.

Above the waist, however, I had the same willowy rag doll physique I’d always had. It lacked a certain something, but I just didn’t know what. Yet…

Years later, after prolonged manual labor on a landscaping project followed by an unfortunate stint on crutches, a neighbor commented favorably on my muscular “definition.” I confess that I had no idea what she meant. I looked in the mirror that evening, however, and discovered that I’d somehow grown baby arm muscles. I made an instant connection between my recent increases in strength and energy and decided to keep them.

Worth noting: These new muscles were “born” in my very late 30s making them younger than my three children! In the beginning, it was as simple as incorporating a few push-ups and crunches into my mornings. I advanced to trying pull-ups and chin-ups at playgrounds while playing with my kids. My method was simply to try and do at least as much as I did the last time. Nothing set in stone, but it became another positive habit to build upon. Eventually, I added free weights and began looking at how to further improve-rather than simply maintain, my accidental fitness. My “stumble” into physical fitness had taken me to a good place, and I was hooked.

That’s it! I use a gym now and find that the variety helps me keep my work-outs fresh and interesting. I lack the time for perfection but surge ahead on the theory that something is always better than nothing at all. I view my gym and outdoor running time as 1) my best investments in my future health, and 2) a sure way to keep positive about the present!

So, when a young lady stopped me at the gym last week to ask what I did and if she was too late, I smiled. I told her that she was so far ahead of me already and gave her the basics of my routine along with a couple words of encouragement.

We’re all made so differently, and the same regimens will look completely different on the bodies of two different women. But, we can all do something to maximize what we’ve been given.

And confidentially, it’s much more fun to be out on the gym floor than leaning against a padded wall. Take if from a former wallflower.

Read more from Heather Dugan!

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Drink Fewer Calories, Lose More Weight

Drink fewer calories and lose more weight by eating most of your calories! One quick way to "blow a hole" through your meal plan is to drink too many empty calories contained in drinks like sodas, sugared fruit juices and designer coffees. These are empty calories because they do very little to keep you full (satiety) and you end up eating more!

A 12-ounce can of soda has as much as 13 teaspoons of sugar in the form of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). If HFCS is the first or second ingredient listed, the product is heavily "laced" with HFCS. Nutritionists point to HFCS consumption as a major player in the nation's obesity crisis (the fact that we eat it is the real problem).

Foods that contain protein or fiber are examples of what you should eat to keep you fuller for longer. Doing this should help you eat fewer calories during the day. Choose drinks like water, unsweetened tea or low-fat milk.

You will slow down your fat loss and weight loss efforts by dehydrating your body. Drinking enough water will also help to control your hunger and flush toxins from your body. Aim to drink about half your weight in water every day. Foods and drinks with water would count as water consumed.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Your Appendix is Not Useless

You may have had your appendix removed because doctors believed that it was a useless vestigial organ. Now researchers have found that it serves as a storage tank for healthful germs that live in your intestines. These good bacteria help to break down food so you can absorb its nutrients. They also prime your immune system to recognize harmful germs and prevent them from invading your body, prevent your immune system from attacking your own body to cause auto-immune disease, and produce immune factors that may prevent colon cancer (Microbiology, February 9, 2009).

When you have diarrhea, bad bacteria can remove the good bacteria in the intestines and colon. A study from Duke University shows that the bad bacteria cannot dislodge the good bacteria from the appendix because its inner lining is covered with a thicker and far more potent biofilm (a layer of bacteria, mucous and immune system cells) than is found in the intestines (Journal of Evolutionary Biology, August 2009). No matter how severe the diarrhea or how extensively the bad bacteria drive out the good bacteria from the intestines, the good bacteria persist in the appendix and eventually re-colonize the rest of the intestines. More on good bacteria

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Bodyweight Exercise At Home

Doing bodyweight exercises at home is one of the most convenient ways to stay fit! A 20-30 minute bodyweight workout doubles as a strength and cardio workout. And, you don't have to waste time going to and from a gym!

Doing compound bodyweight strength exercises will "lean out" your body. These types of exercises work major muscle groups and many times are full-body strength exercises. Squats, pullups, lunges, bentover rows, inverted rows and pushups are great examples. Full-body core exercises like planks and side planks work well also. Spend less time posing on "mirror exercises" like bicep curls, calf raises and tricep extensions.



My friends at Ultimate Body Press have products that will help you tone your body with bodyweight exercises.

Ultimate Body Press has everything you need for high intensity, body weight resistance workouts in the smallest of spaces.

Your workouts will be rewarding and fun because each exercise engages multiple muscle groups and critical core muscles. You will look better, feel better and perform better than you ever have before.

Ultimate Body Press delivers strength and fitness to you in the most convenient and affordable packages. They also have secret speed and agility exercises that give you more variety, more fun and even better results.

Check out Ultimate Body Press and get fit at home!

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