Checkups, Doctors, and Fitness

I feel great, I feel healthy, and I’m at a healthy weight, so why should I check with my doctor before starting a fitness program?

Not everyone needs to check with his or her doctor before beginning a fitness program or weight loss program. So how do you know if you should? First of all, if you have any concerns at all about your level of health, you need to check with your doctor before beginning exercising an exercise program or making drastic changes in your diet. If you aren’t sure, here is some information to help you decide if you need to make an appointment before getting started.

Budget and Fitness

When you watch your fit friends head out to the local fitness center it is easy to use finances as an excuse why you can’t join them, why you can’t get in shape, and why you get fit. Even when economic times aren’t bad, many people have a long list of expenses that they [...]

Walking is Not Just for Fitness

Walking is a great way to become fit. It is among the best exercises for those who are just starting a fitness program and are out of shape, obese, or have health issues, because almost everyone can safely walk. Walking can do more than just burn calories and increase fitness. It can also do the following:

Preparing for Weight Gain When Dieting

Is preparing for weight gain, planning for diet failure? Actually it is not planning for failure, it is a way of learning to work with your self instead of working against yourself. When you know an event or holiday is coming up and you know you will be going off your diet, plan ahead.

Potluck Dinners and Weight Loss

There is nothing like the variety of homemade specialty dishes that are available at a potluck dinner. There may be a bachelor or a single young woman who might not be good at cooking, but they often know where to get a delicious ready-made platter or dish. No matter what the combination of homemade and ready-made dishes, potlucks make it difficult to stick with a weight loss program and can interfere with reaching weight loss goals.

Not All Shoes are Walking Shoes

Just because you walk in a particular style of shoe, it doesn’t mean that it is a walking shoe. A basic shoe will get you by through your daily routine, but it probably won’t suit your needs for walking for health and fitness. A traditional walking shoe will meet your needs when walking for fitness, but it won’t maximize the effects of walking for fitness or burn calories as many calories, the way a fitness walking shoe does.

Women and Knee Problems

Women are at a higher risk of developing knee problems than men. Women are at an increased risk for developing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. Though the reason for it isn’t clear, the injuries seem to occur more often during times when a woman’s estrogen levels are high (like at ovulation). A woman’s weight distribution may also contribute to an increased risk of knee injuries.

Knowing When to Stop

While some people struggle to loose weight and make time to walk, let alone follow a heavy workout schedule, others don’t know when to stop. It is not only the woman who is skin and bones or the guy who is spending every free moment in the gym that may be over doing it. Sometimes it is the overweight woman or the guy who does “binge” workouts (goes once in awhile, but doesn’t know when to stop).

Getting Fit in Your PJ’s with Toning Shoes

As fitness shoes become more popular, more people recognize them on the feet of people walking in the mall, walking down the street, and walking in the grocery store. Before the end of the year is over, it is expected that FitFlop will be ready to deliver their new line of shoes that include flip flops, soft boots, and slippers. That’s right… SLIPPERS!

Bees and Knees

A few generations ago, the phrase “the bee’s knees” was common. It meant the height of excellence. If you ever had a knee injury, knee strain, or knee pain you know you do not feel like you are at the height of excellence. Since most tasks and activities involving some walking, you probably felt as high as a bee’s knee, which is pretty low.