Archive for: June 2008

Swimsuit season will be here again before you know it. Are you ready? If you’re like most Americans and have spent the winter months indoors and inactive, probably not. You’ve likely put on a few extra pounds in all the wrong places.

Wondering how to get them off before you have to make that first appearance at the pool? Most doctors would offer this advice: combine a reduced-calorie diet with increased physical activity.

You can start by eliminating all those comfort foods you’ve been enjoying during the long, winter months. Instead, choose healthier dishes like broiled fish, grilled chicken, salads and fruit for dessert.

Improving your diet is only half the equation. You also need to get up off the couch. Most adults should get at least 30 minutes of moderate activity per day, but according to “The Surgeon General’s Call To Action To Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity” fewer than one in three U.S. adults gets the recommended amount of physical activity.

“Nothing else you can do for yourself has more benefit than getting up and getting moving,” says certified trainer Chad Baldwin of Snap Fitness, a fast-growing franchisor of compact, state-of-the-art 24/7 fitness centers in Canada and the United States. “Not only does exercise make you feel better, it has a lot of health benefits.”

In addition to helping to control weight, physical activity decreases your risk of dying of coronary heart disease and also reduces your risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, and colon cancer. Baldwin points out exercise does not have to be strenuous to be beneficial. “Some studies show that short sessions of exercise several times a day are just as effective at burning calories and improving health as one long session,” he says.

If your company has a gym, use it during your lunch break. If not, join one that is close to work and home so you’re more likely to use it. Many reputable chains will have locations sprinkled throughout the community, and most have expanded their hours in response to members’ demands.

If the public gym scene is not for you there are plenty of other ways to get in shape. Start a walking program. Buy a jump rope - what used to be so easy when you were a kid may surprise you. Consider buying a piece of home exercise equipment. The most popular machines are treadmills, elliptical trainers, and strength training home gyms like you see in those Bowflex ads.

The gem of home fitness equipment is the rowing machine. You work every major muscle group including legs, arms, back, abdominals and buttocks at every session, and you burn calories too. The benefits of a rowing machine are many. One is that you do not need a separate room or even a corner of one to store it. You can compare rowing machines for features. One that stands out for the newbie is the Stamina 1205 rowing machine which is a compact rowing machine for less than $200.

Maybe you want to lose 10 pounds by September, or fit into a smaller dress size in time for a friend’s summer wedding. No matter what type of plan you have created for yourself, the only way you’re going to see results is if you stay consistent. Make the effort to exercise every day.

Rowing machines may very well be the best all around fitness equipment, especially for Boomers. You work all your major muscle groups including legs, arms, back, abdominals and buttocks while rowing. Rowing also provides aerobic conditioning as well as strength training, which makes rowing a very efficient exercise. Rowing is a great calorie burner as well. Because rowing is an impact free activity, it can be a life-long form of exercise. Rowing machines are also one of the few home exercise machines that can strengthen your back muscles.

That being said rowers can be rough on the body, especially for out-of-shape folks. How to use a rowing machine is not intuitive, and the most important thing is proper rowing machine form. Bad rowing form can aggravate the knees and back. People who already have problems in these areas want to start slowly and limit activity on their rower before learning the proper technique. Manufacturers’ literature can be useful here if you do not have access to personal trainer type advice at home or at the local gym. It’s not rocket science and anybody can do it, but good rowing machine form is important. A Lifecore rowing machine is the most bio-mechanically correct rowing machine in the business.