Weight Debate

Article from June, 10, 2011

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Minnesota and North Dakota is hearing from consumers who have lost money on offers they found on Craigslist advertising home exercise equipment at 50% off in some cases. They say that after paying for their exercise equipment with Green Dot MoneyPak gift cards, the merchandise they ordered was not delivered and the scammers dropped out of contact.

According to consumers and information in BBB files, these scammers are moving from Craigslist ad to Craigslist ad, website to website, making the same fraudulent offer. The most recent bogus site – allegedly offering discounted home exercise equipment – reported to the BBB was www.directhomefitness.com. read more »

Stretch at least three times a week to maintain flexibility.

Don’t hold your breath during a stretch.

Do not stretch until it hurts. If there’s any pain, stop.

A session should last 10 to 20 minutes, with each static stretch held at least 10 seconds (working up to 20 to 30 seconds) and usually repeated about four times. Some trainers believe that stretches should be held for one to two minutes, but this is controversial.

Stretch before exercising or playing a sport to improve performance and perhaps prevent injury. read more »

Usually, the more vigorous activities a person engages in, and the more time they spend doing it, the more health benefits they will get. When a person cannot do vigorous intensity activities, moderate intensity activities can be an excellent fitness choice for them.

Vigorous Intensity Activities
Vigorous activities are especially helpful for conditioning a persons heart and lungs. A person will also burn more calories doing vigorous activities than those that are less vigorous. read more »

Swimming and exercising in water is a great way to get regular aerobic activity. Two and a half hours of aerobic activity per week, like swimming, can decrease your risk of chronic illnesses.

Water-based exercise is a non-weightbearing exercise. Non-weight-bearing activities, like swimming and water workouts, put less stress on your joints because you don’t have to lift or push your own weight. read more »

A Sample Weekly Schedule

Sunday - Stretch – Aerobic activity
Monday - Stretch – Aerobic activity – Strength Training
Tuesday - Stretch – Aerobic activity
Wednesday - Stretch – Aerobic activity – Strength Training
Thursday - Stretch – Aerobic activity
Friday - Stretch – Aerobic activity – Strength Training
Saturday - Stretch – Aerobic activity read more »

Your heart rate is a good method for judging how hard you should exercise during endurance activities like running, cycling, swimming, and other aerobic activities you do.

Your maximum heart rate is the fastest your heart can beat, based on your age. Your target heart rate is a percentage of your maximum heart rate.

Estimated Maximum Heart Rate
The heart rate you should maintain is called your target heart rate. There are several ways of arriving at this figure. One of the simplest is: read more »

Fitness is an individual quality that varies from one person to another. Athletes who train for high level competition follow different workout programs than people whose goals are for good health and the ability to meet work needs and recreational needs.

Factors you should consider for your workout include:

• Your goals.
• Your present fitness level.
• Your age.
• Your health.
• Your skills.
• Your interests and conveniences.

Factors that determine what you are trying to accomplish include: read more »

We know that intense exercise requires more energy than resting on the couch!! However… when a persons body needs energy during intense exercise, their body goes for the more easily metabolized foodstuff first like carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are quickly turned into energy and require less energy to metabolize.

To burn fat… read more »

Pilates (puh-lah-teez), also called Pilates method, is a body conditioning routine that works to strengthen the body’s core (torso) by mostly focusing on the muscles in the stomach and back. Pilates are done through a series of mat exercises using the body’s weight as resistance, or with special resistance equipment available at some health clubs and pilates studios.

Joseph H. Pilates, born in Germany, developed the pilates method of exercise. He based pilates on various exercise methods from around the world, among them yoga, calisthenics, Chinese martial arts, and ballet. The great thing about pilates is that just about everyone can do it.

Pilates exercises require: read more »

There are certain risk factors for heart disease that you have no control over and cannot change, such as getting older or having a family history of early heart disease. But you do have control over other major risk factors for heart disease that you “can” change, such as being physically inactive, not maintaining a normal weight, being overweight, smoking, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, not eating healthy, and diabetes.

1. Physical Activity
You can become physically active and stay physically active. Physical inactivity is one of the several major risk factors for heart disease, and the good news is… you can do something about it. Get up and get moving!! Regular physical activity helps to lower your risk of heart disease by burning extra calories, which helps you to lose excess weight or stay at your desirable weight. read more »