Closer to the Big Day

As I get closer to the day of the Chicago Marathon, and am tapering down my runs, I’m really trying to put together my mental plan of action.  This sport of running really requires as much mental fitness as it does physical fitness.  I’m working on visualizing the course, and most importantly visualizing myself crossing the finish line.  Tiger Woods visualizes the ball going into the cup when he gets ready to putt.  There is definitely something to that exercise!  Here is a quote that I wanted to share that kind of ties into this. 

“The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.”
-John Bingham, running speaker and writer

I believe having the courage to start and visualizing yourself crossing the finish line will help you achieve your attainable goals.  What a great feeling!

Health and Fitness Magazines

Today, maintaining health and fitness have become more important than ever before. With illnesses becoming more often, we have to equip ourselves with everything necessary to maintain health and have a good quality of life. One of the best ways to jumpstart your way to better health is through reading health and fitness magazines. These magazines offer helpful tips, advice and recent discoveries about health that should come handy. Note that although fitness magazines are aimed mainly at body- and health-conscious audience, everyone will surely benefit from all the information they provide. Here are some of the most popular health and fitness magazines today:

Muscle & Fitness Magazine

This magazine was released mainly for bodybuilders. However, if you are conscious about your health and do workouts, you can use vital information on this magazine. There is a version of this magazine called Muscle and Fitness Hers aimed mainly towards health-conscious ladies. This magazine contains tons of information that can range from bodybuilding foods, diet programs, weight loss strategies, workout information, supplements, and other recent discoveries.

Shape Magazine

Shape Magazine has been edited to help you get a better understanding of fitness. It features articles from experts in the fields of nutrition, exercise, beauty and psychology. Shape is mainly geared towards fitness enthusiasts who surely will benefit from each and every bit of information that the magazine contains. It highlights news, step-by-step guidelines, recipes, and tips in beauty, fashion, style, and everything in between.

Men’s Fitness Magazine

Men’s Fitness is also a magazine designed for the modern health conscious men. It contains articles containing important details on maximizing workout, optimal diet and nutrition necessary for perfect fitness. Each issue is aimed at showing you how to properly workout your specific body parts, look better, unleash your sexual drive, and essentially put adventure back into your life.

Subscribing Health and fitness magazines cover everything a health and body-conscious person needs to know. If you are aware of the importance of maintaining tiptop health, and are actually doing something about it, a subscription to these types of magazines will provide you great discounts than buying them at the newsstand. Health and fitness magazines are usually offered in an attractive price package through websites.

Consider subscribing to a health and fitness magazine as an investment for your health and yourself. There is nothing more important than valuing health. Today, it may seem like an added financial burden but the long-term benefits that reading about health can give are far worth it. Besides, you can get subscriptions at rock bottom, discounted prices. However, be careful with the website you will subscribe to. Trust only the most reliable website that has a good reputation online.

In Health & Fitness Magazines section you will find many tips on how to maintain a healthy body and general well-being. Share reviews of allergy medicines with other sinus sufferers, recommend vitamins to improve memory, exchange dieting tips, find the right tread mill for your home, and much more. Discount Health and Fitness Magazines

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fiber rich foods

fiber rich foods

fiber rich foodsfiber rich foods
In this article I will reveal some little known facts about the fibers and the beneficial effect they have over your body.First of all let me explain what fiber is… Fiber is an indigestible part of all plant foods. It is found in fruits, vegetables, grains and beans. Your digestive system cannot stomach fiber, so it is excreted undigested. Well, you may think you don’t need fiber, because it’s excreted undigested, but that’s not true.Let’s imagine the following picture:You overeat at least once or twice a week, more often at weekends, and your regular menu doesn’t include much fiber. Well, this might be your life style; however you should consider that it may cause you lots of health problems like:- indigestion – discomfort stomach aches – gases in the digestive tract – constipation – hemorrhoids – you got tired faster – can’t concentrate on what you’re doingI mean you become less productive at work and more irritable at home. Besides all this, you gain weight and that’s the moment when you realize you have a problem.In order to solve a problem, you should first find the reason for it. In this case it’s the lowered intake of fiber-rich foods and respectively – the higher intake of foods containing no fiber (like meat). The average amount of fiber intake is about 25-30 grams per day. Unfortunately most people regular diets include less than 10-15 grams daily.You should start consuming more fiber-rich foods:- all bran cereal – beans – peas – spinach – sweet corn – wholemeal brown bread – red cabbage – carrots – baked potato with skin – apples, bananas, oranges and all fruitsThere are two types of fiber – soluble and insoluble. If you start eating more food rich in fiber, you’ll be amazed of its beneficial effects over your body, health and way of life.Soluble fiber forms glue like gel in the intestinal tract. The gel softens stools (no more constipation) and improves your digestion (no more indigestion).Fiber slows down stomach emptying and you feel fuller longer. This effect helps you eat less, your body burns additional calories to digest fiber and you can lose weight.Insoluble fiber is an excellent natural laxative, because of its abilities to hold onto water and to push waste faster along the intestines – this way fiber decreases the risk of colon cancer.In conclusion I’d like to tell you that you won’t be sorry if you start eating more fiber-rich foods. Like many other people I used to take not enough fiber, and I suffered stomach aches. Then I started to eat more fruits and fiber-rich foods in my daily menu. I must admit that it really worked for me, and now fiber-rich food is the most important nutritious part of my regular diet.
fiber rich foods

Can't Afford a Gym Membership? - How to Stay Fit Without Going to the Gym

Where is the best place to exercise and get fit? If answering “the gym” makes you cringe because you can’t afford to go, don’t worry. With the state of the economy and our limited budgets, many people who would like to go to the gym often can’t afford it. Very frequently this leads people to give up even though they don’t have to. You CAN get physically fit without stepping inside a fitness center, starting today.

The healthiest exercise plan consists of both cardio exercises and strength-training at least three times a week. One of the most tried-and-true methods is going for a jog in the morning. However, if you’ve been sedentary for some time, don’t attempt to run a full 30 minutes – you will be left out of breath and with sore muscles. If you’re just starting out, the best way to start would be to take a 10-minute brisk walk for two days in a row. The next few days, walk for 9 minutes, run for a minute, and repeat. Then walk for 8 minutes, run for two, and repeat. Gradually increase your run time as you increase your stamina.

Jogging every day is even more effective when you have a dog to beg you every day, or if you bring a friend along for moral support. However, if you live in the South, running in 100 degree weather may not be an option for you. If heat stops you from jogging, check out your local swimming pool. Not only does the water constantly refresh you, but swimming combines strength-training as well as cardio due to the added resistance. In fact, swimming laps for just 15 minutes can potentially burn the same number of calories as running for an hour. (Just don’t forget your sunscreen.)

There are plenty of options available when it comes to exercise. If the term “working out” sounds like the least fun thing on your mind, maybe you need a change of mindset. Think of what you like to do. If you love nature or are environmentally inclined, go for hikes with your family or volunteer to pick up trash. If you enjoy dancing, expand your horizons – try ballroom, tap, ballet, or bellydancing. If you are video-game inclined, invest in a Wii Fit or Dance Dance Revolution. You can keep track of calories burned as well as listen to some of your favorite music.

Remember, exercise does not have to be completed all at once. Lift 5-10 pound weights while watching TV, then do two sets of sit-ups and pushups during commercial breaks. Drink plenty of water throughout the day so you stay well-hydrated. Last but not least, take fitness one day at a time. Physical fitness does not happen overnight, but rather the little things we do each day to achieve it.

Jay Lanigan has a love for fitness. Jogging, swimming, cycling and mountain biking are a passion of his. If you enjoyed this article, visit his website about Mountain Bike Helmets and read his review of Louis Garneau Helmets.

As Promised

So everyone!  Here I am again about to post a picture of myself in the “after” affect of losing weight for 2 months.  Now I gotta say that all the ass kicking did some good things.  First I want to explain that I did not alter the picture besides cropping the sorroundings, so this really is me

Alright so down to business!  I worked my ass off for 2 months and lost a total of 10 pounds!  I won’t tell you my weight but let’s just say those hips I was talking about went down 3.5 inches!  YESSS!  I’m going to keep this short but sweet cause I have to go to bed real soon and wake up early to leave on vacation.  I hope that this picture shows some that this can be done with a bit of hard work and no issues with sweat!  I hope that this proves to other than you can get off your butt and get down to business!  I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished in two months and I am going to continue going for as long as possible!

I’m outta here for a whole week!  Gonna enjoy myself with my husband and family in California for our much needed vacation.  But while I’m out there I hope I get some good responses to this blog……  But no matter what the response is, always give me your opinion!  God Bless and Till the 12th!!!!

Good night and Good luck!

Mayra

BEFORE AND THE AFTER!

Fit Kids Need Playgrounds

Fear of dangerous strangers is keeping our kids and teens from using their neighborhood playgrounds and parks.

Instead, they stay inside and play virtual table tennis on their Nintendo Wii.

It’s not the same thing.

Researchers in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Alberta, looked at perceived opportunities and barriers to physical activity in an inner-city neighbourhood in Edmonton.

Study data revealed three themes that influenced youngsters’ opportunities for physical activity, with positive and negative factors for each.The first theme identified was “neighbourhood characteristics.”

Positive neighborhood characteristics include “walkable” neighborhoods with plenty of parks and playgrounds and nearby amenities.

Negative neighborhood characteristics include perceived “stranger danger” fears related to drug users, bullies, prostitutes, gang members and fear of abduction deterred children and youth from visiting these places.

The second theme was “family involvement.”

Researchers found that while children and youth were rarely allowed out alone, involvement by a family member, for example, accompanying them to a park to play, increased their engagement in physical activity.

The third theme was the “availability of adult-supervised programs.”

On the positive side, we have neighborhoods with a large variety of programs offered by dedicated, hard-working staff and volunteers.

Conversely, neighborhoods with minimal resources; poor staff and volunteer recruitment and retention, and little public knowledge of program availability suffered badly. Even when kids did sign up for available programs, there was a high dropout rate.

Conclusion

If we want our kids to grow up fit and strong and healthy, we need to:

1. Take back our neighborhood parks & playgrounds (easier said than done)
2. Get involved with our kids’ lives…not just drop them off at the rec center
3. Push our governments for more public fitness programs

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Reference

• EurekAlert

Not the Barefoot Contessa

Have you tried running barefoot lately? I’m fascinated by, what I will call, the Running Barefoot Phenom. Since I am always ready to go out on a limb, I want to give this a try.

Did you read “Born to Run”? I actually listened to it while running. Wonderfully written and totally engaging tale……I, at least, totally recommend it – even if you are not a runner.

Anyway, now there are these foot covers (I hesitate to call them shoes) that fit like tabi sox and are made w/ Vibram soles. And they mimc being able to run barefoot. I haven’t seen anyone wearing these but I’m sure i will soon……I read REI is selling them. Hmm, so at least I can go touch them, maybe try them on?

The premise is that the foot is naturally designed to strengthen through use. Mankind evolved as runners, hunting and traveling on foot. And none of us had engineered tennies to do it all in. This rings true for me. My feet are far & away more comfortable without shoes. Now, they’re not always warmest but they are more comfy. My last 6 years in FL were heaven for my feet…..virtually no shoes! I did a little shoeless beach running but not much, not enough.

And 15 years of Tae Kwon Do have definitely been shoeless and I think contributed to foot strength. Recently a friend said to me that our feet get flatter as we age. I have not experienced that? Have you? Anyone heard this theory?

Well I think that the more we use ourselves, the stronger we become. Any body part, physical or mental. I look forward to strengthening my feet and my mind, shoeless or not.