5 Fitness Benefits of Biking

When you were a child, you probably spent plenty of time getting around on your trusty bicycle.

After you got your first car, your bike fell to the wayside. Now it’s collecting dust in the back of the garage, if you still have it at all.

Now that the warmer weather is here, drag out your old bike or find yourself a new one so you can return to the fun outdoor activity that kept you fit as kid.

5 benefits of bicycling for fitness include:

1. A change of scenery rather than sitting on a stationery bike at home
2. Fresh air and sunshine with beneficial vitamin D
3. Aerobic activity for better heart health and circulation
4. Impoved overall fitness including well-toned leg muscles
5. Local transportation so you save on gas and protect the environment.

To get started, all you need is a stable bicycle, a helmet and sturdy sneakers. And do a few simple stretches before you ride to limber up your muscles.

Returning to one of your favorite childhood pastimes is an enjoyable way to achieve your fitness goals.

Fitness is a Family Routine

The alarming facts about family fitness reveal that one in five American children between 12 and 17 years old are overweight with two-thirds unable to pass a basic test of physical fitness.

Further, the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports reported that two in five children have signs of circulation or heart problems. With these distressing facts in mind, clearly fitness needs to be a family routine.

Here are some tips to get your children and yourself in better shape:

Children learn what they live. Work out yourself and your kids will follow your lead. Include your children in simple workout routines.

Incorporate exercise into your everyday life. Whether you walk the dog together, romp in the park or take a stroll after dinner, include fitness in your family routine just like eating, sleeping and bathing.

Minimize television and computer time. Keep the television and computer in the family room so you can monitor how long your children are using them. Do not put televisions or computers in your kids’ rooms.

Make fitness fun. Instead of spending family time at the movies or sitting around, plan hikes, bowling, camping, fishing and other activities that promote both fitness and fun.

Get your children involved in physical activities. Dancing, karate and sports teams are great ways to encourage your children to get moving. If you are on a budget, consider budget-priced community activities through the YMCA or other local organization.

By adding fitness to your daily family routine, you can ensure a healthy future for your children and yourself.

10 Tips To Reduce Stress And Burn Belly Fat

No matter what your age or circumstances, stress is an inevitable part of everyone’s life and ongoing stress actually contributes to weight gain.

Long term stress increases the level of the hormone cortisol in our bodies, causing the body to store excess fat. Most of this extra fat is stored in your belly and hips – exactly where you don’t want it.

Here are 10 simple ways to de-stress for maximum physical and emotional fitness:

1. Eat at least 4-6 small, well-balanced meals each day to properly maintain the sugar levels in your body and ensure you are getting all the essential vitamins and minerals you need.
2. Drink at least six to eight glasses of water every day to flush the toxins out of your system.
3. Exercise for twenty to thirty minutes three to five times each week. Choose a physical activity you enjoy, such as biking, weight lifting or walking, because getting pleasure from your exercise routine will also help minimize stress.
4. Avoid foods with sugar and caffeine that offer a false sense of energy.
5. Avoid alcohol, which has an impact on the sugar levels in your body.
6. Get plenty of sleep every night because when you are tired, you tend to feel more hungry.
7. Engage in activities designed to help you relax, such as yoga or meditation.
8. Watch less television – statistics show that up to ninety percent of people who watch television an hour or more each day fail at their weight loss goals.
9. Avoid crash diets which could increase your stress level and actually cause the production of additional cortisol, alleviating any potential weight loss you may have been able to experience.
10. When you feel really hungry, choose whole-grain, high-fiber foods, like oatmeal and fruit, which keep insulin levels even to control blood sugar and your hunger.

By reducing the stress in your life, you can get rid of excess fat and emotional baggage at the same time!

Exercise Your Way To Better Sleep

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the average American sleeps only 6.9 hours every night, with a third getting less sleep than that.

The good news is that a simple regimen of regular exercise can help you to sleep better — and you’ll enjoy improved overall fitness at the same time.

Half the adults in America sleep less so they can work or play more. However, without the required 7 to 8 hours sleep, people are becoming sleep deprived and unable to enjoy these activities.

Also, sleep-deprived people have higher sugar concentrations in their blood that could contribute to pre-diabetes and a lack of deep sleep inhibits your body’s ability to fight disease.

For most people, working out regularly reduces insomnia and improves sleep quality by producing smoother transitions between the cycles of sleep.

Getting moderate exercise for 20 to 30 minutes 3 to 4 times weekly will give you better sleep and increased energy. You will be able to fall asleep and stay asleep more easily and remain in the deep sleep phase for a longer period of time for maximum benefit.

Additional benefits of regular exercise and sleep include reduced stress, ease of muscular tension, sharper brain power and increased production of endorphins, the substance that gives you a feeling of well-being.

Having an ongoing exercise routine will help you sleep better and feel better everyday.

Does Your Diet Need Anger Management?

Slow traffic on overcrowded roads. Co-workers who refuse to carry their weight. Family members who won’t pick up after themselves.

There are countless reasons for the rage that swells up within us, calling upon our anger management skills to squelch our impatience. Is dieting another issue that makes you frustrated?

Your anxiety about dieting may be holding you back from achieving the healthy, attractive body you really want.

Consider these 4 easy ways to get rid of dieting rage:

1. Enjoy the healthy journey without constantly worrying how many pounds you lost. After all, it’s a lifestyle change you are trying to achieve first, and the pounds will then melt off naturally.

2. Crash diets put you on the fast track to dieting frustration and failure. Slow and steady wins the race and helps you reach your dieting goals without grief.

3. Have someone join you for the dieting experience. Jog with a neighbor, tally calories with your best friend, walk your dog everyday or join an online forum to find a fitness friend.

4. Be patient with yourself and the world around you. Life constantly presents changing circumstances that may cause you to stop and restart your diet. Go with the flow and you will always return to the right path.

If dietary distress is holding you back from losing the weight you want, de-stress so you can enjoy your fitness routine instead of dreading it.