Guest Post: Tips for Staying Motivated to Work Out

Hope you enjoy this guest post! Without further ado:

When exercising or working out, choose activities that you enjoy. This cuts down on the tendency to quit or lose motivation. Keep in mind that physical activity doesn’t have to be torture. You can easily get a good workout walking, cleaning the house, gardening or dancing. Choose something that fits your lifestyle and personality, and you’re good to go!

Walk Pedometer-Style
Walk using a pedometer. This device will tell you how many steps you take and how far you walked. You can clip it on your waistband or carry it in a purse. Set a goal and then see if you can achieve it throughout the day. Vary the places you walk, so you will enjoy the different scenery. Walk downtown one day, and then switch to your local park on the weekend.

Weight Training
Weight training can be a great way to strengthen muscles, using machines or free weights. Start with short weight training sessions daily to achieve the best results. Three to four session weekly, for 20 minutes to a half hour, works well to start. Weight training causes your muscles to get stronger, and even if you’re averse to lifting because you don’t want to get all bulky, don’t fear. It takes a LOT of lifting to get that big, and just doing a half or so a few times a week will increase your look, balance, strength and more!

Swimming
Swimming is a great way to exercise with other people. Join a master's swimming group in your area that provides swimming for all levels without competition. This will provide recreational swimming designed to promote fitness. Another option is to take a swimming class at your local recreations center or YMCA, so that you will learn the right way to swim. Even if you already know how to swim, these groups teach both safety AND proper swimming technique, so that you can get more out of the time you spend in the water. Exercising and learning with others is a great way to socialize too. Don’t forget that a heated pool and the aerobic exercise of swimming are great for anyone with arthritis too.

Biking
Riding a bike is another great way to burn calories. It is an especially good exercise for people over 40, since there’s no impact, like there is in running. One of the best ways to burn calories is to ride a bike up hills. Start with small hills though, as this exercise will increase your heart rate pretty quickly and you could easily die out. Check with your doctor before you start biking if you suffer from a serious health problem or are otherwise sedentary. At the very least, even the casual, stress-free bike ride helps you to reduce stress and improve health!

Run
Running is a good exercise for improving both mental and physical health, because it can be a very vigorous exercise, resulting in more health benefits than other forms of activity. You can run outdoors, on an indoor track or on a treadmill. For best results, start out slowly running for ten to fifteen minutes, two or three times a week. I recommend mixing it up. Run outside some (and mix up your route), run inside some and maybe get no a treadmill every now and then. 

Don’t Forget
When beginning any new exercise program, practice moderation. Buy the proper equipment for safety and ALWAYS be safe. Practice proper form and never over-extend yourself. If you suffer from a health problem, check with your doctor before starting a new workout or exercise routine. Then, get goin!

Rhonda Wilkins writes about health, saving money & frequenting www.travelinsurance.org.

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Guest Post U

The University of Great Content

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Surefire Silly Putty Removal

Silly Putty (Photo credit: unloveablesteve)

This isn’t a long post, but it delivers.

There are posts all over the internet that claim to have found the surefire fix for this or that if one buys this new product or that solution.  Upon buying a bottle, swab, cloth, etc and trying it out, one generally finds that the claims are a load of bunk. The best fixes are generally the cheapest and easiest, in my experience.

Quick and easy silly putty removal from fabric is now a common need in my household. Introduced in the 50s, it’s been a classic plaything since then. But the stuff can get into, and stuck on, everything. If you don’t know this, take my word for it.

If you get silly putty stuck on, or in, any kind of fabric, there’s a surefire way to get it out and off – even knit fabrics, where the silly putty has gone through the knitting to the other side. The silly putty seems to harden sort of like cement on fabric, which makes it difficult to get out. Freezing it doesn’t work, nor do most expensive fixes.

Rubbing alcohol aka isopropyl alcohol does. It’s super cheap. Get the generic kind, as it all works the same. But hey, if you want to spend more on name brands, go for it. It’ll work for you too.

Take the silly putty’ed fabric item, a common kitchen knife, a paper towel and your bottle of rubbing alcohol over to a sink.

Hold the fabric item in the sink and pour some alcohol directly over the silly putty and surrounding area. Generally I put the fabric to the lip of the bottle and flip it over so that I don’t use waaaay too much, but honestly, again, it’s up to you how much you want to use. Put the bottle down.

Now take the kitchen knife and scrape the silly putty off of the garment. You will notice that the alcohol makes it really gooey. The knife is rigid enough to do a good job of removal. If it’s gone through the fabric, I’ll often flip it inside out and scrape the other side too.  Keep doing it until all the goo is gone.

Wipe the goo onto the paper towel for ease in throwing it away. Also wipe off any left on the knife onto the paper towel. T

Once it’s all gone, I normally rinse off the item and leave it to hang dry; I wash the knife like normal. I’ve never had the process discolor the item.

And that’s it! Easy peasy!

Hope this is as helpful to you as it is in our household!

Guest Post: Tips for Losing Belly Fat

Hope you like this guest post! Without further ado:

Tips for Losing Belly Fat

Belly fat is the biggest problem facing many health-conscious folks today.  It surrounds our body and immobilizes many of us to the point depression. How can we get rid of belly fat without having to join a diet group or run a marathon? Here are a few tips.

Your Last Meal
Don’t fret, I am not saying never eat again. I am just saying that you should make the last meal of the day be an early one. Eat at seven, at the latest. Going to sleep on a full stomach is a terrible thing to do when you’re trying to get rid of fat. On the other hand, when you don’t eat late, your body uses the fat stored around your stomach as a source of energy. Just this one little change can make a huge difference. I am not saying it’s easy. It’s not! This is especially true for the late eater, and most of us at least snack late from time to time.

If you’re apprehensive, simply prepare for the night. Water is ok, and tea is ok too. Be ready when those hunger pangs show up with lots of these at hand. If this is too much, then start small! Try every other night or even start with once a week and move this into a daily habit. Furthermore, if a special event comes up, go ahead enjoy it. Have a drink or two on your birthday, go out a late dinner with friends after a long week.  Simply pick up again the next day. The key is consistence over time. Fitness should NEVER be about immediate results.

The Dreaded Crunch 
Yes, belly fat requires some working out. No one likes sit-ups or crunches, but you need them. Reason being, that strengthening the muscles in your belly, allows them to grow stronger and they in turn eat that fat up. Fat is energy, so muscles like to snack on that fat in order to grow. Then, once the fat’s gone, you’ll have something to show for it! However, remember that if you have fat all over your body, your body will likely burn it at a uniform rate, and your stomach fat may in fact not come off until you’ve evened out elsewhere first.

Fortunately, there are many different ways to work out your stomach muscles. For example, if you are just sitting on a chair watching TV, lift your legs up and down holding your stomach in. It works! Your muscles will feel it and they will start making a change deep inside. When you are in bed, do a crunch. Put your hand behind your neck, hold in your stomach tight and lift your upper body a bit. Do these until you can move to the floor. Little by little! You don’t have to over whelm yourself.

Don’t be a Camel
Drink water - at least six to eight cups a day. Your body needs it. Yes, I mean water! Not soda or energy drinks. Water is what our body really needs. Our organs NEED water. Most people don’t realize it, but a great deal of our physical problems are caused by not drinking enough water. People mistake thirst for hunger too, so before you run to the fridge, listen to your body. Are your lips dry? That’s a sign of thirst. If you don’t drink regularly or don’t like water, introduce it to yourself in small amount. One cup a day is better than no cup a day. Then, work your way up to eight cups. You’ll find yourself less hungry, more active, and your skin will radiate. 

Take the time! Work on these tips. Small beginnings will lead to great endings. You will lose that dreaded belly fat, and feel great about your accomplishments. Before you know it, you will start walking around the block, you’ll have energy, and within a year, you will be slimmer. Just do it!

Jenna Hughes writes about wellness, finances & saving money at www.termlifeinsurance.org.

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Guest Post U

The University of Great Content

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