Fitness is a chosen lifestyle—a conscious decision about controlling choices regarding your physical and mental health. And how successful this will be depends on where Fitness falls as a priority in your daily life. I have chosen to make it one that matters, and so over the years it has become a routine that I enjoy, but have to work at.
How does fitness fall in your lifestyle? The main thing is to pick a routine that works for you, something you will commit to and do on a regular basis. And that goes for both exercise and food intake, as well as peace of mind. So have some fun, feel healthier and work off that daily stress.
FUSE LIFE STYLED — Weaving Style into our daily living with great Food & Recipe Ideas, Home Decor Pointers, Travel Tips and contemporary suggestions for Health & Wellness.
The FUSE Woman, Full & Complete,
Gail Gabriel
Life Styled Editor
SUMMER LIFE STYLED
Fitness means different things to different people. For me it is an attitude about how you respect your physical and mental health. So it is not only exercising your body, but having your mind support and motivate you so you can keep as healthy as possible. Granted, we all have limitations on what we can do, but I find that a lot of people, while they want to stay fit, they lack the focus necessary to do it. The mind needs to tell the body to “just do it.” Along with that instruction is the ability to have a consistent routine that you respect.
Sports can be a great way to combine your social life with your exercise life, i.e. tennis, swimming, hiking, exercise classes, yoga, table tennis, etc.
What you eat has a direct impact on how you feel and staying fit. Whether you are taking care of your skin, controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol, lowering your blood sugar, or keeping your heart healthy, the earlier you start the better off you are. But hey, it is also never too late to start.
Fitness is about taking care of YOU, which means YOU can then take better care of those around you. It is about making FITNESS a priority. Start today and pick something to do that is realistic with your schedule and then do it consistently.
My daily “to do” list starts with the item, walk/exercise. For me that means walking first thing. Our local reservoir has a 2.7 mile path (I run part of it). It takes about 8 minutes to drive there. It just works for me, not only physically, but mentally it also clears my head and gives me time to think about my day. It also adds balance to me spiritually. Before leaving I start with two different floor exercises to help with the stomach muscles and when I come home I do some crunches.
FITNESS is:
- mental motivation
- consistent exercise
- thoughtful food intake
- staying healthy
Peach Summer Smoothie
5 cubes of ice
1/2 c. non-fat plain yogurt
1/2 c 1% milk
1/2 c. fresh peaches w/skin (I use almost a cup)
2 tsp. honey*
Blend, using whatever appliance you have. Use any fruit or combination of fruits to add variety, as well as changing out the milk to fresh squeezed orange juice.
*I have been trying to be more conscious of my sugar intake, so I have eliminated the honey and I really don’t miss it. I do add a tsp of Benefiber as I don’t always get enough of that and women need 21-25 grams a day depending on age.
WILLIAMS-SANOMA
According to data by Marketdata Enterprises, a market research firm that specializes in tracking niche industries, Americans spend north of $60 billion annually to try to lose pounds, on everything from paying for gym memberships and joining weight-loss programs to drinking diet soda. If you're planning on applying new strategies to lose weight, consider these tips before emptying your pockets:
$MONEY TALK$
1. Pay as you go.
Opt for a pay-as-you-go fitness plan or a monthly membership—instead of locking yourself into a year-long membership—this is a safer option, financially speaking. You can always sign up for a longer, presumably cheaper membership later, after you've determined whether you're going to stick to your new fitness lifestyle. After all, according to a new survey from Bodybuilding.com, two-thirds of adults in the United States have made a New Year's resolution to become fit, but 73 percent of those two-thirds gave it up before achieving their goal.
2. Exercise at home.
Jennifer Seyler, a registered dietician, personal trainer, and president of the Chicago Food and Nutrition Network, says "There are a variety of at-home exercises you can perform that leverage your own body weight, including situps, push-ups, walking lunges, squats, and triceps dips."
Beyond that, many cable services offer free, on-demand workout videos, as do various websites, like YouTube.
3. Join a weight-loss program.
If you opt for Weight Watchers, what you spend will depend on whether you're attending in-person meetings ($42.95 a month) or joining the organization online ($18.95 a month).
Nutrisystem has tiered a different pricing system depending on your gender, making it difficult to say exactly what you'll pay, but costs typically range between $270 and $300 a month. (The men pay a little more.) While that may sound pricey, the payment includes about 60 percent of what you'll be eating every month, which is why men pay more (they get more food), so at least the cost should be offset by a drop in your grocery bill.
4. Go it alone.
Kat Carney, executive producer of the TV show The Weigh We Were, which airs on PBS stations in Georgia, says she's picked up a number of cheap weight-loss tips by working on the show, which features 34 people who lost a combined 3,472 pounds.
"One guest put up his large dinner plates and ate all of his meals from a small bowl," says Carney. "In other words, [he exercised] forced portion control. He made no other changes to his diet."
5. Eat healthier foods.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has conducted studies that insist you don't have to spend much more by eating healthier foods. According to Food Business News, one recent USDA study found that if you're eating 2,000 calories from breakfast to bedtime, you should be able to consume all the vegetables and fruit you need for $2 to $2.50 a day. If you're careful about what you buy, you may spend less by eating healthier.