Six tips for a healthy lifestyle...

1) Learn what to eat from each food group.
2) Focus on how much you eat. Watch your portion sizes!
3) Choose “nutrient-dense” forms of foods. These foods are packed with nutrients,
but low in “extras” that just add calories.
4) Get moving! Physical activity can help you reach and keep a healthier weight.
5) Follow your progress by tracking your food intake and physical activity. Check
your weight weekly.
6) Visit health sites for advice.

Weight Training Twenty Minutes a Day

If you like working out but don't have much time, here is a suggestion.
In your weight training routine, you don't have to work all your target areas at once. Instead, work one area a day for about 20 minutes. For example, your program might look like this:

• Monday: Chest and Back Weight Training for 20 min.
• Tuesday: Shoulder Strength Exercise for 20 min.
• Wednesday: Abs Weight Training for 20 min.
• Thursday: Biceps and Triceps Strength Training for 20 min.
• Friday: Grab Bag/Wild Card for 20 min.
• Saturday: Hip and Thigh Weight Training for 20 min.
• Sunday: Chest and Shoulder Strength Training for 20 min.

Choose a set of exercises for each day and follow your weight training program. You can vary it, especially as you add more reps to your arm curls, incline chest presses, shoulder presses, and kickbacks. Remember, you don't have to devote countless hours to working out to look and feel good.

Importance of Balance

When exercising, we rarely think about balance, but it is a very important part. I've tried to be more conscience about focusing a little more on my balance. Sometimes I'll to curls while standing on one foot, or simly just stand and walk on a beam. I recently read an article online in which Harvey W. Wallmann, a doctor of physical therapy science and an associate professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, talks about the importance of balance in everday life. He said, "you use balance all the time, picking up children, stepping up on a curb, or walking over rocks." Some suggestions he gives to improve balance are:

Single-leg stand.
Stand with your legs slightly less than shoulder-width apart near a support such as a wall or railing. Balance as you lift one leg, and then close your eyes. Maintain your balance for 30 to 60 seconds, and repeat with the other leg.

Trunk turns.
Stand with your legs slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on a mini trampoline. (No mini trampoline? A soft gym mat or other squishy surface will also work.) Hold an exercise ball or a 5 or 10 pound weight in both hands, chest high. Twist at your trunk to face your right, return to center then twist to your left and back to center. Repeat 10 to 20 times.

Single-leg squat.
Stand on a sturdy 6- to 8-inch-high stool or step, with your right leg off the stool to the side. Bend your left leg as you do a squat until your right leg barely touches the ground. Do two sets of five to 10 reps on each leg.

March in the dark.
In a room with plenty of space and no obstacles that could bump knees or cause you to trip, march in place 60 to 100 steps with your eyes closed.

Who really cares??

Sure, I'd like to have perfectly chisled abs, cut biceps, formed pecs, etc. I must admit that's one of my motivations for going to the gym. When you think about it, who would love to have that. The more I observe people, though, I realize that stuff like that really isn't important. Oh, I definitely believe in being healthy. I think that's extremely important; I'm just talking about having the skupltured body. I know that, on an average, a healthy lifestyle leads to a longer, happier life. I'm not sure how it is all over the world, but in my little corner, just as many "out-of-shape" men end up with just as many beautiful girls as "in-shape" men, but it's not only about attracting the opposite sex. Men and women who are obsessed with physical fitness seem, and I've been around a few, less happy than men and women who are healthy but not obsessed. I mean, when it comes right down to it, who the heck cares that you're not perfect. I know I don't, and I definitely know I'm far from perfect. An incident that happened to me today--which I will not mention--brought that thought to my mind.

Flexibility

Being a sports fan, I've noticed how many more professional athletes--specifically baseball players--seem to get hurt easier than they use to. The majority of them, however, are so much bigger than they use to be. Listening to one of my favorite pitchers of all time, Greg Maddux, I now completely understand why. It's not rocket science.

The answer he gave is true for everybody who exercises. Maddux explained that, whenever he was coming up as a baseball player, flexibility was a big thing. Today, during the home run era, strenght is the big thing. Players are strong, but less flexible; this is a big reason for more strained muscles and such.

Remember when you're exercising, always do a quick warm-up and stretch. While being strong and cut is cool, if you're constantly hurting it doesn't mean much. Just exercise smart.