Even though I am happy with myself physically, I always want to have a tad more confidence to wear that bathing suit that I don the first time each summer. I have been waist hooping for two years now, and when I work at it religiously (30 minutes each session), it has great benefits as well as a decrease of inches to my midsection. For me it’s a year round activity; however, when I am able to hoop outdoors, it tends to give me more pleasure and I am generally more productive (surely, it must be the fresh air).

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here are some fun facts regarding waist hooping:

1) Burns calories (typically 7 calories for every minute you hoop)
2) Low impact aerobic exercise
3) Tones and strengthens your hips, glutes, and thighs
4) Increases your fitness level, stamina, and endurance, and is a great stepping stone for other activities
5) Boosts your mood so exercising will seemingly feel like less of a chore (you’ll feel like a kid again)
6) Improves your coordination, timing, and rhythm
7) Helps with the flexibility of your spine (go ahead and add yoga to your regime)

One of the best advantages is you don’t have to join a gym, and you can hoop inside (make sure you have clearance) or outdoors. Put that hoop around your waist and get nostalgic once again by enjoying the benefits of hula hooping in your young age!

Thanks to Hoopsmiles and their “How To Hoop” rap song I was able to demonstrate how to waist-hoop in this video.

However, it’s important to stay active especially when you’re cooped up indoors, as it helps to alleviate bad moods, and it can stave off cabin fever. The simplest way to go about this is to turn your home into being exercise friendly. It’s as easy as using an exercise DVD or establishing a small, simple home gym in a room dedicated to fitness. In addition to allowing you to get sufficient physical activity, exercising in the home can also prevent seasonal illnesses from spreading.

Alternatively, try getting everyone involved in chores if staying inside is unavoidable. This might not be everyone’s idea of a workout or a good time, but the house will be cleaner for it.

If exercising at home is not possible or quickly becomes boring, try joining a gym that provides programs that suit members of all ages. If this is not possible, get out of the house but still avoid bad weather by seeing what sports are available at the nearest community center.

Racquet sports are a pertinent example, as the equipment required is usually available at the venue itself, they can be played indoors, and everyone can participate. If available, indoor swimming pools are another way to ensure the family stays active.

It’s also important to watch what you eat if you can’t go out as much as you would like. Regular exercise requires energy to be replenished, but the amount of food you and your family eat, as well as what is eaten, should be proportionate to the amount of physical activity you get. When you’re coped up indoors, it’s all too easy to reach for another snack or serve the same portions as you would when “properly” active, which is why extra vigilance is required.

Maintaining a fit and healthy lifestyle can be a difficult task for some people, while others just carry on with no worries or obstacles at all. By being an advocate such as myself, I have an image I must uphold because who would listen to someone who was a sloth or ne’er do well. Eating healthy, exercising, positive thinking, and sleep are all vital elements in one’s choice to live a healthy lifestyle.

An average fit adult exercises 30 to 90 minutes daily, and there is a point where one needs to rest and sleep if they want to continue to live their lives to its full potential. I found conflicting reports about how much daily sleep an adult should be receiving. After reading an article from the National Sleep Foundation, studies have shown that we should be gaining between 7-9 hours of daily shuteye. I never realized that by not sleeping enough (or too much sleep) would take a tremendous toll on your body. I suppose it never occurred to me because I never experienced either issue when it comes to rest and relaxation. I know several adults who have chronic sleep issues, and I certainly have compassion for them.

If you are unfortunate and suffer from sleep deprivation or obtain too much sleep, you may be at an increased risk for obesity, diabetes, heart problems, depression, or motor vehicle accidents, just to name a few. It was recommended in the article to chronicle your sleep habits and to discuss them with your physician at your next visit. Do you know if you snore? Sleep apnea is a common disorder, which should also be presented to your doctor. There are solutions; don’t be afraid or embarrassed to seek help.

Here are some suggestions to maintain a healthy sleep pattern as posted by the NSF (National Sleep Foundation):

Establish consistent sleep and wake schedules 7 days a week.

Begin a relaxing routine about an hour before bedtime, such as a hot bath or soothing music.

Make sure your mattress and pillows are comfortable.

Use your bedroom for sleep and not for watching TV or your using your computer.

Finish eating 2-3 hours before your regular bedtime.

Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco products close to bedtime.

I typically exercise in the early morning and in the early evening approximately 1 hour a day, which I know helps me feel sleepy at bedtime. Sleep tight and pleasant dreams to all!

Maintaining cardiovascular fitness and a healthy weight while traveling is challenging, because it’s all too easy to have extra helpings at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and tea. In addition to that, sitting while working and being driven from one place to another can only result in a more expansive rear view.

One of the first ports of call would be the hotel’s fitness center. At the very least, it should have a treadmill; however, most fitness centers are small and feature only basic equipment. They might also be too crowded for most people’s liking. Hopefully, the hotel has a pool you can access before or after a long day of work.

If the hotel doesn’t have such facilities, then try going for a run around the area itself or look for a local gym. The common sense safety precautions for travel apply here. It would be an excellent networking opportunity if you could assemble a group of likeminded business travelers from the same hotel, which would provide safety in numbers. You can also find walking or jogging tours in some cities, or take advantage of bike-rental facilities.

At the same time, people who travel for business might simply be unable to carve out time for cardio from their work obligations. In such cases, it would be feasible to pack a jump rope. Jump ropes are cheap, light, and take up a minimal amount of space in a bag, and they provide a decent cardio workout right in the hotel room. A jump rope workout can prove surprisingly challenging, and beginners should attempt 2-minute sets with 1 minute of rest for a total duration of 15-20 minutes, although this would vary based on how fit you are.

Maintaining aerobic fitness while on the road can be challenging, but every little bit counts. Staying active not only helps to prevent weight gain, it also makes it easier to ease back into the routine back home.

Of course, it’s also difficult to make sure everyone sticks to the family fitness routine between the holiday prep, shopping, and gatherings you attend, whether individually or as a family. Nevertheless, a small amount of self-awareness and determination will ensure that you enjoy the holidays and not groan with despair the next time you step on a scale.

Fit in fitness the next time you go shopping for presents. It pays to put on a pair of good walking shoes and to stride briskly through the mall as you tick off items on the shopping list. Parking spaces are usually more abundant further away from the entrance of the mall, which can be used to your advantage. By the same token, take the stairs or escalator instead of the lift, and carry your own bags to the car.

Conversely, you could also ensure you and your family have the time to work out by spending less time shopping. To accomplish this, you could buy fewer gifts, delegate shopping tasks, both of which will entail less time at the mall, or do your shopping online, which allows you the option of having a gift delivered directly to the recipient.

Another way to continue exercising together during the holidays is by fitting physical exertion into holiday-themed activities. For example, we walk around the neighborhood to admire our neighbors holiday decorations, and my aunt’s church organizes caroling parties where carolers visit one residential block each day of the weekend.

Most of the time, the holiday season is such that an evening workout is thwarted by last minute changes to a schedule. If this is the case, then it would be advisable to wake up slightly earlier each day, or make alternative plans to maintain a fitness routine.

For example, if you notice that your chain is a little rusty, and that it could use some oil, do not wait! Treat your bike as you would want to be treated! I have had so many more quarrels with my bike that could have been avoided had I just treated the early warning signs rather than waiting until everything went wrong.

One huge problem of mine is that the quick release portion of the back wheel comes loose easily. Well, either it loosens up while I am riding, or someone is trying to steal that back wheel when I leave it outside in Boston. To be quite honest, I have a feeling that someone is trying to steal the wheel. They usually do not get very far, because they realize what a pain it is to get the wheel off of the gears and such; however, someone did get as far as to cut off my brakes. I have no idea why you would ever do that! What do you gain from doing that? Furthermore, there was no need to even cut off the brake in order to get to the wheel. In any matter, finding my bike in a position that is unsafe to ride, is a huge signal to me that I should fix my bike. The best solution would be to get a fixed set-up in place rather than the quick-release wheel.

Having a broken bike will impact your exercising. For example, without brakes, I hesitate to go at fast speeds. There is no way I can get a workout in without having brakes on my bike. Even having a flat wheel will decrease the efficiency of your workout. It is important to take care of your bike, otherwise you will find yourself in a position where you will have to walk the bike back home.

Take care of your bike so that you can take care of your fitness levels!

Of course, this is like trying to lose weight by just exercising every day. The approach to improving your family’s fitness has to be holistic. This means changing eating habits that are less than ideal. Rather than imposing an outright ban on junk food though, which will lead to rebellion and failure, the soft option would be to present snacks that are more healthful, such as providing a variety of fruits instead of candy. Similarly, stop buying sweetened drinks, and encourage the consumption of plain water.

Another lifestyle change to make is to have breakfast together. If you’re uncertain of why breakfast is important, just know that skipping breakfast makes it harder for a person to lose weight. It’s not that it slows down your metabolism, preventing you from burning as many calories as you should, it’s just that it sets you up to make unwise food decisions during the day, because you’re starving.

Changing TV or video game habits will also facilitate family fitness efforts. If access to the screen is limited, then this allows more time for everyone to fit in a family workout, and wind up healthier as a result.

At the same time, these changes will be of no avail if you don’t take your own advice. If you have a habit of snacking mindlessly, you can’t expect the youngsters in your family to obey your directives while you’re reaching out for another chip, even if it is low-fat and oven-baked. Thus, if you say that fruit and vegetables are good for the kids, then you yourself should have healthy eating habits.

Likewise, if you tell your family that there’s no excuse not to exercise regularly, then it would look pretty hypocritical to a teen if you cancelled an early-morning run, because you kept hitting the snooze button on your alarm!

The problem with this approach is that you might reach your target weight through dieting and light exercise, but also retain a higher percentage of body fat compared to a person who exercises more while watching their food intake, and who loses weight more slowly.

The upshot is that while weight loss through dieting is faster, it can also slow down the metabolism. In the end, a person who loses weight mainly due to dieting (general loss of overall mass) will burn fewer calories than someone who exercises and practices moderate eating habits (which builds muscle and burns fat). In addition, the former will actually find it harder to maintain the lower weight.

People can also wind up sabotaging their fitness routine by not getting enough sleep. On the other hand, when a person does sleep an adequate length of time, sleep quality is poor. What this means is that it saps what could have been a full tank of energy each morning. Over time, this can lead to a disinclination to carry out anything but the most routine of tasks, i.e., wake up, go to work, come home, and go to bed.

Poor or truncated sleep for more than two days a week means you won’t burn as much fat or build muscle as well as you could after having a good night’s sleep. A few ways to ensure that you’re well-rested is by keeping to a regular sleep time, and ensuring that your bedroom is completely dark at bedtime. Avoid watching TV in bed or using the computer before you sleep too, as this can cause mental restlessness.

Aside from this, it’s also important to treat injuries immediately, as untreated injuries can lead the body to compensate for decreased function elsewhere. Not only that, not sticking to proper eating habits, e.g., avoiding fats altogether, binge eating on weekends, assuming all drinks have 0 calories, is another way a person hampers their own fitness progress.

We spoke with Joan Jacobsen, who at the age of 56 started an exercise program that helped her lose 60 pounds and achieve the best shape of her life.  She shared details on how she got her program started.

Start with the Wii Fit

Each session for the Wii Fit should be 45 minutes.  For beginners, Joan recommends the following in this order:

• Balance Exercises: Ski Slalom, Ski Jump, Table Tilt
• Aerobic Exercises: 70 Seconds Hula-Hoop, Basic Step and Basic Run
• Strength Exercises: Triceps Extension, Rowing Squat, Lunge and Torso Twists
• Yoga Poses: Deep Breathing, Sun Salutation, Warrior and Half Moon
• More Aerobic Exercises: 3-Minute Hula-Hoop

Add a Leslie Sansone walking DVD

The Leslie Sansone DVD for me (I’m not current with what is available now) is the Walk Away the Pounds 1, 2, and 3 mile walk. It came with 1-1/2 pound ball weights, which I think are great for just starting out.  I would suggest starting with the 1-mile walk, which is 20 minutes.

Exercise with a hula-hoop (a real one not virtual)

This should be a 30 minute session of using the hula-hoop.

(To fit all of these exercises into my days, I would work out with the Wii Fit in the morning before work, and hula-hoop and use the DVD after work.)

1. A bike is good for your heart. This form of exercise uses your largest muscle group, the legs, which naturally leads to a raised heart rate and a healthy heart. Studies have shown that those who ride bikes regularly improve their cardiovascular fitness by 3-7%. A British Medical Association study confirmed that riding a bike just 20 miles per week helps reduce coronary heart disease risk by a whopping 50%.

2. Biking burns calories without much effort. A leisurely ride at under ten miles per hour will burn 250-500 calories, depending on your weight. That’s comparable to low-impact aerobics, water aerobics, and weight-lifting. If you want to burn more calories, just step it up, riding faster and taking advantage of hills in your neighborhood.

3. Bicycling is a simple way to build stamina for exercise beginners and anyone who lacks motivation. If you are just using a treadmill at home or at the gym, you can easily quit anytime you begin to feel tired and your motivation wanes. With biking, things are different. If you’re biking across town and get worn out half way through your planned route, you’re still stuck riding back to your starting point, whether you like it or not. This might not be enjoyable, but it will guarantee that you get a full workout.

4. Cycling is gentle on the body. Biking regularly gradually builds the muscles of your legs without posing risks of strain or over-exercise. It’s also low-impact, so your joints are much less likely to be damaged than with other cardio workouts like running.

5. Riding a bike saves money. With gas prices continually on the rise, anything you can do to reduce your automobile usage is helpful. A bike can improve your health significantly while simultaneously getting you from point A to B without costing you a dime. There are no energy costs other than what you need to eat, nor do you need to buy expensive insurance or pay registration, taxes, or parking fees to use your bike as transportation. Even more, if you’re commuting in an area with heavy traffic, a bike may get you where you need to go faster than a car.