Get up and get moving

Young Woman Exercising On Mat In Front Of Television
Pain and stiffness are often the result of not getting up and moving around enough. Then when we do try to move, our body has become frozen in habitual postures such as sitting at our desk or in front of the TV.

The best way to stay fit and supple is to get up and get moving, even if it is only for a few minutes a day, several times a day. Try these methods and see how well you start to feel.

Stand and stretch
This gets the blood flowing and muscles moving.

Get 10,000 steps per day
This can all add up as you go through your daily routine. Use a pedometer to keep track. Enjoy a walk after dinner and look for chances to walk up and down the stairs rather than use an elevator or escalator.

Marching in place
This is a more cost-effective option than the standing desk or treadmill desk and can be done anywhere. It works well when when you are talking on the phone so long as you aren’t distracting the other people in the office and are not breathing heavily down the phone at your clients and customers. Wear a pedometer so it counts towards your 10,000 steps per day.

Try yoga
There are many poses to choose from, all of which use the weight of your body to keep you toned and trim.

Ballet
The whole point of ballet is to make smooth and controlled movements that strengthen your arms and legs in particular. Do simple exercises in the office or use your desk or chair as a ballet barre.

There’s no need to pump iron
Use ordinary things around the house as your workout gear. Try bottles of water or cans as light weights. You can also invest in a set of resistance bands, which you can take with you anywhere and use as needed.

Belly dancing
It is fun and good exercise, and gives you a solid core and strong back. It can also help you bring out your inner goddess.

Try these methods in rotation throughout the week and you should never get bored while you get fit.

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Getting More Done and Staying Healthier

We all have a busy schedule. The trick is to learn how to get more done and still stay healthy. Here are some top tips.

1. Use a timer
I use a timer for everything in my house. I’ll set the timer for 25 minutes of work, a 5 minute break, then another 25 minutes. I do the 25 minutes 3 times and then give myself a 30 minute break. Then I repeat throughout the day. I try to work 9 to 5 so I don’t get burned out.

2. Wear comfortable shoes
They give good support to help keep you going throughout the day. Give up the high heels and if you are working from home, don’t loll around barefoot.

3. Avoid letting chores pile up for weekends
You deserve some time off with friends and family. There’s no sense in letting laundry, shopping and so on ruin your day off. Get them done during the week. As soon as your machine is full, or your hamper, do the wash. Shop during off times at the supermarket to cut down on crowd and queues.

4. Outsource as needed
You can’t do it all yourself. Outsource a task to someone on fiverr if you can’t do it yourself, you take a long time to do it, or it does not add significantly to your income.

5. Master Make and Freeze Cooking
This method of cooking save time, money and effort. It ensures you will always have something healthy to eat as well, if you choose your recipes wisely. Cook a meal,and freeze the leftovers. Cook one day, and you could have a month’s worth of recipes depending on the size of your family. Not everything freezes well, though, so be sure to get some good books on the subject. Check out the Make and Freeze Spotlight for some suggestions.

6. Work 10,000 steps into your day
This should be pretty easy. Get a pedometer. It will track you throughout the day.

7. Have an Accountability partner
If you set a weight loss goal, for example, have someone like your doctor hold you accountable. It’s one of the main reasons Weight Watchers works.

Try these time saving and fitness tips and see what a difference they make to your health and productivity.

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How to Burn Fat and Lose Weight While You Work at Home

If you work from home then chances are you spend much of your day sitting. In fact, most people spend a majority of their day sitting. Couple that with the fact that working from home is a sure-fire way to live a very busy life, and you have a recipe for weight gain. It’s difficult to balance working out, running and growing your business, and managing your life.

Why not accomplish two things at the same time? Why not find a way to lose weight while you’re working from home? It’s actually easier than you might think.

#1 Standing Desk

How often do you find yourself sitting while you work? Most of the time, right? Stand up. Now there are extremely durable and fantastic standing desks that you can purchase. You can find them at office furniture stores and online. You can also create your own “Ikea Hack” and create a standing desk from much of their assemble-it-yourself furniture.

However, if you’re not sure that a standing desk is for you, why not begin by simply placing a file box on your desk? It raises your keyboard to the level you need to stand. Use this system for a few weeks. If you find you’re enjoying it, then you can convert to a full-scale standing desk.

If you’re not used to standing, then your legs may be sore for a bit. Alternate sitting and standing. You burn more calories standing and it’s better for your posture. You can add an extra element of interest and calorie burning by adding a Bosu balance device.

#2 Walking Desk

A walking desk takes the standing desk to a whole new level. Walking is one of the best ways to stay in shape and lose weight. You can purchase a simple walking treadmill. These don’t have any motors and are often small and compact. In many cases you can simply position your standing desk over the top of your treadmill and get a workout while you work.

You can also buy treadmill desks. Again, these can be quite elaborate and expensive. However, it may be cost effective if you consider how detrimental weight gain can be. It often results in prescription medications and many expensive trips to the doctor.

#3 Pace

When you’re on the phone, dictating, or even trying to brainstorm and plan your business, get up and walk. Pacing has been shown to actually stimulate your creative brain. And it’s good for your waistline.

The key to burning fat while you work out is to stay active. Your body was designed to move. Move it. You can accomplish both a healthy business and a healthy body.

FURTHER READING:

70 Top Exercise and Fitness Tips for Busy People (Health Matters)

Dealing with Childhood Obesity

Fantastic Fruit Salads

Planning Your Personal Fitness Program

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Exercise and Fitness for Busy Women

Regular exercise helps to prevent back pain by increasing muscle strength in your abdominal or ‘core’ area. A solid core means a strong back, and this kind of lean strength helps with all your daily tasks that involve lifting and climbing.

 

In addition, it helps ward off the kind of frailty that one sees in the elderly.

 

And the best news is, in a lot of cases, you don’t even have to break a sweat to get the benefits.

 

Great exercise options for women include:

 

— yoga

— pilates

— walking

— swimming

— water aerobics

 

For those who don’t mind breaking a sweat, there is:

— jazzercise

— jogging or running

— volleyball

— rollerblading

— dancing of all kinds

 

Exercise doesn’t have to be complicated or even planned. For instance, you can:

 

– do housework quickly and to music

– take the stairs instead of the elevator, both up, and down, to use different muscle groups

– do yardwork, such as raking leaves, mowing the lawn

 

Even the busiest business person has time to exercise, though, so now you have no excuse.   Get off one stop before or after your usual stop on the way to work or on the way home, and walk the rest of the way.  Then make it 2 stops and so on.  Walk to the corner store instead of taking the car, and save gas at the same time.

 

The biggest enemy of exercise is supposedly not having time, but if you are spontaneous and creative in your exercise choices, you should be able to work these and other fitness activities you enjoy into your daily life.

 

Exercise, fitness

 

Learn about more of the best strategies for women who want to exercise and keep fit.

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Regular exercise boosts ‘good’ cholesterol levels

Studies have shown that daily exercise is a cornerstone for lowering cholesterol to acceptable heart-healthy levels, for heart attack prevention.
And here is more good news: a lot of the activities that you might not necessarily have thought would count as exercise do actually keep you fit:
Read more here:
http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/alerts/nutrition_weight_control/JohnsHopkinsHealthAlertsNutritionWeightControl_1892-1.html

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Yoga for Clarity of Mind

 

From Yogi Bhajan, Master of Kundalini Yoga

Sit cross-legged on the floor with a straight back, or on a chair with spine straight and feet flat.

 

Close your eyes and block left nostril with left hand. Continue breathing through the right nostril for one to three minutes with a  focus on your breath.

 

A clear mind opens the window to happiness.

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