Are You Obese? How You Can Make A Start On Fitness?

For a person who is severely obese, it is unrealistic and dangerous to expect that they will be able to go right along with a demanding new fitness regimen.

This is because they risk injuring themselves with something that is too demanding up front and long term fitness goals may well become derailed. At some point even walking can be an effort so, start small, start slow; the following tips may help:

Chair Dancing: Sometimes when a person is very obese, even supporting their own weight may be difficult; also there is the risk of injuring the back. It therefore makes sense to start out with sitting exercises such as chair dancing.

This is basically a work out which requires the person to be seated on a chair the entire time. They are low impact exercises that, as the name suggests require you to dance while sitting. There is arm waving, foot stomping; it can be fun! This youtube video can give an idea of what chair dancing involves so one can decide if it is something that may work for a given individual or something they may enjoy.

Check this video for chair dancing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOS1DdE6DfE

Water aerobics: This is another exercise routine where the obese person does not have to support their own weight. The support and feeling of weightlessness that being in the water can give you, can help you do a lot of things that one may not be able to do on dry land as it were. Plus there is the fact that being in the water adds resistance to one’s movements so there is more effort involved and more of a workout one gets.

Walking: Yes even walking can be difficult for the really obese but by making small beginnings and making an incremental improvement each day, one can see an immediate difference in one’s abilities so that you are making at least some progress.

Besides everything else this is free; you don’t need to buy anything in terms of equipment or special gear or specific clothing. The added benefit of getting fresh air is just a bonus!

It is important to make a modest, not so ambitious beginning when one is really obese. Quite simply, anything else is likely to cause an injury that may further complicate matters. One does not want to make a start by falling down and getting hurt or straining a muscle or two or even injuring your spine.

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America’s Fittest Cities According To Gallup

The Pollster Gallup has now reviewed the fittest and most obese cities and urban centers in the United States. The findings of this survey were collected by way of a telephone survey conducted between December 29 and January 2 2010.

Information about the respondents’ height and weight were collected and based on this the person’s body mass index was calculated. In addition, respondents furnished information about lifestyle such as exercise, eating habits, and access to insurance.

The concept that having a safe place to exercise is related to the obesity rates was reinforced by the poll when it was found that four metro areas in Colorado found a place in the top ten.

• At number 10 is Bridgeport/Stamford/Norwalk, Connecticut with 19.3% obesity;  Denver/Aurora, Colorado with the same percentage of obesity
• At number 9 is San Francisco/Oakland/Fremont, California with 19.2% of the population being obese
• San Jose/Sunnyvale/Santa Clara, California is at number 8 with 19% obesity
• At no 7 is Santa Cruz/Watsonville, California with 17.9% obesity
• At no 6, Reno/Sparks, Nevada have 17.7% obesity
• San Luis Obispo/Paso Robles, California at no. 5 has 17.6% obesity
• Colorado Springs, Colorado is at no 4 with 17.2%
• Barnstable Town, Massachusetts at no 3 has 16.9% obesity
• Boulder, Colorado has 16.6% obesity and is the second fittest in the country
• Fort Collins/Loveland, Colorado is the fittest with just 16% obese people?

Source: gallup

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Ballroom Dancing For A Healthier You

Being healthy takes a lot of self discipline. You have to watch what you eat, take enough rest, and exercise regularly.

Sometimes, it gets so boring being under a strict diet or staying for long hours at the gym. Your best alternative is to go ballroom dancing.

Don’t you know that dancing is one of the best exercises around? Ballroom dancing, for instance, allows you to move all parts of your body. This way you stay fit and have fun at the same time.

Here are other reasons why ballroom dancing can make you healthier:

1. Burns fats naturally

If you want to lose those excess weights, ballroom dancing can help you. You have to swing; tango, and jive in ballroom dancing and these dance moves can shed off fats.

2. Improves posture

Ballroom dancing also helps improve your posture. It is not just all about movements but grace and style as well. You learn to balance yourself and stay in tune with your partner.

3. Keeps you stress-free

One way to relax those tired muscles is by ballroom dancing. You can fight stress by engaging in this wholesome activity.

Ballroom dancing is a fun way to stay strong and healthy. You can even do it together with your loved ones and friends.

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Tips To Stop Worrying And Love The Gym

There is nothing as inspiring as an actual story of a person who has done what it takes to make the changes and regain fitness and health.

It is that which gives us the inspiration to make a start; the confidence to persist. Here are some tips you can use:

• Eat fewer calories, exercise more: when eating out, cut out the trimmings such as the onion rings, ask for a vinegar based dressing over a mayo dressing, the fries on the side. Choose leaner meat cuts. If you are already exercising, increase the intensity or the duration.
• Count the calories to eat a little less than the particular requirement for your height and body type.
• If the weight loss is slow; don’t worry. That is actually likely to be a good sign that you will be able to keep it off.
• This will take courage: give away the fat clothes. This will remind you to keep to the straight and narrow: if you find that your nice new wardrobe is starting to feel a bit snug after a while this will act as a wake up call.
• If you don’t enjoy the working out and the cutting back so much, don’t worry; you soon will.

Source: Science Blog

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Tips To Stop Worrying And Love The Gym

There is nothing as inspiring as an actual story of a person who has done what it takes to make the changes and regain fitness and health.

It is that which gives us the inspiration to make a start; the confidence to persist. Here are some tips you can use:

• Eat fewer calories, exercise more: when eating out, cut out the trimmings such as the onion rings, ask for a vinegar based dressing over a mayo dressing, the fries on the side. Choose leaner meat cuts. If you are already exercising, increase the intensity or the duration.
• Count the calories to eat a little less than the particular requirement for your height and body type.
• If the weight loss is slow; don’t worry. That is actually likely to be a good sign that you will be able to keep it off.
• This will take courage: give away the fat clothes. This will remind you to keep to the straight and narrow: if you find that your nice new wardrobe is starting to feel a bit snug after a while this will act as a wake up call.
• If you don’t enjoy the working out and the cutting back so much, don’t worry; you soon will.

Source: Science Blog

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The Wedding Fitness Program For Busy Brides

The dream of every bride and groom is to look their best for their wedding day.

Usually brides tend to push themselves harder dieting and trying to handle both the stress and strong emotions coming with the event and their silhouette that needs to stay fit in order to compliment the wedding gown they choose.

Still… a nice way to get into shape is following a smart diet plan and getting the body into looking great by making the best of a smart fitness routine.

WeddingChannel.com comes with a cool idea of combining these two into a program for intelligent brides and shares with them the right steps towards a slender figure and a successful fitness plan.

Marco Borges , a notorious name in the fitness world populated by the Hollywood stars like Beyonce, Jay-Z, Gwen Stefani and Justin Timberlake, is joining Wedding Channel to present the right ideas that would help a busy bride get fitted and look amazing for her wedding day.

The brides can choose from targeting the areas with special problems such as hips and waistline, follow a weekly fitness program under the direct guidance and advice from Marco during a special routine spread over the weeks before the wedding; and share their opinions with other brides.

The program is associated with a diet plan smartly structured for every meal of the day with the exact purpose of getting the bride to look amazing for her most important day in white.

Even more, the brides can join a cool sweepstakes and get the chance to win a full fitness lady costume from Lady Footlocker and also the Power Moves DVD from Marco Borges.

It’s never been simpler than now for a busy bride to get slim and perfectly fit for her wedding dress. It seems Wedding Channel has got the right recipe and it is glad to share it with the brides of the world. Take a close look: WeddingChannel.com

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Wine Is Not Fattening For Women, Claims Report

One recent study that is causing high spirits on the social networking sites recently is one that declares that moderate drinkers among women were less likely to get obese. This goes against the popularly held belief that alcohol consumption leads to weight gain.

The study was conducted by Brigham and Women’s hospital in Boston by questioning over 19,000 women about their drinking habits. The 38% who were teetotal among them gained the most weight over a 13 year period. It was noted that the women who gained least weight were the red wine drinkers, less than those who drank beer and spirits.

However, before you rush to down the closest bottle of plonk you can find, be warned that red wine is not a weight loss aid of any sort. While the benefits of wine are not in question, the reason that the study found what it did, probably bases itself on a typical scenario: It envisages wine drinking women who gain less weight because at the end of a day one woman may have a bar of chocolate to unwind whereas another may have a glass of wine. Obviously the glass of wine has fewer calories and may therefore lead to less weight gain over the years.

The vital fact underlined by this study is merely that moderation is the key to fit and healthy body.

Source: The Telegraph

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The Best Wii Fit Games To Help Get You Going!

Opinions are vastly divergent on Wii fit games and their efficacy in terms of exercise aids. While many will say that they are just video games with a clever marketing strategy that helps them masquerade as exercise aids, while others claim that they provide an enjoyable and effective workout.

Perhaps the truth is somewhere in-between: some exercise is better than none!

There are several things that set apart the Wii Fit games from other video games; chief among them being the unique balance board. This is able to measure BMI based on the height and weight of the user.

There are 50 possible activities with the balance board, with categories such as aerobics, balance games, yoga and strength training. Some of the top games for Wii Fit are:

Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009 includes motion based fitness activities such as monkey bars, ladder climbing, rowing etc and using the balance board is able to track personal fitness and progress. The aim of the program is strength training, weight loss hill climb etc.

Shaun White Snowboarding is as the name suggests, about a simulated snowboarding experience. The game claims to let you do everything you would at the mountain (but presumably were too scared to actually try because this game offers options such as doing different tricks on the ground in the air and on rail).

You can careen down slopes, create new paths in the back country and use the terrain park for yet more tricks. A generic Park city, Japan, Europe and Alaska are areas you can explore.

We Ski is also about the lure of snowy wherein up to 4 players can hit the slopes. You can choose from 14 set courses ranked according to the level of expertise.

Skate it, is again a self explanatory and skaters get to choose the kind of skate board they want and create a fantasy park of their choice to play around in. There are features such as benches, rails and ramps to keep things exciting.

Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party is another really popular Wii game that lets you use your rear end to play up to 65 games that have spoofs from TV, and other popular culture to keep you interested. Shaking, precision, dexterity and balance are some of the elements included in the game.

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The Best Wii Fit Games To Help Get You Going!

Opinions are vastly divergent on Wii fit games and their efficacy in terms of exercise aids. While many will say that they are just video games with a clever marketing strategy that helps them masquerade as exercise aids, while others claim that they provide an enjoyable and effective workout.

Perhaps the truth is somewhere in-between: some exercise is better than none!

There are several things that set apart the Wii Fit games from other video games; chief among them being the unique balance board. This is able to measure BMI based on the height and weight of the user.

There are 50 possible activities with the balance board, with categories such as aerobics, balance games, yoga and strength training. Some of the top games for Wii Fit are:

Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009 includes motion based fitness activities such as monkey bars, ladder climbing, rowing etc and using the balance board is able to track personal fitness and progress. The aim of the program is strength training, weight loss hill climb etc.

Shaun White Snowboarding is as the name suggests, about a simulated snowboarding experience. The game claims to let you do everything you would at the mountain (but presumably were too scared to actually try because this game offers options such as doing different tricks on the ground in the air and on rail).

You can careen down slopes, create new paths in the back country and use the terrain park for yet more tricks. A generic Park city, Japan, Europe and Alaska are areas you can explore.

We Ski is also about the lure of snowy wherein up to 4 players can hit the slopes. You can choose from 14 set courses ranked according to the level of expertise.

Skate it, is again a self explanatory and skaters get to choose the kind of skate board they want and create a fantasy park of their choice to play around in. There are features such as benches, rails and ramps to keep things exciting.

Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party is another really popular Wii game that lets you use your rear end to play up to 65 games that have spoofs from TV, and other popular culture to keep you interested. Shaking, precision, dexterity and balance are some of the elements included in the game.

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Tips For Getting Past The Plateau

It is when one has lost a substantial amount of weight, that one hits a plateau.

The weight loss beyond the 10% is what is the more difficult part and with the same amount of effort and caloric restrictions one finds no progress being made.

The problem here is that the body’s defense mechanism against weight loss kicks in which is why you have to:

• Increase activity. Not only is it the genes that prevent further weight loss, hormones also have an impact. After menopause women find their metabolism slows down and they find that they expend fewer calories than before.  So what was getting results earlier won’t do the job any more. Duration or intensity of workouts would therefore have to be increased.
• Track intake: It is easy to lose track of what you eat and drink, with the accent being on drink. Often we don’t take into account calories that may come from beverages and snacks. This is what adds up. However when you keep a scrupulous account of total calories consumed you are more likely to be able to lose weight.
• Combine good diet with exercise: understand what when one loses weight and gets smaller, fewer calories than before are required to do the same activities. Also only controlling diet is not easy. It has to be balanced with appropriate activity and exercise. This is because when deprived of calories, the body will burn muscle rather than fat, which is why one needs to maintain a proper balance of exercise and diet control.

Source: TheProvince.com

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