Diet & Exercise

Diet & Exercise go hand in hand, like peanut butter and jelly, Tom & Jerry, Gin & tonic.  Diet alone will improve your life but only to a certain point and weight loss will be slow. Exercise alone will have benefits but if you eat poorly you won't have the energy and you could cause injury to your bones and muscles.


IT is vital that you eat healthy and add in some Cardio with your strength training/muscle toning. Your heart is a muscle and since you cannot lift weights with your heart you have to get the legs and arms moving to properly exercise the heart muscle. Exercising burns calories and strength training prevents muscle loss and fights off disease. The side benefits are HUGE and your waistline shrinks!

Wikipedia defines physical exercise: any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons including strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system, honing athletic skills, weight loss or maintenance, as well as for the purpose of enjoyment. Frequent and regular physical exercise boosts the immune system, and helps prevent the "diseases of affluence" such as heart disease, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and obesity. It also improves mental health, helps prevent depression, helps to promote or maintain positive self esteem, and can even augment an individual's sex appeal or body image, which is also found to be linked with higher levels of self esteem...Health care providers often call exercise the "miracle" or "wonder" drug - alluding to the wide variety of proven benefits that it provides.

WEB MD says: "Exercise is the magic pill," says Michael R. Bracko, EdD, FACSM, chairman of the American College of Sports Medicine's Consumer Information Committee. "Exercise can literally cure diseases like some forms of heart disease. Exercise has been implicated in helping people prevent or recover from some forms of cancer. Exercise helps people with arthritis. Exercise helps people prevent and reverse depression."
BEGINNERS:

• WALKING:You have numerous options. For a novice or true beginner I suggest walking. Get some good walking shoes and start out slow. Warm up at a slow pace for about 5 minutes then increase your walk speed for 5 minutes and alternate this pattern for 20 minutes.  Start small and work your way up!
• Grab a set of 2 lb. dumbbells and workout at your desk. 3 sets of 12 repetitions is all it takes. You might even consider arm curls while you are watching television. Grab a dumbbell and swing your arms while your are walking.
• Resistance bands. Add some resistance to your exercise and tone up muscles. So easy and so cheap!
• Kettlebell is sometimes better than dumbbells. They come in varying weights. Start with 3 pounds and work your way up slowly. This is a two-for-one deal on the exercise because kettlebells also add Cardio to the muscle toning exercises.
• Stability Balls are fun. Great way to do sit-ups and tone up back, stomach, legs and arms. Use it to sit on while you are at your desk, it helps to build your core muscles.
• Exercise mat will allow you to stretch comfortably, cushion your body during floor exercises, and prevent slipping while lifting weights. Plus, they can roll up out of the way for storage if your space is limited.
• Workout DVDs are great no matter what your exercise level or goals. There are many workouts made specifically for beginners and it's great for those of us on a limited budget. Plus you can exercise in the privacy of your own home and you won't have to shell out a lot of cash for expensive club fees!

NOTE: Always consult your physician before beginning any diet and/or exercise program.