Cardiovascular

Having an integrated fitness plan, with a focus on cardiovascular, strength and flexibility activities is a strategy that will keep you healthy, in shape and free of injuries. It seems as if each of us tend to prefer certain types of fitness activities. Favorites exist for any number of reasons such as familiarity, skill level, […]
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Fitness starts in your head.

The desire to be fit, whatever the motivation, starts upstairs. And when I say upstairs, I mean in the brain. My passion for being fit is is renewed every time I research health and wellness topics, specific aerobic activities, strength training moves or strategies to improve my flexibility. Identify your health role models and regularly […]
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Benefits of and motivation for physical activity

The benefits of physical activity are many and can put you on a path to a greater level of health and wellness. Take up those physical activities that work for you as part of your daily routines. Mayo Clinic lists the following benefits: 1: Exercise controls weight 2: Exercise combats health conditions and diseases 3: […]
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Choose smaller fat and sugar free coffee drinks.

I was elementary school age the first time I tried coffee. My aunt and uncle would load up their houseboat and take my siblings and I over to a sandbar on the Illinois River. We would wade out in the river to ride the waves from the passing barges and come back to the beach […]
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Choose fruit

Yum-look what I had with my breakfast this morning!  What a beautiful juicy satsuma.  “Satsuma [sat-SOO-muh]  – A loose-skinned orange, it is a type of seedless mandarin orange with thin skin. In most citrus producing areas, satsuma mandarin is the preferred name, but satsuma tangerine is also used. The fruit from a young tree averages 1.8 inches in diameter, […]
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Choose water

For many, calories from sugared beverages, including flavored waters, adds significantly to their daily total intake. Make sure you know exactly how many empty calories you could be drinking. Choose water first. WebMD lists the “Seven Wonders of Water”: Stay slimmer with water Boost your energy with water Lower stress with water Build muscle tone […]
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Sugared beverages

When I was growing up my beverage choices were water or milk, except for the occasional soda I was offered on weekends! On hot sunny days I would come into the house and have a glass of cool tap water or sit down for dinner and have a glass of ice-cold milk. “Stop sipping sugared […]
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Quit Smoking Plan

I remember vividly when my mom stopped smoking.  While I was in college, she and my sister came to visit me with my beautiful new niece Dawn and my mom had stopped smoking!  I also know from my conversations with her that she mentioned numerous times that “quitting smoking was the hardest thing she has […]
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Quit Smoking for Your Loved Ones

My sons were both under two years old and never got to know my dad due to his smoking habit.  They were middle school age when my father-in-law passed away so they have memories of him, but most of those memories are of him being out of breath and unable to walk, along with his […]
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Quit Smoking For Yourself

My mom smoked for 25 years and decided to quit smoking with the birth of her first grandchild.  She also hoped that if she stopped smoking, it would support and encourage my dad to quit smoking. Sadly, he died of lung cancer due to his three pack-a-day habit at the age of 66.  My father-in-law […]
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