whole body market

Aren’t you glad Spring is finally here. Soon you’ll be wearing lighter clothing, you’ll spend more time outside, and if you are like most people you’ll want to start getting back into shape. Winter can be harsh in more ways than one. People tend to add extra weight due to holidays. And it’s easy to hide that extra pound or two under the comfort of winter clothes. Well, time to come out from all of that and take a good look in the mirror. Months of inactivity has done a number on your body. But now that it’s spring let the games begin. What I really mean it’s time to work on losing that weight and getting your body strong again. It shouldn’t have come to this but it has so expect some sweat and some aches to start.

When was the last time you took a long walk. Yes I know before the snow came right? Well to start get yourself out there and take a brisk walk. Do this a few times in the week and you’ll start to rev up your energy level. Once that energy is up start working on some toning exercises. Try Pilates. You’ve heard of it. Nothing gets your core strength up more than doing Pilates exercises. A stronger core means you’ll feel even better moving about just doing everyday normal activities. And don’t forget to do some weight training. Keeping muscles strong is important especially if you are reaching middle age.

Spring is almost here and soon summer will be upon us. And for many who live in the colder regions of our country thoughts start to pop up into our heads about getting in swimsuit shape. If this is the case with you my question would be why have you waited so long? Is the warm weather the reason you all at once become motivated? Staying in shape throughout the entire year should be on your mind. Motivation is a good thing. It keeps us excited of new possibilities, but getting it part of the time seems as if you will eventually wane from it and resort back to old habits.

Instead of going on crash diet, busting your butt to burn off those extra winter pounds you put on, wouldn’t it be less stressful to try to maintain a healthy weight throughout? Feeling fit an healthy is motivating enough. If you have that then you won’t make that same New Years resolution you have been doing for years. Being motivated to exercise takes some doing I’ll admit. But once you train your body to do it and you become aware of the fine results getting yourself up for new life challenges will seem attainable.

Now that the 2010 Olympic Games are finished will the inspiration of these conditioned athletes be forgotten or will it make you start setting your own fitness goals? It really shouldn’t take the Olympics to get one off the couch and into the gym. Yet if you are one of the many who have made getting in better shape a priority than you most likely have realized that these last two weeks have made your body feel better about itself. Most likely you are sleeping better, have gain more stamina and endurance and your setting realistic goals that can be obtained. Just think how much better you’re going to be physically in shape by the 2012 games in London England. Let the games begin!

Personal trainers don’t get enough credit. You watch these Olympic athletes compete and all you see is strength, grace and determination. What you don’t see is what it took to get that competitor to that Olympian level. To stay focused and motivated for four years only to watch a skier win a race but two one hundredth of a second is amazing. What’s more amazing is how close all the competitors are in time or scoring. Personal trainers or personal coaches who put together the workout programs and monitor an athlete’s progress are doing something right.

Now step back an evaluate your workout routine and goals. I’m talking about the non-Olympian. Are you a loner and just do what you want with no set rules or are you working with a personal trainer? If you have a personal trainer you know how hard that trainer works to not only keep you motivated but how careful that trainer is in making sure you are doing the exercises correctly. When you do exercises correctly you get more bang for the buck, but less stress on muscle and joints and it will help you avoid injury. Give personal trainers their do. They are more knowledgeable than you. Without them you might find yourself doing more harm than good.

If only you had the time, right? Olympic athletes are a committed bunch. Yes they make time. They have a fit coach. They set goals. And they struggle too. Just because you are an Olympic contender doesn’t mean smooth sailing. Think of the hard work they put in four years worth for that brief moment of destiny. Now how committed are you when it comes to getting in shape? Do you find yourself making excuses or putting workouts off until another day or days? We all have busy schedules. Maybe watching these Olympic games will get you inspired to think about your fitness level, improving your core strength, increasing your flexibility and toning up your body. Olympian workouts include realistic short and long term goals. If you look at it that way you too can achieve success. You may not win the gold but not many do.

Watching Olympian athletes compete you get the strong sense that balance fitness and core training is a big part of their exercise routines. How can it not be? The strength they possess just to keep themselves on their feet in some cases at high speeds is simply amazing. Just watching skiers fly down the mountain under control you have to know that these are not weekend warriors. Training for them is a year round job and it shows. Throw in some plyometrics and flexibility workouts and you too can train like an Olympian but most non-athletes don’t have the time to workout out so professionally.

Let it not stop you to at least try. Find yourself a personal trainer and make a commitment of time and energy to follow your trainer’s lead and you will be on your way to a better and energetic you. So what if you don’t speed skate or tackle the moguls? There are plenty other activities to conquer.

Okay am I missing something with this treadmill bike? It looks like a scooter - a long chassis scooter at that, so I have to wonder if one spends more time concentrating on walking and feet position than one does looking up to see what’s up ahead on the road. Watch your balance there dude. Personally I don’t like to mix my exercise machines like a hybrid fruit combination of say peach and lemon. The Leach fruit (that’s what I’ll call it) doesn’t sound so appealing nor does the treadmill bicycle for that matter.

If you going to buy an exercise machine why not just a bicycle or fitness cycle or just a plain old treadmill. Listen I applaud the creativity I just don’t like the execution. What would be next maybe the stepper bike? If you going to get serious about exercise you can do better with just a treadmill or just an exercise bike. And if burning calories is the goal than stick to the proven machines or not. Walking is a great exercise and you won’t spend money on broken parts.

When it comes to water rehabilitation for anyone that is recovering from injury or those post surgical patients it’s best to look at keeping one’s head above water. Water exercise products that help you stay buoyant is a good place to start. The Aqua Jogger belt which comes in many models takes in consideration the shape of the users body. Whether you are male or female, short or have a wider waist this product line has it covered. But it doesn’t stop there. Variable resistance water dumbbells that come in various resistant levels from light to maximum allow the user to build upper body strength when doing water exercises. Another water trainer piece of equipment are the Aqua Runners. This foot gear makes working out in deep water more like running without the hard impact the lower body goes through if you jogged on the street. The TriFit bars are a great swimming stability aid for children. It also helps adults keep their balance and provides another way to strength the upper body. Working out in the pool can benefit all ages and abilities. Water resistance training revs up the heart rate and the exercises will keep your body toned.

Somehow you might be wondering why would anybody think chocolate and exercise would go together or even spoken at all? C’mon, do you really think I am being serious? Well, I am. Listen Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and embrace it. Have a little taste of sweetness. And don’t feel so guilty. If you are the type of person that makes exercise a part of your lifestyle than what’s the big deal?
One day to yourself to enjoy the pleasures of chocolate won’t pack on the pounds, unless of course you eat the whole box!

I remember as a kid, well sometimes I still do it was to take a little bite of a piece of chocolate from a box of assorted varieties and put it back. My parents hated when I did that. Or I would just take the best tasty treat in the box and leave no other choices for them. This year I will try hard to avoid buying the big box and settle on a nice dark chocolate bar that has at least seventy percent cocoa. You know that dark chocolate contains many antioxidants. So take a bite of chocolate after you exercise. Just don’t make it a habit. After all chocolate is still high in fat and calories.  Try to make that bar last a week. You’re disciplined enough, right?

Nothing wrong with a little workout management. We manage businesses and home finances so why not manage your exercises? One of the more popular apps coming out of iTunes is the iFitness app. It’s clean and ease of use makes it handy to bring along to the gym to keep track of your custom workouts. Will it replace a personal trainer? Probably not. It’s a fun piece of technology that will chart your fitness progress for a little sum of $1.99. It’s sort of a novelty. But can you do better without it? If you are a regular gym goer you most likely have your routine down. If you are looking for help with an exercise you might ask a fellow workout partner for advise. If you can help someone else you would. You are not the kind of person who will want to build a program through an app and waste your time on your phone plugging in your progress. If on the other hand you are a novice with exercise and keeping track of your workouts is important to your growth and development than this may be a cool tool to own. There are other fitness apps out in the marketplace but chances are they have their limits and their appeals too. Different strokes for different folks.

Here are some answers to some of the questions we often hear from people who are interested in taking Pilates individual classes or group mat classes but have yet to start. A Pilates studio should be well equipped with exercise equipment, but many devotees of Pilates will also supplement their needs with some smaller home Pilates equipment.

Who can do Pilates?
From teenagers to senior citizens. People with physical issues. But be aware of the do it at home videos. You may end up injured. It’s best to hire a certified Pilates instructor who will be able to access your physical level. Look for one in your area. A good teacher will take your personal needs and develop a workout plan just for you.

How often should I do Pilates?
It all depends how active you are and what other forms of exercise you do during a week. Twice a week would be nice but at least try to do one session a week.

Will I lose weight doing Pilates?
Pilates helps you tone and strengthen your body. It is nice to add Pilates into your weight loss program, but other lifestyle factors come into play too. It’s important to eat healthy and watch your portion sizes. Pilates is not a typical cardio workout but it will rev up your heart rate.

Am I going to get big muscles?
Pilates doesn’t bulk you up. Pilates helps you achieve long lean muscles.

If you are like me you may find some fitness tips in lifestyle magazines worthy of attention. The ones that seem to be the most popular are with celebrities. Here it doesn’t matter if a celeb’s last movie role was centuries ago. Their personal struggles with weight gain and lose has gotten you hooked. Their new fitness routine implemented by the latest personal trainer to the stars has made you a fan. But what really does it for me are the “real people” testimonials. No star treatment. No special attention. Just average folks struggling with similar problems leading similar lives.

If reading testimonials give you inspiration to act out a fitness plan for yourself than that is a good start. Consult with your physician then find yourself a good personal trainer. Be realistic in your goals. Who knows someday your story may be inspiration for others.

Time to throw out that old yoga mat bag and get with the current eco trend by buying yoga products that are healthy for our planet. That said one doesn’t have to look any further than yoga bags made by the Yogoco. These stylish mat bags are not only handsome but are extremely functional and versatile. Designed with not one but two separate compartments that keeps the sweaty mat and clean personal items apart. Why hasn’t anyone one thought of this idea before? It doesn’t matter because now we have this yoga products and you could choose from nine unique mat bags. So get to your yoga studio guilt free knowing that what you are carrying is eco friendly.

Nothing dates a movie more than seeing the handsome leading man grab for his cell phone. And it doesn’t matter when that cell phone pops up in a scene. Cell phone designs seem to change every few months. It used to be you can date a movie by hairstyles or clothes, but these days with movie companies cross marketing with consumer goods like the iPhone, BMW or Rolex it seems the paying movie goer will certainly see some two second film close-ups. And there lies the dilemma. Technology changes.

Thinking about the fitness industry and its bags of consumer goods, will the professional stability ball ever be looked at in exercise videos the same way as the cell phone? Probably not. A ball is round and reinventing it isn’t high up there on the food chain. That being said, exercises do change with the times. Personal trainers creatively conjure up new ways to get your heart pumping and get you fit and trim. Personal trainers will not go out of style. How they train you may be different. Online fitness training is becoming more popular as more and more people look to the Internet for exercise videos and weight loss programs.

This time of year it seems there is endless holiday parties to go to from office to friends homes to family gatherings. Although it is fun to partake in holiday cheer too much of it in a short period of time can send your body into shock. I’m being dramatic here. But its true the body isn’t use to all the extra stimulation. And I’m talking about food and drink. So what do you need to do to when you face these situations? Enjoy yourself!

Let’s face it. Sometimes you just need to let go and enjoy the moment. You can do it because you will know when to stop. When you exercise you look for a routine that you can follow, that you can commit to, and that you know will bring results. Getting off the wagon during holiday season isn’t that bad. Just know when to say when. Just find some time to do a little exercise even if its not your normal routine.