But with all the many benefits to running, we don’t want these dangers to scare you out of running, just be smart and use these tips to ensure you have a safe run! Here are 7 Safety Tips for Running Outdoors from Running.About.com, be sure to check out the whole article with their complete list.

1- Use Common Sense. Before you head out be sure your shoes are tied, you have a route your familiar with, someone else knows where you’ll be…things such as these that may sound tedious often get overlooked and can put you danger.

“Once you start running, continue with the safety checks. Make sure you’re running off the street or against traffic (so you can see cars coming at you). Watch out for cracks or bumps in the sidewalk, or rocks and branches on your running path.”

2- Make Sure You’re Visible. Even if you are running in broad daylight, be sure you are visible to cars in all aspects, as to position yourself and wear appropriate colored clothing. “Get in the habit of wearing white or bright-colored clothes.”

Although you should avoid wearing dark colors as this during night runs…

3- Don’t Run Alone At Night. No matter how comfortable you may feel in your neighborhood at night, “there’s always more safety in numbers.” Ask a family member or friend to join you, or there are plenty of running groups out there where you can find someone in your area that is also looking for a running partner. Check out How to Find a Running Group for some tips.

4- Always Have Identification on You. “Although it may seem like an inconvenience to carry an ID around with you during your runs, it will help save rescuers time and possibly your life if you have some sort of identification on you. It’s also a good idea to make sure you have an emergency contact number, just in case anything were to happen, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

5- Limit Your Distractions. “I know it’s tough — maybe impossible — for some of you to run without music,” but this can cut off your sense of hearing putting you at risk of not hearing oncoming cars, or any other potential threats. “And make sure you pay attention to your surroundings. If you let your mind wander too much, you may find yourself wandering into an unsafe area.”

6- Don’t Make Assumptions About Drivers. “Don’t assume that drives can see you or that they’ll let you go because you have the right of way.” I’m sure many of us can admit to not always paying attention, either jamming out to the song on the radio or talking on our cell phone, or even engaged in a conversation with someone else in the car. “Be sure you make eye contact with drivers at stress crossing before you cross. And, better yet, try to stay off the roads as much as possible and stick to running in parks or on paths and sidewalks.”

7- Trust your instincts. ”If a location or person makes you feel comfortable, trust your gut and run in the other direction.”

 Forget to breathe – Deep and rhythmic breathing is one of the most important fundamentals in yoga. Deep breathing during your yoga moves helps oxygenate your muscles, keeps you relaxed and focused and increases your centered-ness. Many people who practice yoga get caught up in the moves and forget to breathe, while others struggle to take deep breaths during the exercise. If you’re having trouble breathing during yoga, take a step back from the difficulty of the exercises to re-center yourself.

Improper diet – You need to eat the right kind of foods before you hit the mat. Some things to look for are foods that offer hydration, fructose (for energy), vitamin C, and fiber. A few pre-yoga foods include apples, almonds, oatmeal, and lemonade diet powder.

 No focus – Yoga without focus is stretching. The best yoga sessions happen when you are fully engaged in the exercises and aren’t practicing on autopilot. If you find your mind wandering to your to-do list during your yoga session, chances are you need to mix it up a bit. Learn a new pose or take your session to a new area to get you back on the right track.

 You ignore your body – “No pain, no gain?” Not in yoga. Pain is nature’s way of telling you that your body has stretched too far. Yoga should be painless, and if you experience pain or pulling, you may be doing a pose the wrong way or performing above your skill level. Additionally, your body will tell you if you need a rest day or if you need to cut your session short. Pay attention to what your body is telling you; it will save you from injury and will also help you feel more connected and aware.

Follow your teacher to a tee – If you’re part of a yoga class, you might look to your teacher as a mentor and guru for your yoga sessions. It’s great to learn from and follow someone who knows the ins and outs of yoga, but following your teacher blindly can lead to injury. If you feel like your session is becoming too difficult, exercise your right to modify your poses; don’t’ feel like you have to imitate your instructor just to please him or her. Go at your own pace, and if your instructor is pushing you to do a pose you’re not comfortable doing, find a new instructor!

 Too much, too fast – Yoga is a great, low-impact exercise, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Like with any exercise, your body needs time to rest between yoga sessions. Think of yoga in terms of strength training – if you plan to do sessions daily, alternate types of yoga or poses that alternate muscle groups in order to avoid overtaxing and injuring your body.

 Compete with others – You wouldn’t dream of competing with an Olympic runner or playing football with an NFL pro. Yoga has the same theory. Each person practicing a sport has a different skill level, and this is especially true in community yoga classes or classes taught at local gyms, where people with a variety of skill levels exercise together. Comparing yourself to others in the class gets in the way of your own journey for self-discovery, an important part of yoga, and keeps you from getting everything you can out of the discipline.

About the Author- Kennith Campbell is a personal training specializing in slideboard exercises. He enjoys sharing his passion for fitness and making the world a healthier place.

Whether you are a seasoned exercise veteran, or someone looking to get started, some outdoor exercise might be just what you need to get the gears moving again. Check out some simple exercises that can really pack a punch!

Walking and Jogging

Walking is a simple exercise that almost anyone can do. It is fairly easy on the heart, joints and muscles, which makes it the ideal outdoor exercise for older people or new exercisers. All one needs to go walking is a good pair of athletic shoes! A 150 pound person who walks at a moderate pace can burn about 270 calories per hour. A 180 pound person can burn over 300 calories per hour. Take a walk around your neighborhood after dinner, or maybe take a trip to a nearby park for some trail walking.

Cycling

Cycling is not only a great exercise, but it can also be used as a method of transportation. A Saturday ride around town or in the country can provide many benefits physically, and can also be a great way to see the outdoors in a new light! Try hitting the streets alone, or maybe in a group for a nice fulfilling cruise.

Sports

During the summer months it is great to get a group together and stay active. Some organized sports are a great way to get together with friends, while also staying fit. Some great sports to play are tennis, soccer, football, or anything else that gets the blood pumping and the body moving!

Bad Weather?

Bad weather is a fact of life. Fortunately, you can still exercise at home and get in great shape! Home gym equipment such as treadmills and ellipticals can keep you in shape on those rainy days!

Walking, jogging, cycling and swimming are just a few of the many outdoor exercises that can help improve a person’s mental and physical health. Put down the remote and step outside!

Exercises for Biceps

The biceps exercises are mostly done with barbells and dumbbells. Varying the dumbbell weights and positions will help to work out the biceps muscles. Some of the exercises designed for the biceps are :

• Standing barbell curls
• Standing dumbbell curls
• Dumbbell hammer curls
• Inclined dumbbell curls

The above exercises work out the biceps in conjunction with the forearms. Exercises that isolate and target the biceps are:

• Preacher curls
• Dumbbell concentration curls

These exercises help to effect intense workout in the biceps.

Exercises for Triceps

Triceps exercises are targeted on the chest muscles. The close grip bench press is a basic triceps exercise. Lying barbell extensions, triceps dumbbell extensions, triceps push down, triceps dumbbell kick backs and triceps bench dips are some of the exercises that target the muscles in the chest area.

You can do both biceps and triceps exercises together or separately, in case you feel that the shoulder muscles and forearms are stressed out. It is not necessary that you need equipment to work your biceps and triceps. They can be done even without weights. Using the floor and the walls, the edges and corners of your room you can easily work them out.

Home exercises to strengthen the biceps and triceps

Some of the easy to do at home exercises are: traditional pushups, close grip wall pushups, advanced bench dips and upward facing dog, which is an intensive yoga pose. A structured set of repetitive exercises will help to strengthen the arms. You need to take a break to rest your arms in between repetitions. For the exercises to be really effective, you need to step up the resistance gradually till you reach the highest intensity.

A number of exercises can be done at home, with or without weights, to help strengthen the arms. Callisthenic exercises refer to those that use your own body weight and you can do them anywhere. Common things that can be found around at home like wrist weights, resistance tubing, bands, or dumbbells can be used as resistance weights.

A good at home exercise for biceps is the biceps curls. In this exercise, the muscles are activated to pull the weights from bottom to top. Triceps extensions are the best way to work out triceps muscles at home. In this exercise, the weight is lifted over the head and rested on the lower neck. You need to hold on till the contraction. Chair dips; raising your body from the chair with the help of your arms strengthens the triceps muscles. Well toned biceps and triceps helps to have an attractive physique and make you noticeable in the crowd. Toned biceps and triceps are a necessity for those in the modeling profession.

Author Bio: Marguerite being a fitness enthusiast loves to blog on fitness and topics related to fitness. You can check out her latest post on How to lose belly fat on her website.

Six Pack Workout and Music

I’m reminded of this because of a six pack workout I do using music.  Numerous studies have shown that the right music can make or break your six pack work out; too slow and it simply annoys you-too fast and you can’t keep up.  Any music you hear at any workout in the gym has been carefully selected to maximize your endurance while keeping your mind occupied.  The science behind this is legitimate and still being explored, but the floating, flowing feeling you get when you are in the middle of a perfect routine – six pack workout or otherwise – is generated to some extent by music.

Six Pack Workout Music-Make it Personal

Most music for a six pack workout will have a fairly steady beat and be something that gets you stimulated and ready to go.  Many times, clubs will use the latest pop or dance songs for this purpose.  Personally, I’ve designed my own six pack workout music comprised mostly of heavy metal and alternative.  While I can put up with just about anything, that is my personal favorite six pack abs workout music.  Some people like to use the pop music or dance/electronic for their six pack workout routines, others use rap or Latin music.  The entire idea is to use music that you find personally inspiring to rev up your six pack workout.

Six Pack Workout with Music-Classes

I’ve written previously about how I enjoy doing weight training classes to music.  Aside from a killer six pack workout, they give an excellent all-over weight workout in about an hour.  I have experience using both Les Mills’ Body Pump and Group Power by Body Systems Inc.

These systems allow you to do a quick and hard weight session covering all of the muscle groups, and the six pack workout they provide can’t be beat.  While the differences in each system are not great, I like Group Power more primarily because of its music!  By the end of the session, I’m ready to go on to more six pack workout moves on my own.

Plus, I recently learned that the folks at Les Mills’ Body Pump have released a home edition! This, in my opinion is the best six pack workout you will find.  There are multiple DVD’s and the weights and bar you need to do the full workout, plus several manuals/diet guides as well.  There are several DVD’s of six pack workouts alone!  What music do you use for your six pack workout?

Mr. Health has been a personal trainer for over a decade with expertise in numerous areas of concentration including functional strength, core strength, and numerous other areas. Health and wellness topics have always been a secret pleasure of mine.

Mr. Health takes deep pride in working and studying areas that could benefit special populations. These are groups, which are normally turned away by most trainers as the trainer seems to fear the condition of the potential client.

Everything I share with you is what I have learned as a personal trainer who researches health based topics as if it was my sole purpose.

But creating mouth-watering concoctions such as cookies and cake, and making it healthy, is this even possible? Definitely, it is very plausible. There are a good number of very reliable internet sources who have embraced replacing not so healthy ingredients with healthier options. Case in point would be white flour, hydrogenated shortening, and white sugar. Many baking experts claim that recipes for baked goods are very flexible. And by replacing primary ingredients with healthier alternatives, not only is this better for your health, it does not sacrifice the yumminess of the baked product.

Now what will replace white flour? Number one alternative for this is whole wheat flour. However, if there are some baked products which would require a finer texture, then whole wheat pastry flour is the best option for you. Another healthy alternative to experiment on is multi-grain such as corn meal and oatmeal. However, before totally using these two ingredients as a complete replacement for white flour, you might want to try baking in small quantities at first since the end result might not be as desired. It would work best if you look for recipes which mention corn meal and oatmeal as the primary ingredient instead of white flour.

The next important ingredient which may be replaced with a healthier alternative is white sugar. It may seem improbable but there is a wide array of healthier options to replace this ingredient. Number one alternative is Sucanat which is short for sugar cane natural which is derived from evaporated whole cane juice. This is readily available in most organic and health shops. However, experimentation with this type of sugar replacement is required since replacement is not one-to-one. Reducing sugar content in the recipe is possible however this may affect the final product, making it drier than what is expected. Replacing one quarter of the sugar with powdered milk is an alternative you might want to try. Other organic replacements for sugar may include honey, molasses, and maple syrup.

The third and last ingredient which has a healthier alternative is hydrogenated fats. Pureed fruit juice to replace this ingredient is the most recommended and healthier option. Butter and shortening may also be replaced with liquid oil. Definitely a better option but this affects the crispiness of cookies. If you use liquid oil, cookies tend to end up not as soft and chewy, but this does not affect the delicacy and taste of the baked product. Thus, knowing how each ingredient affects your body and using healthier alternatives is something you should ponder about for a more healthy and slimmer you. But if you want to buy healthy made cookies or cakes for your celebration events in Perth, you can find it. If the pastiers don’t make healthy cakes, you can always try to ask them. Bust most of them are already making this kind of healthy sin.

Great thing about Thursday though means another round of…..

TEACH ME THURSDAY! 

With all the talk of stressful time of getting through finals, made me think of the PERFECT workout for de-stressing… YOGA!

Yoga helps to relieve stress by calming you, as well as loosen those tightened muscles you may have from holding on to all that stress. Some moves also help increase circulation, which help to give you a little energy boost! Perfect workout to help get through finals, or any other stressful and fatigued time.

Do a round of these 7 poses, and you’ll be clear minded and relaxed in no time!

Tree Pose

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Shifting your weight to your right foot, raise left foot and let it “rest either against the inside of your right ankle (beginner), just above the inside of your right knee (intermediate), or at the top inside of your right thigh (advanced).”

Benefits: The position improves balance and strengthens thighs, calves, and ankles. While improving your balance and coordination, this pose helps you to focus and concentrate more clearly.

The Triangle

Stand with your legs spread apart, about twice the length of shoulder-width. Turn your right foot out 90degrees, so your toes are pointing out in front of you. Pivot your left foot inwards slightly. Align the right heel with the left heel. Raise your arms parallel to the floor, stretching actively from fingertip to fingertip. Extend your torso to the right, firmly placing left heel to the ground while slowly lowering hand to rest on your shin, ankle, or on the floor outside your right foot (depending on your level). At the same time stretch your left arm toward the ceiling, shoulders aligned keeping your arms perpendicular to the floor. Stay in the pose for 30seconds to 1 minute, switch feet and repeat on other side.

Benefits: Improves coordination and balance. The triangle pose gives a complete stretch through the whole body which loosens any tight muscles you may have from holding that stress in.

The Warrior pose

Leaving feet about 4 feet apart. Raise arms parallel to the floor, palms down, actively stretching out to the sides. Turn your right foot in slightly to the right while turning your left foot about 90 degrees to the left and bend the knee, making sure to keep the knee cap in line with the ankle. Your shin should be perpendicular to the floor. “ Keep the sides of the torso equally long and the shoulders directly over the pelvis. Press the tailbone slightly toward the pubis. Turn the head to the left and look out over the fingers.” Hold this pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute, switch feet and repeat on the other side.

Benefits: Strengthens abdominal muscles, arms, and legs. Opens the chest and the groin area. Increases stamina.

Spinal Flex/Camel Ride

“Sit with legs crossed, holding onto calves or shins. Inhale and lift chest forward and up. Inhale and exhale as you round spine, chin to chest. Start slowly and increase pace steadily. Continue for three minutes.” 

Benefits: This movement releases blocked energy in the spine.

Arm Pumps

Interlace fingers in front of you. Clasp hands so knuckles face out, palms in. Inhale, bring arms up and overhead. Exhale, lower hands down to knees. Continue this motion with a strong breath, inhaling arms up, exhaling arms down. Start with 3 minutes and build up to 7 minutes. To finish, inhale with arms up. Hold the breath for 15 seconds. Exhale and release hands down.

Benefits: The pumping motion stimulates energy flow from the spinal column to other parts of the body.

Lateral Child’s Pose

Kneel on the floor with your big toes touching, sit on your heels with your knees about hip width apart. Laying head down to floor, hold for 10 seconds. Then gently walk your hands to one side, feeling a stretch along the ribs and shoulder on your other side. Take deep breath, exhale and then gently walk your hands in the opposite side, taking another deep breath.

Benefits: This pose stretches the knees and lower back. It gets blood flowing to the brain and helps relieve fatigue.

Corpse Pose

This is the most basic of all yoga poses, and is the perfect way to end the relaxation process. Relax completely on your back (like a corpse, get it?!). The arms and legs are spread at about 45 degrees, eyes close and breathing deep. You’ll want your whole body completely relaxed onto the floor while concentrating only on your chest and abdomen rising and falling with each breath. Rest here for 5 minutes or until you are ready to tackle that stress!!!

Benefits: This resting pose is a complete relaxation of the entire body and is said to eliminate fatigue and relieve stress.

Try out some of these relaxing yoga poses to help you make it to the weekend!

What is your favorite way to de-stress?!

Ever do yoga when feeling stressed out and fatigued?

Any fun weekend plans?! It is Cinco de Mayo Saturday!!!

I get to go spend the weekend with the boy’s family, his sister is graduating with her Bachelor’s! Along with Cinco de Mayo on Saturday…talk about party time.

On to another note….Anyone else have finals going on this week?! Oh torture aren’t they! I know I can’t be the only one who likes to challenge myself to see how much studying I can fit into one week, when really we all knew this week was coming MONTHS ago!

So thus finals week= no sleep=lots of caffeine!

But we all know the loads of caffeine, especially those energy drinks with the endless amounts of unknown ingredients, are not safe!

source

So although many turn to those over-loaded caffeinated energy drinks to fuel us through this dreaded week, there are many other natural food and drink options to help you get through your day. What you eat can ultimately affect your energy levels and mood, because I know I turn into quite a witch during this time!

So here are some tips and foods that should help you power through your finals with some help of WebMd:

Choose smart carbs: Carbohydrates are your body’s ideal source for energy, but choosing complex carbs over simple are going to supply you with the right long-lasting energy. In many times of stress and fatigue, people reach for food, and specifically simple carbs such as chips, candy, soft drinks, and cookies, anything loaded with the sugars! Instead we should be turning to complex carbs. According to this article, “complex carbohydrates take a bit longer to be digested and absorbed into the body. They also take longer to breakdown and therefore provide energy at a slower rate than simple sugars.” Foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes are all examples of complex carbs.

source

Drink Up: Now I know what you’re all thinking… it’s finals week, you’re stressed out, have a drink to relax…NO! I don’t mean that kind of drink, drink up on some water!!! Dehydration and fatigue go hand –in-hand. Even being mildly hydrated is going to slow down your metabolism, and then in turn drain all your energy. So make sure during your day, and especially during your study sessions, you are staying hydrated with water, and no those energy drinks!

Exercise Regularly: I know many think during finals week they have absolutely no time to work out, but in reality taking out those 30 minutes to get in a good run on the treadmill is only going to help you! An article I recently read stated: “Those that exercise regularly will tell you that although it’s sometimes hard to make the time to exercise, you will find yourself being less stressed throughout the day.” Exercising releases chemicals in your brain that leave you feeling more relaxed. I like to warm-up and cool down on my treadmill at home while reading over notes, that way you kill two birds with one stone! It’s also going to give you a burst of energy by delivering oxygen and nutrients to your tissues, helping your body to work more efficiently and giving you more energy.

source

Coffee or Tea: I know we talked about the load of caffeine in drinks and how unsafe they can be, but in small doses coffee and tea can actually be great sources of caffeine. Frequent smaller servings still have the power to keep you alert and focused. Tea also contains “the amino acid L-theanine and can improve alertness, reaction time, and memory.”

source

Get enough sleep: I know this can be the killer, who has time for sleep during finals?! As much as eating these complex carbs, drinking the coffee/tea and exercising regularly, you cannot function without sleep. Sleep deprivation not only causes more stress and anxiety, but it slows your mental performance and also weakens your immune system, which is the last thing you want is to get sick during finals week.

Try out these tips to help you not only get through finals week, but every other week as well! And good luck with finals!!!

Any tips you use to get through finals, or stressful days you have?!

What’s your favorite pick me up snack?!

I love peanut butter and apples! The protein in the peanut butter, and the natural caffeine in apples usually gives me a good pick me up!

]]> http://www.suchgoodexercise.com/getting-through-finals-week/feed/ 1 http://www.suchgoodexercise.com/guest-post-will-losing-weight-make-me-happier/ http://www.suchgoodexercise.com/guest-post-will-losing-weight-make-me-happier/#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:26:13 +0000 admin http://www.suchgoodexercise.com/?p=455 Continue reading →]]> Weight loss coach and author Natasa Denman wrote me an article on whether she believes losing the weight makes us happier, you’d be surprised what this weight loss coach thinks!

In our day in age, so many of us think we need to look that certain way to be happy, and until we reach that weight loss goal we will never be fully satisfied and happy with ourselves. She explains that this should not be the case! You must find happiness first to be able to reach your goals!

Thanks again Natasa Denman!

Will Losing Weight Make Me Happier?

Absolutely not!  Losing weight will not make you happier.  How can a person whose business it is to coach people in losing weight and creating a new mindset blueprint for sustainable success and results be saying this?  Is she trying to kill her business?  Send people elsewhere?

No, I am here to be as honest as possible and tell you the truth.  In today’s world we are so used to setting standards and rules around what will make us happy.  We have all heard: When I have more money I will be happy, when I am in a relationship I will be happy, my children make me happy, when I lose my weight I will be happy.

Happiness is not dependent on external factors, people or circumstances.  It is our natural state.  We can choose to be happy at any given moment.  It is all the rules we make for what makes us happy or sad that has this effect on us.

We do not need to be achieving goals to be happy.  Weight loss is a goal, but how about starting off with being happy first, then achieving your goal.  Happily achieving your goals will get you a lot further!

So losing weight will not make you happier in your life.  If you were happy to start with and lost the weight you will end up with a better quality life.  Things such as your confidence, self-esteem, energy, health, relationships with self and others, your partner, and the ability to fit in to clothes that you have always dreamt of wearing will be amplified ten-fold.

Losing weight is not the solution to all of your problems.  Problems are a great thing to have.  The more you grow and learn the better quality problems you will have to deal with.  Life comes with problems and challenges.  It’s a package deal.  Don’t wish you had less of them; hope that you grow as an individual so that you start seeing higher quality problems that will raise you to the next level.

Remember, at any point in time, at any place and with any person you can be happy should you choose it.  Check where your focus is, stand up tall, look up, breathe deeper and choose a resourceful state.  And just as an added bonus, pop your pointer finger in your mouth horizontally between your teeth.  Notice what your muscles on your face are doing.  I hope that you are smiling – this action releases serotonin in your brain that in turn makes you feel great.

Natasa Denman, The Ultimate Weight Loss Coach and author of ‘The 7 Ultimate Secrets To Weight Loss’. To learn more of my strategies and tips on setting yourself up for Weight Loss Success visit my website www.ultimateweightloss.com.au and become a member for free. Make the change in your life today. Remember, there are only two times in your life, now and too late.