My boyfriend recently got a pedometer from the health program where he works, and boy, you really start to realize it if you move too little on certain days. It really hits you that, yes, you barely moved today or were a couch potato, when you have a little tool you can check at the end of the day as proof of your immobility. It is really mostly a wake up call that if you are not moving around and walking enough, you are really in for a hard, long road when it comes to your health over the years.

Most women would rather not get on a Horizon treadmill or elliptical machine too soon after they give birth to their children, and about 6-8 weeks after giving birth, this is the right choice for women, according to most doctors.

Most physicians recommend that new moms do not resume any type of vigorous physical activity for about 6-8 weeks after they have a new baby, and that is really only for women who were used to exercising vigorously before getting pregnant and during the first few months of pregnancy.

In a surprising twist, and what is counter to what you’d think, apparently Americans are saying that they are more active than ever, but their weight is not tipping the scale in the downward direction as you would think would correlate to the increase in activity in traditionally more sedentary Americans.

According to new statistics, men and women both answered surveys asking about their physical activity levels, and both answered that their physical activity was on what was considered an active level, which went up several percentage points between the two from years past.

Two problems that exist on a global basis and a national basis can be addresed at the same time. Global warming is a problem of great concern to all of the world. In America, obesity is at epidemic proportions and is a major threat to our nation’ s health.

We can address both of these problems by choosing to walk or bicycle ride to our destinations instead of driving our cars. This sounds like a small measure, but if all Americans walked or rode a bike instead of taking their cars for half an hour a day, carbon dioxide emissions would be cut by 64 million tons.

I probably shouldn’t be posting this, seeing how this is a fitness blog, and we should talk about how bad excess baggage (fat and weight) is bad for the health, but secretly I think when I read this I rejoiced, because it always seems I have an extra 5-10 pounds I’m trying to shake, and this new research sort of makes me feel like maybe I’m not supposed to, and this is my true, healthy, God given weight.

I’ve been experiencing both neck and upper back pain now for years, thanks to two car accidents I was involved in where I got whiplash both times. I always wanted to work out though, because usually working out and doing yoga would help immensely with keeping my muscles strong and stretched, as well as keeping stiffness at bay. You see, keeping muscles flexible and warm is very important, especially if you want to avoid common neck and back injuries, including upper and lower back.

That’s right! I’ve been hearing more and more about stripper lessons and stripper classes, and then of course there is the Strip tease video series of workouts from none other than the “sexy” Carmen Electra. Although I’m not so sure that Carmen is really sexy or not, it seems a little too forced at times, I did get a lot out of her workouts, of which I only did two of the DVD’s in her series. However, I did find that those sexy, lithe moves on stage are a lot harder to perform than a lot of us women probably think!

We all have personality types that we are genetically and environmentally predisposed to. These personality types can be divided into agressive, moderate and easygoing. Our personality traits will effect how we approach all aspects in life including an exercise program.

The aggressive personality is always driving themselves, usually a workaholic and often gets impatient or nervous. The moderate personality is well balanced between work and rest. Easygoing personality types are more passive and laid back.

Yep, and what I mean by “workstation” is exactly as it sounds. People may now be able to get a workout in on a treadmill-type device that can be set up in their workstations (ie cubes) while they work, and actually walk instead of sit or stand all day. Wow. This could potentially be one of the coolest pieces of news I’ve heard in a while regarding the American way of sedentary lifestyles and ever expanding waistlines!