Elliptical machines are a funny thing. I’ve been on several of them, including my own which I love, the Horizon elliptical machine make, and they all vary in their usability. What I mean is that they vary in how hard they are to use, which means they are probably adjusted to different resistences to some degree, but it also has to do with how high quality of a machine you are working out with as well.

For instance, I went away this past weekend and found that the elliptical I used at another person’s house didn’t quite suit my needs, but not because the resistence was off or it was really difficult to use, but because it had a bracket that my shin bumped every time I came down with my right leg. Had I used that before I bought it, I would have looked for another model. This was one of the best brands of ellipticals (see reviews), it’s just that for me personally it didn’t work out as well as the Horizon does for me.

We paid around eight hundred dollars for our Horizon model elliptical, and I’ve given it rave reviews because it’s lived up to the high quality that one would expect from this brand, including the Horizon treadmills. In fact, I like it better than the ones I use at our fully equipped gym at my place of work, and that’s saying a lot because they have top notch brand names that are of gym quality at my workout facility at work.

The other thing you may want to be mindful of is the leg room. This one I used at a friend’s house seemed to make my knees go at almost a ninety degree angle, and the way I work out, I like for my legs to get more of a real skiing type of experience where the strides are long and drawn out, not like I’m riding a recumbent bike, because I think the two should be different experiences, and the one, the recumbent bike in my opinion, is more of a machine that might work out the quads, while the elliptical should lengthen the quads, almost like pilates does.

We’ve all been there. Even us die hard exercisers who make sure we get a workout out in at least 5 days a week, or we start to feel as if something is amiss from our lives, or our stress levels immediately go out of control. We travel and take a week’s vacation, maybe longer, maybe shorter, and we completely stop working out.

Now this is fine if we’re being active and hiking through the jungle or climbing steep mountains, or maybe jet skiing or doing some other sort of rigorous, fun outdoorsy sport that definitely counts as exercise, but what about if you’re just chilling out, enjoying the beach and piling in the sugary margaritas or other naughty alcoholic drinks, and also eating fattening, naughty foods?

Well, it’s really important to continue working out in some fashion when we travel. This is especially true because not working out, combined with the other things we tend to do that are bad for us while on vacation, will inevitably result in us feeling cranky and tired and thus not enjoying our vacation as much as we should.

Not only that, but a lot of people report that when they go on vacation they tend to get “irregular”, meaning that they get constipated, and this often is from the fact that you are not moving around enough to loosen everything up enough, and thus everything is not moving right along as it normally does, and you’ve also most likely changed your eating habits temporarily, as most of us tend to do while we’re on vacation. And usually for the worse.

We have a routine that we are in when we are at home. Maybe we make sure we have fresh fruits and veggies around while we’re at home, but this tends to be out of our control when on vacation, and we are faced with choices that stop us up and are not lending themselves to high energy, or a good mood to boot.

Working out, maybe takign a workout DVD or some small exercise equipment you can use in your hotel room, will help energize you for the day to come and help you enjoy your vacation to the fullest. You are also less likely to get sick, get headaches and all the other fun things that come with not working out sometimes. The only time I can honestly say that I exercised like I should have and also ate healthy foods somewhat was when I took a vacation to Costa Rica with my sister.

Because the best food there is beans and rice, we ate that heavily and did not eat a whole lot of meat. If we ate protein, it was fish, which is a lean, energizing protein. We also ate a lot of fresh fruits, which helped energize us for out physically strenuous activities. Heck, strenuous sometimes there meant just walking a mile because the heat and humidity was so intense it was like walking in a sauna. I think it’s the only vacation where I actually lost a few pounds instead of gaining.

We all know that exercise, and more importantly regular exercise that is done on a normal basis, is good for our health and mental health on so many levels that it makes it almost a moot point when trying to weight the pros and cons. Well, I guess you could say the only con is that it takes time out of your schedule, because there really are no other cons, unless you are really sick, which is the only time experts recommend you do not work out, or you have some sort of serious injuries.

A huge reason to exercise is that it can have dramatic results on the levels of cortisol in your blood stream. Cortisol is a natural hormone that occurs in the body, and it’s fine to be in the body when it is at normal levels, but the problem is that cortisol, dubbed the “stress hormone”, skyrockets during times of extreme duress or mental stress, and this has been linked to many problems, including as a contributor to weight gain and obesity, so it’s a very detrimental hormone to us in quantities that surpass what’s considered “normal”.

Right now, as I sit typing this article, I can feel the levels of cortisol are higher in me, because I have not been able to work out for the past few days. It’s almost a sort of tightness in the chest that occurs when your stress levels are high, and that’s a really bad sign, since the chest area is where the heart is and we all know that stress, and lots of it is a sign that there may be heart trouble down the way. Many medical experts believe that high stress is linked very solidly to heart attacks and even strokes, and that the control of cortisol is a key component to managing heart problems and preventing cardiac arrest.

One of my favorite exercise regimens to prevent high cortisol levels is yoga. Especially a variety called Ashtanga, where you move very quickly but also very fluidly. It gets the heart rate up and gets some of that bottled stress out, but it also has a very calming effect on the body and the mind at the same time. I especially love doing yoga and then getting in the infrared sauna, since it is like being at a spa and getting a massage, but also an incredibly invigorating workout at the same time. That is one of my ultimate cortisol busters.

Well, we all know exercise is one of the best ways we can ensure minimal health problems, a longer life, a slimmer waistline and therefor lower BMI, and many, many other great attributes, but yet another one is in the process of being proven as to another reason why everyone should be working out. There is new evidence that regular exercise may help those with substance abuse problems to kick the habit, drinking or taking some other form of addictive drugs), or never start in the first place.

This is really great stuff, especially for all those people and medical specialists who have, over the years, touted exercise as one of the greatest boons to human happiness, illness prevention and overall health benefit, in other words, exercise is the best thing for anyone who wants to create a wall of protection around them when it comes to disease, depression and other ailments, including substance abuse.

The study prompted interest in the prevention of substance abuse via exercise when surveys were held with college students and they were asked to answer some questions that would tell researchers what the common theme was in those that experienced substance abuse. And guess what? Those that answered they were not addicted to nicotine or alcohol also reported that they regularly exericse, while a significantly higher percentage answered yes to the addiction question answered in the physicaly category that they were more sedentary.

The study further goes on to state that the relationship between exercise and substance abuse may be that the exercise provides the same type of pleasure driven feelings that substances can produce. In other words, just like cigarettes (see page for if you want to quit) or alcohol, or any other sort of substance that is considered a street drug, exercise provides that sort of pleasurable experience and essentially replaces the pleasure that might be caused by certain substances, making the subjects that exercise more less apt to go in search, whether consciously or subconsciously, of those substances that also produce some sort of a void filler.

So folks, this is just another reason to exercise. And, even if you addicted to something not, it’s never too late to start exercising. The mind needs and craves physical activity, and if it doesn’t get it, you just may find you’re looking elsewhere to fill that need, and that’s never good when it comes to controlled substances and addictive chemicals. Go out and try a Horizon treadmill or some other form of exercise equipment to have around at all times, so no matter if it’s winter or summer you have some sort of outlet for pleasure and satisfaction that replaces these sorts of addictions.

They say that one of the reasons for the increasing and worsening obesity problem here in the US is the fact that we can control our environmental temperature so easily and readilly these days. Now, on hot days when our body normally would be subjected to temperatures in the nineties and above, and our bodies would have to work double time to pump out sweat and keep our bodies cool, we have air conditioning to keep us nice and comfy, and keep our bodies not working too hard.

Likewise for cold days, we have state of the art heat now, where at the touch of a button, we can just turn the heater up and become comfortable again, without shivering and making our bodies struggle to keep us warm – all of which also, you guessed it, burns calories. So all these things that people didn’t have years ago, when by the way, the obesity rate was not so bad, we have now, to make our bodies not have to do as much work.

Sure, it’s comfortable and we like it, but in actuality, it really may be part of the reason that we are such an obese society. Well, another huge reason of course is the food choices and abundance of availability of food, as well as the fact that we are very sedentary as a society in general, but the climate control thing definitley just adds more fuel to the fire.

This brings me to the point I wanted to make about working out. You may actually burn many more calories if you are working out in heat. For example, you may burn way more calories if you’re jogging outisise on a hot night or day, versus jogging inside, in a temperature controlled environment, on a treadmill. This is another reason why I love my far infrared sauna, because it forces my body to break a sweat, and elevates my heart rate, making me burn more calories and possibly even increasing my metabolic output – which burns more calories.

Not only because of the unevenness of the terrain outside, which by the way can be duplicated by the best treadmills out there, but also because of the heat and that fact that your body’s working double time to cool the body off by pumping out sweat and elevating the metabolism to make for the extra calories burned and energy released.

We just took a very long walk last night, since it was a hot summer night (yes, we are already getting those blistering hot days here in Ohio, you just never know what you’re gonna get!), and it ended up being a lot later than we wanted when we were finishing up the last leg of our walk, around 9:30.

The sun had begun to really go down in the sky and it was approaching total darkness by the time we reached our driveway. The problem was, we got lost and had to find our way back (we’re still relatively new to our neighborhood and were unfamiliar with the side roads, and ended up a long ways from our house), so we ended up travelling in the dark, which is a big no no for safety, as I’m sure you’re well aware.

We also were wearing dark clothes, so it was hard for cars to see us when we ended up on a semi busy roads where the speed limit was 45 – which means people go 55 to 60 mph, you know. Had I known we were going to be out late, I would have at least worn lighter clothes. In fact, many joggers shorts and pants include luminescent stripes or numberings of some sort so that joggers caught out later at night have relective properties so that cars travelling down the road can see them and properly swerve to stay well out of the way of hitting them.

Another part of safety when walking around neighborhoods, especially on busy roads where people tend to drive faster, is to stay well over to your left so that you are out of harms way if a car veers out of control or something happens where they suddenly swerve. We’ve all heard the horror stories, even of people just going out to get their mail, or crossing a busy street, who get hit and killed instantly by drivers who either aren’t paying attention or are simply careless and reckless, or perhaps they really genuinely did not see the person.

Safety is always first when jogging or walking around the neighborhood – it’s probably better that you stick to quiet side streets where the speed limit is 20, but I realize sometimes it’s impossible to avoid the busy roads, especially if you get lost!

Well, this is not as exciting as I thought when I read the headline that the FDA had pushed through new inhalers for asthma patients, since I happen to have asthma myself. I thought when I read it that they were coming out with something that was less heart rate increasing than the currently most popularly prescribed asthma inhaler medication called Albuterol, which is what I happen to be on.

However, what they are talking about here is that the older versions of asthma inhalers with the CFC’s, which are chemicals emitted from the old way to propelling things into the air, everything from hair spray to spray paint, which is harmful to the environment, is being phased out, and newer inhalers with the same medication in them but a different propellant, that is more friendly to the ozone layer, and is more expensive, will (should) be the only inhalers available by the end of the year.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the environment and user more environmentally friendly ingredients and products when possible, but I do question how much inhalers can actually impact the ozone layer when the CFC’s, it would seem to me, would all be going in to the lungs of the patient, not out into the atmospher – or is that the problem? Ooh, I think I just answered my own question. I guess I wouldn’t want CFC’s blowing into my lungs if they can deplete the ozone layer, right!?

The more I use the balance ball that I recently purchased, and the one at the gym I (thankfully) have access to at my job, it is really growing on me as a way to trim and slim many of my problem areas. Not only is it great for the abs, which is what I primarily use it for, but I find that many of the exercises I use the balance ball for that are geared for my abs are also working my inner and outer thighs at various times.

While I don’t really feel my tummy is a problem area for me personally, I do feel like it could be a bit more toned right now, so the balance ball really helps me to isolate those abdominal muscles without putting a lot of strain on my back and neck, which is a major concern when working the abs for most people, especially people like myself and my boyfriend who both have injuries from car accidents in our back and neck.

When you use the balance ball to do ab crunches with your calves on the balance ball, when you extend your legs out in front of you and roll the ball away from you, not only are you forcing your ab muscles to work and tone, but you are also toning the inner thighs. You’ll feel a little tension there on the inner thighs and know that they are indeed straining a bit to keep your abs in line so you don’t throw your balance out of whack, and voila, that’s how you get your bonus workout in on those troublesome thighs – and I know I speak, to most women on the thighs!

There are also some excellent ways to use the balance ball to do strictly exercises that target the legs and thighs, and that usually involves you in a standing position and using the balance ball up against your back, with it smooshed up against the wall behind your back, and you doing squats. This may not seem like anything special, but try a few of them and you’ll see they are much more challenging than regular old squats without the balance ball because you’re actually using something as a gauge to tell how you’re doing.

I’m not exaclty how widespread this problem is, but I have virtually flat feet. This means that I have a very weak, and almost nonexistent arch in my foot. This can lead to a lot of soreness in the back and spinal alignment problems if it’s not taken care of properly, and also can present problems in balance when working out.

We just got a Wii Fit in fact for our Wii gaming system, and it’s only furthered my conviction that my balance is extremely weak, even with yoga and balance exercises, and it’s only strengthened my resolve to improve it so I can stand straight more easily and have less posture and back problems throughout my life.
One of my favorite tools for getting a lift under my arch are those gel inserts that you can buy at your local drugstore. They basically create an artifical arch, and hence more support, underneath the middle part of your foot so that you can walk more easily and also balance better without stressing your feet out as much, or more importantly, your back.

If you buy the arch support gel inserts, don’t go cheap . I’d go with a brand you know like Dr. Scholl’s or some similar comparable brand name, since it’s your posture and your spinal alingment we’re talking about here. You really want to make sure that you get the right size too. Make sure you don’t buy an arch support that is too high up if you have only a slightly flat foot, because that can also throw you off further than if you didn’t have one at all.

Another thing to consider is whether your shoe will fit the arch support correctly. Generally, only close toed and sneaker shoes will work, if you don’t want the inserts to show too much or be conspicuous. Some arch supports I’ve used are so intrusive that I can barely tie my tennis shoes with them in, so that’s why I also caution against buying ones that are too thick. It can really put a lot of pressure on the top of your foot if you buy the wrong size, so it’s imperative to get it right. If necessary, visit a podiatrist and have one professionally fitted, it will be worth it.

We need to get more exercise in this country than we currently do. Most of us think of joining a gym and rigorous workouts with jogging or weights. The fact is that it does not have to be that complex or expensive to become more fit. The simple act of walking for about 30 minutes per day can make a remarkable difference in your health.

Walking is enjoyable and can be done anytime of year. If you can’t afford to join a fitness club with an indoor track, you can join a walking group that walks regularly at your local indoor malls. The buddy system works well to keep you motivated instead of relying on an indoor treadmill.

When starting a walking program, you can start out gradually. The recommended goal for a walking fitness program is 10,000 steps per day. You can start with 6,000 steps per day broken into 2 sessions at 3,000 steps each. This way, you won’t be discouraged if you’ve been sedentary and are not accustomed to walking long distances.

To gauge how many steps you have taken in a day, you can invest in a pedometer. They are easy to find and inexpensive. The cost for a pedometer ranges from about $10.00 to $60.00 and you can purchase one in the middle cost range for about $20.00 that should work well for you. You can find pedometers in most sporting goods stores.

To reach your goal of 10,000 steps a day, there’s a couple of small ways you can get there. If you have a dog, walk it several times a day. Stairs steps count too, so you can climb stairs instead of taking escalators or elevators. When shopping, don’t look for the nearest spot and instead park a little further away.

The benefits of taking 10,000 steps a day are many. Your cardiovascular health will improve and weight control will be easier. Your general mood will be brighter as regular exercise wards off mild depression. Even the risk of certain cancers are diminished from an exercise regimen. Overall health care costs will be lowered since your general health should improve.