Remember when I reported a few months ago that I was trying the diet book “Seven Minute Miracle”? Well what it was, was a book that purported that if you did these seven minutes of targeted exercise for a certain area of the body per day and followed it a certain number of minutes with a specific combination of foods, it would kick your localized fat burning in just in those areas, and you would be able to spot reduce specific areas of your body – ie your arms, butt, thighs or tummy, with just seven minutes of exercise a day and this special meal, and of course the author also recommended following a healthier diet other than that as well, which always makes me suspicious.

Climbing Mt. Everest of Mt. Kilamanjaro may be lifetime aspirations for some, but with all the stories about people getting stranded, dying and getting injured on long mountain climbing treks, it’s no wonder some settle for fake rock climbing at their local gym or fitness outlet. There are always scary stories about mountain climbing, which is a sport that is usually reserved for the most adventurous of us, as well as the most fearless – and usually also the most in shape because of it’s demands on the human body.

I have a Netflix account, and one of the cool things about them is that now you can watch some videos on demand, on your computer, and even some through your tv if you have an Xbox game system, including workout and exercise videos. The one I did the other day was one of the incredibly popular Crunch series of workout DVD’s, which was a Pilates Pick Your Spot, with three ten minute segments on it. The DVD was made in 2002, so it’s fairly recent.

As a response to the tough economic times we’ve seen, most fitness clubs, whether they are upscale or not, are going to try to keep their membership fees in check and continue to offer special promotional prices over the next year to attract more people who are looking to maintain a healthy and productive and balanced lifestyle even through the collective discomfort of this current economic dilemma we find ourselves in.

Women are always complaining about the size of their rumps. I’m among them. I’ve always had a smaller waist and not many problems even with my middle section and belly, which have remained a non-issue throughout most of my life, thank goodness, because then there are my problem areas, which have always included my butt and my thighs. Even when I lose weight and become thinner, my butt and my thighs are the hardest part on me to pare down. My thighs especially, which seem to hold on to the saddle bags with great ferocity, even when I’m ratcheting down the calorie intake and ratcheting up the workouts.

It happens to the best, most disciplined exercisers of all of us. You get stuck in that fitness rut, where you can’t seem to find anything new to do that you enjoy or can do quite as well as your “regular” workout, and find that you are getting more and more used to and bored with your normal workout routine.

I know, I know, sometimes the last thing you want to do is take those stairs up to where you need to go, especially if it’s something like ten floors up. But consider what taking the stairs can do for your health when it is practiced all of the time in your life, instead of taking the elevator or the escalator. I’m of course referring to when you have the time, obviously sometimes the elevator’s closer, or you are running low on time, and then is when you can take those convenience rides without sweating it, figuratively of course.

It is quite possible that with all of this economic turmoil that is occurring, and especially with many top economists predicting that it will continue into the new year and beyond, that we will be seeing some of the best deals on everything from electronics, to clothes and novelty items, to fitness equipment and even dieting and weightloss deals, that we’ve seen in a long time, or even in our lifetime.

Happy New Years Day everyone! May your every wish and desire to do better, to be a better you, come true in the new year 2009, and may your new years resolutions stick for good! We all know that one of the most common new year’s resolutions has to do with dieting, losing weight, and often times working out more. There’s a good reason for that, it’s GOOD for you! hopefully we can all stick to a more effective and more frequent exercise regimen in the new year so we can all be much happier and healthier. Again, have a wonderful new years day from Fitness News Magazine.