I love working out, I really do. So when I’m down for the count with a cold, it sort of starts to make me a bit stir crazy. Like right now. I’ve had a pretty bad cold ever since we came back from Las Vegas for our wedding. We had a lot of people going with us, so it was a little bit stressful, but all in all it wasn’t too bad, so I do think that my immunity levels were down, and I caught some sort of nasty bug either in Las Vegas (who’d doubt it with the millions of people milling around and the dirty slot machines that you are constantly touching) or possibly on the plane, which wouldn’t be doubtful either since they use recycled air for you to breathe.

We recently got a hot tub rental for two weeks. It was through a sort of charity auction that my (now) husband bidded on for ninety bucks for two weeks of the usage of a hot tub they came and installed in our backyard.  We also do have an infrared sauna, which I love dearly, and I was curious as to how the hot tub would match up to the sauna as far as muscle soothing and fighting soreness and fatigue. Well, it really is no match I think. The sauna wins, hands down, as far as the relaxation factor as well as the muscle soothing factor.

Of course you know that strength training helps give you a great body with lean, tone lines; great definition; and low body fat…but the benefits of strength training for women go far beyond just looking good. I am pretty confident that what I am about to reveal will motivate you even more to keep up with your workouts once you see how much you’re helping your body every time you pick up a weight.

Building happiness. Research shows that weight training can help reduce signs and symptoms of depression more effectively that conventional counseling. For many women working out is their main stress reliever. Aside from getting out pent up energy any frustrations working out also increases your “happy stuff” endorphins and dopamine.

We recently got married at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and it always infuriates me how much these big hotels can charge for the right to use their gym.  I don’t even remember what the exact rate was, but it was really expensive, and it totally deterred us from using the facility, even though I will admit we were so busy with our wedding stuff (we got married there), that we had no time or the inclination to use the facilities, especially since it cost more than the already appreciable amount we were spending there to stay and to have our wedding there.

We’ve all had those moments where we feel like we’re going to literally explode if we don’t get some much needed aggression out.  I just had a moment like that. Actually, while I’m being honest, it was a minor tiff that my fiance and I got into.  I won’t even go into what it was over, but let’s just say that it wasn’t worth the level of fighting we got into, me specifically, I think because I was just stressed out about the wedding and all kinds of other stuff that has come up recently and it all just seems like too much to handle.  I literally felt like I was going to explode, or cry, or do both.

I’ve created a new informational page on comparing the types of exercise bikes, and the various brands that are available or popular for these types of exercise bikes. There are two general types of exercise bikes for the home, and the one you like best really depends on what you’re looking for comfort wise and how hard of a workout you want.

You can get a good workout with either the upright, conventional exercise bike and the recumbent bike, which allows you to recline back and be more comfortable, however uprights typically can really bust your butt, so to speak, when it comes to working out, and they are the type that is used in the notoriously hard and challenging spinning classes that are so popular amongst huge fitness enthusiasts.

Just as I had expected, and as I always rave about my employer having an in-house gym in past posts, there is new evidence that having in-work gyms benefits both the employer and the employee, making it even more worth the investment of having a stress busting gym, yoga studio, or other outlet for physical activity at work.  It’s called on the job fitness, and it’s catching on in the work place these days, where stress levels are really high, and people are becoming more and more aware of how important fitness and health is.

I went to the gym that we have at my job, which again, I feel so lucky to be able to have access to this priceless stress reliever at work. Words cannot describe how invaluable it has been for me at times.  I got on the good old recumbent bike, expecting to just go through my ho hum but still stress busting workout without really breaking a huge sweat, but I decided to put this recumbent bike, which was one I rarely have the chance to get on because usually someone else is occupying it when I come out of the dressing room, on a mode that I hadn’t tried yet, fat burning mode.

Ok, I have to admit.  I’ve been totally naughty, and I’ve gone tanning a few times.  Let me explain myself first.  I am really against going to tanning beds, at least for me personally, I’m not judging anyone else who likes to do it regularly, although I do think it’s not good for your skin to do it all the time.  The reason for me is that I do have naturally pale, melanin challenged Irish skin, and I am particularly susceptible to sun damage and even basal cell carcinoma skin cancers, and potentially melanoma as well, which is the deadly form of skin cancer.

Winter is quickly approaching, and I’m already finding that for me, I’m already missing my weekend jogs outdoors.  It’s just been a really rainy, cold fall season for us so far here in Ohio, and those rainy, yucky days always seem to land on Fridays and on weekends, which is the only time I actually get a chance to get outside to jog instead of doing something a little more monotonous inside, like the elliptical machine or recumbent bike.  Don’t get me wrong, those are both great exercise machines, however they get old, and the smells and sights of the outdoors just really stimulate you and make you feel great, adding a great experience to your cardio workout.