Anxiety (and depression for that matter), are major mood and disposition issues here in the US and abroad. There are tons of pharmaceutical medications conceived of every year that are supposed to be the next best thing when it comes to treating and/or at least alleviating anxiety and stress as well as depressive disorders, and not one of them comes without a long list of potential side effects and warnings.

Some can even catapult someone into a downward spiral if certain variables are present, as documented in several cases. Over the past decade alone, several anti anxiety meds have gotten bad raps as being too laden with serious side effects, including serious withdrawal upon stopping the medication, akin to someone withdrawing from serious street drugs. But there is something you can do that can and does dramatically reduce anxiety and instills a constant sense of peace and calm.

What is it? Exercise of course, silly! Exercise, in its many varied forms serves as not only a natural anti anxiety remedy, but it also wards off depression and many different diseases and disorders. Best of all, it’s free if you don’t pay to go to a gym (besides of course the initial investment in any equipment like a proform treadmill and elliptical machines or weight machines and other various exercise do-dads).

But it most definitely can be free if you just use your imagination a bit. You can jog, run, walk, do pushups, swim like the great Olympian Michael Phelps has done to the tune of record gold medals, do yoga, tai chi and other indoor floor work types of exercises that do not require equipment or weights, just using your body as resistence completely free of charge in or near your own home.

Exercise in many different forms, and ones that bring your joy or that you find kind of fun. Switch it up and keep it interesting, because just enjoying the type of exercise you do can have an immense impact on whether you keep doing it or not and also enhances mood, which helps zap anxiety and depression. Make sure you get your heart rate up, because this is key to reducing anxiety in the long run, although it may run contrary to initial thoughts.

Sometimes anxiety is simply pent up, extra energy that we need to expend, and that’s why working out helps in the most amazing way from relieving the angst feeling that seems to envelope your chest when it has you in its grips. For me, exercise provides almost instant relief, and most definitely provides a long lasting mood boost.

There are some advocates of an approach to working out and exercising that say it’s the quality that mostly counts when you go to the gym or wherever else it is you go to do your routines, and not the quantity, or the length of time that you spend on those exercises. Then there are those that say not to focus so much on the quality, but more so on quantity, saying that you can’t even begin to burn calories, no matter how intense the workout is, until you reach that magical 25 minute mark.

Well, that may not be the case, and there are newer workout regimens that preach quality over quantity and give you a butt kicking twenty minutes to a half hour workout that packs as much punch, if not more, than a more relaxed one hour workout. What sounds better to you? One hour or a half hour? I know what they majority of you will say, and it’s what I’ll say too - whatever can save me time in this hectic life of mine is what I’d pick!

There are workouts out there now that offer that shorter, but more intense, more targeted workout, and many people are seeing the results of that too, fairly quickly. One such regimen is the Thirty Day Shred series of workouts by Jillian Michaels, which one of my friends at work is trying out and says that it really does a butt kicking job of getting your muscles sore.

The Tae Bo series by Billy Blanks used to also use this concept in many of his shorter, blast workouts that offered you a sweat-pouring workout in about a half hour’s time. When you were finished, you’d feel like you’d just been in a (hot) gym for about four hours, and yet you watched the clock plainly say that about 28 minutes had gone by. Now that’s what I’m talking about - cardio conditioning, butt kicking muscle toning and sculpting, and all in just as much time as it takes to cook dinner (for some, less!)

Experts have actually kind of backpedaled recently on whether exercising regularly is absolutely essential to short term weight loss goals, saying that the initial weight loss isn’t really accelerated by a normal workout routine (unless you are doing some insane calorie burning during those workouts), and that the biggest thing when you are initially trying to get rid of the pounds is to cut calories, since calories butting is what takes weight off the body, period.

However, even though they say that the initial weight loss isn’t really affected by exercise, the long term weight loss is definitely closely associated to one who regularly works out, since long term, you can burn off those few extra calories you may consume in one day due to excess calorie consumption, and long term, exercise actually helps to raise the metabolism and keep it there permanently, not something that happens generally if you do not make it a habit to workout on a daily or at least regular basis.

A friend of mine recently started working out with a personal trainer and brought up that since she informed her trainer that she really only wants to get long, lean muscle, and not bulk up, especially not through her legs or thighs, her trainer suggested that they work more on repetition of the exercises she gave to her and not on the actual weight being used.

This means that the weight being used, if any, would be minimal, and there would instead be more repeats of the exercise performed rather than more weight added. I know that this is definitely true when working on the arms, since women typically do not want to bulk up on their arms, but want instead a nice definition and to get rid of that “lunch lady arm” syndrome.

I remember being told by a personal trainer that I should use very light weights on my arms, and perhaps only build up to five pounds on each arm at the most if I wanted to maintain a sleek and muscled look, almost sinewy, without bulking up more like a man would bulk up in the arms. I did follow that advice one time and I did end up building up a nice definition in my arms and shoulders, without bulking up and getting too puffed out looking, which was definitely not my goal since my flabby arms and triceps were always one of my major concerns.

She did also say that diet played a big part in that, and that if you want to maintain that long, lean look you have to focus on eating only lean proteins and limiting your bad carbs because they played a role in water retention, which takes away from that lean look and the muscles showing through the skin. If you want to get long and lean, I’d suggest starting off with very light weights, say maybe one pound on each arm, and just doing a done of repetitions, say maybe twenty on each arms instead of ten, then working your way up, slowly, to the five pound weights.

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 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!

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.

There is almost no better butt toner than taking the steps any time you can. Whether you’re at work and work a couple floors up, like I do, or you’re running errands of any sort of out and about at a place that happens to have stairs and elevators both, you should always opt to take the stairs.

You may think that just taking the stairs every conceivable time you can would not have a huge impact on the size and tone of your rear end, but cumulative effects of exercise do end up having a huge (no punt intended) impact on our rear ends, our cardio fitness, and our energy levels and ability to process oxygen through our lungs.

This further helps with the oxygenation of the blood, which provides energy and adds to the stamina we already have. Before you know it, if you’re taking the stairs every day that you can, and at every opportunity, you will be improving your cardiovascular health and endurance, and helping to sculpt, lift and firm that butt of yours, as well as even possibly helping with some cellulite issues, since taking the stairs increases blood flow, which theoretically should help with cellulite reduction.

I get into work early, so another side benefit I’ve found to taking the steps over the elevator is that it wakes me up and gets me ready for the day. I feel invigorated by taking those couple flights of stairs, whereas if I don’t and I take the elevator, I’m still groggy and tired when I get up to my desk. Taking the steps is a great way to start the day on a good note, get the circulation going to the brain, and help to condition that butt!

I just gardened again yesterday. And no, we’re not talking the leisurely, occasional weed picking and planting some small flowers sort of gardening, but a major overhaul of a very overfilled, weeded flowerbed in our front yard that has Japanese maples and a variety of other small trees in it which spread their leaves everywhere, making it necessary to clean the bed once every few weeks.

On top of that, I had to pull out whole sections of very strongly rooted weeds and bulbed flowers and plants that had spread beyond control and needed to be thinned out. When it was all said and done, I had pruned, pulled and tugged about 12 large plants, and had three very large piles of throw away stuff to prove it. I was wiped out, but most of all I was concerned about my back, which is sensitive to begin with, and definitely can get thrown off by vigorous gardening and all that bending, stooping and pulling, which your back isn’t used to.

So, I’ve learned that to protect my back, I don’t bend over from the top down any more, instead I really try to use my leg strength to help me bend far enough down to be able to get leverage to pull certain weeds and plants out. I also make sure that if I crouch, I’m doing it so that my back isn’t bent in any uncomfortable way.

I also went out and treated myself to new ergonomically designed shovels, rakes, and trowels so that I didn’t have to awkwardly handle any of this type of equipment, which was designed so that a smaller person such as myself wouldn’t have to grip the handle way up high but instead in my center core where my power is, instead of using my back. You can find a lot of this ergonomically designed gardening stuff at Target, and probably Home Depot and Lowes would carry similar items as well.