Living Young Forever

Those small and large size inflatable balls that can be found in gyms around the world are not just a fad; they’re here to stay. Exercise balls are great for several different activities, and are an important part of fitness. An exercise ball can be used for several fitness exercises including sit-ups, lunges, and stretching. Even sitting on an exercise ball instead of a standard chair can work out the abdominals and burn calories at a much faster rate. For people who are serious about getting in better shape or losing weight, an exercise ball is a solid investment for the home.

There are several guides online that teach how to use exercise balls in the most efficient manner. Engage in fitness activities, or just opt for sitting on the exercise ball when watching television or reading instead of a chair. It might not be as comfortable, but the results are quite spectacular, and are noticeable after just a short amount of time. In addition to fitness and weight loss benefits, exercise balls can even help to correct posture!

Theories come and go about what type of exercise is optimal for ageing well and living a full active life into our golden years. In the 70’s and early 80’s jogging and aerobics such as jazzercise was believed to be the best because of the cardiovascular benefits. Unfortunately because of repetitive over use and jogging on hard surfaces such as pavement, ankle, knee, hip and low back injuries  became problematic. The backlash being once injured getting adequate exercise became difficult and sometimes no longer possible due to the injury.

Science has now shown us that a variety of activities in moderation is best. One of the key components found to be the most important was resistance training better know as weight training. Research has confirmed that strong muscles mean a strong stable skeletal system and the lean muscle helps burn calories reducing body fat. The good news is you don’t have to join a gym and start pumping iron to get this benefit. Anything that causes an additional workload for each muscle group such as resistance bands that you can use at home will give you great results. Even good old fashioned calisthenics using your on body weight as resistance such as push-ups will work.

So what are you waiting for no more excuses you can keep fit in the privacy of your own home with just simple inexpensive training equipment. Better yet invite a friend over for a healthy breakfast and exercise together. Just keep consistent, be patient and don’t get discouraged. And remember if you are just starting out, start slow and get a health evaluation form your family doctor before starting.

Anti-Ageing? Does this mean I have to be in these diapers forever Mom?

Finally the era of “Anti-Aging” is almost over. The baby boomers are discovering that it is not about “not aging” but about aging well. Something our moms and dads from the previous generation already new. After all if you did not age you would either be dead or be in a science fiction movie about vampires.

So if we can’t stop getting older and there is no stopping the passage of time what then is the answer? Has all this hoop-la about “anti-aging” been a fraud. My answer is no I do not believe it is or was, it has just been miss guided and exploited by sometimes unethical capitalists playing off the fears and egos of the uneducated. Which is not an insult to the general population it is just most people do not have the time or the inclination to get a degree in the wellness arts and sciences. So they rely on the media/ advertising and so called experts such as the latest celebrity fad for answers to living well and a life fully alive.

So what to do then? Well it is very simple actually. I am about to give you the secret to aging well for free. Eat healthy, do something physical to get your body moving (exercise), get adequate rest, drink lots of clean water and breath clean fresh air. And last but not least laugh every day and find something nice to say about everything. If you want a little insurance on living well and living longer add some daily whole food nutritional supplements to your healthy life style.

Well this is where it all comes together. Exercise, Working Out and now Training. It is our opinion that Training stands alone in the fitness world as the most powerful and empowering term one can use to achieve your heath and wellness goals. The key word here is GOAL. Here is why.

When we looked at exercise we saw that it is a very general term used to describe keeping the body in motion which will naturally create some benefits towards achieving good physical health. Then we looked at working out and its use to convey a more structured formal environment or system to again get the body in motion to create physical health. If you consistently combine either of these methods  with healthy eating habits, the outcome will always be improved health and wellness.

So  now we come back to our favorite term “Training”.  A term that I personally use nearly exclusively. When one trains there is always a specific method or system that is employed that will create a specific and measurable outcome with a specific goal in mind. WOW yes there is a major difference. As the other terms are very general and geared for the general health benefits derived from physical activity. When you train you have a purpose and your training is on purpose. Big difference. Now with that said it is perfectly fine of course to take up any methodology to maintain or achieve wellness. The point here is that if you have a specific goal such as losing body fat, want to run a marathon or even recover from an injury or illness, you have better odds in achieving it if you “Train” for it. No mater whether it is someone tying to be #1 in a spelling B or your goal is to be the healthiest looking  person at your 20 year  high school reunion you always have to train for it. If you use that word when speaking about what you are doing you are more likely to stick with it all the way to the finish line.

Thank you for staying with this one I know it was a long blog. It is our hope we gave you a new way to look at getting out and getting in the game and inspired you to a new level of Training for health and a life fully alive.

Physically Fit or Physical Fitness now a phrase that is almost as outdated as “Calisthenics”. The term Physically Fit is is more likely to be expressed in the 21st century jargon more commonly as wellness, being well or he or she is  in great shape. So whats the point you might be asking yourself who cares what you call it. Well that is what this 4 part series is about. “What’s in a name or word”, the nomenclature and how it affects the way you look at  being and staying healthy. And more importantly how you approach staying healthy, like those incredible “buzz” words used to describes the latest trendy  exercise  or diet craze like “jazzersise” or the South Beach Diet remember those? If you do you probably remember the “Thigh Master” Welcome to the nomenclature behind the semantics that drives us  “buy” or “not to buy”.

So lets take a quick look at this.

A Nomenclature is the act or process or an instance of naming something.
3 a : a system or set of terms or symbols especially in a particular science, discipline, or art b : an international system of standardized New Latin names used in biology for kinds and groups of kinds of animals and plants.

So in a summary it is a  word or a phrase that is used to express a system which should produce a specific desired out come such as “Dieting” for example, or “loosing weight”. So in other words by following the system one should lose body fat as the end result according to the the term used. Correct?  If this is correct then why are there so may Americans not producing the desired results?

This question leads us to a little word called SEMAMTICS which is the study of the meaning of the word. The word “semantics” itself denotes a range of ideas, from the popular to the highly technical. It is often used in ordinary language to denote a problem of understanding that comes down to word selection or connotation. In short what we associate with that word or phrase. ie. “Yoga” association “Good Health” “Junk food” association “Poor health”.

So you may be asking again so “what’s the point”. Great question and we will be answering that over the next three parts of this series. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised with our explanation and will find it very useful in achieving your competitive fitness or basic wellness goals. So come join us  as we explore the semantics of the latest jargon of three most common but very important terms 1)Working out  2) Exercise  3) Training and how they  shape your plan and effect  your desired outcome.

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Sometimes, all it takes to stick to your diet and exercise regime is a little bit of fun. People often take their workout routine very seriously, but that austere outlook on health management can quickly result in bored individuals and the loss of motivation. That’s why it’s so important to incorporate a little bit of fun into your daily workout routine. You should also never forget about variety.

That’s why something like trampoline exercises can prove so very useful. Chances are, you haven’t been on a trampoline since you were a little kid, but jumping, leaping, and bouncing on one of these trampolines can actually prove a truly great workout. But you’ll be having so much fun that you probably won’t even notice that it’s a workout. This is the ideal situation. Also, make sure that you try a number of different routines so your body doesn’t get too used to one particular routine.