exercise

Get Your Walk On!

Alright, I’m that person, the one out there fast-walking, talking on my cell phone. I used to roll my eyes when I saw those people, so connected to the hip by their devices. But let me explain. I have this “date” with my best friend Meg, to go walking every Wednesday at 7:00 PM, no matter the weather. (You may have read about this on my blog before.) And we are really good at keeping our date—except she’s had to travel for the past few weeks. She’s had weddings to attend, and family to visit. If she’s not here, how can we keep our date? When this has happened in the past, Meg being out of town, I simply got my workout by walking alone, taking pictures with my camera or just looking at the scenery. But I missed Meg, and she wasn't at the wedding last Wednesday night, just in Chicago after the wedding, visiting family. So we kept our date. She walked with her phone, in Chicago, I walked with my phone, in Cleveland. To us “older” folks

Sarah's Blog Is Back: Friendships & Walking

I have found that the best way to get outside and go for a long, healthy walk is to make a date with my best friend, Meg.  Every Wednesday evening we get together and walk for an hour, no matter the weather, even if it’s raining or snowing.  It’s catch up time, and a commitment to our friendship and our health—so we can live long lives and be around into old age to tell tales of our adventures, our kids, and someday our grandchildren. I've had to say no to all sorts of other offers on Wednesday nights, things I would have liked to do, a dinner, a movie or even extra income from giving a talk or a workshop.  I got this idea from another friend of mine, one of the healthiest people I know, who makes a date with her husband once a week—a date that can never be broken—to walk to dinner somewhere. They are one of the happiest couples I know.  I always admire their commitment. I walk and exercise with my husband, but we fit these times into

Tai Chi Classes Have Become a Tier 1 Destination

T'ai chi ch'uan, also called t'ai chi, taiji, or tai chi, has become the new chic workout for everyday people wanting to lose some weight and tone their muscles. Practiced worldwide by many as a martial art, performing tai chi provides countless health benefits including increasing flexibility, building strength, helping our symmetry and balance and taiji optimizes our mindfulness. Originating in China at the end of the 16th century, there are five primary styles of tai chi, each named for the family that created the style: Chen-style of Chen Wangting (1580-1660), Yang-style of Yang Lu-ch'an (1799-1872), Wu (Hao)-style of Wu Yu-hsiang (1812-1880), Wu-style of Wu Chu'an-yu (1834-1902) and Sun-style of Sun Lu-t'ang (1861-1932). Its multitude of training strategies, developed through its famous grand-masters, range from a mild hybrid of cardio and strength workouts, to light contact exercises (pushing hands - no striking) and for the more aggressive practitioners, full contact competit

Soda Is Liquid Crack - Get Off It

We love our pop. Refrigerators across America are stocked with Coke, Pepsi and Mountain Dew. But why? Don't we understand the downside to drinking this liquid crack? Well, we certainly realize how bad this carbonated sugar water is for our kids...right? Wrong. U.S. Children Drink 7 Trillion Calories From Soda Each Year. Where in the world are their parents? This gargantuan amount of soda consumption is one of the  primary reasons behind the fact that childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years. So, where's our war against obesity? Fighting that war will save a lot more lives than the wars we are currently fighting. The great thing is you can fight that war for yourself and your family and win, without the help of anyone else. Why does everyone hate Mayor Bloomberg and Michelle Obama for trying to restrict our consumption of junk food? Our nation is becoming alarmingly fatter by the day and we need to have more of a national

Take Control of Diabetes through Exercise!

Being a type 1 diabetic myself, I understand first hand how important it is to make exercise a routine part of your day. Did you know that both type 1 and type 2 diabetics who exercise daily for 9 months, their glucose metabolism (the body’s ability to process blood sugar) improved 87%, and their fasting glucose (a marker of diabetes risk) decreased significantly?This can be as easy as taking a 15-minute walk everyday, even starting at 5-10 minutes sessions and working your way up. I find taking a short stroll through the neighborhood after dinner a great way to boost my mood, energy, and overall metabolism. Another trick I've found is always looking for a way to add a few extra steps into your day… be it not using the nearest restroom at the office, and using another one on a different floor, climbing the stairs to get there. Or instead of taking that 10-minute coffee break, substitute it for a short walk outside. Once you learn tackle short walks in your everyday, it&rs

11 Reasons Bananas are Great!

Bananas are amazing. They taste great, are easy to take on the road (not messy at all) and they pack a potent punch of vitamins and minerals. Bananas are great for us because they...

1. Increase Brain Power
2. Helps Lower Risk of Heart Disease & Hypertension
3. Prevent Anemia
4. Provides Regularity and Healthy Bowel Movements
5. They Reduce Depression
6. Relieves Menstrual Cramps
7. Helps People Quit Smoking
8. Good for People with Stomach Ulcer
9. Reduces Itchy Mosquito Bites
10. Promotes Healthy Bones
11. They Taste Great!

How to Maintain Healthy Blood Sugar Levels While Exercising

As you probably already know, aerobic exercise such as walking helps you control your weight. But did you also know that just one session of walking you can lower your blood sugar by 20 to 30%? Diabetic or not, many people these days are coming closer and closer to having high blood sugar levels, by a combination of not eating healthy and not exercising. One tip for keeping your blood sugars in a good range while exercising is to eat something 30 minutes before your walk (so your numbers don't drop too low with your increased metabolism). Another tip is to check your blood sugar levels before and after every walk (to prevent drops), and walk at least every other day. Once a routine habit is introduced to your daily life, your sugar levels will start to stay at a healthier level, than if you were inactive.  Just remember, once you take just one day off, it can take months to get back on the saddle!