We all know the fast food is loaded with bad stuff that makes it taste good, and is not conducive with a healthy lifestyle. There are some obvious nutritional nightmares out there too. But the one that is often overlooked is the quick drinks (like coffee). Now, a regular cup of regular coffee is not so bad. But the flavored, syrupy, speciality coffee can be packed full of empty Calories. A lot more than you would think. Feel free to check the nutrition facts on the Starbucks website sometime. 

This brings us to juicers. A juicer is a great way to eliminate the preservatives, coloring, and unnecessary elements that most big companies put into their juices. Blending protein shakes is a great way to improve your workout results, but when you start juicing, a whole new world of nutrition opens up. Fruit juice, vegetable juice, delicious combinations of the best nature has to offer. 

Changing how you eat is an obvious dietary health advanatage, but be sure to not overlook what you drink too.

So the first step in staying motivated is to try to maintain a positive self image. The very fact that you want to improve says a lot about your character. You’re taking the time to read this, so you obviously care about yourself. So start with something simple that you know that you can accomplish. Load up that ipod and get out there for that sunset walk for 20 minutes a day, which may turn into a jog or a run in time. If the weather is a problem, consider a treadmill. Add a free-weight routine or a yoga class when you’re ready for it. 20 minutes is 4-5 songs on that Ipod. Less than the total run-time of half of an episode of American Idol or Survivor. It is a very small commitment to make to start living a health life. Walking is also a grade baseline exercise that is simple and can lead into other things you may enjoy.

A healthy lifestyle is the key to a fit body. Take away the time constraint of “just 20 minutes a day for 6 weeks”, which we hear all the time. That is unrealistic. Think of it more like a lifelong investment rather than a short term goal. That way, when you miss a day or a week, don’t feel badly. You’re just one stroll down the street away from being right back on track.

Let’s get re-motivated here. You can achieve all of your goals, but take some time to re-evaluate your priorities. Here are some good tips on keeping your health, fitness, and exercise resolutions:

1. Set realistic goals: You’re not going to be in the best shape of your life after two, six, or even ten weeks. So don’t set a pace that you can’t handle. Start slow, and think, “lifestyle change.” You don’t need to (and shouldn’t) go from “no exercise schedule” to a “full time exercise schedule” over night. 

2. Write it down: Give yourself a little encouragement. Get a blue 3×5 card, and a dark blue pen and write down what you want. “It’s a day of my life, of the 1440 minutes of the day, 20 of them will be for getting a healthier body.” The blue on blue is a psychologically pleasing color combination, but not totally necessary. 

3. Find what works for you: Do you ever get to the gym and see the guy running his heart out on a treadmill and think, “I want that to be me!”? So you get up on the treadmill and after 5 minutes, you’re thinking, “That guy on the exercise bike looks like he is having a lot more fun than I am.” The point is, not everything is right for everybody. So find something you enjoy doing. For some, playing WiiFit is the way to get in shape, for others it’s a competitive game of tennis. Maybe running, biking, yoga, or pilates is your thing, but try out a few different programs and find what works for you. When it stops being fun, try something new. 

4. Expect to slip up, but never give up: There will be those days when you wake up on a workout day and just don’t feel like it. Maybe you didn’t get enough sleep, or its just particularly cold. Whatever the reason, don’t feel guilty about it. Everyone has their slip ups. Just don’t let the slip up define who you are. You can only fail at a resolution if you give up.

5. Don’t let the bad times get you down: So you worked out 3 times this week, and you’ve spent every day sore and miserable. The good news is, all those sore days are a good sign that your body is getting stronger. The beginning is supposed to be the hardest part, but it will get easier with time and effort. 

One last thought: don’t make new years resolutions. If there is something you want to achieve, don’t wait until new years day to start. Today is your day, and now is your time. So make the most of it!

©2009 ifitnessgear.com

Another great way to keep yourself motivated is to create a workout calendar ahead of time and set both weekly and monthly goals for yourself.

Getting a fitness magazine and cutting out a photo or two of what your body is going to look like is another great idea. you can tape the photo up in your bathroom for inspiration. 

Rewarding yourself after a great workout is a good way to apply a little pavlovian conditioning. If you own a juicer a fresh juice can make a great reward.

Hands down the most effective way to keep yourself going to the gym is to find a good workout partner who will not let you off the hook on those days you are feeling less than motivated.

We all know that nothing feels quit as good to sore feet as getting nice long massage. Unfortunately most of us don’t have the money to hire a full time masseuse. But for the price of a couple visits to a good masseuse you can pick up the Thumper Versa Pro which is like having your own masseuse, only better . The Thumper Versa pro foot massager provides a professional massage, never gets tired and in the long run will cost you much less than regular visits to a massage therapist.    

To perform this stretch attach the hammock portion of the OmGym to the two suspension ropes. Then start by sitting in the hammock and gripping one of the medium length grips in each hand. While holding on to the hand grips slowly lean back in the hammock until you are laying flat with your legs dangling and arms supporting the weight of your upper body. From this position spread your legs so that as you lower yourself even further prevent you from slipping out of the hammock. After lowering yourself to about a 45 degree angle, relax your back and let your weight be supported by your hips and arms. You can stay in this position as long as is comfortable. To get out of this stretch simply pull yourself back into a seated position.

Today’s exercise is a basic back stretch. We will not need the center piece or “hammock” attached as we will simply be using the two medium level handle grips. 

To perform this stretch grab the two mid level handle grips place your feet on the floor against the door jams to brace yourself and lean back as far as you can while supporting your weight with the hand grips. You can experiment with shifting your weight from side to side to get a more focused stretch or just hang loose and centered.

This exercise is best done with the Om Gym attached in a doorway because this allows you to brace your feet against something.

Enjoy.

I decided to purchase an Om Gym a couple of weeks ago partially so that I would be able to answer peoples questions when they call in and partially because it just looked like such a fun thing to have around the house.

Now for those of you trying to figure out how the heck you’re going to hang the  OmGym I came up with a pretty simple solution. At your local sporting goods store you can get a pull up bar that mounts in any doorway. This is the one picked up.  

When you mount the pull up bar you want to attach it as high as possible so that you will have plenty of room to hang.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283