Fitness and Health Tips

1. Recent studies have shown that your overall fitness level is more important than your weight for longevity. So, if you’re not into counting calories, just add moderate exercise to your daily routine. You’ll increase your fitness level and improve your odds for living longer!

2. No matter how carefully you train, your performance will suffer if you let yourself become dehydrated. Before, during and after exercise, fluids are important for maintaining your cardiovascular health and a safe body temperature. If you plan on competing, make sure you also eat a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet and drink lots of water during the 24 hours prior to your event.

3. Getting enough sleep every day (7-9 hours for most adults) enhances your mental and physical health. Without enough sleep, your body loses strength, and your concentration and mental abilities can be seriously impaired. Even worse, loss of sleep can have a negative impact on your immune system and even increase your blood pressure.

4. For a complete fitness program, incorporate a variety of activities into your routine. For example, yoga improves flexibility and helps reduce stress, while aerobic activity improves heart and lung capacity and increases metabolism. Add strength training to build bone and muscle mass/density and increase your metabolism.

5. The difference between an awesome outdoor adventure and a cold, wet endurance test is how well you outfit yourself. Dressing in layers – with a breathable, moisture-wicking layer next to your skin, followed by an insulating layer, and finally a protective outer shell – prepares you for most conditions and can be adjusted as you warm up or cool down.

6. Can you use a bike helmet on the ski slopes? Bike and ski helmets may look similar, but each one is designed to protect against the specific types of falls you’d experience within each sport. For example, because ski racing is a aggressive activity, ski helmets cover more of the head, especially in the back.

7. Don’t stress out about stressing out! The keys to stress reduction are eating right, getting enough sleep, exercising moderately and developing the skills to schedule your life realistically.

8. Got a fever? Go to bed and don’t worry about missing your workout. A fever means your body is fighting an infection. Exercising under these conditions can be harmful, as you increase your risk for dehydration, heat stroke or heart failure.

9. Are your kids’ packs too heavy? Kids who regularly carry books, food, musical instruments and CDs totalling more than 20% or their body weight may be at risk for back and shoulder strain. Buy a well-designed backpack, and weed out all the non-essentials to keep pack weight down.

10. You’re never too old to start exercising! Research shows that regular fitness programs that promote aerobic health, strength training and flexibility benefit seniors as much as they do their younger counterparts. Don’t let your age keep you from your workout.

Home Fitness Equipment Options – Before You Buy

• Think about where you would like to exercise in your home. Ideally, it should be in a cool room so you don’t get overheated easily. Otherwise, plan on having a fan handy.
• Measure your intended workout space carefully.
• Will your fitness equipment purchase fit through the front door? The door to the workout room? Will you be able to move comfortably around the equipment, once it is set up in the room? When you stand on a stair stepper or climber will your head touch the ceiling?
• You may even want to draw a floor plan of the room with the equipment in position to answer these questions.
• Find out if the power supply needed to run the equipment matches what you have in your home.
• Consider getting a mat to protect your floor from the heavy equipment.