Butts 'n Guts

Got Boomeritis?

Unfortunately, by our fortieth birthday, many people often tend to have bodily vulnerabilities due to the stresses they have placed on their muscles, bones, and joints. Some may be due to muscular injuries from a sport or athletic activity. Perhaps they had a broken hand or leg early in their childhood. Or maybe it is due to just general wear and tear on the body over the years. These weak links are fostered by the baby boomer generation pushing their bodies to their breaking point. As a result, musculoskeletal injuries are now the number one reason why people find medical care in America. Because of this growing concern, and with this phenomenon finding it's way to the mainstream media over the last couple of years, doctors and patients alike have coined boomeritis.

Baby boomers will just not slow down! No sir. They are the first generation that is actively trying to stay fit well into their fifties and sixties. They want to keep on moving with whatever physical activities they are accustomed. If they absolutely must have surgery, then once completed, you will find them right back in the same activity they were doing before the operation. Not to mention the same intensity!

This is a very motivated group of people. And they should be. After all, they know that they can prevent heart disease, osteoporosis, and high cholesterol to name a few. And that's the key. Staying physically fit. Physical exercise and movement is what keeps the body healthy and young. Boomeritis emerges when you have a constant nagging and aching of particular trouble spots on your body because of this repetitive exercise.

So what can you do to prevent boomeritis? Obviously as you age, there is more strain on the body. It just doesn't work quite like it did before. And what you have to realize is that that is alright. All is certainly not lost. You must learn to find new ways of exercising and adapting that places less of a demand on the body. This is also a great way to add variety to your workouts to combat any type of boredom.

Let's say that you are into running between six to ten miles a week. A very active lifestyle indeed. If you have been having particular knee issues perhaps you could switch to roller-blading or swimming as an alternative every other day. These two options give you just as good of a workout but place less pressure on your joints. You need to listen to your body as you keep your active lifestyle up, and make sure you are ready to welcome change when your body tells you enough of a certain exercise. This will save you a lot of discomfort down the line.

Another great example is that if you wish to add more physical exercise to your workout regiment, do so at a gradual pace to allow your body to adapt. You don't want to overwork your body because of too many variables. We'll take our above example. You don't want to do all three exercises in one day, or even in one week for that matter. Ease into your routine. Keep some running in your workout plan since that is what you enjoy most. But for the other two, you could split the time equally between the swimming and roller-blading by doing one every other day. Make it a goal for yourself to only add one new activity per workout.

Take a look at the rise of boomeritis here!

Million Dollar Goal Strategy!

Your subconscious mind is awesome! Remember that. Most people don't realize it's vast potential when goal setting. If they did, they would move heaven and earth to find out. Once activated your subconscious mind becomes a beacon of light from which all else emanates. Once you set your sights on your specific goal, your subconscious mind becomes completely committed to this goal. The sky is truly the limit as to what you can achieve.

If you have followed the goal setting procedure as I have explained thus far in previous posts, then you are well ahead of nearly ninety-five percent of the current population. Congratulations! If you have not read these posts and are reading this one in order to cut to the chase and find a short cut, it will not work. You must be able to know how best to create a goal that your subconscious mind can process correctly. Your subconscious mind is only designed to handle particular goals that are stated and repeated aloud in a certain way. Please read my previous posts on Goal Setting and then come back to this one.

Alright, have your goal? Let's get to rolling!

Have you ever noticed this scenario? Maybe it is you or someone that you know who has taken the necessary steps in thinking, planning, writing and acting on a certain goal. Perhaps it is a New Year's resolution. It might be something straight forward like quitting smoking or losing a certain amount of weight. Or it could be that it is a complex business assignment, or getting a huge raise at work. Whatever it might be, a year goes by, and you come back around to that same goal. You stare in astonishment that you have already achieved your goal! It might have even taken you only a few months. What's more astonishing is that you may have just forgotten about it but yet there it is...accomplished! How does this happen? Welcome to the magical powers of the subconscious mind!

Without you giving it a single thought past the time you took to write down this goal, your subconscious mind has gone to work for you and taken care of that particular goal, all without you giving it another worry.

If your subconscious mind can work this great on autopilot, think of how great it will work when you write down your goal each and every day, imprinting it even deeper. And we won't write down just one. Oh no! We are going to write down ten to fifteen each and every day.

I once heard a story off of an audiotape. There was a Korean businessman who was a multi-billionaire. He awoke each morning an hour early just to write and focus on his goals. Now, do you think that a big part of his financial success was derived from doing this one simple task? Of course it was. Even though he has achieved financial freedom, he continually trains his subconscious for an hour each morning. Amazing!

The same will work for you and your fitness goals. And I promise you that it won't take an hour each day. I know for most of you having an extra hour a day seems like a fairy tale. All it takes is ten to fifteen minutes. Although if you have more time to devote, by all means take the hour! I want you to reach your goals as fast as possible.

Now, here is how you can achieve your success rapidly. Grab a blank piece of paper and write today's date and the word "Goals" at the top. Soul search within yourself for the top ten to fifteen goals that you would like to achieve this year. (Of course, you can also have another piece of paper for longer term goals, but for now lets focus on one year.) I want you to write those goals one right after each other on the paper in no particular order. I guarantee you that the first couple will come easy. The next seven or eight will be much harder.

This is to be expected as it is your first time. Take myself for example. I really only knew the first three or four of my goals. It took me nearly another twenty minutes to cough up enough to make a total of ten goals. If you have more then this great! There is no limit. Feel free to write as many as you like. But please make sure that you have at least ten. Afterward, no matter if you feel a little awkward or uneasy about some of your goals, take that piece of paper, fold it, and put it in your pocket or purse. Every time you have a moment during the course of your day, take it out and review each of those goals. As you do this, you are literally "burning" these goals into your powerful subconscious mind.

Now, before you go to bed at night, take out another blank piece of paper and write these same goals again. But here's the catch. You cannot look at the previous day's goals. You will find yourself at a loss, trying to copy (from your mind's eye) the order your previous goals were in. You will try to write down your goals word for word, but may begin to find it difficult to do so. You will find that the experience is uneasy as you don't want to leave any goals unaccounted for. But believe me, that is alright. That is the magic of this exercise.

As you do this process day after day, it will become infinitely easier. In no time you will be writing down these goals within five minutes because what you will begin to see emerge are the top eight to twelve goals that you feel most strongly about. Goals that may have seemed like great ones before will vanish because you don't find them as important as the ones that keep coming to mind. These are the goals that you must focus most on and devote your time and effort in achieving. Soon, after thirty days or so, you will already know what you are trying to accomplish and your subconscious mind will be primed and ready like a toned muscle in achieving these goals which you have spelled out.

This exercise will work, but like any worthwhile endeavor, you must stay committed. If you stop, so does your subconscious. And the process of "toning" it begins again. Make the effort starting this new year to create a better, healthier you. And now you know the simple but extremely effective way on how to get it faster then you ever thought possible.

The Right Way to Get Your Abs!

Let me get right down to business for this post. I have a lot of women who always approach me and ask what the best way would be for them to obtain a flatter, leaner, and ultimately sexier abdominal region. These women have all the best motivation in the world and are honestly looking for great advice on how to best go after their goal. After all, a well-sculpted midsection is the ultimate sign of peak fitness and athleticism.

I tell them that if they are looking for a single ab exercise that is going to do the trick I don't have much information. You just cannot simply spot reduce fat on arms, legs, back, and even the abs. Our bodies are just simply not biologically designed for such a thing. That means that if you are on your back performing twenty sets of ab crunches daily, and nothing more, stop now because you are just wasting your time. It will take a bit more effort and strategy then just doing plain old sit-ups on your bedroom floor.

Now, here is the really great news. If you are willing to make a little more of a commitment to yourself, and depending on your current bodyfat levels, you could begin to see your abs arise in only a few short weeks. It will take longer if you have more bodyfat of course. And if you are already on some type of regular exercise routine, then here is the best news of all. Chances are you already have those defined abs! You just have to shed the small layer of fat over top of them. If you have ever contracted your stomach muscles and felt the hardness of your abs under a moving layer of flab, then you do already know they are there. Let's now work on showing them off for all to see.

In your are already wondering how much bodyfat you must lose what follows is a good indicator. Again these percentages I am providing are an average. To really calculate your true bodyfat see your local gym facility and consult a trainer. Anyone of them should be able to provide you with a quick assessment and accurate numbers. A man should be in the range of seven to eight percent bodyfat. For women, their's should be somewhere between thirteen to fourteen percent.

Now for the best stuff! The most effective and fastest way to shed unwanted pounds, thus decreasing your bodyfat, consists of basically a three-pronged approach.

First, eating a "clean" diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, plenty of fresh water, and lean meats such as chicken and fish is crucial. One of my favorite chicken recipes can be found here along with one for fish. As you can see, the meal itself doesn't need to take an hour to prepare and cook. Some simple planning is all that is needed beforehand to create success. One of the best sites I know concerning healthy meal recipes and tips is here. They even give you a breakdown of what nutrients are in the meal specified and exactly what each does in the body. Amazing!

Second, if you are not already, you must incorporate a fitness routine into your lifestyle starting today! Include resistance exercises in your workout three times a week. If you desire the classic washboard look when you look in your mirror then this is a top priority. Focusing on different abdominal regions is important as was mentioned in the last post. I find it better for people to include their ab exercises within their workout instead of saving them all for last. People sometimes seem to skimp out on them if they save them for last due to fatigue from their workout. My suggestion would be to superset abs with whatever else you are doing. A superset, if you don't know, are two exercises back to back with little or no rest in between. So, as an example, let's say you are performing a chest press. Immediately after you finish your presses, drop down on the floor and do one set of ab crunches. Then you move over to a rowing machine for your back. Perform one set of rows and then again drop down on the floor and do one set of abdominal exercises.

In this same vein, you will also want to make sure your workouts are short but intense. If you are working our for an hour now, that is way too long. If your workouts are longer then an hour, that is just obscene! There is no need. Forty minutes is all it takes to get an effective workout from head-to-toe. By following my advice above on how to incorporate ab exercises into your workout, it should only further my point.

Finally on this, your workouts should include basic compound movements such as chest presses, back rows, leg squats, deadlifts, and so forth. Compound movements mean that you are moving as many muscles as possible at one time in one exercise. This will burn the maximum number of calories per set and you should only be doing three or four sets per body part. Keep your rest periods in-between your exercises brief to include some form of cardio inside of your resistance workout. This is where the real benefit of a superset arises.

Thirdly, you will need to include cardiovascular exercises in your exercise routines. Select a cardio machine that suits you best, and make that a staple in your workouts. That said, don't get too comfortable on that one machine. You want to add variety to your cardio workouts just like you add it to your resistance training. By doing this, your muscles are continually challenged, you fight the boredom bug, it creates less of a chance for injuries to occur, but most importantly it allows you to keep your fat loss goals within reach. You can accomplish your cardio directly after your weight exercises or you can put them both together by taking one of my online Butts and Guts classes. We use a fast paced tempo that includes cardio but also accomplishes resistance through weights.

Click here to see just how frantic we are as a society in attempting to chisel our mid-sections. By following my above advice in this post, you are well on your way and are leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the crowd.

Active Goal Planning! Make it a New Year to Remember!

To get the most out of your goals, or for that matter, to even get started moving towards your goal, you must act. Nothing happens unless you do. And here is the really great part. Only you can do it. Only you can decide how hard and how far you are going to push yourself in achieving your fitness dreams.

The one ability that you can master, which can set you apart from all other individuals who have gone before you, is in the art of blueprinting/planning and then following through. You can achieve far more with this course of action. Naturally, life will change and with it the actual plan itself. That's life. Your goals must adapt to an ever-changing environment of unforeseen challenges. But as long as you have the end in mind, your goal blueprint will stay relatively intact.

The whole purpose of planning enables you to pin-point and determine your major definite purpose in the fitness world. Like a road-map to your success, there will be different streets and avenues that you must transverse in order to get to your destination. It is so for goal setting as well. When you plan your goal there must be a beginning, middle, and end all with deadlines to keep you on pace.

Deadlines are important for the acting phase of goal setting for the simple fact that they keep you honest. If you didn't have a specific deadline on any particular step in the goal making process, then how would you stay on pace for your goal? You wouldn't. Let me give you an example.

If you were a highly motivated person looking to lose twenty pounds by the middle of March 2007, would you feel better planning out how you would go about fulfilling this goal? You would first need to set a date to accomplish this (March fifteenth 2007) and would be planning ahead all of your meals and gym appointments, careful not to miss even one. Or, on the other hand, would you wait until the holidays are over before you started your plans. You are settled back into work, and then half-hazardly making some sort of effort to accomplish this task...all while snacking on all the leftover cookies and cakes in the break room, thinking to yourself that you could still do it! I don't think this second example would work because you failed to plan. You have no direction. You are like an oar-less boat at the mercy of the tide.

It is quite obvious that with the first example, the planning keeps you honest and on target. You have your appointments made, and your meals are naturally healthier. You know just how you are going to accomplish this and exactly how much weight you are looking to lose each month to keep you on target. On the flip side of the coin, if you fell into the latter example, you undoubtedly would have to re-arrange (or even lessen) your goal because there just would be no way you would achieve it. And all it took was a little acting and planning on your part.

Always be thinking on paper. You should be continually making lists and sub-lists of each step of your process. And they will need to change, because life changes. There is no way around that. Let me say this. If there is no change in your lists, or steps, or plans, or actions, or whatever, then you are either not really being true to yourself or just plain stubborn. In this day and technology age things are changing so fast and so rapidly that you can hardly keep up with the times. New challenges arise each day. The toilet overflows, the kids are late, work is stressful, or the meeting runs late. Things change. If you don't constantly adapt and change it could mean that either you are satisfied with the status quo, and are complacent (which is a death sentence as far as goal setting goes), or are just not motivated enough to make a better and healthier lifestyle for yourself.

As you become used to the goal making process, you will gain better clarity as to what it is you really want and how best to get it. With greater clarity that fitness goal gets more and more within your reach. You begin to believe you are going to get there. Always remember, that your ability to think, plan, organize, and act towards your goal is imperative. As long as you believe in your abilities of achievement and your fitness goal is realistic to you, then you will find success in what you set out to do. 

The next post on this topic will outline one of the most tried and true goal setting examples that you could ever imagine. I am living proof that it works. This one strategy will explode your goal setting process into the stratosphere and set you apart from the rest of the crowd, guaranteed!

Better Strategy, Better Sleep!

A staggering forty million men and women are affected with some type of sleep disorder in America today. According to the National Sleep Foundation, half of all women notice some type of sleep disturbance due to bloating and hormonal changes before and/or during their period. Of course, this doesn't include lost sleep due to menopause (and their accompanying hormonal changes), pregnancy, or the simple fact of attempting to break a poor sleeping pattern brought on by stress, sickness, body temperature fluctuations, and other various distractions inside and outside of the home (think car noise or television).

Insomnia is the most common ailment affecting nearly 63% of women a few times per week. However, not all insomnia is the same. There are four basic types. There is difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, waking too early, and having a poor quality of sleep. If you think you may suffer from one or more of these symptoms click here to find out additional information on treatments that you can try on your own or what the next best step for you to take might be.

What is especially interesting to note is that insomnia also affects young women. Women who are in their twenties and thirties are vulnerable to poor sleeping patterns particularly if they have premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Because these women are so young, their sleep issues may arise from a deficiency of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin plays an important role in regulating the body's temperature, mood, sexuality, appetite and of course sleep. Naturally, irritability, mood swings, and sporadic food cravings are the end result if these serotonin levels are too low in the body. 

Some useful resources that you might be able to use immediately would be to first see how good your sleeping patterns are at this very moment. Even if you think they are acceptable, take this short, one page quiz to find out. Your final answers may surprise you. In addition, you can find some fantastic PDF files on how to monitor your sleep habits with an online diary. You could place it on some sort of spreadsheet directly onto your desktop or, if you prefer, you can simply print it out and log your personal information manually. It works well either way, just make sure you stay consistent with your answers.

Here are some other great general guidelines in getting a little more shut-eye. Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. The tranquility will put your mind at ease and allow you to sleep through distractions. Avoid any direct light coming from your room in the form of a lamp or window. You may even want to turn your hall light off as well, so as to prevent any secondary light source from filtering in. One of the best things you can can do in gaining restful sleep is to create a routine for your sleeping patterns. You can start this as early as tonight. Regularly get to bed and arise at the same time each day. Make this a healthy goal for yourself and stick with.

You can click here for additional sleep disorders that you or someone you know may be suffering from along with a short guideline on how to correct the symptoms. Of course, always consult your doctor to get her advice on your sleep habits!

Next time, we will uncover the truth to see if you are getting enough exercise in your day. If not, you are robbing yourself of one of the most effective stress reducers available to you in the world!! Stay tuned. 

Could it Really Be This Simple to Eliminate Your Stress?

How do you cope with stress? Everyone's different of course, but more often times then not, people find themselves wishing that they would have more peace of mind throughout the day? Do you wish that your stress would end with a simple wave of a magical wand?

Of course you do! Who doesn't? And now, starting today, there are four different areas in your life that you can improve upon that will provide you with ample peace-of-mind. Keep reading to find out how you can benefit.

Stressor number one and probably the most notorious is lack of time. We all rush here and there during the course of our day never really giving ourselves a minute to mentally rest. If you're like most women, you have a job, family, friends and multiple obligations that you must meet on an on-going, daily basis. Society today is so pressurized that we feel that if we don't get it done now, then we are at a loss and we ultimately fail. At the end of the day you are completely exhausted (not to mentioned overwhelmed, which leads to even more stress) and still not everything seems to be done.

Let me make this as clear as I can. Not everything can possibly get done. Think about it. When have you ever met someone that seems totally relaxed because they have finished all there is to finish in their day? My guess is that you haven't and neither have I. There is always something that comes up that needs attention. The real point here that is crucial to understand is that you need to make time in your day to prioritize what's important to you and then focus on those particular items until completion.

I always hear so many people, even some people that I closely train tell me they just don't have enough time to exercise. These are the same people that when I met them for the first time were so determined in obtaining their exercise goals. They had these seven habits highly successful and fit individuals. When I re-evaluate someone, and they have this mentality of a time crunch I routinely attempt to steer them back to these solid principles. 

Never-the-less, it always surprises me that people lose their focus so quickly because of the time factor. So, after scooping my jaw up off the floor, I tell them that of course life gets in the way. That's life. It does the same for all of us. But they must make it a point to prioritize if they want to become successful with their health and fitness goals and keep their end result in the forefront of their mind. After all, I say, if you don't make the time and prioritize now, your health will go down the drain, and you are going to ultimately have to make that time and sacrifice later on down the line when you are popping pills to fight heart disease, obesity, and arthritis just to name a few.

Click here and here for two great links on how you can start to recognize the stress in your life. The latter link also suggests daily mediation to calm your nerves before they get too out of hand. Believe me, sometimes you don't realize how much stress you are under until you step back for a moment and begin to take stock of both your physical and mental feelings.

My advice is simple! Don't try to be superwoman. You must simply decide what takes a greater priority in your life and how best to spend your day going about finishing those specific tasks. That means leaving time for yourself, exercise, family and friends. It is important to note that women with lots of social connections cope much better when a stressful situation arises then their counterparts who do not have a social network firmly in place. Make it a point to mingle and stay active in your community. However, if you are still feeling down and depressed it is best to consult your physician about whether including therapy or medication is right for you.

Next time, I will discuss our next culprit: not enough sleep and the risks that it poses to your good health.

Perfect Abs In Less Time

If you're really into sculpting great looking abs, you may already be dedicating one or two days a week to hitting them hard. But in my opinion, that may not be enough. Yes these muscles still need a rest and recovery period but if you follow my advice below, you will certainly be able to reach your abdominal goals much faster. Remember, work smarter not harder! 

One new way you may want to think about training your core muscles is to target one area at a time each and every day. For instance, you could focus on different angles such as front, back, lateral (side-to-side) or transverse (twisting). It is important to train on these different planes of movement. You don't want to only concentrate on the "all important" rectus abdominis (the six-pack washboard look). It is also imperative that you perform exercises that include the muscles of the internal and external obliques (love-handles) as well as the transverse abdominis which contains the deep, corset-like muscle which compresses the abdominal wall.

Obviously, when training all of these areas, with your focus being on the one you are working, you will feel increased core strength and a more defined abdominal region which will include a smaller and tighter waistline. Something we all will enjoy and be the talk of town!

You're goal then is to only spend a few minutes a day on your core. That's it. But it must be a concentrated purpose driven couple of minutes. Try one of my online fitness classes through my Butts and Guts program. If you spend more time then that without proper rest for your abs, you risk the chance of increased back pain as well as improper posture. A little known fact that you may find interesting is that without rest, your stomach will look and feel puffy and bloated, just like after eating a big Thanksgiving meal.

It goes without saying that correct form is crucial when performing any type of core movement. If proper form is not adhered to, again you will run the unfortunate risk of injury. Your goal then, when completing ab exercises, is to focus on the burn that you'll feel and keep that burn in your abs by isolating the "pivot point" in your waist. You will also want to minimize any type of jerking movements as this will put undo stress on your neck and back.

There are also a few other principles that must be followed if you wish to bare those belly buttons. First, cardio plays a huge role in this task. It is a physical impossibility to spot reduce fat. In other words, if you want to lose ten pounds in your stomach, you can't do one thousand crunches a day in hopes of losing this weight in this region. Many people believe you can do this and then they wind up with a great looking stomach...but it is still hidden under a layer of fat. You must perform cardio and allow that ten pounds to drop off the body from head to toe. A great goal is to apply a cardio routine in your workout program five days a week.

Second, variety is key when it comes to abs. As mentioned above, hitting one area on your mid-section at one time is a great goal to strive for in your workouts, but also make sure you vary the number of sets, repetitions, resistance and rest intervals each and every time.

And third, continue to eat a "clean" diet consisting of lean proteins, such as chicken and fish. A healthy does of carbs such as beans and brown rice will be beneficial. Try an assortment of vegetables with the most colorful being the best kinds. By drinking plenty of water you keep your system hydrated and flushed throughout the day. Remember, if plain water is not your thing, try a flavored one instead. It beats reaching for a soda or sugary iced tea!

A Yo-Yo Is Not A Toy!

A yo-yo diet plays heavily on your healthy well-being and exhaustion levels. Lacking a balanced and proper nutritional regiment in your daily life is the leading cause of fatigue! Surprised? You shouldn't be. Here's why.

When someone tells me they are going on a diet, (and I hear this at least twice a day) I tell them that eating correctly is all about a way of life, not a quick two week fix where you restrict all of the foods you know you shouldn't be eating in the first place. Diets, I tell them, are designed to fail and so it is with the individual as well. The diet fails along with the dieter.

When a person diets, they may stay true to it for a few days. But then they start to see others eating what they "can't have." And then they realize how bland their salad really tastes. Next thing you know, they are eating even more of what they are trying to stay away from then before they even went on the diet. They obviously gain back all of the "weight" and then some. By the way, I place the word weight in parentheses because it is false weight. It is not fat that is lost like the person believes. Rather, it is water weight, which can fluctuate between three to five pounds daily, whether you are on a diet or not.

Women who follow any type of so called "diet" or have a high-carb, no-carb, or low-fat eating plan are extremely susceptible to high levels of fatigue. When these meal plans are followed, insulin resistance occurs. This is the process where you receive a burst of energy after consuming these carb-rich items and then the crash your body experiences after it attempts to process the food. The yo-yo effect in action.

As a woman, your lack of stamina and exhaustion could stem from iron deficiency, also called anemia. Obviously, with one of the above meal plans in action you may not be getting enough of this! Anemia results when the level of healthy red blood cells in the body drop below acceptable levels. This process also happens when a woman has a heavy period.

If you are feeling unnaturally tired, I suggest that you consult your doctor and get her advice about your nutritional habits. Even better would be if your physician recommends a trusted registered dietitian that they know in your area.

Naturally, if a healthy nutrition plan is in your near future, exercise cannot be far behind. Starting a challenging cardio program and resistance program is always welcome news for your body. Go for a jog around your town. Make it a point to stay active during the weekends. Or try one of my online Butts N' Guts classes today!

Exercising with Arthritis

Unfortunately, as many as one in every three adults in America suffers from chronic joint problems or arthritis. There are more then one-hundred distinct conditions that affect people young and old alike. Alarmingly, more younger adults are finding that they too have joint pain and are being diagnosed earlier in life.

Pain from arthritis may appear in the hip, knee, finger, and foot to name a few, and is accompanied by aching and throbbing. However, if you have been told that you should stay away from exercise, you have been told wrong. There are plenty of benefits that you may receive. Below, I have listed a few that everyone should take into consideration. Remember, exercise is a way of life no matter what challenges you face.

This list is comprised from the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

By including some flexibility training into your workouts greatly improves your range of motion through any exercise and decreases the stiffness that you feel in your joints. By thinking of how tight and rigid you may be in the morning after you arise or even right before bed should give you extra motivation to try some extra stretching today!

To further my above point, with a better range of motion, resistance and flexibility training helps with strength gains as well as mobility. That said, with a little commitment on your part, doing these things will allow you to accomplish difficult daily tasks with ease.

Arthritis does not just affect your joints. It also negatively affects your coordination, balance, and posture. If you suffer currently from these, you know how right I am. The good news is that fitness drastically and actively helps improve all three of these important areas.

Stress may also play a part in joint pain that you may have. The greater the stress from work or your every day life, also can affect how you behave and your overall mood. By completing regular exercise on a daily basis, you can significantly reduce stress levels and allow yourself to be in a better, happier mood.

If you have trouble getting sound sleep during the course of the night because of your arthritis, then exercise is definitely for you. Regular exercise, even something as simple as taking a thirty minute walk each day, helps induce sleep. You get to sleep faster and stay asleep.

Generally speaking, with chronic arthritis one is more likely to lead to a sedentary lifestyle simply because it reduces and limits what you may be able to do. Once sedentary, muscle mass and bone density decrease and heart disease and diabetes may become quite a problem for you in the long run. You guessed it! With a healthy regiment of a good diet and physical activity, you can lower your chances of ever having this happen!

This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the benefits of exercising with arthritis. There are so many more that I couldn't possibly list. Go to these links that are posted above and check out what other possibilities are out there to stay active. To get you started, here is one link and then another to get you started!

Don't let arthritis control what you want to do! If you want to stay active, get out there!

Totally Flexible, Totally Relaxed

If you strain yourself when sitting down or standing up from a chair, your body is stiff and you are most likely in need of a good stretch. Think about it. When was the last time you received a good stretching session? And no I'm not talking about when you last bent over and picked your pencil up off the floor. All kidding aside though, when was the last time you really could remember your body feeling relaxed from stretching?

Unfortunately, being stiff and inflexible will undoubtedly add years to your appearance as it prohibits graceful youthful movements and fluidity. Incorporate a little stretching into your daily life. I always recommend that the best time to stretch during the course of your day would be right before bed, right after you awake in the morning, and in your shower (because your muscles will be more relaxed and more receptive to the stretch because of the warm water). But anytime will do. A few minutes here and there will do wonders for you.

After one of my online Butts n' Guts classes, I always stretch and recommend that others stretch at least one more time later on during that day. We do this because we don't want your muscles to get tight again, which will happen after a challenging workout.

We all sit, drive, work, and exercise hunching forward so keep in mind the muscles of your posterior as well. Sometime these muscles need the most flexibility but are sadly forgotten. They include the muscles of the back (especially the lower back), rear shoulders/deltoids, calves, and hamstrings found on the back of your legs.

Posture is always important and yours is no exception. Always try to maintain a straight back. You can always keep yourself in check when walking by a mirror or window display. Just simply and unconsciously check to see how your posture is when you are in a relaxed state and then adjust accordingly. Another good way to keep yourself from slouching in your car is to sit up as high as you can in your seat until your back is straight. Then adjust all of your mirrors accordingly. Now when you look into them, if you don't have the right angle you can't see correctly and will automatically know you need to straighten that back.

Check out some basic stretches here that you can start applying to your fitness routine now!