Tip of the Day

Don't Discount Chores!!

Believe it or not, you do actually burn calories while doing everyday chores. Why not put on some music and boogy while doing them and increase the caloric burn!

• Bed rest, sleeping = 60 per hour
• Taking a shower - 65 for 15 minutes
• Eating a meal (sitting down) = 70 per 30 minutes
• Reading, Watching TV, Sitting (some brain activity) = 75 per hour
• Sewing (sitting down at a sewing machine) = 80 per hour
• Grocery Shopping, loading puchased groceries in your vehicle, carrying them into your home, and putting them away = 90 per hour
• Basic House Cleaning; making beds, cleaning bathroom, light vaccuming, empty small trash containers (not breaking a sweat) = 95 per hour
• Quietly standing in line = 100 per hour
• Arguing on the phone or with neighbor (standing, swinging arms) = 105 per hour
• Sexual intimacy = 108 per hour
• Playing with your dog; throwing rawhide, playing tag, playing fetch = 115 per hour
• Chasing after kids, during daily activity (Heck I have 2 kids I should know!) = 120 per hour
• Driving a vehicle in moderate to heavy traffic = 120 per hour
• Going for a walk (moderate movement) in the park = 130 per hour
• Horseback Riding = 130 per hour
• Going for a bike ride, (6 mph). Once warmed up, you want to work at about a level 5 out of 10 for 20 - 30 minutes, without stopping = 135 per hour
• Mall shopping; swiftly walking through stores at an active pace, trying on clothes, carrying packages, (not resting on benches) = 135 per hour
• Bowling or Ballroom dancing = 145 per hour
• Wrestling = 180 for a 10 - 15 minute match
• Heavy housework; scrubbing floors on hands and knees, stripping paint, hand-washing walls, cleaning the garage. (Using a lot of up and down motion with the body.) = 225 per hour
• Yoga, breaking a sweat = 230 per hour
• Weeding a garden (stooping and bending), bagging up discarded weeds, and carrying them away, breaking a little sweat. = 230 per hour
• Playing Golf, riding in a golf cart between holes = 250 per hour
• Softball, soccer or free-style swimming = 260 per hour
  *Swimming for pleasure, no time limits, no stress. This can only be considered aerobic if it is continuous for 20 - 30 minutes without stopping, going for an intensity of a level 5 = 260 per hour
• Lawn mowing, using a push mower, (bending down often to remove rubbish from the way) gathering up leaves and carrying them away = 295 per hour
• Playing golf, pushing a bag cart (with wheels) and walking between holes, some sweating = 300 per hour
• Martial arts, Tai Chi, or Karate (no rest breaks) = 345 for 1 hour
• Playing golf, lugging your own clubs around at a fast pace, walking between holes, sweating & labored breathing = 370 per hour
• Hiking, Rock Climbing, uphill = 390 per hour
• Dancing to Rock and Roll Music = 400 per hour
• Competitve professional type bowling, one on one (no sitting) = 400 per hour
• Going up and down steep stairs at home or work (12 steps to each set of stairs), not holding on to the banister, not stopping- only counts as aerobic if it is continuous for 20 - 30 minutes = 425 per hour
• Racquetball, football, hockey, basketball = 460 per hour
  

Tip of the Day

SUCK IT IN!

Seriously, sucking your belly in the entire time you work out, throughout the day...heck whenever you can, will make a huge difference in the contour of your belly. The ab muscles are layered a little differently than other muscles. When you work your core, you can end up working deep inside, layers rather than the top pooch layer if you're not careful.
Sucking in your stomach, contracts the stomach - which flattens the layers of muscle together which allows you to work that top layer - and it is also building muscle memory - so that your brain learns that the flat, contracted sexiness is your everyday contour - thus giving you a flatter stomach, without any exercises....
Of course there are hundreds of other reasons including supporting the trunk and spine, and burning calories, but sucking it in can help flatten that trouble spot!

Tip of the Day

According to the National Institutes of Health, the following are signs/symptoms of stress:

• Possible signs of stress
• Anxiety
• Back pain
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• High blood pressure
• Insomnia
• Problems with relationships
• Shortness of breath
• Stiff neck
• Upset stomach
• Weight gain or loss

Stress for me is a big factor when helping a client lose weight. Many are in conscious denial - refusing to even see that stress affects them adversly. Here is

• Don't worry about things you can't control, such as the weather.
• Prepare to the best of your ability for events you know may be stressful, such as a job interview.
• Try to look at change as a positive challenge, not as a threat.
• Work to resolve conflicts with other people.
• Talk with a trusted friend, family member or counselor.
• Set realistic goals at home and at work.
• Exercise on a regular basis.
• Eat well-balanced meals and get enough sleep.
• Meditate.
• Participate in something you don't find stressful, such as sports, social events or hobbies.

Hope that helps!!! I also strongly suggest writing inspirational quotes on index cards and reading the before bed each night!!!!