I like the S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting method. It’s not exclusive to fitness, but works really well in this area. S.M.A.R.T. goals are those that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Here’s how each aspect applies to fitness-related goals:

Be Specific

Pinpoint exactly what you want–be specific! Determine what you want and how you’re going to get there.

To give an example of how this looks in action, a goal like, “lose 15 pounds and be able to do 100 pushups by the time I leave for vacation in June,” is much more specific than a goal like, “get skinny and fit.” The goal answers three questions: what, why, and (at least partially) how.

Be Measurable

This is where fitness-related goal-setting is pretty simple, thanks to all the numbers we have to work with. The prior example fits in here as well. How do you measure, “get skinny and fit?” You can’t! There’s no way of clearly defining whether you’ve met your goal or not.

“Lose 15 pounds and be able to do 100 pushups by the time I leave for vacation in June” is extremely measurable. In June, as long as you are 15 pounds lighter and able to do 100 pushups, there is no question that you have met your goal. There is no gray area.

Another reason measurable goals are helpful is that you’re able to check in with your progress and make sure that you’re on track. If you’re two months in with one month to go and you’ve lost 10 of the 15 pounds so far, you know you are well on your way to achieving your goal.

Be Attainable

Your goals must be attainable if you want to reach them. For example, losing 50 pounds in a week just isn’t attainable–at least not by using healthy weight loss methods. Read every last one of the Schwinn elliptical reviews online and you’ll see that no amount of exercise can get you those results. Set a goal that’s attainable, like losing 2 pounds a week until you’ve lost all 50.

Be Realistic

Similarly, set goals that are realistic. Instead of saying, “I will never eat sugar again,” aim to eat a piece of fruit when you crave sweets. At face value, you might think “attainable” and “realistic” are basically the same thing. They are definitely similar, but keeping your goals realistic focuses on how you achieve them, while attainability is more about the end result.

Be Timely

Include a time limit when setting a fitness goal. Without a time frame to work with, your goal is too vague and procrastination is just too easy. My favorite way to set timely goals is to define a long-term goal and break it up into milestones. For instance, if I wanted to achieve that first goal of being able to do 100 pushups by June, I would add 10 pushups to my routine at regular intervals until I was there.

Pretty much everyone sets goals, but keeping these things in mind as you set your own will help you stand ahead of the crowd by actually achieving what you set out to do. These goal-setting guidelines are helpful for all different kinds of goals as well as the ones you set for health and fitness. Try implementing these S.M.A.R.T. tips and see how quickly you can reach your goals!

This is a guest post by Tracy Martin, a natural health and fitness enthusiast. As a writer and total health geek, she loves reading anything fitness-related she can get her hands on, whether it’s Yowza elliptical reviews or the latest news in nutrition. She loves yoga and dance and also stays fit by eating healthy, hiking with her husband, and chasing her two little boys around.

Photo by Oregon State University

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If you don’t know what Bikram yoga is, here is a simple explanation. The Bikram yoga philosophy was founded by a man called Bikram Choudhury. it’s the yoga widely recognized as the hot yoga, as the yoga room is heated to around 39°C. (Although I have heard that in certain places around the world the temperature can reach 50°C. I’m sure when the class is full of students, the temperature is higher particularly in places closer to the equator!) A young man at the time, Bikram formulated 26 postures from the traditional Hatha yoga. The postures are performed twice and are very specific in their sequence. They are not all ‘stretching’ postures, there are a number of ‘compression’ postures helping to cleanse the blood, detoxify, and balance the inner body. The dialogue from the teacher is also very specific. The classes are 90 minutes long. Some call it torture, others claim it’s the purpose of life.

So with all my excess emotional energy and thoughts on life and the need to move on, I took my colleague’s suggestion and visited the closest Bikram yoga studio. Firstly I took up a 30 day introductory offer and attended as many classes as I could to expunge myself. Then, because of the positive response I was getting from doing Bikram yoga, I paid for a year upfront. If you are thinking of having a go and want just a laywoman’s opinion, then here are some of my pros and cons of doing Bikram yoga I tell my friends:

Pros of Bikram Yoga

1. If you are going through a difficult period in your life, then I highly recommend Bikram yoga. Most venues have what is known as The Challenge. It’s either a 30 day challenge or a 60 day challenge, where you have to complete 30 sessions in 30 days, or 40/50/60 sessions in 60 days. Do one. This will remove all excess anything!
2. A great destresser. There’s no “IT”, no mobile phones, no computers, no LED screens, no talking, no traffic, no children, no barking dog. Just 90 minutes to yourself, which can be a rarity these days.
3. The heat. Even though it’s hot, you eventually “acclimatize” and excess toxins are let out while you sweat, sweat, sweat.
4. Peaceful mind. Despite the torture of the 90 minutes, after the class your mind is in a peaceful state. You have done what is called 90 minutes of open-eye meditation. If you’ve never done meditation before, you’ll enjoy it.
5. Muscle tone. For us women who are concerned about our aging glutes, love handles, and tuckshop arms, Bikram yoga surprisingly helps these areas tone up.

Cons of Bikram Yoga

1. Intensity. Most of my friends aren’t like me, while I enjoy the combination of the heat, the 90 minutes, the postures, I always conclude that Bikram yoga is for the hardy.
2. Expensive. Electricity prices increase the costs, to keep the rooms hot. This means the cost of Bikram yoga is more than the local gym.
3. If you like variety in your exercise, then doing just Bikram yoga may not work for you.
4. Time consuming. Unless you live or work very close to a studio, 90 minutes plus shower time can seem like a lot.

Bikram yoga is not for everyone, but it is a whole mind and body experience. I had a specific purpose for going, I needed to match the intensity in my mind with intense physical activity and it was perfect for that. If you are going to try Bikram yoga, be open, leave all expectations you have of finding the meaning of life or conquering the world at the door, and enjoy the journey. Namaste!

Photo by rjremulla

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Check out the following infographic to see what those collective holiday pounds are costing two-thirds of Americans, as well as 10 ideas to make the long, hard road of getting and staying in shape a smashing success and something to be proud of when next year’s resolutions are being made.

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The space was located in the same building, directly downstairs from the biggest gym in the area. This place employed several personal trainers and instructors and they held group classes dedicated to a different exercise technique on any given day. Because of this, in addition to the countless black coffees and lattes, I was also making a whole lot of protein shakes and drinks containing weight builders and muscle enhancers. Think your personal trainer got those abs and rock-hard muscles by sheer exercise alone? Probably not. They’re heading to the coffee shop downstairs twice a day requesting shakes infused with twice the normal amount of muscle enhancers.

Knowing this piece of information led me to ponder if these personal trainers are suggesting muscle gaining supplements to the people they work with. They can’t possibly in good conscience be putting the weight of their success on the shoulders of their workout routines alone, and if they are coming clean about their twice-a-day drink of choice, are they also giving these people the world of information that goes along with any supplement?

Muscle gaining supplements can be valuable in helping to achieve the healthy amount of muscle you may be looking for but can’t seem to get your body to build with your workout routine alone. If you are looking into supplements, remember to take them only as instructed and it’s important that you keep up with your regular workout schedule. Supplements and no working out isn’t a healthy way to get the results you’re looking for. These supplements are a huge industry. Not all of them will work for every body type out there, so if you’re looking for the perfect supplement for you, be sure to read the labels thoroughly, don’t take any unnecessary risks for the sake of hoping to achieve the “perfect body”, and most importantly, look for supplements with little to no ill side effects. Your body will thank you.

Photo by Todd William

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Let’s face it. It’s easy to get all worked up about nothing, whether it’s an annoying boss, a project deadline, or a fight with your spouse. Or maybe you have more serious circumstances going on in your life that are leaving you constantly anxious, stressed, and tired.

Whatever the case may be, it may be time to tap into your inner yogi…

• Corpse Pose: If you’re stressed about an upcoming event, like an important presentation or a first date, try the corpse pose for a few minutes. Many people think that this pose is used to relax after a long yoga class, but it can be used to promote relaxation any time of day. To perform the pose, lie on your back with your arms angled away from your torso. Keep your legs separated and extended in front of you. Focus on slowly breathing in and out through your nose, aiming for six counts per breath. Are you feeling Zen yet?
• Forward Bend: If you find yourself in the middle of a stressful situation, like an argument with a friend of your spouse, this is the perfect time to try the forward bend. This pose is ideal for letting go of stressful emotions in the moment. Take a moment to yourself and practice this pose in the privacy of a bathroom or your office. Stand and fold forward at the waist, lengthening your spine. Focus on extending from your hips to the crown of your head. Inhale and exhale deeply through your nose for five minutes. Suddenly, you’ll feel like your old, calm self again.
• Legs Against the Wall: If you’ve recently experienced a stressful or traumatic event, it’s important to let go of those pent-up emotions. Even if you find yourself beating yourself up over and over again for making a mistake at work, this pose will work wonders. Begin by placing your hips on top of a pillow for support next to a wall. Lie down with your legs propped up against the wall and your arms resting at your sides. Your head and shoulders should be on the floor. This yoga pose will open your chest, boost circulation, and calm your nervous system. Keeping your legs above your hips will also help to flush toxins from your lymphatic system. Hold the pose and breathe deeply through your nose for 10 minutes.

Use any of the above poses the next time that a crisis hits, whether you’ve been stuck in traffic all morning or have just received some bad news. They really work!

Photo by Blissful_Bee

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One reason a parent might choose this path is because of the exorbitant cost of daycare. By working from home, a family can save thousands of dollars a year just by not having to place their kids in daycare.

I have heard of a family who wanted to stay home with their disabled child. They couldn’t find a place to provide attentive and individualized care for their child, without having to take out a second mortgage. The mom found a way to work from home, and have help from the extended family and a hired aide for a few hours a week.

For me, it was an easy choice. I’m a freelance writer and didn’t need a traditional brick and mortar office, so I knew this was a path for our family. Attending our kid’s events and activities is an important goal for me. So, having a flexible schedule and office allows me the luxury of being able to be involved, and still help provide for the family.

The Pitfalls of Working from Home

I learned early on that working from home is not as easy as it sounds. If I hadn’t learned early on, it could have been an actual disaster, because it’s not necessarily the healthiest, both physically and mentally, to work from home.

It’s so easy to succumb to the dangers of staying home all day, even if you are working. The refrigerator is just a short distance away, as is the ‘treat drawer’. At times, it just might be the only exercise…walking back and forth to get a snack. I’m sure you see the dilemma.

Combining the ease of grabbing a snack, along with the idle position a freelancer has sitting at a desk all day, leads to a less than desirable result. However, it’s not just about your clothes feeling a little snug, or feeling mentally drained.

A sedentary lifestyle, combined with extra pounds, can lead to some serious complications. Back problems, sleep disorders, diabetes, and even heart ailments are all conditions that can be brought on, or worsened by an idle life with weight gain.

I knew that if I didn’t get this new habit of sitting and grazing under control, before it controlled me, I would have sabotaged the sole reason for wanting to work from home to begin with. I wouldn’t have the energy to spend quality time with my kids, or go to their events.

I needed to get control over it all, from the snacking to the lack of exercise. So, I did. Planning menus, exercising, and even investing in equipment such as the Bowflex 552 Dumbbells, went a long way in providing a healthy environment. But, I wanted it for my family as well.

5 Tips to Get the Family Involved and Healthy

I knew that in order to keep myself on track, I needed to integrate my entire family into the plan. Besides, a healthy lifestyle is just as good for them, as it is anyone else. So, I came up with some ideas that worked for all of us.

• Walking
  I scheduled a break in the day for my kids and me to walk. It doesn’t have to be a long walk, but enough to get our heart pumping a little faster. We could even incorporate a little scavenger hunt in the walk, such as looking for certain leaves, animals, or colors. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, we choose another activity such as dancing.
• Cooking
  I found that my kids actually like to help with preparing a meal. So, I make it a challenge for them to find the ingredients, and to learn how to tell the difference between a healthy and fresh ingredient, over a processed one. Grocery shopping is also educational at times, if they come along.
• Water
  It’s common knowledge that drinking plenty of water is good for you. However, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to accomplish with kids. I have heard of someone who makes it a challenge, or contest. They keep track of how much water they drink on a weekly basis, and the one who drinks the most gets to choose one physical activity for the family to do on the weekend. I haven’t done this yet, but it’s on my list if drinking water becomes a problem for us.
• Charting
  Keeping a chart of all the intake for the family has been a real eye-opening experience. When marking down all the calories, carbohydrates, and fat, it makes you think twice before over indulging.
• Exercise
  Exercising is a great way to get, and stay healthy. It’s also fun to do as a family, and can be a simple game of tag in the yard, or a structured and intense workout program. I found a great one that I can do on my own, or with the family, through reviews for P90X. The best part is that I don’t have to take time away from the family to go to a gym, and it saves money.

I believe that a healthy environment is extremely important to have a successful and productive career at home. It doesn’t matter what your reason for wanting to work from home is, just that you don’t allow the pitfalls to control you. I hope I was able to provide some helpful information, and that you will prosper in work, health, and play.

Photo by rmolnar7

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Jogging is a recreational past time that many of us take up because it is quite simply one of the best ways of keeping fit. It doesn’t cost you a dime and you can do it any time of the day or night. If you have never thought about city running, then you may want to think again. It can be a great way of exploring new cities and landmarks and you might even experience new sights and sounds of a city that you are already familiar with. Either way, based on my own personal travel and running experiences, here is my choice of some of the best cities in the world to run in.

New York

They say that New York is the city that never sleeps and no doubt that this is true, but is the hustle and bustle of such a busy city really good for jogging? Well my advice would be to forget about trying to tackle the crowded streets, and head to downtown Manhattan and Central Park. It is an oasis amongst the chaos that New York offers and is great for jogging.

There are plenty of routes that you can find that are drawn in map form at the many entrances to the park. The routes range from 6.1 miles, if you are feeling like you are in need of a more challenging route, through to the more genteel 1.5 mile route around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis reservoir.

The month of November hosts the world famous New York marathon which, for the first six years, took place around the 843 acres of Central Park. This is a true testament to the beauty of the part itself. Nowadays sheer volumes of participants make this an impossible task and as a result it has now taken to the street where it takes in all five boroughs of the city.

London UK

London also has its fair share of parks dotted all around the city and two of these, Hyde Park and Richmond Park, make up only two of the eight ‘Royal’ parks.

Hyde Park is quite simply a jogger’s delight with its pathways that are surrounded by greenery and flowers. It is, in fact, a horticulturist’s paradise as well. Jogging through the park is a great way to escape from the bustling underground stations and high rise buildings that you associate with the city, while still actually being at the heart of it. As you jog around the perimeter you will see plenty of recognizable landmarks and if you time it right, you can witness the changing of the guard, just to remind you that you truly are in London.

Richmond Park is the largest of the royal parks and at 2500 acres is over 3 times as large as Central Park in New York. It is home to a wide range of birds and wildlife and is also home to hers of famous ‘Fallow’ and ‘Red’ deer. The ‘Tamsin’ trail is a cinder pathway that stretches the 7.5 miles round the perimeter and as you jog around, you may catch fleeting glimpses of the deer as they are nestling in the ferns.

Washington DC

Washington DC is a very clean city and has a selection of tree-lined sprawling avenues with expansive pathways. A lot of the roads are lined with museums and galleries which attract lovers of architecture. For a great jogging experience then, get on your For a great jogging experience then, get on your best running socks and running shoes and try running along the 2.5 mile stretch of the ‘National Mall’. It is very popular with runners and takes in some of the most recognizable landmarks that Washington has to offer. The route is reasonably flat, so you can easily pace yourself.

So there you have it, my 3 favourite cities to run in. Even if city jogging is something that you have never comprehended before, I definitely recommend it. I travel often so it’s important that I keep my run routine, even when visiting other cities. It’s a great way to get to know a city in a relatively short space of time and even if you are familiar with the city, it can still open your eyes to different sights, sounds and smells that you may not have experienced.

Photos by sanfrancisco2005 | dannijak | thisisbossi

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If yoga helps anyone the most, it certainly is women. In reality, yoga is not gender specific. Yoga is for men, women and children, the sick as well as the healthy. Certain poses and postures are known to relieve stress, especially brought about due to hormonal changes in women, adolescence, young women, pregnant women, lactating mothers, women undergoing menopause, older women and so on.

Today, health- and figure-conscious women all over the world practice yoga. Madonna is a classic example. She has proudly declared the benefits she has accrued through yoga.

Women resort to yoga not only for health reasons or to maintain a proportionate body weight, but also for cosmetic reasons. It is a proven fact that women who practice yoga regularly have a better complexion, shiny hair and sparkling eyes. Yoga is a beneficial for one’s body as it is beneficial for one’s spirit. Practicing yoga and meditation regularly facilitates integration of mind and body. Women who practice yoga are reportedly self-contained, poised, have a high tolerance level, are better focused and are flexible physically and mentally.

Physical Benefits of Yoga

As mentioned, yoga is useful to women of all ages. With a rich diet having replaced a well-balanced one and obesity being the norm even at an early age, yoga is the panacea for all ills. Even young girls as young as five can be trained in some basic yogic postures. Another malady that affects young children is hyperactivity, although it is more common among boys. With no outlet to expend their energies, young children become restless too soon. Here yoga training assists their bodies to expend extra energy and enables them to focus. It also enables flexibility, making young girls nimble and their minds agile. Such girls grow to be more confident and self-reliant.

Preadolescence and adolescence comes along with its own challenges. Yoga at this stage definitely lends grace to the body, erasing the awkwardness in gait. Correct posture is also an important aspect to yoga. Different postures facilitate blood circulation, rendering a luster to the skin and hair.

Yoga undoubtedly is known to help women with an irregular menstrual cycle and those experiencing a heavy flow. Yoga is also known to relieve lower back pain that occurs during or before a menstrual cycle begins. Some yogic postures are meant to prevent muscle cramps and abdominal cramps and women prone to experiencing PMS have also reported to be calmer.

The following yogasana is known to alleviate cramps: Trikonasana (the “Triangle Pose”)

Stand with your feet at least three feet apart. One can also sit and practice this. Rotate only the feet at a 90-degree angle both towards the outside as well as the inside. Now inhale and stretch both hands with palms facing upwards. Reach out with your right arm and bend to touch your right foot. Your left hand will automatically be raised towards the ceiling. Then, stretch your left arm to touch your left leg, automatically raising your right hand upwards. Hold still.

This tones the muscles of the arms and legs, improves flexibility and promotes slow breathing.

Paschimottanasana or “Two Legged Forward Bend”:

Sit down with both legs stretched and flex toes towards you. Inhale and raise your hands upwards. Exhale and move your hips to touch the feet. Try to hold your toes with your hands. If this is not possible, just stretch your arms to where they reach. Bend your head and breathe for a minute. Look up, inhale and return to the normal position.

Women in a relationship cope with different kinds of stress levels and hormonal imbalances. Women on birth control pills have to face a few challenges. Here, yoga comes to the rescue. During middle-age, women experience a lot of upheaval including the demands of a job, juggling career and family, as well as pregnancy. Many women also experience inadequacies of sorts. Regular practice of yoga helps a woman focus and aids in rhythmic breathing.

Yoga masters advocate the Asthanga yoga for pregnant women. This again regulates digestion and prevents heart burn that is common during pregnancy. Practicing yoga regularly, of course under the supervision of an experienced guru, eases delivery, thereby easing pain. Some asanas (postures) are known to open the cervis, thus facilitating quick delivery.

Postnatal yoga is also quite popular among women who want to lose weight and shed extra weight from their bellies. It is especially advantageous to women who experience arthritis and hormonal imbalance during menopause.

Photo by Go Interactive Wellness

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As temperatures finally become more consistent–consistently warmer and hinting towards humidity–and retailers continue to spread the word about their new lines of swimsuits and other summer looks, bathing suit-ready bodies have quickly risen to the top of many people’s priority lists.

Celebrities have become very much like superheroes in a lot of our minds; able to whip their bodies into shape and walk out onto the red carpet or begin filming a new movie while suddenly being in the best shape of their lives. Well, here’s a secret: Celebrities aren’t superheroes and their bodies are built the same way ours are; they just have help. One very frequent celebrity fitness reinforcement that has come to the aid of super celebrities including Jennifer Hudson and Lady Gaga is renowned fitness and nutrition expert, creator of the 5 Factor Diet, best-selling author and all-around fitness guru, Harley Pasternak.

When talking about the challenges that come with making a healthy change, Pasternak weighs in on his hectic life and how he has personally made healthy decisions for his own body, saying:

“Since my job involves constant travel, I sometimes struggle to find healthy foods. I learned that opening myself up to varied experiences and making simple modifications can go a long way toward increasing my health and fitness level. I also take a Centrum multivitamin every day as my personal insurance policy in case I miss important vitamins or nutrients in my diet. That’s definitely a secret I think anyone can use.”

Centrum Contest: Win a Trip to LA

Centrum, with the help of Harley Pasternak, want to help you start living and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, not just for swimsuit season, but throughout the entire year. They are giving one lucky winner the opportunity to go to Los Angeles to receive a one-on-one training session with celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak.

To enter to win the trip to LA, all you have to do is text the word “CENTRUM” along with an image of a Centrum multivitamin bottle to 89800 between now and June 14th.

Get Fitness Tips, Coupons and Win a Wii Fit Plus

By visiting the Centrum GET FIT website and “liking” the new Centrum Facebook page, you will receive exclusive fitness tips from renowned celebrity fitness and nutrition experts. To really help motivate people everywhere to start living a little healthier, Centrum is also giving away tons of great prizes every day from now until June 14th, including a Wii Fit Plus. You will also receive a coupon for $3 off your next purchase of Centrum!

There has really never been a more rewarding time to GET FIT!

This post was written as part of a blog campaign through One2One Network. Additional incentives were provided to me, and opinions are my own.

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Current research and medical studies reveal that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Each time one woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, she brings a league of family, friends and loved ones with her to join in the fight against it. The fight against breast cancer is never just the fight of the one diagnosed with it; it is the fight of everyone who has ever known someone who has been diagnosed.

It’s true that countless people have committed themselves wholly to fighting breast cancer, but what every person who has donated their time, resources and finances to this fight will tell you, is that the fight will not stop until a cure for this severe and tragic cancer has been found. One of the most pivotal steps in ensuring a cure is found within our lifetime is to continue raising awareness while making a difference in the lives of those who have been affected by breast cancer.

BeeWell for Life is a resource dedicated to supplying people just like you and me with the resources and tools available to make the most of your healthy active lifestyle. Their website is fully dedicated to the health and wellbeing of your body, mind and spirit while continuing to lead the way in breast cancer awareness and support through their partnership with the Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization.

The BeeWell for Life website is also the home of the BeeWell Miles Program where you can Walk and Bee the Difference. For every mile you walk, run or cycle and log on their website, they will donate $0.10 to the Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization to fund YourShoes, a peer support program that includes a 24/7 breast cancer center that provides a toll-free hotline, email and support groups staffed by trained breast cancer survivors, as well as other outreach and awareness services and programs.

To make sure you never miss an important health tip, be sure to follow @BeWellforLife on Twitter and “like” them on Facebook.

iPad2 Giveaway

In an effort to get more people having active conversations about breast cancer, raising awareness and to help make a difference in the lives of those affected by breast cancer, BeeWell for Life has just launched Tag4Cancer.com, where they are giving away an iPad2 to two lucky winners. To enter to win, tweet from the Tag4Cancer.com website and make sure your tweet includes the hashtag #Tag4Cancer, links back to the official Tag4Cancer website and mentions both @beewellforlife and one of your friend’s Twitter handles so they can raise breast cancer awareness too. The more you tweet, the better your chances of winning.

But that isn’t all; you have yet another chance to win an iPad2 by introducing other participating bloggers (like myself) to some of your most inspiring, motivating friends! To enter to win, leave a comment on this post telling us how or why a certain friend of yours inspires you to either be fit or to make a difference in others. You must link to your friend’s blog, Facebook profile or Twitter handle in your comment.

For the list of participating bloggers where you can also comment to enter to win an iPad2, check out the contest rules. This contest will end May 31st.

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Eating well, keeping stress at bay, and exercising regularly are all important for everybody, but perhaps even more-so for expectant moms. Women who work out or are otherwise physically active might heave easier and more enjoyable pregnancies. Prenatal workouts and fresh air can even help reduce pregnancy signs like morning sickness, fatigue, and mood swings. But how do you stay active?

Prenatal exercises and an active lifestyle are suitable for almost every woman. Only if you are on bed rest for a threatened miscarriage or pre-term labor should you shun physical activities, as they can trigger contractions in women who are already at risk. For everyone else, even women who were mainly sedentary when they were wondering how to get pregnant, an active pregnancy should be encouraged.

If you were not working out before you got pregnant, it is best to start slowly and discuss your exercise plan with your doctor or midwife. Gentle cardio is a great place to begin–walking and Pilates are both wonderful options, and swimming is especially beneficial because it supports your body while also exercising your muscles. Do make sure to stay hydrated during your workout, listen to your body and take a break when you start getting sore or tired.

Do you have a busy schedule or work full-time? I know from experience that it can be hard to know where to fit in time for exercising. The good news is that everything that gets you busy and makes your heart beats faster is physical exercise, even if you never step into a gym. Gardening, decorating your baby’s nursery, and walking up and down stairs all contribute to your physical health. Don’t feel the need to take it easy and avoid these activities just because you are expecting a baby, as they are hugely beneficial for you.

Some types of exercise are not suitable for pregnancy. At the risk of stating the obvious, I’ll say the bungee jumping and white-water rafting are not a great idea while you are expecting a baby. Horseback riding, skiing, or any other sport that carries a large risk of physical injury should wait until after you give birth. And as you enter the third trimester, lying on your back for prolonged periods of time can reduce blood flow to your baby’s placenta. As long as you stay away from obvious risks and listen when your body tells you to stop, an active pregnancy is healthy, enjoyable, and might even help you have an easier labor and delivery.

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Thanks to everyone who entered our second-annual Progresso Souper You Debut prize pack giveaway sponsored by Progresso and MyBlogSpark.

The prize pack includes VIP coupons that can be redeemed at your local grocery store for free cans of Progresso soup, as well as a yoga mat, water bottle, set of aerobic bands, sport headband and two sport wristbands.

The winner of this prize pack giveaway is Tara Oliver

Congratulations!

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We first heard about the Progresso Souper You Debut last year when we featured a Progresso review and prize pack giveaway.

Throughout the past few months, women from all over the country have been taking part in the Progresso Souper You Debut contest for the chance to win a full makeover in New York City. The entries are in and the three grand prize winners will go on to receive just that with a trip for two to New York City on May 20th through May 22nd. The trip will include roundtrip airfare, a two-night stay in an NYC hotel, a full makeover, a guided wardrobe shopping spree with a personal consultation at one of New York City’s luxurious department stores, as well as $1,000 in shopping money.

I’m extremely happy that Progresso has brought back this contest, especially since Progresso has been used to aid in weight management for so many since they made the wise decision to ensure that 40 different delicious flavors contained just 100 calories or less. Progresso soup can help curb your hunger, making it easier for you to stick to a weight management plan all year long. Their soups contain hearty ingredients like pasta, beans, corn and rice, and are flavor-packed with vegetables like tomatoes, carrots and peppers.

Giveaway

Thanks to MyBlogSpark to help spread the word about how Progresso soup can be used to stick to a weight management plan, I received a Progresso Souper You Debut prize pack along with another to give away to one lucky Woman Tribune reader!

The Progresso Souper You Debut prize pack includes a VIP coupon that can be redeemed at your local grocery store for a free can of Progresso soup, as well as a yoga mat, water bottle, set of aerobic bands, sport headband and two sport wristbands.

Required Entry

Leave a comment on this post telling us which flavor of Progresso soup you would most like to try. (You can find all of Progresso’s soup flavors here.)

Extra Entries

Leave a comment for each additional entry.

• “Like” Progresso on Facebook
• Subscribe to Woman Tribune
• Follow @WomanTribune on Twitter
• “Like” Woman Tribune on Facebook
• Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post and details about the Progresso Souper You Debut prize pack. (This entry is worth five entries, so leave five separate comments with the link to your blog post.)
• Tweet about this giveaway. Feel free to use the following tweet or write your own. (This can be done once a day, leave a link to your tweet in your comment.)
  

  Win a Progresso Souper You Debut prize pack from @WomanTribune — includes coupons and yoga gear! http://ow.ly/4mCdw ends 4/1

This giveaway ends Friday, April 1st at 11:59 p.m. ET. This giveaway is open to all U.S. residents over the age of 18 at the time of entry. The winner will be chosen via random.org and contacted by email; they then have 48 hours (2 days) to respond to that email or another winner will be chosen.

Full Contest Disclaimer

Disclosure: Progresso provided me with the Progresso Souper You Debut prize pack, information and giveaway through MyBlogSpark. All opinions expressed throughout this post are 100% mine.

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1. Control Calorie Intake — Keeping track of calories can be a huge pain. Do yourself a favor, use a coupon for Medifast and then you’ll have meal plans created for you. No more guessing at how many calories something contains or if you’ve passed your allowed quota for the day.

2. Exercise Daily — Get yourself a good pedometer and make a goal to walk 10,000 steps per day if you cringe at the thought of going to the gym. You have to burn more calories than consumed to lose weight.

3. Drink Water — Ideally, you will drink 8 to 10 glasses of water daily to hydrate your muscles and organs so they can work properly to help you get healthier.

4. Reduce Stress Levels — Quite often, abdominal fat is caused by stress. This is because when you are stressed or anxious, cortisol is triggered, which is a hormone that causes fat to accumulate around your organs, which is considered very dangerous.

5. Increase Fiber — It is suggested that your body needs 25 grams of fiber daily to successfully flush things through your digestive system. Fiber also helps you feel full so you don’t overeat.

6. Don’t Eat Before Bed — While it’s never a good idea to eat a large meal within four hours of going to sleep, it is acceptable to have a piece of fruit or some other type of nutritious snack if you’re starving.

7. Adequate Sleep — When you’re tired, you will be more tempted to load up on carbohydrates, sugary snacks and caffeine to keep you going. Not to mention, your body needs at least seven hours of sleep to rest itself.

8. Avoid Caffeine — Despite what you might think, caffeine is not your friend. It may curb your appetite temporarily but it dehydrates you so your body goes into survival mode and begins to store water and fat.

9. Avoid Sugar — Surely you already knew this tip was coming! However, berries, fruit or a small amount of dark chocolate is acceptable. The sugar in fruit and berries is released slowly so your body actually has time to use the energy rather than it being converted into fat.

10. Decrease Sodium — While your body does need a bit of sodium to regulate muscle function, nerve transmission, bodily fluids and help absorb nutrients, you pretty much get what you need in prepared foods without reaching for the salt shaker.

If you are like millions of other people, tummy fat has been an endless battle but there is hope. By utilizing these tips, you can slim down and become a lot healthier.

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Luckily, the folks over at Sears Blue Crew HQ have put together an extremely simple exercise guide full of basic, but sometimes overlooked tips on how to create a dedicated, motivating and inspiring workout space in your own home.

Let’s face it, not everyone has the time to drive to the gym, work out and then drive home (or wherever they may need to go) afterward. After all that driving, the time really adds up and it can become more of a commitment than you were hoping for. Furthermore, a lot of people simply have no interest in joining a gym, regardless of how accepting, accommodating, or convenient that gym may be. By creating a home workout space, you have a dedicated space you can work out freely in, without having to take more time out of your day than you need to. You also have the freedom to decorate your space to match your taste and add little things that will make your workout experience more enjoyable. Your surroundings have a lot to do with your mood and by adding small, personal touches to your decor, you’re guaranteed to walk into that space whenever you want and immediately feel refreshed, at ease and ready to begin your workout. According to the Sears Blue Crew HQ, you want to make sure your space is safe, pleasant, roomy and entertaining.

But all of the decorating, accommodating and endless music selections mean nothing without the right equipment. The Sears Blue Crew HQ has also laid out what equipment is used most often in workout spaces and what you’ll need to exercise. Of course, the best equipment for you is the equipment you wil use, so think about what you like doing and also be sure to have some variety in routine–and the equipment to make it possible.

• Floor mats are perfect for stretching, yoga, Pilates, or old-fashioned push-ups and sit-ups. Look for non-slip, easily washable surfaces.

• Free weights are dumbbells and barbells for strength training. They are excellent because they allow a full range of notion, but get some training so you use them correctly. Also, they tend to be quite loud when dropped on the floor, so purchase proper weight-lifting mats to protect your floor and lower the noise level.

• Weight systems sometimes called home gyms, provide a variety of strengthening exercises without the noise of dropping heavy weights. They can take up a fair bit of space, so be sure to measure your area before you buy. They also greatly increase the load on your floor system, so be sure you have the structural support for it.

• Punching bags offer a great combination of aerobic workout, upper body strength building and stress relief. Get some training if you’ve never done bag work before, to avoid hurting your hands. Hang your bag securely in a way that won’t send vibrations through the whole house. Freestanding bags are also available, and you can set them up in an out-of-the-way corner of your home.

• Treadmills are a long-standing favorite. Good models have a variety of programmable workouts and an incline feature for added exertion. Look for higher horsepower in the motor and a sturdy frame. Treadmills need 6 feet of clearance behind them, in case of unexpected dismounts.

• Ellipticals give a good cardio workout with less impact on your knees – and your home. Most have reversible direction, and the better models offer an incline feature to maximize your workout. Like the treadmill, you need clearance around them for safety.

• Exercise bikes are no-impact and take up the least space of the cardio machines, because you don’t need safety space behind them. Like the others machine styles, they have a variety of programmable workouts. They also don’t cause much vibration and so can be put on almost any surface.

• Rowing machines give great low-impact, full-body and cardio workout. Proper technique is important, so read the manual or get some help before you start. Foldaway models make this an ideal machine for multi-purpose spaces.

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The study was conducted by Alpa Patel, a researcher at the American Cancer Society (ACS) and his colleagues. They analyzed 123,216 participants (53,440 men and 69,776 women), all whom has no history of cancer, heart attack, stroke or emphysema. The participants were followed for 13 years, from 1993 to 2006.

The study found that women who reported more than six hours of sitting a day (outside of work) were 37% more likely to die during the 13 year time period the were studied than women who sat fewer than three hours a day. The men who were studied were 18% more likely to die if they sat more than six hours a day (also outside of work) than those who sat fewer than three hours a day. These results remained virtually unchanged after the participants adjusted their physical activity level.

Patel said of his research that several factors could explain the positive association between time spent sitting and higher all-cause death rates, saying “prolonged time spent sitting, independent of physical activity, has been shown to have important metabolic consequences, and may influence things like triglycerides, high density lipoprotein, cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, resting blood pressure, and leptin, which are biomarkers of obesity and cardiovascular and other chronic diseases.”

This study does not seem to bode well for me and people like me, who work very long hours in front of a computer (while also sitting down) and work out a few times a week.

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Salutation Nation will take place at participating Lululemon Athletica stores across North America where a complimentary yoga class fit for all levels will be held on August 7th from 9am to 10am (in all time zones.) Keep in mind not every Lululemon Athletica store in the country will be hosting a Salutation Nation event, so to make sure your local store is before you head on down with your yoga mat in tow, check out the list of locations or call your local store ahead of time.

Practicing yoga by yourself is all well and good, at least when you have a good grasp on what you are doing, but being a part of a group greatly benefits everyone involved. Yoga classes can be a lot more expensive than we’re prepared for, so for Lululemon Athletica to host this event, and also make it completely free, is great for every yogi living in a community with a participating store. This is a fabulous way for Lululemon Athletica to not only celebrate their community, but also bring them together to celebrate each other.

Check out the promotional video for Salutation Nation below and don’t forget to head to your local participating store on August 7th at 9am.

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I just recently began going to a gym fairly-regularly. Before just a month ago, I had never really put much emphasis on staying fit. As a plus-sized woman in my early 20′s who is also a smoker and a techie, not to mention I consume way too much caffeine, I am so not the candidate to be preaching about staying fit or how important it is. I am however, realistic.

Now, more than ever in recent years, I am experiencing a great deal of stress. There are some personal aspects of my life that bring on a good amount of daily stress, as well as a great big financial burden that has become my life. Put them together and add a good 12 hours a day, frequently more, in front of a computer and you basically have one of those Jiffy Pop containers on the stove that at any minute will erupt and start sending popcorn flying out every which way. So me and my partner joined a gym with our two very good friends.

With just a few workouts in, mostly me on an elliptical machine for an hour at a time as I zone out to televisions that are positioned from the ceiling or focusing on absolutely nothing but the decibel level of the music blaring from my headphones, I feel a lot different.

No, I am not in peak physical condition and it isn’t even a goal of mine to lose any weight at all. I’m comfortable with my weight and while it would be a healthy move to lose a few pounds, I refuse to believe I’m at a terrible risk for anything at my current weight. No, with just after my first hour on the elliptical machine I knew very well why I was going to keep up my gym-going efforts. I felt refreshed and my stress levels went way, way down.

A study back in 2007 has already proven that those who are physically fit produce less chemicals in the body that have been linked to damaging inflammation in adults who are stressed. In short, exercise makes you less-stressed and the less-stressed you are, less damaging chemicals will be released throughout your body and the healthier your heart will be.

In addition to reducing your stress, people who work out two times a week also have lower cholesterol and are at less risk of diseases like diabetes. These findings are more than enough motivation for anyone to start getting out more and begin getting just a little more active.

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Dr. Al Sears, M.D. is an ACE-Certified Fitness Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist and an author of 14 books on health and wellness. In his most recent book, P.A.C.E. The 12-Minute Fitness Revolution, Dr. Sears disputes modern exercise advice we’ve all gotten before from several different sources and that advice has become the norm. Luckily Dr. Sears saw this tradition of bad advice going around and not only took it upon himself to dispute it, but he also proved how and why his own method of exercising works–the same advice he gives his very own patients–and made it available to the public.

Dr. Sears’s PACE program is based on exercising in short bursts of high intensity to burn fat and keep it off. Just after reading his guest article published here on Woman Tribune, I was astounded to find out how and when we really burn fat and that when you do long-durations of cardio and marathon running, you are actually hurting your heart and lungs.

If you’ve ever been given bad fitness advice, and it seems like most everyone has, you definitely need to be introduced to P.A.C.E. The 12-Minute Fitness Revolution. Lucky for you, we have five copies to give away!

To win a copy of P.A.C.E. The 12-Minute Fitness Revolution, all you have to do is leave a comment telling us what your favorite form of exercise is. [REQUIRED]

Additional Entries: [Leave a separate comment for each additional entry.]

• Leave a comment telling us why you want to win a copy of P.A.C.E. The 12-Minute Revolution.
• Read Dr. Sears’s article, Exercising But Not Losing Weight? and leave a comment telling us what you thought of it.
• Blog about this giveaway with a link back to both this giveaway post and Dr. Sears’s article.

Remember, we are giving away give copies of this book to five different winners, so spread the word!

This giveaway ends Friday, April 30th at 11:59PM EST. This giveaway is open to all US residents over the age of 18. The winners will be contacted by email and have 48 hours (2 days) to respond with their mailing address. If I don’t hear back from the winners within that time, another winner will be picked.

Full Contest Disclaimer

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A cover story in TIME magazine tells you exercise won’t help you lose weight.

In the article, a professor from Louisiana State University says, “…for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless.”

If you’re a regular reader you may already recognize the ignorance of this professor’s statement.

What is he missing?

Well, it depends on what type of exercise.

My rebuttal to this ignorance is going to take awhile, but bear with me, this is important.

Conventional exercise, like aerobics, jogging, and marathon running are not the best exercises for weight loss. That type of exertion actually trains your body to make and store more fat.

When you exercise for long periods at a time, like most people do when they go to the gym, you push your body into its “fat burning zone.” Most fitness gurus tell you to get into your fat burning zone and stay there for as long as you can take it… but that’s a problem. You don’t want to burn fat during exercise.

Burning fat during exercise tells your body it needed the fat. This trains your body to make more fat for the next time you exercise.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t use exercise to lose fat. In fact, it’s one of the most effective tools you can use to hit and maintain your ideal weight. I use it myself and I recommend it to my patients.

However, if you want to burn fat and keep it off, exercise in short bursts of high intensity. This is the basis my PACE program.

How does it work? It has to do with what your body uses for fuel during exercise. For the first two or three minutes of a workout you burn ATP, your body’s cellular energy source. Then you start burning carbs from muscle tissue. After about 20 minutes you switch to fat.

Exercising for short periods will use these carbs during exercise. Then you start to burn fat after your workout–while you replenish the carbs.

This is known as your “after burn.”

Researchers at Laval University in Quebec divided participants into two groups: long-duration and repeated short-duration exercisers. They had the long-duration group cycle 45 minutes without interruption. The short-term interval group cycled in numerous short bursts of 15 to 90 seconds, while resting in between.

The long duration group burned twice as many calories, so you would assume they would burn more fat. However, when the researchers recorded their body composition measurements, the interval group showed the most fat loss.

In fact, the interval group lost 9 times more fat than the endurance group for every calorie burned. Doesn’t this defy the laws of physics? No, it just illustrates that exercise continues to affect your metabolism after you stop. The short bursts stimulated a greater after burn.

You might think burning fat during exercise makes sense. But your body will adapt to any routine you give it, including exercise. And if you burn fat during a workout and you do that workout consistently, your body will make sure you have new fat to burn each time you go to the gym.

After a while your body becomes efficient at building and preserving fat necessary for long aerobic sessions in preparation for the next endurance workout. In doing so, it sacrifices muscle and preserves fat.

So don’t bother trying to use this strategy to lose body fat. Your body will fight you int he effort and you can only do it by sacrificing lean tissue like muscle and internal organs.

Durational exercise tells your body to build fat. That’s how your body adapts to this kind of activity. Then, if you stop your cardio routine, you’ll put on even more fat very rapidly. This is common as your body gets into the routine of making the extra fat.

It’s an endless cycle. And eventually, everyone stops doing cardio. Many just get bored. But many find they have to stop cardio because this unnatural activity has caused degeneration of their joints.

And another point: If you persist through middle age and beyond, cardio accelerates some very negative effects of aging. It lowers testosterone and growth hormone, boosts destructive cortisol levels and robs you of muscle, bone and internal organ mass and strength.

But short-during exercise–like PACE–actually increases levels of growth hormone. Researchers from Loughborough University in Leicestershire, England tested growth hormone levels in sprinters and endurance athletes. On average, the sprinters had 3 times as much growth hormone as the endurance runners.

The biggest point they miss is this: The most important changes from exercise occur after, not during, the exercise period. The way you exercise affects your metabolism for several days. The important changes begin after you stop exercising.

This is good news. It means all you have to do during your exercise is stimulate the adaptive response you need–like reducing your need for fat or building reserve capacity in your heart. Your body will continue making the important changes afterwards–while you rest.

You don’t need to go to the gym to get started. Even if you’re out of shape you can start with a challenge that’s within your reach.

Let’s take walking for example. This is the easiest way to get started if you’re de-conditioned or facing a physical challenge.

Here are a few points to consider. When you’re walking, you need to start at a comfortable pace and slowly speed up until you feel your heart rate increase. When you feel this extra bit of exertion, maintain it until you start to feel winded. Then stop and catch your breath. Take a few minutes to recover and focus on your breath until you’re breathing normally. This will be your first “set.”

It may look something like this: You put on a comfortable pair of walking shoes and some loose-fitting clothes. You start off on the sidewalk or on a quiet street. You could also go to the gym and work on a treadmill.

You warm up by walking at a normal, comfortable pace for 1 to 2 minutes. Then you slowly start to walk faster. As you increase your speed, pick a target and then maintain it. This is a little subjective, so you’re going to have to get a feel for it.

For example, when you start off walking at a normal pace, imagine your top walking speed and then work back from there. So tell yourself, “I’m going to walk normally and then increase my speed by about 15%.” Then hold that speed and maintain it for a few minutes.

If you don’t feel like that increase is giving you a challenge, go up a notch until you’ve increased your speed by 20 to 25%. Then hold that speed and maintain it for a few minutes.

This is how you gauge your exertion level. You know you’re getting close when you feel your heart rate go up. And when you feel this extra exertion, look at your watch and see how long you can sustain it. If you can do it for 2 to 3 minutes, great. If not, it doesn’t matter. Just follow this pattern.

After you’ve challenged yourself for a few minutes, stop and rest. Ideally, you should feel winded. You should be breathing heavier than you usually do and you should feel your heart beating faster. Now begin your recovery period. Allow your heart rate and breath to return to normal.

When you’ve completed your first set, try another. At this point, repeat your first set without increasing your intensity. If you want to ramp up the challenge, increase the amount of time you walk at a faster speed.

By walking and first gauging your exertion capacity, you can do a productive PACE routine at your own level. it doesn’t matter how quickly you can walk. Even if your top exertion speed is just about your normal walking speed, you can give yourself enough of a challenge to expand your lung volume and build reserve capacity in your heart.

This gradual build up in cardio-pulmonary power will get you to higher levels and extend your endurance. Little by little, you’ll become more and more conditioned and better able to handle more intense challenges.

When you feel you’ve improved your exercise capacity–or if you want to start with something more challenging than walking–use this same formula with swimming or biking. Both give you a good heart and lung workout.

Swimming is helpful if you have a disability as the water’s buoyancy will take the strain off your joints and make it easier to move. Biking is also very effective for de-conditioned beginners and you have the option of doing it outside or in the gym.

Like walking, take it slow and evaluate your exertion level. Don’t strain yourself. Take small, deliberate steps and stay with your program. Within the first week, you’ll start to see progress.

By gently encouraging your heart and lungs to maximize their output, you’ll be able to improve right away. What’s more, you’ll be able to successfully start a productive PACE routine, no matter what your age, condition or personal history.

As you progress, do less walking and put more focus on swimming and biking. And when you feel ready, try some of the basic routines in your PACE book. Once you’ve made headway with your heart and lungs you’ll be able to increase your challenge and activate your native fat burner.

With a sufficient challenge, you’ll start to burn fat after your PACE routine. This fat burning will last as long as 16to 24 hours after you finish. But your first goal will be to build cardio-pulmonary power by establishing a PACE routine that accommodates your current situation.

This in itself is a major victory. A lot of folks can’t get past the false assumption that they’ll never be able to do it. With PACE, you never have to make excuses, as you can always find a routine that perfectly matches your current level.

About Dr. Al Sears, M.D.

Dr. Sears is the author of 14 books on health and wellness, including P.A.C.E. The 12-Minute Fitness Revolution (Wellness Research & Consulting, Inc., January 2010), in which he disputes modern exercise advice and sets the record straight, proving that long durations of cardio and marathon running are actually bad for your heart and lungs. In addition to being Board-Certified by the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine, Dr. Sears is an ACE-Certified Fitness Trainer and a Certified Nutrition Specialist. For more information, including several videos demonstrating the simple recommended exercises, please visit www.PaceRevolution.com.

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Fitness balls look fun. I can just imagine myself trying to get my pleasantly plus-size body to balance on one of them. I’m sure I’d have a blast–and no, that isn’t sarcasm. Growing up in a family very devoted to the military because of my aunt’s active participation, go-getter attitude and devotion to her military career, I remember doing sit-ups with her right before she had to perform her annual physical training test. One thing I always noticed–pain. Pain in my back that made me want to howl. So I was pretty psyched when I found out a study was performed on how well fitness balls increase the productivity and results when implemented into a fitness routine; particularly when doing traditional sit-ups and crunches.

The study was done by researchers at the Department of Kinesiology at Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. They found that adding a fitness ball to your abs workouts improves the flexing of abdominal muscles by 24-38% over traditional exercises done on the floor. And how did they come to this conclusion? Participants in the study were fitted with electromyographic equipment that registered heightened activity in upper and lower abs as well as in the obliques.

Certified yoga and fitness ball trainer Suzanne Deason said, “Abs workouts using a stability ball engage smaller core muscles that more traditional forms of exercise don’t. Those smaller muscles help you keep your balance on the ball. You’ll sculpt all the muscle groups in the abdominals–particularly the transversus for a flat stomach; they’re sometimes missed in regular sit-ups–as well as the obliques for a whittled down, small waist; and the outermost muscle, the rectus.” And as for the pain felt in the spine doing traditional sit-ups and crunches, she said, “Because of the ball’s soft surface, you don’t feel pain on your spine as you might when doing lying-down exercises. The support gives you the sense that you’re not working as hard as you actually are; you can probably do many more sit-ups on the ball than you’d be able to do on the floor.”

Performing ab crunches on a fitness ball is one of the most effective ways to strengthen, flatten and tone abs. Doing the exercise using a fitness ball eliminates the impact of a hard surface on the spine, which helps you perform the movement more precisely and also helps increase lower back strength, support the spine, promote better posture and prevent lower back injury.

So how do you perform these ab crunches? Follow these steps!

• Begin in Positive Seated Posture; roll out until lower back is resting comfortably on ball.
• Place feet flat on floor, shoulder-width apart.
• Position hands behind head to support its weight, elbows pointed directly out to sides.
• Raise held even with torse and gaze straight up.
• Inhale deepyly; on exhale, contract lower abs.
• Hold the flex and inhale; on exhale, slowly curl torso forward, flexing middle and upper abs to raise chest up and toward pelvis. Allow head to follow chest. Do not force or pull head forward. Allow abs to do the work.

• Raise chest until you feel abs completely contracted; hold for 3 to 5 comfortable, deep breaths.
• Release slowly, allowing head and chest to drop back down to torso level. Breathe.
• Repeat 10 to 12 times. Add more repetitions as you become stronger.

As for where you can get yourself an anti-burst fitness ball, check out your local sporting goods store or Sports Authority and Dick’s Sporting Goods from anywhere between $20 to $40.

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At the start of every new year, most of the women I know and connect with regularly openly talk about how their New Year’s resolution is to lose weight and/or to eat healthier. These are some great resolutions, especially the eating healthy one because while losing weight is a perk for a great deal of women, I whole-heartedly believe that crash dieting and the diet industry as a whole is a multi-billion dollar business for a reason, so if you do truly want to lose weight, it should be for purely health reasons, which is why eating healthy and choosing foods that will nourish you instead of just fill you is really important.

Now that we are more than a month into the new year, (by the way, can you believe that? I know I can’t!) a lot of women have been reporting on their progress with their New Year’s resolutions and if they have been able to stick to what they had planned before January 1st. I have noticed that a lot of women are increasingly strong-willed this year in the commitments they have made to themselves, nearly everyone I’ve checked up on who I had read on their blogs had made a New Year’s resolution has been sticking to it pretty phenomenally. So, for those of you who made the resolution to eat healthier and who are still on the fast-track to healthy eating, I have something really great to share with you!

I am a big, big, big fan of soup. I have been not-so blessed in the teeth department, having been diagnosed with Periodontal Disease and rapid tooth decay a few years ago after my wisdom teeth had started to push their way in. Because I am a professional blogger and also a freelance writer and web designer and developer who works from home, I have a very modest monthly income. I can pretty much cover my expenses month-to-month and that’s about it. That, coupled with the fact that I also live with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and major depressive disorder, (which I have blogged about here before,) makes it impossible for me to hold a job outside of the home, it isn’t a possibility for me to go out and get a part time job to help pay dental bills. Needless to say, this causes me a great deal of excruciating physical pain where for days at a time, I am unable to open my mouth wide enough to get most foods in it. That is when soup saves my life and the sanity I would not have after getting insanely frustrated with how big bite-sized food is.

Progresso has always been a great source of delicious and nutritious soup and they have made it even healthier than before by offering an entire product line of light soups that are all 100 calories or less! It is officially super easy to get a great and satisfying meal in your belly and help manage your weight at the same time. To celebrate their line of light soups, Progresso has launched the Souper You Debut–a contest where you can enter for the chance to win a full makeover in New York City!

To enter the Progresso Souper You Debut contest, all you have to do is go to www.Progresso.com/SouperYou and submit an essay (200 characters or less) telling Progresso why you love Progresso Light or 100 calorie soups and why you would like a full makeover. You will also need to submit a photo of yourself that visually reinforces the theme of your essay. Three grand prize winners will be awarded a trip for two to New York City from May 21st-23rd and includes roundtrip airfare, a two-night stay in a NYC hotel, a full makeover, a $1000 wardrobe shopping spree and personal consultation at a New York department store. Pretty fabulous if you ask me!

Review & Giveaway

To get the good word out about new Progresso Light and 100 calorie soups, I had the opportunity to try them out for myself and thanks to Progresso and MyBlogSpark, received 15 cans of Progresso Light and 100 calorie soups in a variety of different flavors, along with a Progresso soup mug and a digital jump rope that keeps track of jumps and calories burned to help you start working out more, in addition to utilizing soup to help manage your weight.

The variety of soups I received is absolutely insane; I was completely blown away by the amount of different flavors offered and there is definitely something for everyone’s specific tastes. My partner, who usually despises soup and will not eat it regardless of what you bribe him with, loved the Italian-Style Meatball with Penne and I cannot get enough of the Chicken and Dumpling. I love, love, love the Progresso soup mug and now refuse to eat my soup out of anything else. It has a great little thumb indentation at the top of the handle to make carrying it from the kitchen to my computer desk very comfortable.

Giveaway

Enter for a chance to win this Progresso Prize Pack!

Because Progresso is awesome like that and MyBlogSpark is always all about extending the opportunity to try awesome products to others, we have the opportunity to give one lucky Woman Tribune reader 2 cans of Progresso Light soup, a Progresso soup mug and a digital jump rope.

Required Entry

Visit ProgressoSoup.com and leave a comment on this post telling us what flavor of Progresso Light soup you would love to try.

Extra Entries

Leave a separate comment for each additional entry.

• Leave a comment on this post telling us what steps you take to manage your weight.
• Subscribe to Woman Tribune
• Follow @WomanTribune on Twitter
• “Like” Woman Tribune on Facebook
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post and information about the Progresso Souper You Debut contest. (This entry is worth two entries, so leave two separate comments with the link to your blog post.)
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This giveaway ends Wednesday, February 10th at 11:59 p.m. ET. This giveaway is open to all U.S. residents over the age of 18 at the time of entry. The winner will be chosen via random.org and contacted by email; they then have 48 hours (2 days) to respond to that email or another winner will be chosen.

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Because living frugally is key in many households, buying a new workout DVD is slotted as a splurge and not something that someone will purchase under most circumstances. That is why I was so excited to come across Yoga Today, a website that is featuring a new yoga class every single day. Every morning when you wake up, there will be a new class posted by yoga experts to help you step by step through the workout of the day, seven days a week, plus you can watch past classes if you miss a day or are just starting. Best of all, all of the classes on Yoga Today are free!

Here’s a little more information about YogaToday:

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1. Keep water with you at all times.
2. Take a multi-vitamin that assists with your goals.
3. Eat smaller portions. You don’t have to eat that whole bag.
4. Don’t pick off your kids’ plates, their food has calories, too.
5. Keep low calorie, healthy snacks in easy to reach places.
6. Play with your kids.
7. Go the distance. Take the stairs or park farther away.
8. Do house work or yard work.
9. Take your iPod for a walk.
10. Take up a routine (yoga, pilates, aerobics).

Keep water with you at all times.
Water is the perfect drink. It hydrates you and has no calories at all. Keeping water with you all day helps in many different ways. Having it with you keeps you drinking it. By simply having a bottle of water at your desk you’ll grab for it without even thinking. Water also helps to detox that coffee you had earlier. Strive for 8 glasses of water a day to keep down water weight and you just might notice you don’t have much room left for that soda.

Take a multi vitamin that assists with your goals.
Vitamin companies got smart, they started labeling their vitamins for what they can do. One A Day has a line of vitamins like “Women’s Health” and “Weight Smart” to make it easy to tell what they can do for you. Whether your goal is to be more energetic in your active life or to speed up your metabolism, there’s a vitamin out there that can help you get there.

Eat smaller portions.
Something as simple as eating off a smaller plate can make a world of difference. When you were little you were told to clean your plates, and now you do. But the plates are much bigger. Try and cut down your portions, chances are your eyes are bigger than your stomach. And when you’re eating out, don’t be afraid to ask if you can eat off the kids menu (especially for dessert).

Don’t pick off your kids’ plates, their food has calories, too.
One thing I used to do without noticing was eat off my kids plates. They get wonderful things like corndogs and fries. But, just because they can eat fried food and be perfectly fine, doesn’t mean I can. If you are going to pick off their plates, make sure you take those calories into consideration.

Keep low calorie, healthy snacks in easy to reach places.
In my car door I have a pack of Teddy Grahams. Within sight in my fridge, the first thing I see, is a 1 serving pack of carrots. The best way to keep yourself from eating things that aren’t good for you is to keep those healthy snacks within reach. Unfortunately, Doritos are harder to leave in your desk for a week than grapes, so it does take a bit of an effort.

Play with your kids.
We all play with our kids, but we could definitely do it more. When they go ride bikes, join them. If you don’t have a bike, take a book outside. You’re being with your kids and getting out. You spend all day inside the house or a job, it can be a great release to simply get outside.

Go the distance.
Taking the stairs or parking farther from the store can make more of a difference than the time it takes to do it. The best way to see what a difference it makes is to buy a heart rate monitor and wear it all day. Since that’s pretty much out of the question for most people, try getting a step counter. Measure your steps on a normal day, then measure your steps on a day when you try these tips.

Do house work or yard work.
You clean your house and take care of your yard, but you could do more. Redecorating or landscaping can be fun and very good exercise. At the end you have a sense of accomplishment and will probably feel a nice burn.

Take your iPod for a walk.
Walking with your kids and your dog is nice. It’s time with your family. But sometimes you need some time for just you. So load up your iPod with your favorite music and go for a stroll. When walking alone you’re more likely to speed it up because you’re not talking (and therefor breathing more steady) and you don’t have to stop for your dog to pee in every yard.

Take up a routine (yoga, pilates, aerobics).
Yoga has been my one true love. At 6am I wake up, before anyone else, and go down to do yoga on Oxygen. I’ve noticed a few differences including better weight management, better mood throughout the day, and better eating habits. Exercise in the morning is best, but if you don’t have time the afternoon can be good as well. If your job offers you a free gym membership take advantage of those classes. Pick your goal and the workout that will help you get there.

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There is no such thing as a miracle business that does not take time to build or manage and miraculously you’re making tons of money and there is no such thing as a pill, food or drink where, if taken, you miraculously lose all of the weight you’ve been wanting to shed for so long. The weight loss industry is an $81 billion or so industry and the industry did not become so lucrative by making people lose weight; if it had, they would have no customers because they would be skinny after a certain amount of time and they would have no need for the product. The weight loss industry has become one of the largest industries in the United States alone for one, simple reason–Giving people false hope. If you want to lose weight, no matter how little or how much, this industry possesses several thousands of different products to choose from and no matter which one you pick, there is a high percentage failure rate. While the failure rate is well-known, the blame (surprisingly enough) does not go to the weight loss industry or even to the company who manufactures the product you were using to aid in weight loss; the blame is on you. You didn’t try hard enough, you didn’t stick to it long enough or you lost the weight and gained it back (plus some) because you weren’t using the product as a crutch. What these companies do is make consumers dependent upon them not for a few months or for a few years, but for life; it has been drilled into our heads that if you are using a product to aid in weight loss, you must stay on that product for the amount of time you would like the weight to stay off and even then, there is still a high percentage rate that it will not work and it is not your fault, but the fault of the entire weight loss industry.

The only effective way to lose weight is to do it the healthy way–No pills, foods or drinks specifically manufactured for weight loss, but eating a healthy amount of calories for your body type and exercising regularly and doing one or the other is as ineffective as doing neither.

Losing weight takes dedication, hard work and time and coincidentally, those are the three things that people are most afraid of so the weight loss industry tries to fool consumers into thinking that they only need their product. ‘If you buy this, you will lose weight.’ Sadly, people are falling for these gimmicks all the time and yet another weight loss product has emerged and even the name sounds a little fishy.

Skinny Water is a flavored water with the tag line ‘Get Skinny, Stay Fit’ and with just that, we begin to see the holes in this assumed weight loss miracle water.

First of all, any water that claims to make you lose weight before your eyes is a ploy; if you want water with no fat, no calories and no sugar, go to your faucet and behold the beverage that can aid in your weight loss. By drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day and exercising regularly, you can effectively lose weight, but a flavored water looking for those desperate enough to believe that weight loss can come in the form of a hip drink already endorsed by celebrities (Kristen Bell and Nicollette Sheridan.)

So what’s actually in these supposed miracle drinks? Splenda, which is a sugar substitute, fruit flavoring to make the five different flavors of Skinny Water, including, peach mango mandarin, passionfruit lemonade, acai grape blueberry, goji fruit punch and raspberry pomegranate, and the green tea antioxidant, EGCG, said to help tame your metabolism. While it is true that green tea is great for your health, containing a great deal of antioxidants, but instead of taming your metabolism, green tea is used to speed up your metabolism, making you hungry so you can effectively eat a healthy, six small meals per days equaling the calorie intake best for your body type.

Skinny Water is not only doling out false information to people looking to lose weight, but they are giving people false hope; Skinny Water’s website implies that just by drinking their beverage you will lose weight and sorry to say, but your body is smarter than that. Your body is complex and it takes a great deal to effectively lose weight because our bodies are still reacting to our lifestyles and to the lifestyles our ancestors lived very long ago when humans didn’t know when their next meal was coming or where it was coming from, so your body stores the fat you eat from your food so if you did have to go hungry, your body could effectively sustain itself. While it’s true that we (hopefully) no longer live in those times, the way our bodies work simply are not up to speed and are still functioning the only way they know how–And no weight loss gimmick is going to make that go away.

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