General Health Articles

Beat the Winter Blah: January Fitness Challenge

This 31-day challenge is a great way to beat the winter blues and stay motivated during the long, cold January. 

Day 1: 25 squats

Day 2: 10 burpees

Day 3: 30-second plank

Day 4: 10 push-ups

Day 5: 1-mile walk

Day 6: 25 walking lunges

Day 7: 30-second bridge

Day 8: 20 donkey kicks

Day 9: 50 high knees

Day 10: 2-mile walk

Day 11: 15 burpees

Day 12: 15 push-ups

Day 13: 150 jumping jacks

Day 14: 45-second plank

Day 15: 50 jump squats

Day 16: 30 jump lunges

Day 17: 45-second bridge

Day 18: 30 donkey kicks

Day 19: 20 push-ups

Day 20: 3-mile walk

Day 21: 60-second plank

Day 22: 20 single leg bridges

Day 23: 150 skiers

Day 24: 40 walking lunges

Day 25: 50 squats

Day 26: 20 burpees

Day 27: 60-second bridge

Day 28: 100 high knees

Day 29: 25 push-ups

Day 30: 75-second plank

Day 31: REST

Fitness for All: 10,000 Steps a Day: Where did it come from?

Whether you are an avid fitness guru or just your “Average Joe” you have no doubt at some point in your life heard that the key to being healthy is getting in your “10,000 steps” daily.

But have you ever wondered why 10,000 steps? And is it working? Or is it just causing us unnecessary stress?

Here is what the experts say…

Back in 1965, when the Summer Olympics was held in Tokyo, Japan, a local professor was working on coming up with the best way to fight obesity and heart disease. He calculated that walking 10,000 steps a day – or the equivalent of 5 miles – would translate into a 20% increase in calories burned for the average person.

The professor, Yoshiro Hatano, then came up with a pedometer-like device called the Manpo-kei, to encourage people to get up and moving during the Olympics when fitness was on everyone’s mind.

The popularity of the pedometer and taking 10,000 steps continued in Japan and has since spread to the U.S. and other countries, becoming the standard that World Health Organization (WHO), the American Heart Association (AHA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) still follow today.

While 10,000 steps a day might be an achievable goal for some, experts note that everyone’s fitness ability is different and their steps per day should be adjusted accordingly.

One way to figure out the number of steps that would work for you is to track how many steps you normally take in any given day, then set an achievable goal based on your baseline steps. If you are a person who typically gets in 5,000 steps a day, then shoot for 7,500. Already reaching 10,000 a day? Why not try for 12,500? Even though this theory has been around for decades, there is no need to stress yourself out about reaching this daily goal. Just take it one step at a time.

Burning Calories While Spring Cleaning

Sure, you would be hard-pressed to find a woman or a man who says that they actually enjoy the thoughts of spring cleaning.  But, if you just take into consideration how many calories are burned while you are doing your spring cleaning, then you may be a little more excited when spring rolls around this year. 

The actual number of calories burned will depend on your weight, gender and age, but their calculators that you can find online (FitDay or NutriStrategy) that will help you to calculate your actual calories burned. 

So, dust off your mops, break out the cleaner and begin to sweat off the weight! 

Editor’s Note: The calories burned estimates listed here are based on one hour of cleaning for a 155-pound woman.

Gardening: 226 calories 

Window washing: 226 calories 

Scrubbing floors (on hands and knees): 291 calories 

Laundry, ironing: 84 calories 

Sewing repairs: 36 calories 

Dusting: 97 calories 

Scrubbing toilets, tub: 246 calories 

Vacuuming: 317 calories 

Cleaning gutters: 258 calories 

Moving furniture, household items: 387 calories 

Painting, papering, plastering: 317 calories

Sweeping: 194 calories

Mopping: 153 calories 

Healthy Living: Benefits of Massage Therapy

For more than 125 years, experts have been researching the benefits of massage therapy, and besides the obvious stress-free feeling that people have following a massage, there are plenty of other benefits to this ancient healing procedure.

One major benefit of massage therapy that researchers have found is that people who get massages on a regular basis have noticed a decrease in their blood pressure.  

Massages also help to alleviate the pain of those who suffer from migraine headaches. 

Massage can also: reduce your heart rate, increase blood circulation and lymph flow, relax your muscles, improve your range of motion, and increase endorphins. Some other physical benefits of massage therapy include relieving muscle tension and stiffness, alleviating discomfort during pregnancy, reducing muscle spasms, promoting deeper and easier breathing, enhancing the health and nourishment of your skin, and improving your posture. 

Massage therapy, while a physical act, is not all about physical benefits.  There are plenty of mental benefits that having a massage can give you. 

Some of these mental benefits include promoting mental alertness, relieving mental stress, reducing levels of anxiety, improving motor skills, creating   body awareness, and fostering a feeling of well-being. 

While this article only touches on a few benefits of massage therapy, both physical and mental, there are plenty more out there that researchers are learning about every day. 

So, go pamper yourself!

Healthy Living Joining a Gym- Things to Know Before Signing Up

When making the decision to join a gym, one may find themselves with more questions than answers. Fitness experts suggest the following pieces of advice that may help you when it comes time to choose the right gym for your needs:

• Location, location location. Location is one key aspect in deciding what gym may work best for you.  Chances are that if your gym isn’t close to your home or workplace, then it will become a hardship to you to try and get to the gym on a regular basis.  Plus, there is always the benefit of saving gas money if you choose a gym that is relatively close to your home or office.
• Research the gym. Find out important details about each gym that you are considering starting your membership with. How much does it cost? What services do they offer that are included in your membership fees? Are lockers an additional cost?  Is there a discount for seniors or students?  By asking the right questions you will find out everything you need to know about the gym before you hand over any money.
• Hours. Knowing the hours that the gym is open is a very important. If you would prefer to do your workout before work, then the gym you choose needs to be open prior to your work hours.  If you would like to work out after work, the gym needs to be open later at night.  Choosing the right time to go to the gym is important, as is whether the gym is extremely busy at that time.  If you are constantly waiting around to use equipment because the gym is overcrowded at certain times, you may want to choose a different gym that is more accommodating or has more equipment.
• Comfort in the gym. When you enter the gym, do you feel comfortable with the way it is set up, the cleanliness of the gym and the way the other members act towards one another? If you are going to be spending your hard-earned money, then you need to feel comfortable in the gym.  Cleanliness is also important and will let you know how the owners take care of the gym.