Get ready for the beach with these four yoga moves

Lunge Jumps
Gets the heart rate up while toning my legs, arms, and abs.







Plank Pose
Holding Plank pose for longer than usual builds strength and endurance and is good for the ticker!







Sun Salutes
Sun Salutes feel really amazing and work the whole body at the same time.







Chair Pose
Holding chair pose really gets into the hips and challenges the brain to focus on anything besides the difficulty factor!

Finding The Motivation

It's one thing to start a workout program. It's another to keep at it and stay motivated.

Some motivational tips:
Do it for you
"I can't run"
Stealing fitness
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Hip exercise for strength, stability

Jeff Keppinger, the infielder traded by the Reds to the Astros, demonstrated exercises that strengthen and balance hip muscles, using a mini resistance band.

This series of exercises should take less than 10 minutes.

(click article link to view hip strengthening video)

Professor believes in meditation exercise

Jerry Wellik is a professor at SCSU leading free Qigong (CHEE-kung) classes for students, faculty and staff.

The purpose of these sessions is to exercise and meditate in a group setting to work with the energy in the body to get a balance. The theory is that energy can be neither created nor destroyed, but it can be transformed. Illnesses such as depression, backaches and migraines can be relieved from these exercises by transforming energy through these guided meditations.

The people who come get a good feeling from it. They are commercial bankers and business owners as well as students, faculty and staff on campus. It has been very positive for them to take that time out of their day to work on themselves.

Baby boomers have high opinion of wellness

The oldest of the baby boomers have turned 62 and appear to have a high opinion of their wellness.

A "Keep Going, Live Healthy" survey of 1,051 men and women boomers revealed that 73 percent regarded their health and that of their spouses as good or excellent. Boomers are those born between 1946 and 1964.

In order to maintain better health than their parents, respondents say they maintain a healthier diet, exercise more regularly, get annual checkups and manage their stress better.

Yoga helps some escape recession depression

There is a growing number of people who find release from a world of financial stress through massage, pilates and yoga. It's a very economical way to de-stress and stretch out and relieve pain. The environment is very positive. One can meditates and, through yoga moves, reach muscles that would be ignored in many standard aerobics classes.

Strawberries outdo oranges in vitamin C

Most people eat strawberries because they taste great. But strawberries are packed with great nutrition - everything from folate to fiber to phytochemicals. Just eight strawberries have more vitamin C than an orange and offer an abundance of antioxidants.

Strawberries are an excellent source of fiber, potassium and folic acid, a very special vitamin naturally designed to prevent birth defects and keep the heart healthy. Best of all, strawberries have only 50 calories in a one-cup serving and no cholesterol or saturated fats.

Atkins diet tougher on heart after weight loss

In the "maintenance" phase that occurs after initial weight loss, the popular Ornish and South Beach diets seem to be easier on the heart than the high-fat, low-carbohydrate Atkins regimen, a new study finds.

Unlike numerous studies that have evaluated diets to see which might be better at achieving weight loss, this study, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, looked at what happens to cholesterol levels and other cardiac risk factors when dieters reach their goal weight and remain on the diet.

Exercise comes in different forms -- some not so unpleasant

But being physically active doesn't have to be unpleasant. Physical activity doesn't have to take place in a gym to count. And it doesn't have to mean you're training for a triathlon. It should be something you enjoy. That means walking, dancing, skating, cycling and paddling a canoe all count. So do the more mundane activities of daily living like vacuuming, washing and waxing the car, and raking leaves. It's even better if you make it a family affair and jump rope or play tag with the kids, throw a Frisbee for the dog or plan an active vacation. Whatever it takes that makes exercise less objectionable.

To reap the benefits, you should do at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity most days of the week. Translation: At least four days a week, spend at least 30 minutes doing something that leaves you feeling a little winded. Ideally, you should keep moving for an hour, but some activity is always better than none.

Why increasing fruits and vegetables leads to permanent weight loss

Although most Americans find their waistlines expanding with each year, a few manage to stay slender and trim throughout their lives. These are the ones who capture attention and never seem to look their ages. How they do it was the subject of a recent Consumer Reports investigation that sought to determine if these people were genetically gifted, or whether they were in possession of a magic secret resembling the fountain of youth. The study found that getting a large part of nutrition from fruits and vegetables played a big part in keeping these people trim and youthful.

What about fruits and vegetables allows people to achieve a healthy BMI? Fruits and vegetables are low in calories, high in volume, and high in critically important nutrients. They provide the feeling of satiety that goes with fullness. When the stomach is filled with high volume foods that are not high in calories, there is less room to pack in more calorie dense foods.

Athletes turn to yoga for strength & endurance

Millions of Americans practice yoga to help them relax and stay in shape. Now more and more athletes are turning to yoga to help improve their performance in other sports and make them better in their own sports.

Most people realize yoga can help with balance and toning your core or mid-section. But studies also show it increases flexibility and helps eliminate soreness.

That's why many college and professional teams are now incorporating yoga into their training.

Go organic, just like the White House

First of all, follow the Obamas' example and go green; growing organically is the way to go. There's no reason to use chemicals in the home garden.

If you want to duplicate what the first family is creating on the South Lawn, first feed the soil, not the plants. That means adding organic matter, like well-aged animal manures, compost, dehydrated manure or mushroom manure, whatever you can find that's cheap and readily available. Variety will help the garden.

Improving the soil is the hardest job of gardening, but it's essential. Here's a rule of thumb: If the dirt sticks to the shovel, it's too wet to work. Wait until the soil is ready, then turn it over. Plants growing in good soil and compost will outgrow most diseases and fight off many pests because they are healthy.

Start with cool-weather crops like peas, lettuce, radishes, onions, carrots, cole crops (cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts), spinach, turnips and beets to take advantage of the early season.

10 Power-Packed Veggies

Kale: Delivers betacarotene, along with other eye-health supportive carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin. Also provides a good dose of vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, iron, calcium, and fiber.

Spinach: Good source of betacarotene, magnesium, and folate. In addition, spinach offers nice amounts of vitamins C, E and K; calcium, potassium, iron, lutein, lipoic acid, and fiber.

Broccoli: Considered a cancer risk reducer, partly due to its phytonutrient content (such as indoles and sulforaphane). Also delivers betacarotene, calcium, folate, and fiber.

Sugar Snap Peas: Provide insoluble fiber; may help lower cholesterol. Offers vitamins B1, B6, C and K, as well as iron, potassium, and lutein.

Rhubarb: The stalks from rhubarb deliver vitamins C and K, fiber, potassium, and calcium.

Romaine Lettuce: This salad green is packed with folate, vitamin C, and betacarotene. Other nutrients include vitamin K, manganese, chromium, and fiber.

Carrots: Good source of fiber, vitamins C and K, and the minerals potassium and manganese.

Collard Greens: Delivers betacarotene, vitamins B6 and C, calcium, zinc, and folate.

Swiss Chard: Provides vitamins B2, B6, C, K, and betacarotene, as well as the minerals iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and potassium.

Onions: Rich source of vitamin C, chromium, and quercetin.

Bikram yoga review

Close your eyes and you'd believe you'd just stepped off a plane into a humid South East Asian country. The difference is that there is no air condition to welcome you. This is destination Bikram and for the next 90 minutes your body will be pushed to its limits, physically and mentally.

Concentration is the key with yoga, especially under these extreme conditions. You lose focus and you'll be in a molten heap on your yoga mat; drink too much water and you'll be chucking up your lunch over the person in front; breathe through the mouth and injest a room full of sweat; wipe away your sweat and spoil the detoxification process. There really is a lot to remember whilst trying to strike a pose or twenty-six but as the sweat pours off you, the stress goes with it and somehow you just get on with it.

The relief of leaving that humid room is phenomenal. You feel yoga drunk as your bodies adjusted back down to the normal temperature; a combined feeling of elation and utter exhaustion. Some people were close to tears at one point in the class. That'll be the pleasure and the pain. Unlike other forms of exercise, yoga gives your mental capacity a work out too.

10 tips to stay happy in tough times

1. Remain optimistic.
2. See the big picture.
3. Unwind with cheap or free entertainment.
4. Cook — and even grow — your own food.
5. Make food for the ones you love.
6. Go into ‘survival mode’ if necessary.
7. Stretch your legs and get some fresh air.
8. Give to others in need.
9. Curl up with a good book.
10. Remain focused on what really matters.

Here is the secret for staying optimistic and hopeful when you are unemployed. Every day, accomplish five things: one thing for your job search, one thing for your community, one thing for your family, one thing to improve your home and one thing for your own spirit.

The battle to lose weight doesn't have to break the bank

Full coverage: Weight-Loss Challenge news, blogs, video tips, recipes and more How they lost: Follow dieters' days on Twitter | Ex-surgeon, new bride, homeschooling mom Videos: Healthy breakfast for $1 | Lunch for $2 | Dinner for $4 | 8 easy and innovative diet tips Your plan: Which of these 21 diets is best for you? Dieting: Get a light body on a tight budget | Cook smarter, spend less, weigh less | Experts tips from 5 books Kid-friendly: Dietitians' advice on improving children's diets | Healthy nuggets recipe | Taters

Papaya are high in vitamin C

Papayas are extremely high in vitamin C and also provide lots of beta-carotene, folate, magnesium and potassium. Papayas differ in size and shape, and the color of the flesh inside may be yellow, pinkish-orange or red. Because of these color differences, it's difficult to judge ripeness by color.

Studies suggest that eating more fruits can really help lower blood cholesterol. Vegetables and fruits contain dietary fiber that can bind up cholesterol in the digestive tract and keep it from being absorbed into the body.

Keep your motivation

Here are a few tips you can use to get one step closer to reaching your goal:

1. Find a workout buddy.
If you’re working out alone, it is much easier to slack by cutting your workout short or just skipping it all together.

2. Take a class or have a personal training session
A great way to mix things up is to attend a new class or hire a personal trainer for a couple sessions.

3. Reevaluate your goals
After you’ve had a chance to see how your program is working, consider your goals again and see if your program or your goals need some adjusting.

4. Add some flavor
Just because you’re on a diet doesn’t mean you can’t have any flavor in your food.

5. Treat yourself
After completing a week of exercising and eating right, find a healthy way to treat yourself.

6. Believe in yourself
The most important piece of advice you can get is to believe in yourself.

Holistic help offers new solutions for improving your health

Cynthia Perkins, M.Ed., holistic health counselor and sole proprietor of Holistic Help says "that most health conditions, both physical and mental, have roots in poor diet, unidentified nutritional deficiencies or imbalances, hidden food allergies or sensitivities, exposure to environmental toxins or undiagnosed Candida overgrowth"

The primary goal of Holistic Help is to empower you with self-care strategies and techniques that enable you to take an active role in your health care plan and understand the underlying issues that impact your health. One of the most popular and informative sections of the site are the Candida pages, because it is linked to so many health conditions.
http://www.holistichelp.net/candida.html

Managing the teen years

The teen years can be difficult for parents and their children, who are undergoing countless physical and emotional changes.

Here are some suggestions to help you and your child navigate the teen years a bit more smoothly:

* Do your homework on the challenges that your child is likely to face as a teen, and how they may change your relationship.

* Talk with your teen early on about puberty and the changes that will occur.

* Put yourself in your child's shoes. Be patient and sympathetic.

* Let your child develop his or her own personality, and don't fight over every little thing.

* Understand that your child may be resistant to the rules you impose.

Food to beat dementia

Some interesting pointers have come to light over the past few years, including the idea that restricting calorie intake may be beneficial. It seems that lowering our calorie intake by a third, mostly through reducing portion sizes, may improve the outcome of memory tests.

Swapping to a mainly Mediterranean-style diet may help. This involves basing meals and snacks on plenty of vegetables and fruits, legumes and wholegrain cereals, plus some oily fish and other seafoods. Small amounts of red meat (a couple of small servings a week) and dairy foods such as butter and cream are eaten in these diets, along with moderate amounts of alcohol (often red wine) and unsaturated fats such as olive oil.

But being a normal weight and eating lots of fruits and vegetables, wholegrain foods and pulses, and not too much saturated fat, is known to be good for many aspects of our health. So knowing that it may also help to maintain a vibrant and active memory could be just the incentive that you need to make some dietary switches - not just for a week or two in a burst of enthusiasm, but for good.

Whole grains: A world of options

Whole grains also are a great source of fiber, easing digestion and helping prevent digestive problems. In their whole form, grains are super foods because they contain protein, carbohydrates, beneficial fats, vitamins and minerals.

Individuals nine and older should get at least three “ounce-equivalents” or servings of whole grains daily. A serving can be a half-cup of cooked grains, cereal or pasta or a slice of bread, for example.

Whole grains can be processed (cracked, split or ground) and still be beneficial, as long as the most important parts of the kernel remain in the product. Some products may mix whole grains with refined grains.

The key is to read labels carefully, looking for whole grains as one of the first ingredients in a product and not rely on advertising, Gill said.

Simple ingredients of weight loss

There are a few other ingredients to healthy weight management and weight loss. These include:

1. Getting regular physical activity and exercise
2. Maintaining proper nutrition, starting with eating a healthy breakfast each morning and evaluating portion sizes
3. Staying hydrated
4. Making small, short-term goals

Organic labels may mislead

Products can either be labeled "100 percent organic," or "organic," the latter meaning the produce is more than 95 percent organic, according to the Kansas State University food safety Web site. Produce can also be "made with organic ingredients," which means it's at least 70 percent organic, but it can't carry the U.S. organic seal.

There are recognizable differences between organic and certified organic, said Jennifer Ryder Fox, dean of the college of agriculture.

If the produce is labeled "certified organic," then a third party has looked at the records and determined the farmer has followed the correct requirements. For three years, farmers have to follow a strict regimen, then have to have a third party come in and certify it. Growing organic food requires an understanding of the regulatory process on a local, state and federal level. The entire flow of the farming practices has to be organic, from the seed to the milk in the carton.

How to find time to exercise

Suggestions on how to squeeze in a before-work exercise routine:

• Exercise with a friend. You're less likely to hit the snooze button if it means standing up someone.

• Lay out your gym attire the night before. Some people even sleep in their workout clothes.

• Keep a similar sleep and wake schedule on weekends. That way, you'll avoid slipping out of your routine.

• Put your alarm clock across the room so you're forced to get out of bed to turn it off. Once you're up, you're more likely to resist the urge to hit the snooze button.