Quit Smoking with Exercise

When you decide to stop smoking, you'll bring on other changes in your life as well.  Smoking is a very addictive habit. Exercise can be a big help to you when you decide to quit. If you have an addictive personality, substituting exercise can create a positive addiction to replace the negative addiction of smoking.
Try to set a new routine, such as working out or going to the gym.  If that isn't possible, you  should try waking up earlier and going for a short walk.  If you can turn that walk into a run or a  jog, it is going to be very stimulating and the best way that you can start your day.

Keep in mind that exercise doesn't necessarily mean  pumping iron.  If you don't have the time to stop by the gym every day, then it isn't really that big of a problem, as you can always choose to work out at home.

Whether you choose to workout at home or at a gym, you should always remember that regularity is the key.  It isn't getting started that's the difficult part, it's sticking to a regular exercise program that is difficult and proves to be stumbling block for most people.

Some people have a great start.  They will buy  track suits, gym wear, running shoes, and a lot of other gear, so their first day at the gym is almost like a celebration.  As the days go by,  they find it very difficult to meet the demands and their routine will slow down a lot and finally come to a complete exercise burnout.

One mistake that several people make is choosing the evenings to exercise.  If evenings fit your lifestyle, then it's fine.  For most people, however, the evening hours are when they are completely pooped.  By the evening most of us are drained, and simply too tired for exercise.  Therefore, it is always best to set some time aside for exercise in the morning.

In the morning, wake up a half an hour or so  earlier, put on your shoes, and hit the road.  Most roads are less crowded in the morning and less polluted as well, making it a wonderful and relaxing way to start the day.

One of the unintended "benefits" of quitting smoking with exercise is that  you will come face to face with how much lung capacity you've lost from smoking, especially if you attempt to jog or swim. However, that shouldn't make you quit. It should motivate to keep going and get it back, which you can. How much depends on how long you've been smoking, but no matter how long you've smoked, the day you stop is the day you stop doing damage to yourself.

Mainstream Media Admits Diabetes Can Be Reversed by Diet, Lifestyle Changes

Alternative health practitioners have long maintained that Type 2 diabetes was a reversible condition. Now the mainstream media is beginning to catch on.

The mainstream media is just now catching on to what NaturalNews and other natural health advocates have been saying for years: type 2 diabetes can be reversed through dietary and lifestyle changes, and without the need for lifelong drug interventions. A recent report by CNN says that improving one's diet, keeping off excess weight, and regularly exercising, can help millions of people with diabetes get rid of it for good.

"We have seen numerous people reverse their condition," Dr. Michelle Magee, director of the MedStar Diabetes Institute in Washington, is quoted as saying by CNN. "But it takes a real dedication for the rest of their lives." Read more

5 Budget-Friendly Ways to Stay Fit during Winter

Charlotte Hilton Andersen has five budget-friendly tips to stay fit during the winter.

I do not like being cold, but I am cold all the time. These two facts will tell you, pretty much, everything you need to know about me. It's why I hate swimming (also known as controlled drowning). It's why big fuzzy socks are my go-to gift (both for others and for myself). It's why I avoid Black Friday like the plague. (Cyber Monday, however, did some wallet damage.)

If I won't venture outside of my toasty house for even Black Friday, it goes without saying that outdoor running, biking, hiking, swimming and frisbee are out of the question too. At least until I can breathe without snot-cicles forming. But a girl's still got to get her sweat on, even if she lives in the frozen wasteland of the North.

Of course working out in cold weather is easy if you have a gym membership and a car to get you there, but there are lots of other options that cost less. Read more

Diet and Lifestyle Determine Longevity More Than Genetics

Though genetics is one factor that determines longevity, diet and lifestyle play a bigger role, says Dr. Joseph Mercola.

... Death is surely inevitable, but I do believe you can live far longer than the average life expectancy, which, in the US, is around 78. Genetics may play a role, but is NOT the final determining factor for whether you'll live a long healthy life.

Barring an accident, your lifestyle has everything to do with your longevity. It's already been established that diet can override genetic predispositions for disease, for example, so don't fall into the trap of believing your health and longevity is somehow the inevitable result of what's in your gene pool.

Please understand that the list in the summary above is from US News and World Report and it is THEIR concept of what contributes to aging. Of course you don't get the newsletter for their views so I am going to use their list as a springboard to provide you with my thoughts on the topic. Read more

Is Your Workout Helping You or Huring You?

Your workout may be hurting you more than helping you if you believe any of the following three misconceptions about fitness.

Working out should be something that is both fun and beneficial. The body responds almost immediately to proper training, but it also responds to improper training. Improper training can lead to aches and pain down the road, or even muscles tears. Are you working out the right way?

Misconception #1: The Longer, The Better

Contrary to what you have heard from old school bodybuilders, a longer workout does not lead to better muscular gains. In fact, a longer workout can be detrimental to your muscular gains. Read more

How to Work Out Your Transverse Abdominals

A group of muscles that often gets neglected in stomach exercise routines are the transverse abdominals, the core muscles that lie below the rectus abdominus. Most abdominal exercises target the rectus abdominus and the vertical abdominals, ignoring the transverse abdominals. Even crunches, the staple of most abdominal workouts, do nothing for the transverse abdominals. These muscles are actually the most important to target, however, as they connect to both the lower back muscles and the rectus abdominus and for a girdle for the entire abdomen.

Any routine aimed at flattening the stomach should include the transverse abdominals as a focus. Using the following exercises, you can work out your transverse abdominals and really make progress on that flat stomach. As with any workout routine, be sure to consult a professional before beginning and always warm up properly to avoid injury.

Pelvic Tilts
This stomach exercise requires lying on your back on a flat surface, such as the floor or a bench. Use a mat or towel to cushion your spine. Bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the floor. Raise your pelvis (and only your pelvis) off the floor, hold momentarily, and then lower it back down. Repeat for an entire set. Maintaining a controlled movement is crucial to this exercise. This will allow you to use your abdominal muscles, rather than your body's momentum, to do the work on the exercise. Also, be sure to keep your upper body on the floor throughout.

Crunchless Crunch
This first exercise is fairly simple but can also be fairly difficult. Essentially, it involves trying to pull the belly button in towards the spine. This can be tricky, as it involves using muscles which you may not be used to activating. To start, either lie or on your stomach or kneel. You might want to try both ways and see which helps you feel the exercise better. Relax your body as much as possible, then try to use only the lower abdominals to move your belly button toward your spine. Hold for ten seconds. If holding for ten seconds feels easy, hold for a longer period. The goal is to hold the contraction until you either cannot feel it, or you feel other muscles working harder than the transverse abdominals. When you feel this, let the contraction out.

Scissor Kicks
This stomach exercise also requires lying on the floor. Position your hands under your butt, keeping your back pressed against the floor. Slowly raise one leg to a height of about ten inches, then slowly lower it back to the floor. As your lower one leg, raise the other. Repeat this motion for an entire set. Maintaining control throughout is important, not allowing momentum to get the better of you. Your upper body should remain on the floor through the entire move.

There are plenty of other exercises targeting the transverse abdominals, but these three ought to be enough to get you started.

If you can follow simple instructions, then you can build a HEALTHY, HIGH-PERFORMANCE, ATTRACTIVE body in the comfort of your own home using ONLY bodyweight exercises. To discover the REAL reason you've failed to reach your fitness, fat loss, and physique-building goals (and what you can do about it), click here!

Living Prehistorically in the Modern Age

Andrea Shea explains how to live prehistorically in the modern age. She apparently doesn't know that Neanderthals and modern humans were a different species, but not everyone watches the History Channel, I guess. Otherwise, it's a good introduction to the Paleolithic lifestyle

The word “Paleolithic” might evoke images from the 1980s film “Quest for Fire” — or, more recently, the scruffy cavemen in those Geico commercials. But Nate Rosenberg says going back in time to eat like a Neanderthal doesn’t make him one.

“It’s obviously not a reenactment of Paleolithic life,” Rosenberg says.

The 27-year-old foraged through his contemporary kitchen in the cute Somerville apartment he shares with his Paleo partner Michal Naisteter.

“We eat modern foods,” he says. “In the Paleolithic era they did not have ground beef or, you know, dried oregano from Whole Foods and stuff life that, which we benefit from. But we try keep in mind our evolutionary history.”

Added Naisteter: “I eat fish, I eat eggs, I eat vegetables and I eat berries and nuts.”

Naisteter and Rosenberg are part of an international fitness and nutrition movement known as “ancestral health.” Read more