Get Up and Move!

Contrary to  popular belief by many, exercise is not a dirty word! But somehow it feels offensive to us. Why would you voluntarily make yourself uncomfortable and maybe even huff and puff  or worse yet, SWEAT? Of course if you judge exercise by the way you feel during it, it will feel more like you're enduring it. We have to tell ourselves we will feel good and look better after we put ourselves through the necessary pain. I think you will be able to see the difference in your energy, optimism, and bodily changes without putting yourself through old fashioned, regimented, self-deprecating workouts. Granted there is a place for structured, collective motivation, but all too often people fail to see the opportunities that lay before their very eyes in our everyday lives. I will show you how easily these chances to "exercise" are all around you. Lets take it from the top, starting with the face. (:

Facial Exercises

The muscles of the face are like any other muscles in your body, they become slack and weak from lack of use. These muscles and tissues help support the skin as well and if the muscle structure is weak, the "foundation" will not do a good job holding the skin in place. Gravity, oxidation, and aging are all formidable opponents in the "face off" against time and it's barriers. Exaggerated facial expressions are one way of using muscles we don't ordinarily use. Here are a few exercises to try  anytime, anywhere:

1. Open you mouth as wide as possible and than close tightly, do this 5 times a few times a day.
2. With mouth closed, swish from side to side as if you have mouthwash in your mouth, repeat this  a few times. 
3. Touching the roof of your mouth with your tongue, form an exaggerated smile and bend your head and chin upwards repeatedly. 
4. Form a loose fist  and push under you chin as you tilt your head back and open and close your mouth, putting slight resistance under your chin each time you open. (helps to prevent  "turkey neck")     

These simple, yet effective exercises can be done as a routine or all at once, or a little here and a little there, do apply moisturizer first, it's always better than on dry skin.  If you are reading this right now and are leaning your face on your hand  and in any way stretching the delicate skin of your face, STOP! Never, ever stretch, tug, or pull your skin! Always use your ring or pinky finger when applying moisturizer or makeup and pat or stroke with  very light pressure when removing eye makeup. Skin looses it's elasticity over time,  albeit from loss of underlying muscle support and the factors I mentioned earlier. Remember it only takes 22 muscles to smile and 37 to frown! So conserve energy and spread positivity.

There are basically 5 categories of exercise:

* Cardio or Cardiovascular (4-5 times a week): Activities such as walking, biking and running will keep your heart strong (remember the heart is a muscle!) and your energy level up.

    * Strength training (twice a week): Builds muscles, supports a healthy metabolism and keeps bones strong (especially important as you age for diseases such as osteoporosis.)

    * Core strength (sprinkled throughout the week): Supports your entire body, helps your posture and builds your center from your torso to hips and all through your back.

    * Balance exercises (sprinkled throughout the week): Making you more "body confident",  Isometrics firm by using own body weight and pressure as resistance. Pilates exercises  also improve balance, coordination and strength. Tai Chi is also an example of a balance or centering type of exercise, as well as different types of yoga.

    * Flexibility exercises (sprinkled throughout the week): Keeps you agile and limber. Yoga Stretching gives you fluidity of movement plus elongates and tones ligaments and muscles, stretching should always be done before any work out routine along with a warm-up.A regular stretching routine will not only help to lengthen your muscles, it will also improve circulation. And getting more oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood to your muscles is important to help them recover from your weekly exercise sessions.

  *Stretching also improves the health of your connective tissues, which prevents those unsightly little pockets of fat from bulging through and creating cellulite. Finally, stretching keeps you limber and will help improve your range of motion and flexibility, which in turn prevents unnecessary injuries. So don’t just head for the showers after your workout – stop and take five to 10 minutes to stretch – it’s time well spent!

Of course a physical activity that is also loads of fun is dancing!! I think it's the ideal exercise. All of the above categories are rolled into one simply by dancing. Even strength training, by dancing with a partner, is achieved without  the use of universal or nautilus machines. Your partner becomes your free weight or resistance band! You use each others body weight to hold up, balance, stretch and tone. Cardio is one of the biggest benefit of dance, using your heart! Just be careful not to give it away while you're at it!! :) There are so many types of dance to try and to learn all around the world,(i.e. belly dancing, hula dancing,salsa, ballet, ballroom, etc.) that it can be an extremely rewarding hobby and pastime as well as a fantastic work out at the same time. Moving in ways you don't ordinarily move, rotating hips, shoulders, ankles and other joints keeps them from tightening up and in a sense you are "playing" your body as a musical instrument! Keeping your mind and body "tuned" at the same time.  Basically, anything that you do that burns a lot of calories (or expends energy) can be considered exercise and of course is beneficial in reaching your fitness goals, or just  making you feel GOOD. Did you know that to lose one pound you need to cut out 3500 calories out of your meal plan... or exercise enough to burn off 3500 calories?!! If you reduce your calorie intake by 500 calories a day, you should lose about one pound a week, and adding exercise naturally speeds up the process!

Calories burned while walking

Your weight     Calories burned/hour

24-minute mile pace

(2.5 mph)     Calories burned/hour

20-minute mile pace

(3 mph)     Calories burned/hour

17-minute mile pace

(3.5 mph)     Calories burned/hour

15-minute mile pace

(4 mph)
120 lb.     163     180     207     272
150 lb.     204     225     258     340
200 lb.     272     300     344     454
250 lb.     306     375     387     511
300 lb.     368     382     438     579

Most importantly for overall health before, during and after exercise is keeping yourself hydrated... an example of a convenient way to get high quality drinking water would be to purchase an affordable counter top water filter which is in the long run a lot more cost effective than a Pur or Brita water filter pitcher system. It's a good idea to purchase a stainless steel reusable water bottle because it has multiple  advantages over buying bottled water. It is better for the environment, you can stop recycling water bottles, there is less energy used and less expenditure involved. Definitely a great idea to BYOB (bring your own bottle). I wouldn't recommend drinking water straight from the tap. The excess fluoride and contaminants will build up in your body and cause proven damage as well as health dangers that still remain to be seen. But always remember to make healthy water a part of all your exercise, or work out routines.