Finding Time for Fitness: 6 Ways to Fit It In

Lack of time is everyone’s main excuse for not working out, but do you really not have time for fitness? Sure, you’ve got a lot on your plate, but even just a few minutes of activity every day can help you reap major rewards for your overall wellbeing. In fact, if you’re fitter, you’ll have more energy to help you cope with all your daily tasks! So, how do you find the time to give your wellness a boost? We spoke to Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor Jennipher Walters for her top tips.

 

1. Get On Up: ‘Sleep is definitely important for overall health and weight-loss, but could you hit the sheets just 30 minutes earlier, so that you could get up and work out before your day starts?,’ asks Walters. ‘Working out in the morning has numerous benefits including regulating appetite, boosting energy and—perhaps the biggest benefit of all—an AM sweat session ensures that your workout is checked off first thing each day!’

 

2. Log Off…: Walters recommends, ‘For just a few days, record how much time you spend surfing the Internet, checking personal email, watching TV and playing video games whether it’s on your computer or your phone. You just might be surprised at how much time you spend on Facebook or playing Angry Birds. Just a few minutes here and there can add up to an hour or more each day. Cut out just some of that screen time and, voila, you suddenly have time to squeeze in at least 10 or 15 minutes of exercise into even the busiest day.’

 

3. …But Be an Active TV Watcher: ‘It’s unrealistic to never watch TV or to shun the Internet forever,’ Walters admits. ‘So when you do, try to incorporate some physical activity. When watching TV, make it a point to do some jumping jacks or push-ups during commercials. Doing a little exercise during the commercial breaks can add up to almost 20 minutes of fitness for every hour of TV you watch. And instead of sitting in a chair when on the computer, try sitting on a stability ball or stack your computer up on some books so that you have a standing desk to surf from. No matter how you do it, try not to sit for more than 20 minutes at a time!’

 

4. Workout On Your Commute: Walters asserts, ‘One of the best ways to fit exercise into your life is by incorporating it into your school or work transportation routine. If you live close enough, consider biking to work. If you take the bus, walk to a bus stop that’s an extra block or two away, or get off the bus a stop sooner than usual and get a few more steps in. And if you drive to work, park as far away as you can—even a few blocks away, if possible.’

 

5. Socialise While You Exercise: ‘Make your social time more active by planning events that get all of you moving,’ Walters advises. ‘Go for a family hike on a beautiful Saturday morning, play a game of tag football with your buddies during halftime, or make a date with your significant other or best friend on the treadmill. There are so many options for squeezing more activity into your social calendar!’

 

6. Make Chores More Hardcore: ‘While cleaning might not be the most fun activity, it’s something we all have to do, and it can definitely be a workout if you want it to be,’ notes Walters. ‘Set a kitchen timer for 20 minutes and see how much of the house you can clean. Try to be as efficient and quick-paced as possible, and I guarantee you’ll work up a sweat. If you’re doing lighter housework that is harder to get your heart rate up (like laundry or organising), throw in some lunges or push-ups every few minutes to start feeling the burn.’

Categories: busy schedule, Commute, day nbsp, household chores, minutes, nbsp, Push ups, time, walters, watching tv, work

Sustain The Passion In The Bedroom With These Tips

When a relationship is young, passion is something that comes easy. Because you don’t yet know all the details about your partner and there is still a lot of mystery between you, it is easy to be passionate and spontaneous. But as we get older and the relationship goes on for longer it is not uncommon for that lusty spark to fizzle and passion dissolves into the humdrum of routine. This is a shame because it doesn’t need to be that way and quite often people are still completely passionate about their partner – they have just forgotten how to show it.

 

So given that many people are still able to get passionate but need a little help in order to keep the spark in the bedroom, we’ve prepared a few tips for the worst things that you can do in the bedroom. The following list will show you the best ways to kill off the passion in your relationship and should definitely be avoided.

 

One – Avoid watching the TV in bed

Watching TV in bed is a way that will kill off passion very quickly. While it might seem like a good idea to get all cosy with your partner and watch the TV, it seems that actually this is a very bad thing for your sex life and keeping passion in the relationship. Research by an Italian sexologist even found that couples who have a TV in their bedroom have sex around half as much as couples who don’t. Also, certain programmes are known to be passion killers, especially violent shows and films. So definitely make the effort to avoid these and ideally avoid watching TV in your bedroom – it won’t do your passion levels any good at all.

 

Two – Don’t let the kids sleep in your bed

Some parents find that it is natural to sleep in the same bed as the baby early on in their life. While this may be a bonding session that means the baby is always close to you it can also grow into a habit and your child will want to sleep in the same bed as you as they get older. This means you can go for a long time where there is no real chance to have sex, because there is always a child in the bed with you. Make sure you get into the right habit early and get the child sleeping on their own as early as possible in their life – it will do your sex life wonders.

 

Three – Do not have bad breath in bed

Bad breath is one of the ultimate ways to kill passion stone dead. Even if your partner loves you very much, they won’t be turned on by you having bad breath. It is one thing that you definitely need to avoid if you want to keep the spark alive in your relationship. Regularly brush your teeth to keep your breath smelling fresh, but if you find that you still have an ongoing problem it might be worth going to the doctor about it as there may be ways they can help you.

 

Four – Avoid smoking before bed

Smoking is bad for you for a number of reasons and it is definitely something that is never sexy. As it was noted before bad breath is an unpleasant problem for keeping passion in the bedroom, and smoking will definitely worsen this. But that’s not the worst of it, you’ll also smell from the cigarette smoke and that is never a turn on in the bedroom.

Categories: avoid, avoid watching, bedroom, keeping passion, nbsp, passion, relationship, sex life, Smoking, watching tv

How Much is too Much? How TV Affects Your Child"s Health

 Every parent knows how handy the TV is as a quick and easy in-house babysitter, but how much should you really be allowing your children to watch on a daily basis? According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), many children are averaging approximately 2 hours of screen time a day for years before they even enter school. While obviously the content of the programming is of concern, what is “plugging in” doing to kids at such an early age?

 

Important Facts You May Not Know:

1) Too much TV inhibits social growth.

Most parents know that the first few years of their child’s life are crucial for developing their brain and social functions. While good nutrition and sleep are extremely important, so is how a child interacts with the world around them. TV and other electronic media can inhibit them from these all-important interactions, and also slow down social learning processes.

2) Kids who watch too much TV tend to be overweight.

We all like to occasionally veg out in front of the television, but regular couch sessions can be detrimental to a child’s overall health. Children with screen time of 4 or more hours a day are not only losing valuable physical activity time, but are also learning habits that will follow them into adulthood.

 

3) Excessive TV can lead to shorter attention spans.

Though TV can be educational, it can also develop school problems down the road. Recent research has found that preschoolers who watched a lot of television had more trouble sitting still and listening during class, and generally lacked the focus and attention of those in the class who had limited television viewing.

What’s Appropriate for Your Child

Taking all of this into account, figuring out exactly how much TV to allow your child to watch can seem like a daunting task. However, the television can be an important tool in your child’s growth and education if used correctly. Developing a plan is crucial to get the very best out of it.

Know Your Limits

Parents will read all sorts of advice as to what the “appropriate” amount of TV time is. Try to understand your current TV usage by keeping a log of how often your little ones are watching television so you can get a better understanding of your family’s viewing habits. From there, try to limit screen time to only quality programming for 1-2 hours per day. Engage your children in other activities to show them that there’s life “away from the box.”

Choose Wisely

Kids may love cartoons, but is that really the best use of their TV time? From DVDs like Baby Einstein to downloadable programs, there are a variety of age-appropriate program choices that can not only entertain your child, but also give them a head-start on ABC’s, counting, colors and shapes. Try to follow up any lesson on the program with appropriate activities. This will show them to use TV more as an educator rather than entertainment.

Engage

Like adults, children have a tendency to “zone out” while watching TV. Keep your child engaged by watching the programs with them. Encourage them to clap their hands or follow along, and talk with them about what you see. This can not only provide some valuable parent-time, but also reinforces a different ideal about watching television.

 

Television doesn’t have to be the monster in the corner of the room. In fact, with planning and keeping an eye on what your children are watching, TV can be a helpful addition to your child’s growth.

 

With four kids, writer Melanie Fleury is guilty of using the TV as a distraction a little too much. She found that by choosing educational and developmentally appropriate shows like the Baby Einstein DVDs helped to make sure that the time spent in front of the TV was quality time.

 

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerine/2623121313/

Categories: baby einstein, child's health, Overweight, Screen time, tv, tv time, watching television, watching tv