As someone who has to work at a computer for long hours (I’m a writer) I really have to make sure I don’t get a lot of problems that come with sitting and typing. First, I sit on a fitness ball, which is great for the core muscles. Then, every hour I do some back stretches. (You should ask a professional which ones are best for you, but what works best for me is clasping my hands together in front of me and pulling them forward as far as I can for the count of ten, then clasping them behind my back and doing the same kind of thing. But what’s really important is making sure I don’t get blood clots in my legs, and that’s where my stairmaster comes in. Nothing beats it for working my legs. Fifteen minutes before I write, a half hour after, at least. People die from blot clots (deep thrombosis) and I don’t want my job to kill me. I love writing, but I love living, too!

With that said, really nice home gym equipment helps me stay motivated. If you can get excited about exercising and actually want to add muscle and look better, then you will. Being healthy starts with your mindset. It is hard to get a great run in on a treadmill by just hoping on it one day and hoping for the best. No. That will not work. Make the treadmill, or whatever fitness equipment you use your friend. Make it your best friend. In order to truly look and feel great you need to always maintain a positive mindset and really like what you are doing and that will happen if you really like your fitness equipment.

As I travel around the country, going from place to place in order to transform the unhealthy into the fit, it is alarming to see how many people are truly obese and overweight, and seemingly do not care at all.  It is understandable for the weight of a human being to fluctuate due to lack of exercise, or excess eating from time to time, but what I have seen is not normal, by any standards, liberal or conservative. When I say, “What I have seen is not normal”, I am referring to the disproportionate amount of overweight people versus the amount of people that would be considered healthy by national standards, and yes, there are set standards of how much Joe Johnson should weigh based on his height and age. The question is, why are we so fat? How did it get to the point that every time I am in a mall, baseball game, or movie, there are more overweight people than non. Is it because we do not exercise as much as our European friends? Are the United States of America the fattest nation on the globe because we eat bad? According to the social conservatives, we have the best health care in the world so there is no way that our health care system could be to blame for the fact that the U.S.A. Yeah right, sure, the U.S.A. is not even in the top 10 when it comes to nations with the longest life expectancy rate, but our health care system is so spectacular! Ha! So what are your thoughts? How can we curb obesity? Is it as easy as making sure everyone spends at least 30 minutes of their day exercising? If everyone in America had a treadmill, what percentage of them would use the treadmills? If you guessed 1/10, then you are very optimistic and should be applauded for your positive outlook, but you are surely mistaken. More like 1/1000 people would actually use fitness equipment in their home on a regular basis if they had it. That is if they had the equipment at home at their disposal to use anytime they wish. Try and imagine the amount of people that actually take the time out of their day to go to the gym and stay physically fit. That number is more like 1/10000. It is crucial to maintain a consistent workout regimen and set goals. GOALS. You need to set goals. Aimlessly exercising is not optimal. Set goals and aim to achieve them.

The goal is to make health care not an issue. How can I not worry about health care you ask? Take control of your life through a balanced diet and daily exercise routine. Many of our problems are brought on us by our own inability to take care of ourselves mentally and physically. Mentally, we work too hard, and stress out as a result. Physically, we damage ourselves through eating too much, drinking too much and not exercising enough. The first thing all of our parents taught us are that “you are what you eat!” In other words, if you stuff yourself with trans fat and sugar, you are contributing to the problem, rather than the solution.

Setting goals is part of the psychological battle we fight in our war against lethargy and laziness. Another big part of the psychological side of exercising is remaining positive and optimistic. Staying in good shape and maintaining a balanced diet are long term events that should not be judged upon their short term results. The key is to progressively get better each and every day. I have said over and over that every day of your life you either get better og get worse! Which one will it be today? If you have an off day and take a step back, no big deal, just take two steps forward the next day and you will be right back on track. If you breakdown in traffic on the way home from work and go to McDonalds drive through for a double cheeseburger and french fries, who cares, just make sure you work it off the next day. We are not advocating fast food as good for you, we are just saying that just because you ate some fatty foods doesn’t mean that you should give up on your exercise routine and succumb to a passive, careless, lazy lifestyle. Even if you get off track one day, get right back on the next. Always remember, success is a journey, not a destination, so do not be discouraged with short term results. The definiton of a true champion is someone that can withstand adversity and overcome obstacles on that come up on the road towards success. Do not give up!

Now I know there are some of you out there that have a six-pack and like 3% bodyfat and have never used an elliptical in your life, but you are the exception to the rule. The amount of people that are in shape and don’t workout are slim and it shows. Have you walked around a mall in America lately? Have you gone to the movies? It is gross. To quote jay Z, “What More Can I Say?”  Last time I went to the movie theatre the 9 year old kid sitting next to me must have weighed 250 Lbs. at least, and was no taller than 5’5! Obesity in the United States of America is at an all time high and we need to do the best we can to exterminate this lazy, cocky lifestyle that way too many people in America have adopted. A lifestyle defined by your average Joe Johnson that will eat whatever, never exercise, drink and smoke, and go get pills from a Dr. when he getssick from living an unhealthy lifestyle.

Weight lifting and strength exercises are just as important to maintaining good health as cardio exercises.  Most of us go to the gym, stretch for ten minutes, turn our Mp3 player on, hop on the treadmill or elliptical and then hit the shower. We need to keep in mind that lifting weights, as well as other forms of muscle building, is absolutely essential if you want to remain healthy and maintain a great looking physique.  Some people still believe that lifting weights stunts growth, reduces mobility, and that strength training does not have as significant of an impact on our daily lives as cardio routines such as running, jogging, biking, climbing stairs and so on. Nothing could be further from the truth. Lifting weights and building muscle mass is just as important to your health as cardio exercises. The Kings of Cardio are and have been on the front lines of fitness since the 1980’s so trust us when we tell you that you must compliment your cardio routine with strength training.

Through proper and effective weight lifting, one is able to raise their metabolism, increase their endurance, build muscle and lose weight. People commonly think that strength training is not as significant as cardio training when it comes to burning calories and losing weight. The reason that people who state that strength training doesn’t help lose weight are wrong  is because when you lift weights you build muscle mass, and when your muscle mass is increased, so is your resting metabolic rate. Therefore, you actually burn more muscle even in your sleep from lifting weights.