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i’ve never been a “runner” – i don’t care about speed or have the ambition to go faster than anyone. i like go about my own speed and push myself to get in 45 minutes to 1 hour each time. with a little more work, i can reap the rewards of the this: according to a Danish study, jogging can add about 6 years to your life!

in a study of non-joggers and joggers, researchers found that male joggers can extend their life by 6.2 years and women by 5.6 years from jogging at a slow pace 1 to 2-1/2 hours weekly. benefits of jogging include improvements in:

• Oxygen uptake
• Insulin sensitivity
• Lipid profiles (raising “good” HDL cholesterol and lowering triglycerides)
• Heart function
• Bone density
• Immune function
• Psychological function

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read article on Yahoo! Health from HealthDay: Joggers Live Longer, Study Says

here are 20 tricks for tight, toned abs:

1. Focus on the Burn
   By focusing on the exercise at hand, you not only are less prone to injury so that you can listen to your body, but you also engage the mind-body connection which helps to recruit more muscle fibers, thereby improving your results
2. Close Your Rib Cage
   When you lower down from a sit-up, pay close attention and keep your rib cage closed. This helps to “crunch” your abs more, engage your transverse abdominals, and keep your back safely supported.
3. Engage Your Pelvic Floor
   By engaging your pelvic floor (act as though you’re trying to stop your urine midstream) before and during any abs exercise you perform, you better engage your transverse abdominals, which act as a girdle for your entire core. This helps give you a tighter midsection-quite literally-all the way around!
4. Don’t Hold Your Breath
   Your core muscles need oxygen to work at full capacity, so be sure that you keep breathing. As a general rule, you want to inhale on the easiest part of the move (on the way down from a crunch) and exhale when you have to exert the most force (on the way up on a crunch)
5. Start Small
   You shouldn’t tackle a complicated or advanced core move on your first try. Start small by working in a smaller range of motion, and then as your core strength improves and you master proper form, make the movement to larger and more difficult exercises.
6. Work in All Dimensions
   Include abs exercises that rotate, twist and turn your body like you do in real life. Functional fitness moves such as this Side Lunge Wood Chop or this Stability Ball Chop and Twist are both great exercises to build a truly strong core.
7. Add a Weight
   Abs need to be challenged to get stronger. So if regular sit-ups aren’t doing it any more (or if you have to do more than 20 to feel the burn), throw some weights into the mix and watch your results multiply.
8. Always Warm Up Properly
   It’s extremely important to start any workout with a proper warm up to prevent injury. Warm those muscles up with some light marching in place and gentle standing rotation of your midsection
9. Walk the Plank
   Instead of just holding the plank in a static position, engage even more of your ab strength by performing this challenging Plank Walk-Up.
10. Picture a Grapefruit
    Every time you’re doing abs exercises on the floor, imagine a grapefruit is lodged between your chin and your chest. For best results, don’t let your chin lower to your chest.
11. Squat
    To really strengthen your core, fitness professionals recommend strengthening the muscles that tie in to your pillar like your glutes, i.e. squats.
12. Train Your Back
    True muscle strength is all about balance. For every core exercise you do that only targets your abs, you should do a specific lower-back exercise as well like this Swan Dive.
13. Try Balance Work
    Incorporate balance work into your routine. Whether it’s with a stability ball, a balance board, or simply just standing on one leg, exercises that test your balance cause you to fire your core deeply.
14. Go Slow
    To really feel the burn, try slowing down. By changing the speed of your abs exercises, you’ll work your abs in a more targeted way that boosts strength and results!
15. Tweak Your Diet
    If your diet isn’t on point, you’re not going to see that 6-pack. To show off those toned abs, eat a diet with plenty of lean protein, low-fat dairy, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
16. Make Sure to Rest
    Just like other muscles, your abs need rest. Don’t directly work your abs two days in a row. Take a recovery day in between. Rest helps give you muscles time to repair and get stronger!
17. Change it Up
    For best results, you should change up your entire workout-including abs!-every four to six weeks.
18. Maintain Constant Tension
    Flex your abs and keep them that way throughout your entire core workout. Whether you’re doing crunches, planks, or balance work, squeeze those abs as if you’re preparing for someone to punch you in the gut to get even more out of your usual moves.
19. Work Your Upper Abs Last
    Try starting your workout with lower-ab moves like this Double-Leg Lower Lift and this Bicycle Maneuver, which both work multiple areas of your abs. Then, if you have time, end your training session with upper-ab work.
20. Try Yoga or Pilates
    Many yoga poses and Pilates exercises are extremely good for building core strength. These mind-body exercises can also increase your flexibility and reduce stress.

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read article on Yahoo! Shine by Jennipher Walters for SHAPE magazine: 20 Tricks to Get Tight, Toned Abs Faster

here are nine possibilities for why your mind is wandering, and expert advice on how to get your concentration back.

1. Your numbers are low
Fuzzy mindedness could signal a vitamin or hormone deficiency, especially if you’re also feeling unusually tired.

Try this: Schedule an appointment for a physical with a doctor who’ll take time with you. Make a list of any other health changes you’ve noticed that could help pinpoint the source of your problems concentrating. You want a comprehensive medical exam, including blood tests. Also ask your doctor to test for cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome or prediabetes: if left untreated, they can cause cognitive decline.

2. Your hormones have gone haywire
If you’re nearing the end of your baby-making years, your inability to think clearly may signal the start of perimenopause – that run-up to menopause when menstrual cycles become irregular and estrogen drops – with symptoms such as lack of concentration, feeling fuzzy and feel like their vocabulary is diminishing.

Try this: If other signs point to perimenopause (hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness), consider short-term hormone replacement therapy to get you over the hump. If HRT is out because of the health risks involved, ask your doctor about the possibility of taking a low-dose, concentration-boosting stimulant such as Ritalin instead. And exercise.

3. You’ve changed your meds
Anti-depressants can affect mood and concentration when you go on or off them.

Try this: Write down all the meds you take or recently stopped taking and review this list with your doctor. Ask if any of them are known to cause concentration problems when people go on or off them, or mix them with other medications, or take them long term. Educate yourself about the drugs on your list so you can have a more fruitful discussion. Go to the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Health, MedLine Plus and DailyMed Web sites for good information.

4. You’re quitting smoking

Try this: The happier you feel when you tackle quitting, the more likely you are to succeed. Track three good things that happen to you each day and write about them each night. Write a letter of thanks to someone you never thanked for something and deliver it. If you can spend some of the money you save by not smoking, skip the material purchases and do something fun with a friend. Shared experiences generate lasting happiness.

5. Your diet has deteriorated
Bad eating habits increase your risks of obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol and related ills that can impair cognitive function, and being overweight or obese makes it harder to stay active, which is essential for brain health.

Try this: If it’s good for the heart and cardiovascular system, it’s good for the brain. Stick to a diet high in fish and vegetables and lower in meat, saturated fat and processed foods. Cut back on sweets. Brain fog, energy crashes, hunger pangs may dissipate.

6. You think busy means fit
To stay sharp, you need to keep moving.

Try this: Shoot for 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity three to five times a week. Weight training also seems to improve brain function. Being active throughout the day may do more to help keep your mind sharp as effectively as purposeful exercising, i.e. doing chores, gardening, getting out of your chair to stretch.

7. You have anxiety overload

Try this: If you can’t concentrate because you’re too busy worrying, stop and do something fun to clear your head. Go for a walk, try a new recipe, play with the dog. Now think of one small thing you can do to address your worry and do it, even if it’s just talking to a friend. Taking small, positive actions reduces the psychological stress that destroys concentration and bathes the brain in harmful stress hormones. Taking action can also stimulate healthier brain function.

8. Your plate overfloweth
Even if you’re not super-worried about all of the things on your plate, having too much on your to-do list could mean you’re setting yourself up for distractions and forgetfulness.

Try this: Take regular little break, i.e. program my Blackberry to buzz me to stop for five minutes and breathe and regroup. It really helps to take a step back, which can be hard to do.

9. It’s just the way you’re wired
Symptoms can take many forms, including impatience, distractibility, forgetfulness, impulsiveness, and having trouble finishing tasks.

Try this: Rate yourself on the World Health Organization’s Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale. If you score high, follow up with a specialist (visit add.org or chadd.org to find one in your area, or ask a specialist in childhood ADHD for a referral). Cognitive behavioral therapy can help you replace them with healthier coping skills. Focused attention meditation helps – a sound, image or your breath, and bringing attention back to that focus when it strays.

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read article on Yahoo! Shine by Gini Kopecky Wallace from Prevention: 9 Reasons Why You Can’t Concentrate

we love watching tv but how about breaking the habit of eating while watching your favorite show? instead get into a new routine by working out while watching your favorite program.

1. Pedal during the program
   With a mini pedal exerciser you can pedal during your favorite television program.
2. Lift hand weights while you watch
   Hand weights can be used in a seated position while watching TV. Use hand weights that are between 1-pound to 5-pounds to work your biceps, triceps, and shoulders. Perform exercises such as the shoulder press, bicep curl, and overhead triceps extension. Using light weights allows one to perform more sets and is less strenuous. If you don’t have hand weights, try using canned food. Another option is to perform the exercises during the commercials.
3. Gain flexibility while watching TV
   Basic stretches and even some yoga positions can be practiced while watching television. Yoga postures such as the Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) and the Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) allow you to watch while you work. Instead of flowing from one yoga move to the next, take time to really enjoy each one.
4. Intervals of high intensity during commercial breaks
   Enjoy pedaling, hand weights, or yoga during the television show. During the commercials, boost metabolism by adding high intensity intervals such as jump roping or jumping jacks. A modified burpee is another great option. To perform a modified burpee start off in a standing position, and then jump to the ground with your knees bent and touch your hands to the floor. Next, jump into a plank or pushup position. Then, jump back up to your hands with knees bent. End by standing back up. Repeat this several times. When the commercial is over, go back to the lower intensity workout of your choice.

Why not accomplish two things at the same time? Pick one of the four exercises, and give it a try. You have nothing to lose, except maybe a pound or two!

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read article on Yahoo! Sports by Rebecca Bardelli: Four Ways to Get a Workout While Watching TV

cardio is an integral part of our weekly workout routine so here are some choices:

The “55″ workout

• Start by doing one body-weight squat and 10 pushups.
• Rest for 30 seconds, and then do 2 squats and 9 pushups.
• Gradually work your way up to 10 squats and down to 1 pushup.
• You’ll complete 55 reps of each exercise by the time you’re done – and reap both the cardiovascular benefit of aerobic training and the muscular pump of a strength session.

10-meter sprints

• Find an area in your gym where you can sprint for 10 meters.
• Once you’ve covered the distance, pause just long enough to inhale and exhale once through your nose.
• Sprint back and pause, this time inhaling and exhaling twice through your nose.
• Continue the drill – breathing normally as you sprint, and adding an additional nose inhalation and exhalation when you pause – until you can no longer breathe through your nose.

Jumping-jack pyramid

• Do as many jumping jacks as you can in 10 seconds.
• Rest for an equal amount of time.
• Next, do as many jumping jacks as you can in 20 seconds, and rest 20 seconds.
• Then do 30 seconds of jumping jacks followed by 30 seconds of rest.
• Now work your way back down the pyramid (30, 20, 10).
• Repeat three times.

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read article from Yahoo! Sports by: Jill Yaworksi from Men’s Health: The Best Cardio Workouts You’ve Never Tried