Want to add a fun twist to your exercise program? Need to integrate more calorie-burning activity into your daily habits? These five outdoor activities will have you burning calories for a fitter, more trim body.

1. Hula-hoop: You say you haven’t done this since you were a kid? Me neither! My oldest niece, Melissa, works at a medical spa in northern California where the doctor recommends Sports Hoop (a weighted hula-hoop) for his patients who want to trim down. The spa sold over 100 hoops in just a few months and their patients are seeing good results. Or simply borrow the old-fashioned kind from your kids or buy one at the local toy store.
2. Push it: Pushing a stroller during your walk, jog, or rollerblade workout greatly increases the intensity and calorie burning potential of that activity. If you don’t have kids, offer to your friend or family member to baby sit for an hour to workout. I walked hills with my little niece, Samantha, in a stroller last month – I also tried simultaneously to sing her a song (yikes) – and felt a significant difference in intensity.
3. Forgo the car: Do you frequent a neighborhood store, café, or coffee shop? If it is within a reasonable distance, consider walking. On weekends, make it a family affair.
4. Play dates: This week I am meeting two friends for a walk and dinner. If I had not recommended the walk, it would be dinner only. You might be surprised at the response you receive when recommending a play date. Most people jump at the chance for an “excuse” to be active.
5. Beach barefoot: walking on an uneven surface uses more muscles (burning more calories) than walking on an even surface. Go to the beach – or other available area – and walk in the sand. Wet sand is fairly easy, but a good place to start. For a better challenge, walk in dry sand. You’ll feel it in muscles you didn’t know you had.

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My cats are the best entertainment. Whether rough-housing and chasing or rolling around in the sun and lounging together, they remind me to be in the moment. That is sometimes a challenge for me.

Part of the problem is that I love my job! Often it has me thinking about the future: what speaking engagements to accepts, what meetings to attend, what to write in next month’s newsletter, what avenues to pursue to keep up my coaching skills… it’s all good, but I can forget what day it is. Of course negatives, like fear, can take me out of the moment too.

I know people who are happy in most areas of their life, but one area that seems out of control (or that they are dissatisfied with) can take over and diminish their overall happiness. The best way I know to put life in proper perspective and live in the moment is with gratitude. It takes away any fear, if I let it, and gives me peace. It centers me.

In health,
Heather Moreno

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Exercise benefits more than your health and fitness. In a study that looked at the immediate and residual effects of aerobic exercise on creative potential, researchers found that it was greater after finishing exercise as well as 2 hours later, as compared to no exercise. And, they believe creative potential may last well after 2 hours post-exercise. This fact alone is good reason to take an exercise break when you need a creative recharge at work.

Kids and adolescents should pay more attention to moving and implementing healthy habits than focusing on the scale. The May 2007 IDEA Fitness Journal reviewed the findings of a 5-year study called Project Eat* that included over 2,500 adolescents. The study showed that among the female population, “…frequent self-weighing also predicted a higher prevalence of disordered eating behaviors, such as binge eating.” One conclusion of the study authors is that, “In females, but not males, self-weighing predicted a higher frequency of binge eating and unhealthy weight-control behavior.”

* Findings appeared in the December 2006 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health

Leftovers should be immediately refrigerated after serving. As food bacteria can double every 30-40 minutes, do not keep food out more than two hours. And, you do not have to wait for food to cool before refrigerating it. Waiting provides no benefit and only allows more bacteria to breed.

Too much can produce too little. One reason you might experience an exercise plateau is working out too much. Rest is an integral component of an effective exercise program. If you push too hard, your body will not have the resources it needs to repair and get stronger. If you can relate and think you might be overtraining, consider one week of active rest. Play with your kids, walk the dog… any mild exercise. Your body gets the break it needs and you will come back stronger.

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I'd like you to meet John Buerger...

When I met wealth coach, John Beurger, in May this year, I was in awe at the similarity in our approaches to working with clients. His process is designed to help clients gain clarity of their mission, vision, values and goals. He talks of building a plan customized specifically to each individual, helping them to reduce stress and live a fulfilling life. It’s as though I was hearing my own voice.

His following article shows that Physical Wealth comes from paying attention to all areas of our life.

* * * * * *
Fitness!!!

Many of us want it.  Yet the perception is that it requires self discipline, is a painful process and is often difficult if not impossible to achieve.  Plus, we either have a jaded view of those who are more "fit" than we are ... or idolize "fitness" to an unhealthy level.

I'm not talking about Physical Fitness here.  I'm talking about Financial Fitness.

Does Fitness = Wealth?

Americans often have a poor relationship with their bodies and even worse relationship with money.  We aren't taught the basics of money or nutrition in school.  What's more alarming, the media is the primary source of education in both industries.  Think of the conflicts of interest.  What they "teach" is easily influenced by the wants and needs of the advertisers.

The end result is that most people (a) are frustrated with their own performance, (b) have unrealistic expectations and (c) are using methods that will never work.

Solutions? 

Start with the source of your information.  The "Truth" as you know it may be flawed.

As a Wealth Coach, I encourage clients to divorce themselves from "Financial Pornography."  No more CNBC, Bloomberg,  MSNBC, Money magazine, Fortune, the money sections of USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and Investors Business Daily.

Next, get a coach to help you - a person who is extremely knowledgeable in their field, can teach you what you need to know and will hold you accountable to your commitments.  Nothing beats the perspective of an outside party to help you navigate the perplexities of life. 

Make sure you are paying for services directly.  Do not take "free" advice.  It is tied to the sale of a product or service and is in conflict with your best interests.  For financial advice, start with the Financial Planning Association.  You will find free worksheets, articles and a search mechanism to find a Certified Financial Planner™ in your area.

A Missing Component

Unfortunately, most CFP® certificants do ignore one critical component of achieving financial success.  I will reveal that missing component in my next article.  However if you wish to know what it is, then you may email me to request your copy of that future article today.  

About the Author

John D. Buerger, CFP® is a Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner.  As a Wealth Coach, his mission is to help you attract significantly greater wealth, protect that wealth and inspire you to enjoy a rich and fulfilling life. If you have a question with regards to your financial fitness, or want a second opinion on financial advice you are getting from someone else, feel free to send John an email at john.buerger@wealth-wise.biz.

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