HEALTH & FITNESS

News about health, fitness, exercise and healthy living in Alabama

Many Americans are trying to "cut back" on expenses right now. I personally think that only makes the economics of our country worse. I understand that some of you may be experiencing hardships, but do not cut back on your fitness goals. This will only create more depression and extra baggage. Anyways, if you can not afford a qualified fitness trainer, group class, or a gym membership you can go to a park. It's Free! Do pushups on benches, pull-ups on playground equipment, run and anything else you can come up with.

Your body should be one of your most important assets. You can't function without it. If you can't take care of yourself how you are going to keep up with your kids, be productive at work, and live a life full of energy? Investing in your own health will reap big rewards.
Keep this thought.
JUST BECAUSE THE ECONOMY IS SHAKY DOESN'T MEAN YOUR BUTT HAS TO BE TOO.

Medicare patients beware: Don't assume the prescription drug plan you've had the last three years is going to be your best choice for 2009.

Premium costs are rising - quite dramatically in the most popular plans.

Enrollment for next year's Medicare prescription coverage began Saturday and continues through Dec. 31. Next year is the fourth year of the coverage, known as Medicare Part D, and so far patients have overwhelmingly stayed in the same plan year after year, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis.

But this might be the year people should switch to a different company or plan.

If people stay in the plans they have this year, the average monthly premium for drug coverage will climb from $29.89 this year to $37.29 in 2009, a 25 percent increase, the Kaiser study found. One of the most popular plans, Humana Insurance's standard plan, is soaring 66 percent, from $25.60 a month to $42.50.

Continue reading "Medicare plans changing" »

Every single day we are shown through advertisements, movies, and TV how celebrities look and present themselves. With the exception of a few, leading role actors and star entertainers stay in relatively descent shape. Have you ever seen Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Jessica Simpson, or Jessica Alba overweight?

How do these individuals stay in shape? I think if they didn't stay fit they could lose some big roles. That could mean millions of dollars to these people. I bet if your income was intertwined with being fit some pesky excuses that you have about exercising and living a healthy lifestyle would go down the drain.

Imagine these next two weeks that you're being paid a million dollars to not miss a workout, eat clean balanced meals, and stay active. But you can't just read this news post and go on about your day like you normally would you have to make a change. Change NOW!

Romen McDonald
Fitness Professional

Grace Ballard was an exercising dynamo this spring and summer. Then something happened. The 69-year-old from Center Point had gotten so busy with other things by fall that her workouts slowly ceased.

Realizing she needed to get back to the gym to remain fit, she signed up for "The 12 Days of Christmas," a comprehensive fitness program for women of all ages and abilities.

"This will help me get started back," Ballard said after getting a preview of the one-hour class last week at the Trussville YMCA.

Continue reading "The 12 Days of Fit-Mas" »

BREWTON -- A year ago, Celina Miller was a 30-year-old wife and mother of two, a yoga instructor and a marathon runner. As of last month, she blended a longtime dream and those interests to launch a national magazine called YogaMom, focused on healthy living in a fast-paced world.

"We had 100,000 hits on our Web site last week," Miller said from her low-profile office tucked off the beaten path in Brewton. "I have been all over the country attending yoga conferences promoting the magazine and just did a Salt Lake City news program. YogaMom has a little bit of yoga, and a lot of healthy-living, lifestyle focus. It's about real moms looking for realistic tips. It's not all granola."

Continue reading "Brewton yoga instructor, marathon runner launches quarterly national magazine 'YogaMom'" »

Inez Tunstall swirled her hips as the small crowd encouraged her to keep going.

When the Hula Hoop started slipping, the cheers got louder.

Moving her hips faster and in a large circular motion, Tunstall saved the Hula Hoop from falling.

But if it had landed on the ground she wouldn't have been able to pick it up.

Tunstall wasn't actually swiveling the Hula Hoop on her hips. She was controlling it by moving around on a Wii motion-sensitive balance board.

Her movements on the video game console platform guided a Hula-Hooping animated character on the screen.

Continue reading "Wii-hab" »

While serving in Iraq, Army 1st Lt. Jeffrey Adams and another lieutenant stopped to check what appeared to a bomb in the road.

It was only a decoy - then Adams stepped on a real bomb.

"I looked down and my leg was gone," said Adams, a mechanical engineer for Boeing in Huntsville. "We thought it was an ambush, so all we could think about was crawling back to the vehicle. When I got back, I passed out."

While he could have been bitter or depressed over the loss of his left leg, Adams, 29, chose to be thankful he was not killed.

He is also grateful for his new assistance dog, Sharif, which was given to him Feb. 17 by Canine Companions for Independence.

Continue reading "'He was a perfect match'" »

Daria, a 4-month-old golden retriever/yellow Labrador mix, gnawed at a toy lying in the floor.

Seconds later, she was rolling on her back, enjoying the attention of several people who were rubbing her belly.

Daria is a typical puppy that enjoys playing and being petted. But her adult life will be far from normal. She is being trained by Gloria Favor to eventually be a Canine Companion dog for a person with a disability.

Continue reading "Canines to the Rescue" »