New Year's Resolutions

Hi All,

Well the end of the year is almost upon us.  Instead of writing an entry about what New Year's resolutions you should make, I'm going to blog about how to make those resolutions - whatever they are - stick and become lifelong habits....

So...how did New Year's resolutions start...click on this link from Wikipedia for an interesting, fun and enlightening entry about resolutions.

The next bunch of links are from sites that will help you make those resolutions stick and become habits.

Huffington Post - New Year's Resolutions Are Bound to Fail. Try This Instead

WebMD - 10 Ways to Make Your New Year's Resolutions Stick

APA - Making Your New Year's Resolutions Stick 

Forbes - Most Powerful Way to Set New Year's Resolutions That Stick 

DailyMail.com -  How to Achieve Your New Year's Resolutions

Entrepreneur - 8 Ways You Can Use Science to Make Your New Year's Resolutions Stick 

New York Times - How To Stick to Your New Year's Resolutions 

LifeHacker - Top 10 Strategies For Making Your New Year's Resolution Stick 

USA Today - 6 Ways to Make Your New Year's Resolutions Stick 

Shape.com - Top 10 Reasons You Don't Stick to Your Resolutions  

Enjoy the links and here's to resolutions and making them stick for the new year!

Regards,
Stu 

Keeping Those New Year Resolutions

Hi All,

New Year's Eve has come and gone and the new year is 5 days old already.  As many folks know, its traditional to make new years' resolutions.  And lots of those resolutions have to do with exercise.  But how on earth do you keep those resolutions and keep to an exercise routine so it becomes part of your life? 

Great question and the following 4 website will help you keep that exercise resolution you made just 5 nights ago!

MoneyTalks News - 6 Tips For Keeping Your 2016 Fitness Resolutions

Eyewitness News - ABC7 - Easy Tips To Help You Keep Your Get Fit Resolutions 

Greatist - 15 Foolproof Strategies to Stick to Your Fitness Resolutions 

KCTV News - 5 - Tips To Keep Your New Years Fitness Resolutions 

Finally, don't forget the books and DVD's that are available in the library Fitness and Diet section - which is right next to the Reference Desk near the Teen Room.  We've got hundreds of books and dozens and dozens of DVD's running the gamut from pilates, cardio, weight lifting, yoga, running, stretching, dieting, nutrition and much more!

Enjoy the links - and good luck keeping your exercise resolutions!

Regards,
Stu

New Year's Resolutions

Hi All,

Happy New Year!  It is the first full work-day of the year 2015!  And let the blogging begin!

One of the traditional things that folks do on New Year's Eve is make resolutions. Resolutions like, 'I'm going to exercise more', or 'I'm going to eat less', or 'I want to study harder' or 'I'm going to read more books this year', or 'I'm going to save money' are the norm.

Here are a few websites that talk about these traditional resolutions - but there are also a few links at the end of the post that will help you take these resolutions from thouught into practice!

Some interesting New Year's Resolutions sites include:
Stars Reveal New Year's Resolutions, Hopes for 2015
5 New Year's Resolutions to Help You Retire
The Surprising Reasons Why We Make New Year's Resolutions
Top New Year's Resolutions For 2015 - From the TopTens.com
Top 10 Best New Year's Resolutions 2015 
19 Perfect Resolutions For Lazy Slobs

and....

from APA.org comes this entry titled, 'Making Your New Year's Resolution Stick'
17 Ways To Make a New Year's Resolution You'll Actually Keep - from Time Magazine
Stop Making Selfish New Year's Resolutions

Enjoy the links - and happy new year!

Regards,
Stu

Toning, Shaping, Exercising! Spring is Here - and Summer Will Follow!!

Hi All,

Spring has sprung and you know exactly what that means!  Shorts and t-shirts, blouses and skorts!

Yes - the time has past for bundling up in sweatshirts, sweaters, wintercoats and scarves and earmuffs! Spring is here - and this is the best time for starting an exercise routine. 

So, without further ado...some really helpful exercise links to help get you started on your new routine.
Click on the following link from WEbMD entitled, 'Fitness 101: The Absolute Beginner's Guide'.  Article is authoritative, easy-to-read, and current.   Click on this next link for an article entitled, 'Top Exercises For Your Joints'.  For variety sake, you might want to visit this link from the Mayo Clinic entitled, 'Fitness Programs: 5 Steps to Get Started'.

Okay, so now that you've started an exercise routine, how do you keep going and not give up. AKA, how do you stick with the routine?  Fear not...click on this link from Sparklepeople.com to learn how to stay with an exercise program.

Click here for an exhaustive set of links of materials (books and DVD's) that we have at the library regarding exercising.  Note also that I did a subject search for the phrase 'Physical Fitness'.  I narrowed down the search to the Farmingdale Public Library and then did a Reverse Year sort so that the most current material appeared at the top of the page first. 

Finally, readers might want to signup for a program that the library is hosting on Mondays called Fit Happens: Muscle Moms.  Registration began on April 7th, but there are still 3 classes left.  Also, there are 7 spaces still available.

Enjoy the links - hope they spur you on to exercise more and make it a lifestyle change!

Regards,
Stu

What to Look For When Joining a Gym...

Hi All,


So the holidays are here and the parties are around the corner. First the holiday party for work, the festivities and Grandma's. Don't forget the New Years' Eve party, your significant other's work party and the Christmas Day feast....is it just me or are my pants starting to feel a bit snug?


Yes folks, we have all just entered the holiday zone. The place where belts are suddenly tight, trousers don't fit and well, generally your once comfortable daily clothing is not so comfortable anymore...what can be done to combat these events?


Well, welcome to the blog entry where we can help you find a good gym to join so you can feel better about yourself while at the same time you can lose some of the weight you (me, we, all of us, etc) put on during this festive holiday season.


So you want (or need to join a gym)? Click here to find out which few key questions to ask before actually signing on the dotted line and dropping a few hundred dollars. The link is from an old standby - About.com and is titled, 'Gym Joining a Gym - What You Need to Know Before Joining a Gym'. You can also click here to see an article from Wikihow on whether or not you should join a gym - and what you should think about before actually joining the gym.


Click here for a link from Buzzle entitled 'To Join or Not to Join: Are Gym Memberships Really Worth It'? Why is this interesting? Because if all you need to do is break a bit of a sweat and do some walking, then quite possibly a gym membership is not for you...besides, you might be able to buy weights and conduct your workout from home. Just a thought. But here is a link to a set of weights that can be purchased for your home use.


This link is from Wal-Mart. Please note that I am not giving Wal-Mart the 'Farmingdale Public Library' seal of approval. I just used the link to indicate that weights are available to consumers. Note that you can probably buy weight sets at Target, K-Mart, Dick's Sporting Goods or other stores.


Don't forget to use Froogle.com to see which site has the lowest price on the weight set that you are interested in...



Finally, you can click on this entry from Ezine Articles entitled, '10 Reasons To Join a Gym'.


So, now that you have all these resources...get to work and decide whether or not a gym is right for you.


FYI, I might do a follow up entry to this blog entry; the subject of which would be how to get the most from your gym workouts and whether or not a Personal Trainer is right for you.


Good luck exercising and finding the right gym!


Stu



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The Post Post Thanksgiving Blog Entry

Hi All,

So we all made it through Thanksgiving 2010. Congratulations and aren't you glad that you weren't born a Turkey right about now? I thought so...

So, now that you've eaten more than your fair share of turkey, stuffing, cranberries, muffins, gravy, apple pie and what not....it might be time to.....

No, not shop. We did that yesterday and well, we've all heard about Black Friday, Small Businesss Saturday, and Cyber Monday.

No, I'm talking about exercising and working off all that extra food we've all eaten.

Click here for a link from About.com entitled 'Post Holiday Recovery'. The site (more like a blog entry) has links for readers who have, how shall I say it? 'overindulged during Thanksgiving. Some links in the entry are 'I have a Food Hangover', 'I Want Something Simple, and "I Feel Bad About How Much I Ate'.

Okay, next interesting site: Gym Finder from Men's Health. No, I am not endorsing the magazine...I'm just using their gym finder so users who are serious about shaping up can actually find a gym in their area. FWIW (For What Its Worth), the site (and magazine) is pretty darn helpful for men who are want to live life more healthy. Note that Men's Health has links (at the top of the page regarding Fitness, Health, Nutrition, Weight Loss and more).

Well, now that I've covered half the population; what about the other half: women?

Correct: women have their own magazine and website entitled 'Women's Helath Magazine'.
Click here to find the site. As you would think the site covers many, many health topics including fitness, weight loss, food and Lifestyle. Basically is is the companion website and magazine to Men's Health.

Finally, if you're not sure if you are overweight, click here for the National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute website for the BMI calculator. What exactly is the BMI? It is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women. Site is easy to use and is pretty informative!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend - and I'll blog on Monday. I'll remember to make it a lighter, more entertaining entry.

Regards,

Stu

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