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I need a better fitness routine in the winter

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Now that winter is here I find that I’m not getting as much exercise as I was when the weather was nicer. I really have to work on some kind of indoor routine that will help me stay in shape during the winter months.

I do have some fitness equipment that I use occasionally. I have an elliptical machine upstairs in one of our very tiny small bedrooms, and I also have a balance ball, and some small hand and leg weights that I use when I’m exercising to a fitness DVD or with my Wii.

The trouble is I don’t do it as often as I should. I guess I prefer getting my exercise outdoors. You know, taking long walks with the dog, biking, swimming, or even doing yard work or work in the garden. Believe me, when I garden it’s exercise as I spend hours working in the garden beds at a time!

What do you do for exercise in the winter? Do you go to a gym or work out at home or does your routine falter like mine once the weather outside turns bad?

So many people battling cancer

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It seems like I keep hearing about cancer almost every single day. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if researchers finally found a cure for all cancers?


A long time neighbor of ours just died of cancer last week. He’d been sick for some time, but I was still sad to hear that he’d passed away.

I also keep hearing about stars and even political figures who have cancer. The star of one of my favorite shows “Dexter” is fighting cancer right now, and I just got an email from our local Member of Parliament, Jack Layton, stating that he’s got prostate cancer. At this point I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that someone I know if fighting the rare cancer mesothelioma although I certainly hope that I don’t hear anymore news of cancer striking friends or family.

Do you find that you’re hearing about more friends, family or even your favorite television or movie stars having cancer?

Your Guide to Pre-Menopause Symptoms

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For most women, the symptoms of menopause will begin to appear about the time a woman nears the age of 50. However, for women that begin the process of menopause prior to age 40, the condition is known as pre menopause. Pre-menopause can occur for a number of reasons, including chemotherapy, autoimmune disorders like lupus, or a hysterectomy. On top of the more common signs of menopause, pre-menopause symptoms bring a host of concerns, including the loss of fertility and the increased risk of conditions like osteoporosis at a much younger age. While there is no way to reverse pre menopause symptoms, it is important to see your doctor if you suspect that this is happening to you. Your doctor can run tests to determine for sure if you are experiencing pre menopause symptoms, and offer you advice, support and treatment to deal with it.

What you Might Experience

There are a number of early menopause symptoms that you might experience and the only difference between them and regular menopause symptoms are the time of life in which they appear. pre menopause symptoms can include irregular periods or periods that are missed completely, a change in the flow of your periods, or hot flashes. While these are the most common telltale pre menopause symptoms, other symptoms can include vaginal dryness, dry skin, moodiness or depression, or bladder problems. If you experience any or all of these pre-menopause symptoms, it is important to see your doctor to determine if this is indeed what is going on. Your doctor will do a bit of exploring to see if there might be a reason for your early symptoms, such as an autoimmune disorder diagnosis or a past history of cancer and chemotherapy.

Just as women that go through menopause at the average age, women experiencing pre-menopause symptoms will find that most of these complaints are the result of a drop in estrogen levels. Unfortunately, this hormonal drop can also raise the risk of other health conditions like osteoporosis, periodontal disease and some cancers like ovarian and colon cancer. Because of these risk factors, you will need to work closely with your doctor to alleviate some of these risks through regular health screenings and possible nutritional supplementation. 

First symptoms of menopause can be scary for many women to experience, but your doctor can help you to manage the more uncomfortable symptoms and prepare you for what lies ahead. Keeping your pre-menopause symptoms in check will be the first step on the road to better health after menopause.

 

What To Expect-First Symptoms of Menpause

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What to Expect Symptom-Wise

Perhaps one of the most significant first symptoms of menopause is the hot flashes which can cause you to sweat at night or even during the day when everyone else is comfortable or even cold. These hot flashes may or may not be accompanied by red blotchy skin, flushed skin or even a prickly kind of heat. 

As a woman and a mom, I can give you a non-clinical or college educated medical description of some of the early menopause symptoms.  I can define menopause for you in my own words.  It is a women’s final menstrual period. This phase may take anywhere from one year to several years.  Every woman’s experience with their period is slightly different.  During the years that a woman is menstruating, her body produces estrogen and progesterone.  She has a higher production of estrogen prior to each ovulation and high estrogen and progesterone levels after ovulation.  These hormonal changes cause the mood swings, headaches and other adverse symptoms during the time leading up to her period or during her cycle.      

Urinary problems may also be early signs of menopause but should always be checked out by a doctor to re-affirm the cause. Frequent need to urinate, development of a urinary tract infection and even leakage of urine when sneezing, coughing or exercising can also be attributed to perimenopause.

Irregular periods, of course, are early signs of menopause as well. However, because perimenopause can last years, whenever you start exhibiting signs of irregularity, you should be examined by a doctor to rule out other health issues like tumors, fibroids, cancer and more. There are many things that can cause irregular periods and should not be the “end all to end all” signs of menopause. 

Exercise Prescription

Hot flashes, gaining weight, and lack of sleep can result in moodiness and depression.  There are a few things you can do to prepare for this time of life or relieve some of these first symptoms of menopause if you are already experiencing them.  I started an exercise program.  Exercise can help reduce these symptoms and decrease the possibility of heart disease, osteoporosis, and obesity.  I joined a local gym and sought the advice of a female personal trainer.  She helped develop an individualized exercise routine according to my medical and exercise history.

The actual event itself will likely come with little fanfare as you have been experiencing the early signs of menopause for years. You are in true menopause when you have not had a period for at least one year. Of course, those symptoms will likely continue for a while longer past the perimenopausal stage. The real kick in the pants comes with the fact that you can still get pregnant while still exhibiting the early signs of menopause. As long as you are still having periods, that means you are still ovulating and thereby there is always a small chance of pregnancy.

What to Look for When Buying an Exercise Bike – Some Tips

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One of the most common fitness exercise machines is the exercise bike but buying one is not as simple as going to the mall and picking one out. There are various things to reflect on before you do this. You may want to take into account not only the cost, type of bike, whether you want a recumbent or upright exercise bike, and how comfortable and uncomplicated it is to adjust.

How Much Do You Want to Spend?

Naturally this is always the most crucial concern but you don’t want to go for the cheapest exercise bike on sale as it may not be long lasting, be comfortable or give you good exercise. A starting bike at a minimum will cost you roughly $200, and though this will be adequate it may not have any of the features that can be found on more expensive work out bikes. For a small amount more, say between $350 and $600 you’ll get a better quality exercise bike with some features such as heart rate control, magnetic resistance, a comfortable seat and usually quiet and efficient operation.

For approximately $600 you will be able to obtain a high-quality exercise bike with all the features you may need. For this cost you should expect a lot of built-in exercise programs, easy to use display console, and resistance control, handlebars that are effortless to change and a very good warranty.

Comfort of the Exercise Bike

Of course your exercise bike should be easy as you will be spending quite a lot of time on it! You will need a well padded seat and handlebars that adjust without difficulty. Are you going to obtain an upright or recumbent exercise bike? A lot of people think that recumbent exercise bikes are more comfy to use than upright exercise bikes as you sit in a more reclined position so there is less strain on your back. Upright exercise bikes, although not quite as comfortable, do have the advantage that you can effortlessly increase the level of the workout by standing up to pedal just as you would do on a standard bicycle.

Changing the Resistance

Exercise bike resistance is variable in 2 ways. The majority of the lower cost models use tension and a belt, more costly models use magnetic resistance which is quieter and more dependable. Adjusting magnetic resistance is easy and usually done with a pushbutton or knob.

Heart Rate Monitors

It is extremely crucial to be able to observe your heart rate while training as this is the whole aim of riding your exercise bike in the first place! Always purchase an exercise bike with a built-in pulse rate monitor so that you can adjust your training accordingly. Nearly all the exercise bikes do have this though less expensive bikes will often just have a pulse rate monitor built into the handlebars. The more expensive exercise bikes will have workouts that are driven by your heart rate so they adjust automatically to keep your heart rate at a level that you set. This is a very good feature but not crucial if you can’t afford it.

Built-In Workout Programs

Many of the cheaper exercise bikes do not have workout included programs. While you may consider this is not too much of a drawback you will find that just sitting on the bike and pedalling will become dull very quickly! With workout programs you can vary your workout and the feedback you get will help with your motivation. Consoles that give you feedback on calories burned, distance covered and tour heart rate etc. actually do improve your motivation and keep you exercising for longer periods. A good number of the exercise bikes in the mid-budget range i.e. between about $300 and $600 will give you a realistic range of integral workouts and a moderately good quality display. More expensive exercise bikes i.e. in the $650 and above range will have a large number of workouts and excellent LED displays with a whole range of feedback information.

Conclusion

Naturally, as with other fitness exercise machines, when buying an exercise bike, you get what you pay for. It is not really a good plan to buy the cheapest exercise bike you can find as it won’t last very long and you won’t be satisfied with the exercise that you get. It is not necessary to buy a very high-priced bike but we suggest buying one for around $300 which will give you decent exercise and keep you motivated. Read more at Buying a Fitness Exercise Machine

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