What to Look for in Your Fitness Center Child Care

When you're looking for a fitness center to be a member of, there are many things that you want to consider. What kinds of machines does the gym have for you to use? Are they in good working condition? Does the fitness center have a pool or other activities that the entire family would enjoy? And then there's a big part of choosing a gym: the child care that's offered.


If you're a mom (and chances are that if you're reading this blog post, you are), then you certainly want to do your best to find a fitness center that offers child care. But what exactly should you look for? Follow these tips to find the absolute best child care available in a fitness center.


The Staff
The first thing you want to consider is the type of staff that your gym's child care employs. Does the staff include at least one person that has been trained in first aid care and CPR? Is the staff filled with young teenagers whose only experience is some babysitting? Or is the staff filled with people that are highly experienced and qualified to care for your children? Don't be afraid to ask these types of questions when interviewing various child care centers.


Time Limits
One thing that all moms should be sure to ask fitness center child care is if there is a time limit for watching their children. Many gym child care centers have a particular amount of time that they will watch each child while their mothers work out or hit the pool. Be sure to ask this ahead of time so that you are fully aware of how long your workouts will be able to last sans children. Depending on how long you plan on exercising for, this could be a make-it or break-it factor.


Number of Kids Allowed
Wouldn't it be a pain in the you-know-what to bring your children with you to the gym and arrive only to find out that the child center is over capacity? Be sure to ask the gym's child care center if there is a maximum capacity for their center. If the cap-off limit is fairly low, you may want to consider finding a gym child care center that allows more children. Otherwise, you can consider asking the gym's child care employees when they are busiest and when they are slowest, and then you can plan your workouts accordingly.


Finding a child care program can be challenging—particularly if you're looking for one that's in a fitness center. By addressing these three areas, you can help to ensure that you find the gym child care center that's best for you and your needs.

Katrina Robinson is a freelance writer, providing high quality content to Viamedic.com, a US located medication facilitator, selling only FDA approved medications and providing comprehensive research, such as the Skin Resource Center.

(Picture Credit: Fitness21, Almighty Dad)

Product Review: Beverly International Ultimate Muscle Protein - Chocolate

I'm trying to build muscle while losing fat. What better way to do that than adding some protein shakes? They make a great snack...especially when those late-night cravings kick in.

A friend recently  recommended Beverly International's Ultimate Muscle Protein in chocolate. Normally, I don't particularly care for chocolate-flavored protein powder...plus I'm already up to my eyeballs in vanilla. LOL! So I figured I'd give it a try. Boy, am I glad that I did!

First, it doesn't have that nasty after-taste that many protein powders do. It mixes very easily and it tastes fabulous! Here's the best part of all, if you take some skim milk (1 cup), mix it with 2 scoops of powder and put it in the fridge, you'll be in for a yummy treat. The mixture takes on a mousse consistency and can be eaten with a spoon. It's delicious, filling and helps you get your daily dose of protein. What's better than that?

Do you currently use protein powders? Are there any in particular that you like or dislike? I'd love to hear your recommendations.

Product Review: Omron Fat Loss Monitor

Raise your hand if you're trying to lose weight. Who isn't trying to lose weight these days? I've recently become obsessed with my bodyfat. If I'm going to lose pounds, I want those pounds to be FAT! I don't want to lose muscle or water weight.

In order to figure out how many pounds of fat you want to lose, you first need to know your bodyfat percentage. I have an electronic scale that claims to measure bodyfat through an electrical pulse (how fast the pulse goes through fat vs. muscle and bone is how the fat percentage is determined). However, I just don't think that I'm 33% bodyfat. I have some fat, but not that much!

Since I just rejoined the gym at my office, I decided to have the gym manager test my bodyfat with calipers. He tells me that I have 16.4% bodyfat. While I should be happy, I know that this percentage is way off, too. If I was 16% bodyfat, I should be way more defined than I am.

That's how I finally arrived at the Omron Fat Loss Monitor. It uses a method similar to my scale. But for some reason, it seems much more accurate. It tells me that I'm 22.3% bodyfat. That's more like it!

If you're wondering how to determine how much bodyfat you have in pounds so you can determine what you'd like to lose, here's an example:

• If you weigh 140 pounds and you're 20% bodyfat, that means you have 28 pounds of fat (140 x 20%).
• Let's say your goal is to have 15% bodyfat and weigh 130 pounds (130 x 15%).
• That would leave you with 19.5 pounds of bodyfat.
• Effectively, you would need to lose 10 pounds of fat to reach that goal.

Now with my handy Omron Fat Loss Monitor, I can track whether the pounds I shed are bodyfat or not. Stay tuned!

How do you track your bodyfat?

Congratulations to Our Fit Moms Giveaway Winner

Thank you to everyone who participated in our very giveaway!

I'm pleased to announce that winner is -- Liz!

She will receive a $15 gift certificate to CSN Stores. CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find anything you need.

Stay tuned for future giveaways!

How to Keep Your Heart Healthy

Heart disease is one of the top causes of death in the United States, for both men and women.  It's such a huge problem that a lot of health advice focuses on diet and lifestyles that tend to prevent heart attack.  As you probably already know, a big part of that advice usually has to deal with diet and maintaining a healthy weight.  While that is an important piece of the puzzle, it's still only one piece.  Here are a few tips on how to keep your heart healthy -- in all aspects of your life.

1) Live an active lifestyle.

There are plenty of guidelines telling you how to increase your activity levels for better health.  One suggestion is to try to get about 30 minutes of activity every day.  That doesn't mean that you have to necessarily work out every day for 30 minutes; you can count the time you spend taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking the dog, or whatever else you do that adds activity to your day.

A recent study also found that it's good for your heart if you take frequent breaks from sitting.  Whether you work in an office or spend a lot of time watching TV in the evenings, getting up periodically and walking around or stretching seems to reduce your risk of obesity and heart disease.  In other words, you don't have to be a gym rat; you just don't want to be a couch potato, either!

2) Eat a healthy diet.

Dieting doesn't have to mean you are always trying to lose weight, though it is better for you if you aren't overweight.  Even people with normal weights should watch their diet, though.  Try to avoid foods that are known to cause an increase in the risk of heart disease.  For instance, saturated fats have long been known to contribute to poor heart health.  More recently it's been found that trans fats -- fats caused by hydrogenating or partially hydrogenating unsaturated fats -- are just as bad for you.

The best diet for your heart is one that is high in fruits and vegetables, and low in fats and meat.  This doesn't mean that you have to become a vegetarian, although that's one way to do it.  Although there are some vitamins our bodies need that are typically found in meat, there are other ways to get them, and vegetarian diets have been proven to be very good for the heart.  If you do choose to eat meat, try to limit your fat intake.  Eliminating as many processed foods as possible from your diet is also a good idea.

Finally, as mentioned in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, eating less is also important.  Overeating is the biggest contributor to obesity, which is in turn a huge risk factor for heart disease.

3) Maintain a healthy weight.

Although your weight is not the only factor to consider for a healthy heart, it is a very important one -- and as mentioned above, it is also closely related to diet.  Being overweight puts you at higher risk for heart disease, and being obese makes that risk even higher.

How do you determine if you are overweight or obese?  Measuring your waistline is one way -- women's waistlines should be under 35 inches, men's under 40.  Another method is by determining your body mass index (BMI), which is calculated using your height and weight.  This is designed for normal people, however, not athletes -- if you have a lot of muscle, which is heavier than fat, you can have a high BMI without being overweight at all.

Now, this doesn't mean that if you are overweight, you should try out gimmicks, crash diets, or fad diets -- these types of diets are typically very unhealthy for you.  Instead, talk to your doctor or a nutritionist about how to implement a healthy diet, at the same time as you increase your amount of daily exercise.  Remember, a healthy weight-loss diet requires exercise in order to be successful!

The best way to a healthier heart is via healthy lifestyle choices.  Studies show that people who eat a healthy diet, exercise more, and avoid gaining too much weight are the least likely to have heart problems (as well as other diseases that tend to follow the same risk factors).  It all boils down to one rule of thumb: Take care of your body, as it's the only one you've got!

This guest post is by Kitty Vogen who writes about health for the web. She has previously worked in the office of a cardiologist, which is where she learned about heart health.