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.

3 Ways to Sneak in a Workout - At Home!

According to the Mayo Clinic, adults should get a minimum of two and a half hours of exercise a week. That works out to half an hour a day with weekends off. Yet many people still miss that mark because finding half an hour of uninterrupted time to work out isn't always possible. While uninterrupted exercise is a luxury, exercise of some form is a necessity.
The house isn't just a place to relax, it's also a surprisingly effective gym. Sneaking in those thirty minutes is easy when those minutes are split up throughout the day. Here are the top three ways to fit in a workout at home even if you don't have an official home workout routine.

1. Lift "Weights" Around the House

Muscle is more metabolically active than fat. That means that building muscle helps keep weight in check. Don't have time or money for a full set of free weights? Household items double nicely as weights. Many common kitchen products like cans, bags of flour, and bottles are already labeled by weight, making them a good place to start for beginning lifters. A gallon of water weighs 8.3 pounds and comes equipped with useful handles.

If fitting in a full half hour of weight training is the sticking point, then aim for smaller blocks of time. Lift the laundry detergent as the clothes finish drying or do a full set of reps with that ten-pound sack of potatoes before storing them.

Don't fear bulking up too much from regular lifting; athletes work for their muscular physiques, so lifting around the house will add definition, not big muscles.

2. Walking Counts as Exercise, Too

It's easy to overlook a vigorous walk as a form of exercise, but it is. For a 150-pound person, half an hour of leisurely strolling at 2 miles per hour burns 68 calories; that same walk at a more health-conscious pace of 3.5 miles per hour burns 120 calories.

How to use walking to sneak in a workout at home? Just do more of it at every opportunity. Look for more ways to get off the couch. Even in a small house, those short distances add up. It may seem natural to conserve steps when doing housework, but for better health, start looking for reasons to take more steps. Instead of sorting laundry by room and storing it at one time, deliver it item by item to where it needs to go. Do the same with groceries or toys. If you have neighborhood errands to run, skip driving, walk to where you are going, and save money on car insurance while you are at it (the less miles you drive every year the cheaper your car insurance rates will be).

Even without a treadmill, marching in place can get the heart rate up. Sound too boring? Dancing works even better than walking and is more fun. Never pass up an opportunity to dance; it's good for the mood and the body.

3. The Home Workout in Two-Minute Intervals

Think about things that happen multiple times a day. The list probably contains activities that aren't even considered activities: getting up from a computer chair, bending to pick something up, even visiting the bathroom. Each of these presents an opportunity to sneak in a workout two to five minutes at a time.

Here are some possibilities for adding exercise intervals to frequent tasks around the house:

• When sitting down or standing up from a chair (including the one in the throne room), do a set of ten squats. These squats can easily add up to fifty or sixty a day this way.
• Pick an item off the floor multiple times and it adds up to valuable minutes of exercise.
• Washing up after three meals a day means a nice chunk of time for leg-lifts and calf stretches.
• While waiting for water to boil or dinner to cook, do counter-top push-ups to tone arms and back.

Even the busiest individual can make room for these micro-workouts and start to get in shape, decrease their BMI, and feel better. Feeling too tired to contemplate leg-lifts while rinsing dishes? Start with just a few; exercise will actually boost energy as the body gets used to it. Get started today!


Author Bio
Linda is a freelance writer and mother to 4 kids (and a dog...and at times a husband). She contributes for a number of different websites including an online personal trainer website and a website with hundreds of weight loss tips. When she is not writing or shuttling her kids from one place to another she can be found trying to fit in her own 30 minutes of daily exercise!

Great Workouts You Can Do with Your Kids

Although you would like to embrace Michelle Obama’s mantra of “Let’s Move” to ensure that your kids don’t succumb to the video-game-playing, Facebook-updating, texting-and-tweeting couch-potato trend that seems to define their generation, you don’t exactly think they’ll be on board with the cardio kickboxing and spinning classes you prefer to frequent. In fact, they don’t seem to be interested in sports or outdoor activities at all. So how can you get them to participate in the physical activities they need to stay healthy while still getting in the workout you crave? Although it may be difficult to find a workout that delivers a happy medium for you and your kids, there are plenty of physical pursuits that will let you get the exercise you all need while still allowing your kids to have fun. Here are just a few options you might want to examine.

The first thing you should do is can the electronics (or at least ration them). While most parents seem to think that kids these days NEED a cell phone, you might recall that we all got by just fine without them twenty years ago. There are times when they come in handy, but instead of allowing your children free access, give them a phone to use only when they’re out with friends so that they have a way to contact you in case of emergency (then take them back). And when it comes to computer and television time, limit them to a certain amount of time each day so they can fill the remainder of their time reading or playing outdoors. These days it seems like a novel concept, but it could make a real difference in the level of activity your kids experience.

The next step is to get them moving, and doing it with them is a great way to spend some quality family time together as well as have a little fun. Hiking, biking, swimming, and roller blading are always fun, and even kids who aren’t very coordinated can manage at least a couple of these activities. You can probably find trails all around your area for hiking, and if you bring along a plant guide, you can even work in an education (and probably make the hike more interesting). You could also collect natural elements (leaves, rocks) for artistic purposes. Biking and roller blading will probably require paved surfaces, but why not take several trips a week to a nearby park so the kids can play on the equipment while you jog around the track? As for swimming, you’ll have to find a local pool, but the kids can take lessons while you do laps. And don’t forget about sports. A backyard game of baseball, soccer, or football on the weekends might seem like more fun than work, but that’s what makes it the best kind of exercise.

Another fun family activity is yoga. As an adult, you likely suffer from a lot aches and pains due to a sedentary lifestyle. Even if you work out regularly, you may have trouble with strength and flexibility. You can get your kids on track for a healthy future and work on your own bodily woes by starting to incorporate yoga into your daily routine. The tenets of mind-body focus will serve your children well throughout their lives and a little yoga each day will tone muscle, increase range of motion, and ensure that your body feels great.

Sarah Harris writes for Adiamor diamond engagement rings, where you can find the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for the one you love.