Did You Know?

Stretch to Sleep

It is estimated that over 50% of the adult American population experiences mild to moderate insomnia. Stress, diet, juggling family and work life, all combine to sabotage our sleep. We are also a nation of prescription pill users. These medications often treat the symptoms, not the cause. Stretching, around long before sedatives, has a relaxing and even tranquilizing effect on the human body. Performing a series of static stretches combined with deep breathing, and "mindfullness" helps the body and mind wind down and prepare for sleep. It is not an instant "fix" like the pills we are used to taking but, with practice, it becomes a truly holistic way to normalize your sleeping patterns. This is an important step in creating a healthy and balanced lifestyle in an increasingly stressful world.



Resistance is resistance is resistance . . .

Your body does not know the difference between free weights, body weight or expensive strength training equipment. There are a variety of ways to get the benefits of strength training. The method that works best is the one which you will follow through with, or in other words is most convenient. If you have access to a variety of high-end strength training equipment, great! However if you use rubberized tubing, or ankle weights, you can get the same benefits.

Yoga in a minute
Its no accident that with our 24/7 society we have the highest level of stress related disease in our planet’s history. While exercise like Yoga will not "take away" these stresses, it can dramatically increase your resilience and ability to cope. Yoga is shown to lower blood pressure, reduce headaches, increase circulation, even enhance self-esteem. You don’t need to join an ashram and meditate for hours on end to receive the benefits. Taking a 15 minute break to do some stretching and yoga poses on a daily basis can have far reaching effects. Like other lifestyle programs, the first step starts with making a commitment to yourself and scheduling it. From there you must protect your appointment with yourself like any other appointment.


Hydrate . . . or die

70% of us are mildly or moderately dehydrated. That means that in any given group that you are in, 7 out of the 10 individuals have less water in their systems than they need for simple maintenance. Symptoms of dehydration include: headaches, energy peaks and valleys, dry skin, frequent hunger, immune system problems, and lethargy. Hydrating properly is one of the easiest and most actionable tips to better health. The average adult needs between 60-80 ounces of water per day. More if you are regularly exercising. With water, out of site is out of mind. Try this. Keep at least 24 ounces of water with you at all times-in your car, at your desk, in your travel bag. Sip frequently throughout the day. Make it a habit. Try to drink at least 10 ounces 10 minutes before eating. It will help curb your hunger and be helpful with weight management.

Written by Gregory Florez, president of First Fitness, Inc., a personal fitness and education company providing fitness, business strategy and sales training to the fitness industry, as well as professional certification and business development services.

Setting the Scene for Health

It's true; everything has an atmosphere. Your home, your work space, your car, even your body has an atmosphere!

The good news is that you are the one responsible for creating it and the power to change it.

What is the atmosphere of your kitchen, for example? Is it filled with healthy foods at all times? How about your car--do you have some healthy snacks and motivational CDs tucked in the glove compartment? Your purse, your home--these are all places to create a health-focused atmosphere. Healthy snacks, workout CDs and proper fitness gear are all ways to make sure your life is all about being the healthiest you can be.

And then there is the big atmosphere: your body! Does it get a lot of regular exercise? Is it fed a lot of fruits, veggies, whole grains, proteins and water? Does it get regular, quality sleep and lots of fresh air? Does your body have an atmosphere that burns calories in an efficient manner? Eating the proper foods as well as using weights two times a week for 20 minutes and doing cardio four times a week for 30 minutes, will boost your metabolism and help you burn calories more efficiently.

Make a plan to pamper yourself by establishing healthy atmospheres within your living space....start right now.

Christine H. Piselli
Personal Wellness Coach
Certified Personal Trainer

Another winner!

Last week Truth2BeingFit offered up a pair of Harbinger gloves and today she announced the winner: Lori Kimble. Lori is the blogger behind Finding Radiance, a blog where she shares her health and fitness choices.

Congratulations, Lori!

Cardio & Core Intervals

BellaOnline's Exercise Editor shows some interval training using Harbinger's weighted jump rope and fitness balls in this recent workout video.



Our 2-lb weighted rope and fitness balls can be found at national retailers and online.

Core Strengthening with a Balance Trainer

A Balance Trainer is the perfect training tool to strengthen your core, specifically your abdomen, pelvis and lower back. It's a 13" wide inflated disc that's 3" high, with a smooth and nibbed side.

Designed to be an unstable training platform the Balance Trainer makes you work extra hard. It challenges you to use these core muscles to control balance and stability, increasing your core strength and overall stamina. The Balance Trainer can be used standing, kneeling, sitting or for floor training like push-ups.

The secret to using a Balance Trainer most effectively is to maintain good posture and form. This means, keeping your core engaged (the rib cage lifted, drawing your navel to your spine), while keeping your back in its natural position, not arched or leaning forward.

You can find the Balance Trainer at local resellers (search for them here) or through Amazon.com.

Thanks for the Kudos

Over at WorkingOnYourFitness.com, they gave our 1260 Training Grip Gloves a try for the last few weeks and the verdict's in... they love 'em.

Check out what they have to say about Harbinger's gloves, made with gel padding and moisture-wicking lining. You can find them at local resellers (search for them here) or through Amazon.com.

Get the Training Ball Rolling

We call it a training ball, but you will also find it described as a stability ball, yoga ball, pilates ball, gym ball, fitness or, as they were originally called back in the 1960s, a Swiss ball. It doesn't matter which name you use, this large ball is an all-around champ when it comes to working out.

The unstable nature of the ball makes it super effective on working your core while increasing strength. There are a hundred different ways to use training balls; here are five:

Stability ball sits. Using a properly sized exercise ball, sit on the ball while working at your computer, reading, or talking on the telephone. Simply by doing this for 15-20 minutes at a time during these activities will help you strengthen your abdominals, low back, and hips. Additionally, ball sits will encourage a more erect and correct posture in other activities.

Abdominal crunches while sitting on the ball. These add intensity to standard ab crunches because they force you to use your "core” or stabilizer muscles as well as simply using your abdominal muscles. These include hips, legs, lower back, and other postural muscles. Abdominal crunches on the ball also give you a much more intense workout in a shorter period of time than standard floor crunches. Best of all you can do them at your desk, or even watching t.v.

Traditional strength exercises, e.g.., push ups, dumbbell exercises, and lower body squats using the ball as a way to add intensity. Even using an exercise ball to balance on (either upper or lower body), you can involve many more muscle groups using simple exercises. For instance, performing a standard pushup but placing your hands on the ball will add elements of balance and involve additional muscle groups than standard pushups.

Relaxation and flexibility-anywhere, anytime. Most of us spend too much of our time working with our brains without giving our bodies a much needed break. Using an exercise ball to perform lower back, shoulder, and chest stretches during a work break has several benefits. It brings blood that has pooled in the extremities back into your torso and increases blood flow to the brain to improve concentration. So much of our lives are spent in stressful situations, many of which we are not designed to do. Giving yourself 5 minute breaks to stretch and relax using an exercise ball will improve circulation, relieve tense muscles, and even promote better sleep.

Balance. Many of the recreational activities that we enjoy like skiing, golf, tennis, require an element of balance that we seldom have the time to work on while balancing everything else in our lives. Using the ball for one-legged wall squats, and single leg ball sits, etc. can have a tremendous benefits for the muscles used in a variety of sports. Best of all, these can be performed in small segments of time (5-10 minutes) in gym, home, even work settings.

A training ball is a great investment for any exerciser from a professional athlete to those of us simply looking to improve our bodies for the activities we enjoy. For more exercises, check our gear guide.