5 Gym Bag Must Haves

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When you are ready to hit the gym for your favourite class, it is important that you have the right gear with you.

Here are my top 5 gym bag essentials that will help you cruise through your next workout.

5. Shoes - You want to try several different brands and styles to ensure that you have the right fit. You also want your shoes to suit the type of activity you are doing: Cross trainer are great for a gym workout but running shoes would be best for, well, running.

4. Water Bottle - I think this one goes without saying as we all know by now how important it is to stay hydrated when we exercise. Try to get a bottle that is made of stainless steel or BPA-free plastic.

3. Towel - Many gyms provide towels to clean equipment but I think it is a great idea to have one just in case. You may also want to clean yourself up during or after your workout.

2. MP3 Player - Music is a great way to stay motivated during your workout. You can also download some great exercise podcasts and videos to use during your workout.

1. Touch Up Kit - OK, maybe this is more than one thing but it is great to have if you are going out after your workout. My kit includes deodorant, lip gloss, body spray and face powder.

So, what is in your gym bag?

Stay Healthy,
Tracy

Worry Much?

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I am a worrywart through and through. I worry about everything from whether I got the best deal at the grocery store to to not being able to find the perfect pair of jeans.

Now, these things may seem pretty silly to you (even I realise how silly they sound as I an typing this) but I worry about them just the same.

For many of us, worrying is just a part of our daily routine.

The problem is that all this worrying is very time consuming and takes our minds away from some of the more important things in our lives like family and friends.

Here are a few tips I have learned to try and keep my worries in check:

Acceptance - Try and accept that there are some uncertainties in the world and you may not always be able to find solutions.

Schedule - Give yourself time everyday to consider some of the things you worry about and write them down.

Relax - If you are a chronic worrier there are many things you can do to help you relax your mind and body like yoga, meditation, deep breathing and massage.

Got any more tips? Post them here!

Stay Healthy,
Tracy

Dinner on the Fly!

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Are you thinking about take-out again for dinner tonight?

I know you have a had a busy day, you are tired and the last thing you want to do when you get home is spend hours preparing a healthy meal for your family.

Making dinner doesn't have to be another chore. By getting the entire family involved, you can make a wonderful meal in 30 minutes.

But how do you find a dish that pleases both parents and kids? Its easy: PIZZA!

Here is a wonderful recipe for a simple Margherita pizza. If you are feeling ambitious, throw on some extra veggies such as broccoli, peppers and mushrooms.

Dough for one pizza

1 28-ounce (795-g) can peeled tomato, crushed

1 clove garlic, minced

6 basil leaves, chiffonade

Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 lb (230g) mozzarella, shredded

Directions

Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C). Lightly oil 17-inch (43-cm) pizza pan.

Spread the dough onto the pizza pan and top with half of the peeled tomatoes. Add garlic and basil. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake 10 minutes; then slide the pizza off the pan onto an oven rack and bake 5 minutes.

Slide the pizza back to the pizza pan and top with mozzarella. Bake until cheese melts (3 to 5 minutes).

Stay Healthy,
Tracy

Recipe courtesy of Truestar Health

3 Crazy Fitness Gimmicks

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You can't turn on the TV or surf the internet without seeing ads (many in the form of infomercials) for the latest and greatest products to help make exercising and losing weight "faster and easier with better results".

You will notice the quotes on that last part. While some of these products have certainly been proven to be effective, many of them are more laughable then result-driven.

In honour of these fantastic fads, I have put together a list of the top 3 in the last 20 years. There are certainly many others but these are the ones I consider to be the most difficult to swallow in term of research and effectiveness.

Let the countdown begin:

Craziest Gimmick # 3: 6 Second Abs
If you watched TV in the mid 1990's you are surely familiar with this contraption used to tone your abs. The commercials would imply that the participants (with very well-defined abs) were only spending 6 seconds a day with this product to achieve these results....that is a bit hard for anyone to believe.

Craziest Gimmick # 2: Sauna Belt
There were many incarnations of this product but essentially you place a heated belt around the part of your body that you wish to target and "sweat off the inches". Most people know that sweating is a result of water loss, not fat loss and that this products is not going to have any long lasting effects.


Craziest Gimmick #1: Rock-N-Go Exerciser
This exercises involves sitting on a product that looks like a riding saddle where you rock back and forth. That is it! No movement, no muscle activity, just sitting. I don't think this product is currently available and it perhaps not so surprising as to why.

Do you agree or disagree? What are some of your favourite fitness gimmicks?

Stay Healthy,
Tracy