Do you hate to work out? Do you sigh just thinking about the effort required to get to the gym much less the work and sweat you’ll encounter when you get there? Relax! With the Internet you now have access to many new possibilities for burning calories and getting fit. You can have FUN and choose the physical activity that suits your situation and schedule. I like this and I think you will too!

The benefits of exercise are enormous. As you burn calories for weight loss you can also reduce your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain cancers (colon cancer and breast cancer). Exercise also helps keep bones and joints healthy and can improve your sense of well being. It can’t be beat.

The dictionary definition of exercise is to exert the body for the specific purpose of developing and maintaining physical fitness. However, it is possible to enjoy some of the benefits of exercise without making such a formal commitment. That’s why I often refer to the dictionary definition of exercise as formal exercise.

Formal exercise includes running, weight lifting, tennis, and the like. This is in contrast to what you might do just for the sheer fun of doing it such as going for walks with a friend or jumping on a trampoline in the backyard with kids (yours or someone else’s!).

There are plenty of important reasons to begin and maintain a formal exercise program. Unfortunately, despite the benefits, the truth is that it just isn’t happening for most people. For some it may be a lack of time for others a lack of interest or motivation. If you have had difficulty developing an exercise regime that works for you, you’re not alone. Only 25% of Americans work out on a regular basis. (Nutrition Action Healthletter, April 2008)

Even for the most committed there are days when the best laid plans don’t work. So what are some other options? I’ve shared some simple and easy ways to burn calories without heading to the gym in a couple of my previous articles: 25 Quick, Easy, and Fun Ways to Burn 100 Calories or Life Happens! Ways to Burn Calories when Exercise is not an Option .

These tips will work but you may not get as many of the other benefits for your health. Today I have another suggestion. I highly encourage you to visit a new exercise video site I found online recently. It’s called beYOU.tv

At this site you’ll find a great selection of exercise videos you can watch online or purchase and download. They don’t all appeal to me by any means but I found quite a number that look like fun and would keep me busy for some time! There’s goes my excuses when I don’t want to leave the house or I am bored with the exercise videos I already own.

Do check it out. I’ll share a few samples with you to give you an idea of what is available. How about the Belly Dancing? or Afro-Latino Dance or Tai Chi? There seem to be hundreds of choices. FUN! The music for many of these videos provides an added incentive to get up and move! Fast, fun, and sexy or slow, calm, and meditative it’s your choice. One way or another you will be using your body to move as it was designed to do.

Note: You can sign up for free for a trial service for I believe one month to check it out. After this there may be a charge, so be sure to unsubscribe if you don’t want to continue. Go ahead give it a look. What have you got to lose other than some unwanted pounds?

Here are some of the many categories of exercise you can choose from:

Toning
Cardio
Mat Class
Abs
Dance
Tai Chi
Retro Workout
Weights
Hip Hop
Ballet
African Asana
Belly Dance
Pre/Post Natal
Pilates
Meditation
Samba
Jazz
Yoga
(There are lots more!)

How about calming and peaceful?

Till next time, have fun with movement, watch those calories, and eat healthy food!

A while back I wrote an article on where to find low calorie meals offered by national restaurant chains. This past week I came across some new choices to add to your list of ideas. This may be especially helpful if you are on a 1200 calorie diet. I’ve also learned of an inexpensive way to get some inspiration to exercise with some DVDs from the pros. And I have an update for you about My Food Diary, my favorite online calorie tracker. It’s the service I use to create the 1200 and 1500 calorie sample menus that I’ve been sharing.

Small Sammies are now available at Quiznos

Quiznos now has two low cal and low cost versions of their gourmet flatbread sandwiches called Sammies. For only 200 calories and just 2 bucks each you can choose from two new flavors: Balsamic Chicken or Black Angus steak.

You could team up one of these sandwiches with a side salad for an additional 130 calories (comes with either balsamic vinaigrette or buttermilk ranch dressing). That comes to 330 calories total. It sounds like it might be a reasonably nutritious choice, but I can’t comment on that till the nutrient breakdown is available. However, I’m sure this combo will come up short for calcium so you would want to get enough low fat milk, yogurt, or cheese with your other meals and snacks.

More Ideas:

I came across an article in the Wall Street Journal posted in the January 10 issue about low cal restaurant meals that might interest you. Evidently a group of reporters (?) from the Journal actually purchased a variety of low cal restaurant entrees for testing at an independent lab to see if the calorie counts matched the claims.

It seems that most of the calorie claims were in fact accurate. However, what the Journal reporters noted, and you will want to keep in mind is that the calorie counts typically did not include anything extra. An example they mentioned is the 340-calorie Subway sandwich. If you, as a customer, request variations on the original sandwich or ask for additional mayo or a slice of cheese, the calorie count will likely be significantly higher.

Something else to watch out for are the extras that come with meals, especially take out. Breadsticks, dips, or chips are only a few of the possibilities you might find in your take out bag along with the main item. For more tips and restaurant meal ideas you might want to read the article yourself.

Motivation for Exercise:

Has it been bitter cold where you live? With all the ice and snow and extreme cold that we’ve had for a quite a while now, I’ve had to put walking outside on hold. I usually don’t mind going to the gym but at 11 degrees below zero, I’m not thrilled with the idea of going anywhere. Sometimes having fresh new ideas for exercise routines I can do at home is just the inspiration I need to make time and do it!

I discovered an offer by Columbia House that might interest you as well. It seems that you can order 5 DVDs for only 50 cents a piece. This company has a good selection of just about anything you might want on DVD.

From kickboxing, to Pilates, yoga, body sculpting, keeping fit in your 50s and many more, there are plenty of choices for exercise. So if you’d like some inspiration, maybe something new and different will spark your enthusiasm. (You can check out the exercise DVDs at Columbia House by peeling away the ad in the top right corner of my website.)

MyFoodDiary.com

My Food Diary now has more than 50,000 foods listed in their database! Wow! When I wrote my review back in August there were about 45,000 food items. This is far more than any other service I’m aware of online. If you get a chance do take a look. Whether we like it or not, calories do count!

This coming week I have a new sample menu for a 1200 calorie diet. It was somewhat challenging to put together because I wanted to share one with you that does not require any cooking (other than heating something up in a microwave oven.) Achieving nutrient balance with 1200 calories can be very difficult when working with convenience foods and, in this instance, a lunch from a restaurant.

Till next time, watch your calories and stay healthy!