If you have a fitness enthusiast on your list, giving them a fitness/exercise related gift is a great way to give them a very personalized gift you know they’ll use and enjoy.

If you have a person on your gift list who is currently out of shape and wishes to improve their health, what better way to support and encourage them than to give them an exercise or health-related gift!

Just about everyone we know (including ourselves) needs to change up their routine, get some new workout gear, or pamper their hard-working body.

So….. with improved or continued health and fitness in 2012 as the theme, here are 12 holiday gift ideas that will fit any budget:

Gifts under $25

Drop-in pass for yoga, pilates  or boot camp class

We all need to “change it up” from time to time.  Giving a  friend a pass  to try new workouts is a great way to encourage them to try new things or simply get up off the couch.  Buy a pass for yourself and make it an opportunity to spend quality time with someone you care about.

Ideas:  Tru-Balance Pilates  www.tru-balance.com,  lifeSport Fitness boot camps!  (shameless plug!!)

Jump rope

A jump rope is one of my favorite go-to pieces of equipment for interval training and circuit training.  It’s also a great travel workout accessory.  It’s easy to pack and can be used almost anywhere.  A jump rope makes a great stocking stuffer!

Foam roller

Foam rollers are wonderful for massaging sore muscles and working out kinks in tight muscles.  You can click the image below to learn more about foam rollers

Gifts under $50

Medicine ball

Medicine balls are a great addition to someone’s home workout arsenal.  You can use them for core training, strength training and cardio training!

Idea:  www.performbetter.com

Exercise DVD

For people who work out at home, an exercise DVD is a great gift!  You can find DVDs on any type of exercise including strength training, yoga, pilates, kick boxing, and even complete medicine ball workouts.

Idea:  www.collagevideo.com

Gift card for a sporting goods store

If you don’t know what your fitness enthusiast friend might like, a gift card to a local sporting goods or activewear store is an idea to consider.

Ideas: www.SportsAuthority.com, www.lucy.com

A set of exercise bands

Bands are another great tool for a home exerciser’s workout tool box.  They’re also great for travel. You can get 4 bands of different strengths for well  under $50! Click the image below for more information:

Gifts Under $100

Massage gift certificate

I haven’t met a fitness enthusiast who doesn’t love a good professional massage. ‘Nuff said.

Ideas:  Roman Paradigm Massage,  Dana Dobrenz massage therapy, BodyWork by Roger

Cross training shoes

Good shoes are important.   It may be hard to choose the right shoe and size for someone else, but a gift card to a shoe store that offers professional fitting advice is the next best thing

Ideas:  Athletic Performance  (Willow Glen and Los Gatos locations)

Gifts under $200

One month at a fitness bootcamp

This is giving a true gift of fitness!  One month of professionally designed, calorie-blasting workouts and personalized attention for the special person on your list!

Idea:  BootCamp in San Jose (yes, I know, another shameless plug)

A package of personal training sessions

If the person on your list isn’t a “group” person, or  needs one-on-one help, a few sessions with a professional fitness coach may be just what they need to get them started safely.

Ideas:  Personal training in San Jose  (oh, geez, there I go again!)

TRX Suspension Training System

This is one of my all-time favorite home exercise devices!  You can use it at home, at the park, and even in a hotel room.  Click on the image below to find out more about this amazing exercise equipment.

Okay.  So that’s my list of a dozen ideas for great exercise, health and fitness related gifts.

Let’s get some more exercise and health related gift ideas going!

What other items should we add to my list?  Leave a comment here your exercise or health related gift ideas!

Wishing you a happy holiday season and a healthy 2012!

Becky

It’s no secret that as a society we’re getting fatter.   This poses an expensive problem for companies who are paying for health care plans for their employees.  Overweight individuals statistically cost their employers more due to more medical visits, more sick days taken and higher usage of prescription drugs when compared to average weight individuals. Creating and encouraging a culture a of wellness through a program of corporate fitness for employees just makes good fiscal sense.

Large companies often have robust health and wellness programs complete with professionally staffed fitness centers, onsite clinics and a host of other offerings that only a large budget can handle.  However, small companies with small budgets can most definitely embrace and encourage wellness at the workplace as well.

Corporate fitness success stories in small companies

There are small companies right here in Silicon Valley that are taking steps to create a healthier workforce and proving that it doesn’t cost a fortune to foster a culture of wellness at the workplace.  It simply takes top level support, a little creativity and some dedication to finding cost effective resources. Last year I met with one of the partners at San Jose accountancy firm  Abbot Stringham Lynch (www.aslcpa.com)  and was really impressed with things they’ve put in place for their employees in order to encourage healthy habits.  Although they’d be considered a small company with just 55 people at the firm, they planned and built an on-site fitness center when they took over the building in which they operate.  On-site showers make it convenient for employees to get cleaned up before heading back to their desks.  In their on-site self service kitchen they’ve got pantries, refrigerators and freezers filled with snacks and food that can be put together to create a meal. This offers employees an easy way to grab a quick piece of fruit in the afternoon, or put together a salad for lunch.  The firm had a surge in births amongst employees, so they created a “mother’s room” where female employees can take few minutes to collect breast milk for their infants.  Although this may not seem to be part of a “health and wellness” plan, I’d say it goes a long way towards employee satisfaction.  Happy, well cared for employees are going to be more productive employees.

Bay area mortgage lender RMR Financial (www.rmrfincancial.com) has given employees pedometers to track their steps, and they’ve purchased access to an online accountability program (www.virginhealthmiles.com) where employees can log exercise activities and get incentive rewards.  Employees can also track their fitness/weight loss progress at a measurement station right in the office.   We recently awarded RMR Financial with our “Healthy Business of the Month” award because they’re a small local company putting an effort into employee wellness.  In order to honor and support their efforts at making employee wellness a priority, we gifted their employees with a free one-month membership to our fitness boot camps in San Jose and Los Gatos.    We look at it as a win-win-win for all concerned:  RMR Financial has another fitness “offering” for their employees (that cost them nothing), the employees get a great workout several times a week to help improve their fitness, and we get to help a few more of our community members get in shape by helping them lose body fat and tone their muscles!

If there’s a notion out there in SiliconValley that only the larger companies have or can afford fitness and wellness programming, these two cases studies show this isn’t true.  Whether a company has a huge budget, a small budget, or even NO budget, wellness at the workplace can be fostered.

Health care costs are going to keep spiraling higher.  The best cost containment method Silicon Valley Companies can employ is to help their employees move more and eat better.

Located in Northern California, San Jose has mild climates that are conducive to outdoor workouts almost year round.  San Jose and surrounding cities (Campbell, Saratoga and Los Gatos) have a large network of paved bike paths and dirt walking trails that offer miles of beautiful scenery for walkers, runners and cyclists.

One of my favorite hiking trails starts in Downtown Los Gatos at Main Street and takes you up to the top of Lexington Dam for beautiful views of the valley.  Another collection of hiking/biking trails worth considering are the trails of Almaden Quicksilver Park. Quicksilver Park offers miles of trails with beautiful scenery.

Business travelers who may not have the option of venturing far from their hotel will find many downtown San Jose hotels,  such as the Fairmont Hotel,  offer well-equipped gyms for patrons.   Business travelers in Downtown San Jose who find themselves at a hotel without a gym can purchase a day pass at the San Jose Athletic Club on 3rd street. The local YMCA on The Alameda and the Southwest YMCA on Santa Teresa Boulevard offer non-local members passes to work out while traveling in San Jose.

Also available to travelers in Downtown San Jose are the paths of  Guadalupe River Park and Gardens.  These paths run through Downtown San Jose and offer several miles of paved, flat paths for walking or running.

For the adventurous types who like a challenging workout, I suggest walking the 224 steps at Communications Hill in South San Jose.  This creates a great interval training workout by challenging you on the way up, and giving you a much needed rest on the way down.

Rain or shine, if you want to stay fit while traveling in San Jose, we’ve got many options for you!

For  a healthy individual, exercise can provide both physical and emotional benefits. However, for those with cancer, taking part in high intensity fitness programs can often be overwhelming.

Even if heavy exercise is contraindicated for a very ill patient, with their doctor’s approval they may be able to consider a lower intensity exercise program for the psychological benefits a regular fitness regimen can provide.  Lower intensity exercise might include walking, light bike rides, and light strength training.

The exercise level that is appropriate for a particular person battling cancer often coincides with the stage of cancer a patient is in. In stages one and two, patients are likely to have greater strength and stamina than if they are in a later stage of cancer. For example, mesothelioma cancer patients have a staging system which goes from one to four. Patients who are in stages one and two can often be found partaking in regular routines of exercise and fitness because it helps them feel better and withstand the rigors of treatment better.

Besides allowing them to maintain some level of their fitness during treatment, many cancer  patients find that regular, gentle exercise can help cut down on the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.  Chemotherapy and radiation can often limit the body’s flexibility and bring on nausea and other unpleasant  symptoms. Yoga has been found to not only help cancer patients maintain better flexibility, but also to improve their mental well-being. Time spent exercising can positively affect the mental state by allowing time for reflection, and time away from the hospital, testing, and meeting with doctors.

Certainly physical fitness can bring great value to everyone. For cancer patients, it can play a very special roll in improving stamina during treatment as well as improving mental and emotional outlook.

www.mesotheliomasymptoms.com

The Mesothelioma Support Network has pulled together as a single resource everything related to asbestos in order to promote education and awareness for victims, their families, and the general public. Our goal is to provide accurate, relevant information that can be used for general informational purposes, and to advocate for a greater awareness of the dangers of asbestos and the realities of mesothelioma.

There are a few misconceptions about what Nordic Walking really is.   It all started in the mid-1990’s in Finland. The Finns are avid cross-country skiers. To keep in shape during the off season, they pioneered that piece of gym equipment called the Nordic Track. Although you don’t see a lot of Nordic Track machines around anymore, one of the off-shoots of their design is the Nordic Walking pole.

Nordic Walking poles are telescoping and are adjusted to the individual such that the forearm is horizontal to the ground. The poles are high strength aluminum or even carbon fiber. They are feather light. The proper technique is to slightly drag the poles and keep them behind you at a 45 degree angle as you walk normally, with a left/right arm swing. You slightly push the pole into the ground to help propel you forward. This little action brings the triceps into action. By getting resistance into your walk, you involve muscles that normally would not get exercise. Even speed walking utilizes only about 70% of the body’s muscles. Nordic Walking increases that to 90%. To feed these muscles, your heart pumps more blood, raising your heart rate (this is good). More oxygen is need to produce the energy you need, so you burn more calories.  One additional benefit of using poles – you carry a level of protection against snakes, dogs and other hostile critters!

To validate the benefits of Nordic Walking, the prestigious Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas did a study comparing normal walking with Nordic Walking.  Comparing the two forms of walking, their study revealed that Nordic Walking burned an average of 20% more calories, with some individuals consuming up to 46% more than the walkers. Their heart rates went up 6% and oxygen intake increased up to 20%. All this with no perceived extra exertion and no knee or joint pain. In addition, the back is supported and causes the walker to be more upright.

Interested in giving it a try? LifeSport Fitness has arranged with San Jose local, Rick Deutsch, to teach and Introductory Nordic Walking Class along the Los Gatos Creek Trail.  Rick is an American Nordic Walking Association certified instructor. You might know him better as Mr. Half Dome, as he is rather famous for having hiked to the summit of Yosemite’s Half Dome 30 times!  Rick teaches Nordic Walking on the # 1 rated cruise line, Crystal Cruises. He’ll have loaner poles for the 1-hour sessions so you can experience the benefits of Nordic Walking. This 1-hour classes will be held at  6 pm on Wednesday, August 17th. The cost  $25 and pre-registration is required. We can take up to 10 people at the session.

To register, log on to http://bootcampinsanjose.com/boot-camps/nordic-walking-class/  to secure your spot!

Committed to your success,

Becky

I am challenging all the members of our Campbell and San Jose boot camps to make  a commitment to work on just one simple behavior change all month.  I decided to throw to challenge out to all readers of this blog as well.

What is one small thing that you could change in your current lifestyle this month that would lead to better fitness down the road?  The ideas are endless–but you instinctively know what you need to change .

Here are some ideas to get you thinking……

• If you’re currently sedentary, pledge to add moderate exercise to your schedule on a consistent basis two times per week this month.

• If you’re currently exercising and you’ve hit a plateau, challenge yourself to do a “different” style of exercise once each week or to consistently add in a 4th, 5th or 6th day of exercise.

• If you’re trying to lose weight and you drink alcohol or soda, decrease your intake of calorie filled drinks like blended coffee drinks, juices, or alcoholic beverages by 60% each week.

• If you’re trying to lose weight and you eat out a lot, challenge yourself to eat no more than 2 “commercial” meals each week this month.

• If you eat the same things day in and day out, challenge yourself to eat one new fruit and one new vegetable each week this month

• If you’re trying to lose weight , challenge yourself to decrease your portion sizes by 20% at dinner each night this month.

Very often, when we’re trying to lose weight or get in better shape, we go hog wild and try to change everything in our lives all at once. We over-exercise, we under-eat and we deprive ourselves. For many of us, it’s a 180 degree turn from our normal routine. An approach like this, although it may provide some immediate results, is doomed to fail because it is so foreign to our normal way of doing things.  Eventually the “other shoe” drops and we revert to our normal routine.

Although results won’t come overnight, long term results are often realized by taking smaller steps toward better nutrition and fitness. I believe that long term results come from consistently applied change—not quick fix diets or overbearing workout routines that you couldn’t ever stay on for more than a few weeks.  The ideas I’ve listed above are ways to work on improving your lifestyle in smaller steps. Work on just that one thing all month. That’s it! Just one thing.

Then, come September, tackle one more thing.  If you practice this “30-day Challenge” with yourself each month, you could be living in a totally different body next year at this time!

Healthy, fit people practice a healthy lifestyle most of the time.

Healthy lifestyles aren’t always learned. But they can be adopted one step at a time.

Today is August 1st, 2011.  What ONE thing can you do consistently this month to be healthier, fitter, happier or more energetic than you are today??

Be an action taker and commit to change!  Please post here and share the 30-day challenge you will give yourself.

Committed to your success.

Becky

Coach Aaron Benes

We all know someone who has dieted, lost weight and then proceeded to gain the weight back.  Perhaps you yourself have fallen victim to this.

For permanent fat loss, we need to change this cycle.

My good friend and professional fitness coach in Newport Beach, Aaron Benes, has given me permission to share an article here at my blog that he recently posted in his newsletter for his clients at Imagine If Fitness.

When it comes to coaching for better strength, fitness and fat loss, Aaron Benes is your go-to guy in Newport Beach.  I’m privileged to call him my friend and very grateful he allowed me to publish his article here.

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What’s the Real Reason Most Diets Fail?

Maybe it is the approach.

Have you ever considered how important your mindset and your thoughts are when setting out to achieve a goal?

From what I’ve seen, most individuals start their diet/program from a very unhealthy position. Common thoughts behind beginning a program might be “I hate my thighs,” or “my butt is huge,” or “If I could just fit into a size 4, then I would stop hating what I see in the mirror.” In these instances the individual believes that there is something ‘wrong’ with themselves and if they could just change this one thing, then they would feel good about who they are.

Most people start a diet with this exact mindset. They think that they should deprive themselves and suffer through the program in order to create the change they so desperately seek. Once the program has reached its completion date, the individual typically feels a sense of accomplishment and of relief that it is over, along with a sense of entitlement. “Hey, I lost 20 lbs; I deserve a slice of chocolate cake. I deserve a few drinks.” Or whatever it may be. Since this individual has been depriving themselves the entire time, they feel that the treat is well earned. Unfortunately, once this splurge occurs – coming from a place of deprivation – then the old pattern re-emerges and the weight begins to rise, even more rapidly than it was reduced.

The pattern is simple – start out being disgusted or hating your body, begin the program from a state of deprivation, then essentially starve or punish yourself for a prescribed period of time and suffer while the weight falls off…then once the weight is off and you have reached your goal, you can relax and slip right back into your old patterns.

Here are some thoughts to consider:

• What about beginning any program because you love yourself enough to make a permanent change for your health and happiness?

• What about the fact that you are not depriving yourself, but only eating just as nature originally intended? Have you ever considered that human beings are not designed to eat foods that are genetically modified, hormone filled, chemically destroyed, highly processed, and loaded with artificial sugars?

• How about actually learning something from the program that got you to lose 20 lbs? Like all the health benefits associated with no longer being overweight: having more energy, more stamina, feeling better about you and your body, improving your sex life and sleeping deeper?

• How about educating yourself just a little, so you have an idea about where your food comes from? For example, if you haven’t seen it, I highly suggest watching the film, Food Inc.

•Last, but certainly not least, how about caring enough about your health to accept personal responsibility to do something about it? We can’t control the economy, the bad driver on the road or world affairs, but we most certainly can control what we put into our bodies, how we treat ourselves, and how we feel.

Until next time,

Coach Aaron

About Coach Aaron Benes :

Aaron began his career as a coach in 1994. He graduated with honors from California State University Fullerton with a B.S. in Kinesiology. He then became a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Aaron’s background is extensive in both traditional education and real world experience. He specializes in a complete approach and addresses each client on a physical, mental and emotional level. Because he posseses the rare combination of tools to work with the body and the brain, he is able to assist his clients on many levels and help them achieve goals which otherwise were not possible.

His overall goal as a coach is to provide all of his clients with a positive, powerful and lasting life changing experience.

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Okay it’s Becky again.  I asked Aaron if I could re-publish his newsletter article here because I agree with him wholeheartedly that the reason most diets fail is because of the approach.  The “diet and deprivation” approach is a temporary fix that will eventually backfire.  A lifestyle approach creates a more realistic situation that you can continue for the rest of your life.  If you can change your mindset, you can change your lifestyle.  If you can change  your lifestyle, you can stay lean forever.

To your weight loss success,

Becky

Check out the Rocky Mountain Fitness Adventure happening May 23 – May 28 in Estes Park, Colorado (hold on to your seat, because in a moment, I’ll tell you how I hooked you up with a sweet deal).

Fitness Adventures USA’s Colorado Adventure trip takes your normal routine and whisks it away to eyepopping locations like Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, and the Colorado River. Any piece of equipment used in the activities is provided. And while you may be biking mountains, you won’t be moving them; Fitness Adventure USA’s expert guides will accommodate all ages and fitness levels.

The vacation includes vacation home lodging, food, excursions, guided tours, fitness classes, yoga and boot camp, equipment rental, mountain biking, and whitewater rafting. In fact, one of my clients, Jazmin M, just got back from the Wine Country Fitness Adventure here in California, and she had an absolute blast!

Now, since I’m friends with Scott Colby who puts these fitness adventures together (in fact Scott and I hung out for 3 days in Kentucky all last weekend), he let me make a sweet offer to you.

On top of the Early Bird Discount, which saves you 700 bucks, he threw in a special Discount Coupon just for me to give to you.

When you go here: http://www.fitnessadventuresusa.com/rocky-mountain-colorado/ and click the button to sign up, use this Coupon Code FAUSA20 to save another 300 bucks. That’s 1000 bucks off the price in all. Now this is only for the May trip, so make sure you sign up for that one. It’s Scott’s special “Last Minute Deal.” Make sure you sign up by April 23rd though, because that’s when Scott’s Early Bird Special AND Coupon Code go poof! And the deal disappears.

You can read some testimonials on Scott’s trips here:

http://www.fitnessadventuresusa.com/testimonials/

Here is a video montage of Scott’s Colorado trip last year:

In the video below, you’ll see participants in his California Adventure talk about their experiences:

If you’re looking for a fun and fitness-filled vacation with planned-for-you activities, here’s your chance to grab a great deal on one!  It might just be the experience of a lifetime for you.

Committed to your success,

Becky

I took members of our boot camps in San Jose through the Whole Foods Market on Blossom Hill Road.

We talked about how to read food labels, where the highest nutrition foods are in grocery stores, how to spot misleading claims on packaging and how to get the most value when we shop for food.

I always enjoy our Nutrition Seminar/Grocery Store tour because it gives me a chance to really connect with our boot campers and help them sift through nutrition myths, help them to be better consumers, and perhaps open their minds to trying new foods.

If you haven’t attended one of our tours before, I hope you’ll consider attending one in the future. Even if you think you eat well already, you might learn one new thing that helps you improve your overall nutrition.

Here is a random sampling of just a few of the things we talked about:

• Most Americans eat between 12 and 14 grams of fiber a day. We need 25-35 grams. An easy way to begin to increase your fiber intake is to increase your intake of fresh produce.
• Just because a package says “made with whole grain” doesn’t mean the food inside is high in fiber.
• Stay mainly on the perimeter of your grocery store for the freshest, most nutritious food. However, there are certain foods you should venture into the interior aisles to purchase (you’ll have to go on one of my tours to find out what those foods are!)
• Beef isn’t necessarily bad for you.  The quantity you eat, the frequency with which you eat it and the cut you choose matter. The leanest cuts of beef include round, tenderloin, sirloin, and flank.
• If you eat yogurt, consider buying Greek yogurt. It’s higher in protein than regular yogurt.
• Eggs are a great, inexpensive source of protein. Contrary to popular belief, eating whole eggs will not raise your cholesterol (eating a lot of trans fats and some saturated fats will, though!)
• The golden rule of food shopping: Never, ever shop for food when you’re hungry! ☺

I’ll leave you with a quote that is on the final page of my 7-page handout that each participant gets:

“When you change what is on your plate, you will change how your body looks and performs”

If you want to get better results from your boot camp workouts in San Jose, are you willing to make a few changes on your plate?

If you attended our tour yesterday, let me know what change(s) you will make based on what you learned.  If you didn’t attend our tour, but are interested in attending a future one, please let me know what you’d like to learn on your tour.

Committed to your success,

Becky

P.S. Did you know that the Whole Foods store on Blossom Hill has a Healthy Nutrition specialist that is there to answer your nutrition questions? Her name is Georgia Brown, and she has a workspace toward the back of the store. If you’ve got nutrition questions or special dietary needs, make sure to look for her! Tell her I sent you

Yes, some folks DO eat really well. Others—not so much (yet they think they’re doing great).

I was going to do a cool “eat this, not that for fat loss” video for you, but then I realized that a colleague of mine, the Abs Expert himself Scott Colby, did a great video a few months back that really illustrates how what you might think is a healthy diet really isn’t all that healthy.

Scott and I think a lot a like, so I’ll let Scott tell you ☺

The next time you go grocery shopping, think about some of the things Scott has presented here. Just because a packaged item says it’s healthy for you doesn’t mean it is.

Want to learn more about how to improve your diet from the Abs Expert himself?? You have an opportunity to spend some time vacationing, working out, and getting motivated by Scott Colby.

You can learn about his life-changing fitness adventure here:

www.FitnessAdventuresUSA.com

Here’s a video capturing some of the comments of past Fitness Adventure clients (and you’ll hear how much weight one women lost while ON VACATION!)

Once again–the next time you’re at the grocery store, keep some of Scott’s ideas in mind. Are you really making a good, healthy, natural choice?

Neither Scott nor I think you have to be perfect with regard to nutrition. We just want to help you get better.

Committed to your success,

Becky