Skip the Gym, Hop Online February 28, 2010

During the freezing, snowy winters here in Geneseo, NY, sometimes the last thing I want to do is bundle up and walk to the gym. But I also know that if I don’t exercise during the winter, I’ll regret it once bathing suit season rolls around. The great thing is, the internet makes it possible to exercise even without going to a gym. You can avoid all those membership fees, long lines, and smelly cardio rooms by working out in the comfort of your own home–or in my case, dorm room.

Watch and Learn

I’m terrible at trying to follow fitness routines in magazines, so videos work great for me because I can see exactly how to perform exercises properly. The first place I usually search is YouTube. There are tons of free fitness videos, including many from real personal trainers. You can easily find videos that require only basic equipment like hand weights. I love using these videos for exercises with weights because the weight room at my gym tends to be male-dominated and a little intimidating. Here’s a video I have found to be effective featuring a short, tough ab workout:

DailyBurn is another great resource for exercising without the gym. You can subscribe to exercise programs that are working for others or customize your own. The site also features a huge library of exercises with video instruction.

Find a Fitness Buddy

Once the weather gets warmer, you can still use the web for exercise–just move your routine outside. Sites like IntroPlay and FitLink allow users to meet up with people in their community in order to train together, organize sporting events, or find a workout buddy. I usually like working out on my own best, but these sites would be great for anyone seeking motivation or companionship while working on their fitness goals.

Tweeting for Health February 21, 2010

Twitter is a great way to get health information, recipe ideas, workout tips, and support. It also provides a way to hold yourself accountable for your health and lifestyle decisions through interaction with other members.

Health & Wellness Resources on Twitter

• @WeightWatchers: This a great source for people trying to lose or maintain their weight, whether they follow the Weight Watchers diet program or not. The company posts articles, fitness routines, and healthy recipes along with their “point” values for those on the Weight Watchers program. There are also motivational quotes, polls, and questions inviting followers to share health tips and feedback.

• @BBCHealth: A compilation of the latest health news from the BBC, Great Britain’s main media organization. There are many interesting articles on the latest health research, including studies on diseases and healthcare. The site also posts human-interest stories about real life health problems and how to solve them.

• @FitnessMagazine: A fun, interactive Twitter page from the staff of Fitness Magazine. There are posts with coupons for healthy snacks, workout gear, and fitness equipment, along with recipe ideas and nutritional facts for popular chain restaurant menu items. Tweets also include advice from current Olympic athletes, polls, and ideas for incorporating fitness into everyday life.

I’ve highlighted a few popular Twitter sites, but there are many more worth checking out, including @FitnessForHim, @CalorieTweet, @GoodHealth, and @FitSugar.

Average Joes Tweeting for Health

Additionally, many regular people use Twitter to voice their health concerns, keep food diaries, and share personal fitness routines. It’s a great way to keep yourself on track and get ideas and feedback from followers. Here are a few examples of personal Twitter accounts with users doing just that:

• @RawandFit

• @FatBurningTweet

• @HealthLoserGal

To find more health tweets, you can also search Twitter using the browse function and choosing “health” as your subject. If you aren’t on Twitter yet, hop on the wagon. Soon you may find yourself tweeting your way to a healthy lifestyle–and helping others along the way.

‘Spark’ a New Healthy Lifestyle February 13, 2010

Based on his diet and fitness book The Spark, author and CEO Chris Downie created SparkPeople.com, now the largest healthy lifestyle community online. With over five million members, the website provides tools, articles, and advice for people looking to lose weight, get in shape, and get healthy.

A Personal Touch

While it shares some similarities with CalorieCount.com and other online communities, it is unique in that Downie directly communicates with members daily, serving as SparkPeople’s “resident motivation expert.” He has written over 10,000 personal messages to users offering encouragement and congratulations on achieving their health goals. I find it very impressive that the CEO cares enough about the users of his company’s website to offer them personal support and feedback.

Devoted to Your Individual Needs

The website also has many other unique features for users looking to gain health and wellness. It is free to sign up, and each user is greeted with a homepage tailored specifically to their goals. The MyTools feature allows you to choose a meal plan to fit your needs, log your fitness activity and daily meals, and enter your weight and other body measurements to view your progress over time. There is also a “Recipe of the Day” feature with healthy recipes submitted by users, along with an “Exercise of the Day” supplemented by an instructional video for performing the activity. The site even has its own YouTube channel featuring how-to videos of people cooking and working out.

Get Healthy, Win Prizes

Though I have just started using the site, my favorite feature is the SparkPoints application, which allows users to earn points by entering their meals and activity, reading articles, posting on the message boards, writing or commenting on a blog, and performing many other activities on the site. This is a great way to motivate people because members can redeem points for prizes such as gift certificates and compete against other users for the most points.

Community Support

There is also a counter updated in real time showing the current amount of calories burned, pounds lost, cups of water drunk, and minutes spent exercising among all members of the site. It’s really cool to watch the counter update continuously as people work toward their health and fitness goals. This website seems like a great tool for losing weight because it makes eating healthy and exercising seem like a fun game instead of a chore. It’s definitely worth looking into whether you are interested in health and fitness or just want to compete and win prizes.

Calorie Count: A Valuable Tool for Health, Fitness, and Support February 7, 2010

Let’s be honest: the rise of computers and the Internet has not helped stop America’s obesity problem. Sitting in front of a computer for hours a day is not a great way to burn calories, and updating your Facebook status won’t help raise your fitness level. But there are several social media tools you can use to improve your health and overall well-being.

Determining Your Calorie Needs

CalorieCount.com is one of the best sites I have found for people looking to lose, gain, or maintain their current weight. It is not a typical diet program–it has tools for you to enter everything you eat, with nutrition facts for nearly all foods listed, and a metabolic calculator to figure out how many calories a day you burn through normal activity and exercise. You can even enter in ingredients for homemade recipes and figure out their nutritional content. The site also assigns foods a grade from A to F based on their nutritional value. In addition, there are forums on various topics, allowing calorie counters worldwide to come together to share recipes, fitness tips, weight loss/gain tips, and support for dietary issues as well as eating disorders.

Here you can see the nutritional facts for 1 cup of eggs, the nutritional grade according to Calorie Count, and members who have recently joined the site.

Strength in Numbers

Additionally, members can create their own journals and add “friends” on the site, similar to the way one adds friends on Facebook. Many members use their journals to keep them on track in their eating habits, while others use them to voice their daily frustrations as they strive to reach their ideal weights. Members’ friends can read their entries and leave supportive feedback.

Stay Updated

Finally, the site employs several registered dietitians, nutritionists, and doctors who post articles on the site’s blog dealing with health and fitness. These articles and links help keep members informed on the latest research and news about the world of health.

My Experience

A few years ago, my doctor told me I needed to exercise more and cut back on junk food. Calorie Count was an invaluable tool for me because it made me aware of what I was putting into my body and helped me understand the benefits of exercise. Though I do not use the site on a regular basis anymore, I sometimes read and contribute to the forums to pick up tips from other members that I would not otherwise find from a health magazine or website. Even if you are fine with your current weight, I would recommend checking out the site if you are interested in how you can improve your diet or exercise routine and reach your personal health goals.