And we’re not even including quitting smoking or using sunscreen daily. Check out nine more ways you can fight aging.

1. Not enough sleep * If you’re up watching late night television, you’re probably not getting the 7-8 hours of sleep you need each night to help fight high blood pressure, diabetes, weight gain, and looking and feeling old.
2. Too many sweets * Sugar not only adds pounds, it also makes your skin dull and wrinkled. Here’s the biology: There’s a natural process known as glycation, in which the sugar in your bloodstream attaches to proteins to form harmful new molecules called advanced glycation end products (AGEs, for short). The more sugar you eat, the more AGEs you develop; these damage surrounding proteins like collagen and elastin, which keep skin firm and elastic. Once damaged, springy and resilient collagen and elastin become dry and brittle, leading to wrinkles and sagging. These aging effects start at about age 35 and increase rapidly after that (British Journal of Dermatology), so limit your sugar intake.
3. Stress! * Stress increases the concentration of the hormones cortisol and norepinephrine in the bloodstream, kicking up blood pressure and suppressing immunity. Over time, stress that doesn’t go away can delay healing, harden your arteries, and possibly shrink areas of your brain involved in learning, memory, and mood. Try deep breathing or meditation to relax consciously.
4. Sporadic exercise * It’s not just for losing weight. Research shows that vigorous exercisers have longer telomeres—cellular biomarkers that shorten as we age—compared with healthy adults who rarely work out. Being active consistently can help fight brain fog, reduce inflammation, and prevent type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions that crop up over time. Get moving for at least 20-25 minutes a day.
5. Big sound * Hearing loss usually develops gradually, but the more you play that iPod at full volume, the more quickly you’ll need a hearing aid. Keep the volume as low as possible, and use noise-cancelling headphones so you’re not using the volume to fight ambient noise. Use earplugs when you’re around other loud noises, like the lawn mower.
6. Setting friendships aside * Satisfying friendships predict longevity better than even close family ties, and they can protect against obesity, depression, and heart disease, among other health problems. Your friends keep you young—simple as that. Make time for friendships.
7. Skipping fruits and veggies * You’ve likely heard that antioxidant-packed fruits and veggies can help you stay young. These powerful compounds fight free radicals that would otherwise wreak havoc on your body and skin, damaging cells that can lead to cancer and make you look older. Antioxidants remain active for only a few hours and need to be continually replenished, so it’s a daily deal – even better at every meal.
8. Cutting the fat * Don’t cut out the fat; choose the smart fats. Stopping the artery-clogging saturated and trans fats is a heart-healthy move, and keeping the unsaturated fats, like those found in fish, nuts, and olive oil, is wise. Omega-3 fatty acids are the ultimate anti-aging fat, essential for protecting your brain, heart, bones, joints, skin, and more. Monounsaturated fats can lower bad LDL cholesterol, raise cardio-protective HDL cholesterol, and decrease your risk of atherosclerosis.
9. Not enough sex * It’s not just fun, sex is great for your health. People with active sex lives have stronger immune systems, less pain, a lower cancer risk, healthier hearts, and less stress. The best news: It can even make you look younger—up to 12 years, a study shows. So rekindle the romance between you and your partner.

Adapted from Prevention magazine on MSN Health

We’re here because we want a better life, a longer life, a healthier life – a life of adventure and excitement and living our dreams. The better we feel in our bodies, the less disease and illness impacts our daily lives, the more we’re going to enjoy life.

But most of us are going to have to get over some things to get there.

What’s holding you back from living your dream?
What can you do about it?

~*~ ~*~ ~*~
If one of the things you have to get over is the idea that fitness is too much effort, or too much time, or too much money… well, get up and move. March in place, or dance, or do some squats or jumping jacks.

In honor of today being the last mountain stage in this year’s Tour de France (and the 100th anniversary of the Tour being in the Alps), why not get on your bicycle today? Create your own “Tour” and identify trails that you can make into different stages. Over the course of the next couple of months, you can see your region from the seat of a bicycle!

The links below have different kinds of trails listed for all of North America. Check here for information about some major European trails.

• Mountain biking * thousands of jeep and forest roads, singletrack and double-track trails, gravel rail-trails, technical hillclimbs and steep descents, easy cruisers and epic rides– something for mountain bike riders of all abilities and experience levels
• Rails-to-Trails * former railway lines that have been converted to multi-use trails for public access and enjoyment. The nationwide rails-to-trails effort has yielded great trails and paths around the country for walking and running, road and mountain biking, in-line skating, and horseback riding for equestrians
• Road biking * everything from easy road biking routes and rambles to moderately strenuous cruises and extended epic century bike rides – on thousands of back roads, country roads, cycling routes, and paved rail-trails

When was the last time you got new workout shoes?

No matter what kind of workout you do, your shoes are a critical part of your success (well, unless you’re swimming). Be sure you’re wearing the right style of shoe for the exercise you do. We made that mistake – buying running shoes and using them for walking led to a year (because we’re stubborn about admitting our mistakes) of tired legs, creaky knees and weak ankles. New – appropriate – shoes fixed all those problems.

Shop at a sporting goods store – you don’t have to buy the shoes there, but you can get a good idea of what’s available for your workout, and how different shoes feel.

Replace your shoes often. You can get a little extra wear from your fitness shoes by swapping out the insoles for a good-quality sport insole and replacing that a couple of times, but you need to replace your workout shoes pretty much every year. You don’t have to throw them away; most of them can be used for yardwork or painting for awhile . This really is one place to spend your money.

Now, if you thought this post was going to be about pedicures and fitness? Sorry. But you can always get a pedicure and then protect those pretty toes in the right workout shoes.

Walking is the easiest, cheapest exercise there is – and you can do it anytime, anywhere (almost). There’s almost no excuse not to walk.

We had a member who was physically challenged, and walking for her was very difficult. Rosemary wears leg braces and uses crutches. But she was determined to improve her health, so she started out walking to the end of her driveway and back for her exercise. She worked up to walking to the end of the block and back. She also used a mini-trampoline, and started going to the gym to lift weights. Rosemary became a recognized role model at her gym, because she was dedicated to her workout. She made great gains in her health and fitness with exercise and following Marilu’s Total Health Makeover® eating plan. You can, too.

Be sure to do both cardio (movement that gets your heart rate up) and strength (weights & resistance) training every week. You can do them on alternate days or do some of both every day.

And if you need some walking music, here’s a song to try * Walk by the Foo Fighters.
Get up and DO IT.

If standard crunches are starting to get old, give reverse crunches a try. They’ll work your lower abs, which can be a problem area for women.

1. Lie on your back with your hands palm-down just beneath your buttocks and your back pressed flat to the floor.
2. Bend your knees, cross your ankles, and lift your legs up so your calves are at about a 45-degree angle to the floor.
3. Contract your lower abs, pulling your hips up off the floor a few inches and release. Exhale as you lift your bent knees toward your chest and keep your knees bent at the same angle throughout. The movement should be very small and controlled, using your abdominal muscles, not momentum, to lift your lower half off the floor.
4. Repeat two sets of 8 to 12 repetitions, resting for 15 seconds between sets.

Indoors or out, bicycling is a great way to burn calories while having fun. Outdoor bicycling is a great way to spend part of your holiday weekend, too.

Here are some tips for a healthy bike ride *

• Wear a helmet when biking outdoors.
• Adjust your bike for a proper fit. When seats or handlebars are too low, you can strain your knees, back, neck, arms, and wrists.
• Check the pedal resistance. Too much resistance strains your quads and knees, while too little can hurt the back and pelvis.
• Wear padded shorts and make sure the seat is a good fit to avoid saddle soreness.
• Minimize blisters with shoes and socks that fit properly and absorb moisture.
• Stay hydrated! Carry and drink water on your ride.
• Know local traffic regulations – use special bike paths if they’re available. Call out to pedestrians (“on your left”) as you come up behind them and pass on the left.
• Use motivational music if you’re spinning inside – create an MP3 or iPod folder with music that changes speed to create a climb.
• Invite your kids or teens to come along for the ride.

Turn off this song
Find someone to love
Turn off this song
You can listen to it later
Go outside

It’s not often we run across lyrics that say exactly what we’d like to say.

Don’t put off exercise.
Don’t put off going outside and enjoying the day.
Don’t put off spending time with people you love.

However you spend your day, you have a break at some point. Take a walk, even if it’s around the parking lot or the block. Invite a friend to dinner on your porch or patio or deck, or on a blanket in your yard or on your balcony or at a nearby park.

While you’re outside, be sure to raise your heartrate with some movement. You’ll go back to whatever you were doing refreshed and energized.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Do you want a better looking behind? Start working on your rear view for great buns all summer.

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, arms at your sides.
• Lift your booty 3 to 6 inches off the floor by tilting your pelvis up, squeezing your glutes (buttocks), and tightening your abdominals (stomach). Do the movement slowly and with control, focusing on the muscles.
• Hold that position for a few seconds, and then slowly lower down one vertebrae at a time.
• Go for 2 sets of 12 reps.

Got the basic move mastered? Increase the challenge by balancing one heel on top of the other knee or by extending one leg out straight during the lift (alternate sets from one side to the other).

What we believe about ourselves is what we become. So why not tell yourself some amazing things about how fit and strong you are? About your commitment to exercise and wellness? About how awesome your body is?

Some of the experts suggest that you say your affirmations while looking at yourself in a mirror. That’s pretty powerful. But we like to use them as the rhythm to our exercise. You can walk or run or pedal or stroke (that’s swimming, people) to your own affirmations. You can lift and release weights to your words – in fact, those words will slow down your weight lifting, giving you a bigger benefit on the release/negative side of the lift.

Try some of these and see how they fit you. Or make up your own affirmations. Just be sure you describe the person you want to be.

• I am a perfect example of health and fitness.
• I am strong and my body is powerful.
• My body is lean and fit.
• I have excellent posture and form becaue.
• My fitness routine is enjoyable, energetic and easy!
• My daily fitness routine gives me excellent results.
• During my work-out routine, I feel healthier and healthier by the minute.
• I enjoy exercising and my fitness routine gives me excellent results.
• My physical fitness clearly shows that I have a fitness regimen.
• I take care of myself by working out daily and eating right.
• My body is firm, healthy and metabolically fast.
• I have a fast metabolism, a healthy spirit and friendly personality.