You wake up out of bed one December morning, turn on the television, only to find out your favorite ski resort is being belted with 2 feet of fresh power. Up until today, the resort didn't have enough snow for you to even consider making a road trip. However, now it is time to get into the ski mood. The next step is a visit to the ski store to get new skies, boots, and clothes.

But wait! Have you prepared your body physically for the demands of skiing? Many ski enthusiast get fired up at first snow fall to get all the proper equipment, but fail to prepare their bodies from a physical exercise standpoint.

The most common mistake skiers of all ages make is they fail to prepare their bodies for skiing. It is similar to the weekend warrior, forty year old, athlete who thinks they can play like a twenty year old.

Preparing your ski equipment is one thing, but getting ready physically to ski is the most important thing. Here are some tips to help you get ready to attack the slopes, and decrease your chances of injury.

First off, the best way to exercise or train for skiing is to ski. However, if you don't live close to a resort, you must properly design an exercise program that will prepare your muscles for such a vigorous event.

Listed below is a skiers fitness plan checklist.

1. Plan Ahead - Even though you should already be on a year long exercise plan, it is imperative that your fitness program starts 3 months prior to the ski season.

2. Incorporate All Components - Make sure your program involves strength training, cardiovascular training, and flexibility. All components are important for skiing.

If you need more information on how to design a fitness program visit WellnessWord.com and subscribe to the zero cost email course.

3. Focus On Your Legs - Your quadriceps, or thighs take quit a pounding on the ski slopes. Make sure you do such exercises as leg press, leg squats, isometric wall sets, hamstrings curls, abduction/adduction exercises, and calves. I like to utilize the superset method of going from one exercise to another without rest to simulate the duration of a ski run. The goal is to get your quads to feel the burn. Exercise biking is another great ski training method. Put the intensity level up as high as you can go for the duration of a ski run, and pedal away.

Please Note: Each exercise program is specialized due to specific, individualized medical history. Always consult your doctor, and exercise professional prior to starting a program.

4. Work Your Core Muscles- It is important to exercise and fatigue the lower back, abdominals, hip flexors, psoas, and gluteus muscles.By doing so will help improve your stamina and overall balance.

5. Upper Body - Don't forget your upper body. Work all the major muscle groups to prevent upper body fatigue while skiing.

6. Start Slowly and Build - Begin your skiing fitness program slowly, and try to increase the intensity and/or duration with each consecutive session.

Also Note: The first day of the skiing don't do your maximum duration - build up to it. Be smart about it!

7. Stay Consistent - The key to an effective ski fitness program is to stay consistent, week in and week out, at least three months prior to the season.

In my consulting practice, I work with skiers up to 80 years old. They follow these same principles I have listed above and always come back ranting and raving about how strong they felt.

Plan ahead, prepare by following a ski specific fitness program prior to hitting this years ski slopes. it will decease your chances of injury, and increase your chances of having a good old time.

Skiers who prefer to train for skiing at home should visit www.HomeGymMistakes.com to pick up a complimentary consumer protection guide.

Copyright (c) - Wellness Word, LLC

*** Attention: Ezine Editors / Website Owners *** Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine, Blog, Autoresponder,or on your website as long as the links, and resource box are not altered in any way.

Jim O'Connor - Exercise Physiologist / The Fitness Promoter
9461 Charleville Blvd. #312
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
1-866-935-5967

Jim O'Connor, Beverly Hills celebrity fitness consultant, has conducted thousands of personal fitness consultations with celebrities, business executives, and highly motivated individuals throughout Los Angeles. He is the Chief Exercise Physiologist for Wellness WORD, LLC, a health, fitness, and nutrition promotion company. Jim is the author of a well known, world wide multimedia newsletter called Wellness WORD, published online every other week promoting the health and fitness truth. He also is the author of a popular ebook called Home Gym Shopping Secrets. Get The Wellness WORD Multimedia Newsletter delivered every other week for NO CHARGE to your inbox, and find out what the neat multimedia tricks Jim uses. For access click http://www.WellnessWord.com

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Life Fitness treadmills have been designed in such a way that they fit well in almost any home. Not only that, but Life Fitness treadmills are also priced to be affordable for most of the people looking for a treadmill and they have all the features that they need in order to get a good workout without having to travel anywhere.

Life Fitness treadmills are being used by numerous world champion athletes, top athletes, military personnel and health club members.

Life Fitness offers two Life Fitness treadmill lines: Life Fitness Cardio and Life Fitness Sport Cardio. There are seven different Life Fitness treadmill options in the first line (T3, T3i, T5, T5i, T7, and T9i/e) and two in the second line.

Life Fitness offers the T-series as a direct descendant of its commercial model series, starting with the standard quality T3, their 'benchmark' value model, and topping out with the Life Fitness T9i, recommended by Health Magazine.

Basic treadmills are included in the T3 series of Life Fitness treadmill models. There are two choices in this category viz the T3 and the T3i. Both of these Life Fitness treadmill models offer a large number of features including classic workouts (hill, random, manual), sport training workouts (sport training, 5K sport training, 10K sport training) and EZ Incline TM workouts. Display options on the T3 and T3i models of Life Fitness treadmill include display of elapsed time, distance, speed, incline, heart rate, calories per hour and calories burnt.

Both Life Fitness treadmill models can accommodate speeds up to 10 miles per hour and an incline of 15%. The T3i Life Fitness treadmill includes heart features including Polar Telemetry? and heart rate zone training workouts (cardio, fat burn, heart rate hill, heart rate interval and extreme heart rate). Life Fitness treadmills in the T3 series consist of a 2.5HP motor and supports inclination up to 15%.

Life Fitness treadmills in the T5 series are meant for competitive running. The main difference between a Life Fitness treadmill in the T3 series and the T5 series is that those in the T5 series are capable of speeds up to 12 miles per hour.

The Life Fitness T5 treadmill provides a wide & long walking area and a powerful drive motor. It has a few less programs and a simpler display than the T5i but features the same durable construction throughout.

A Life Fitness treadmill from the T7 line, adds daily training workouts to the package (30-minute walk, 3-mile jog, 45-minute cross-train) and customizable workouts.

Finally, the T9 series of Life Fitness treadmill models additional customizable workouts, speed interval training, pace mode, calories goal, distance goal, and time in zone goal, as well as Life Pulse TM digital heart rate monitoring. The Life Fitness T9i treadmill bears up to 400 pounds weight and features a 5/8 inch 60 x 20 inch belt with cushioned deck, 3.5 inch roller and 4.0HP motor. This treadmill series offers a top speed of 12 MPH, inclines up to 15% and provides readouts/feedbacks. It also provides 16 preset programs as well as six custom memory slots for personal workouts and it monitors heart rate through Ergo hand sensors and a wireless chest strap.

The warranty period on Life Fitness treadmill models is impressive. Life Fitness treadmill provides lifetime warranty on frame and shock absorbers, fifteen years warranty on the motor, three years warranty on electrical and mechanical parts and one year warranty on labor. The Life Fitness T9 treadmill series provides a lifetime warranty on the motor and ten years warranty on electrical and mechanical parts.

A Life Fitness treadmill can get users well on their way to fitness. With the wide variety of workout options available, even on their basic models, users will never be bored. If users are keeping a close eye on their cardiovascular fitness, the heart monitoring available on a Life Fitness treadmill can?t be bet.

A Life Fitness treadmill might be the best treadmill choice for users. If users are going to use a Life Fitness treadmill, they should make sure that they know what they are doing before using it. Users should always make sure that they are very comfortable walking on their Life Fitness treadmill device before they decide to start running. This is always the case no matter what model or style of Life Fitness treadmill they own.

Before buying a Life Fitness treadmill model users should take a look at the different features that are offered with the treadmill model. Users should make sure that the treadmill motor has a high continuous duty rating and has a long warranty.

Life Fitness treadmills have an excellent life span. Some of the popular discount Life Fitness treadmills are model numbers 5500, 8500 and T3i. No matter how strenuous workouts users desire (use of hand weights to tone arms and body while walking/running on the treadmill), Life Fitness treadmills are a great piece of exercise equipment.

Saurya Ghosal for http://www.treadmill-walking.com Read more about Treadmills http://www.treadmill-walking.com/treadmill-stress-test.html Copyright 2005 http://www.treadmill-walking.com

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Now this is the real American Dream! I?m here to let you know that it is totally possible to lose all the fat you want while eating nothing but junk food. The only hitch is that all the fat you want to lose is going to have to be zero!

Here are some tongue-in-cheek (or burger-in-belly) suggestions for how you can turn even the greasiest, sugariest, most overprocessed calorie bomb into lean, mean diet food.

How is this done? Here?s a hint: it?s all in how you choose to look at the food...

Eat donuts instead of solid pastries. You will be saving a tremendous number of calories by eating something with a hole in the middle. You can save upwards of 3 to 5 calories per pastry by doing this. That means if you eat 10 donuts, you?ve saved yourself almost 50 calories! Besides, everyone knows nuts are good for you...

French fries can help prevent heart attacks. It is a fact that French people suffer fewer heart attacks and have lower rates of heart disease. French fries are obviously from France, therefore it naturally follows that French fries can prevent heart disease.

Pizza is one of the healthiest foods on the planet. There are many reasons for this:

• The bleached flour in the crust sucks up all the grease that drips down from the toppings, trapping it so you don?t see it while you?re eating. If you don?t see it when you eat it, it has no calories.

• It?s round (stay with me here). Because square-shaped foods have corners, they contain a lot more calories than round foods. To save even more calories, cut a hole in the center of the pizza (refer back to #1 for full details).

• The cheese on the pizza is loaded with calcium - even more than the Tums you?re going to need after eating the whole thing.

• You can easily reduce your servings without sacrificing enjoyment. Instead of cutting the pizza into 8 slices, try cutting it into only 4. You?ve just eaten HALF the number of slices you ate before! Imagine how many calories you?ll save by doing that!

• Vegetables covered in grease are still vegetables. Never mind that all the nutrition has been baked out of them, you?re still getting you?re recommended daily servings of veggies.

• There is plenty of fiber in the paper that?s stuck to the bottom of the pizza. Don?t be afraid of it.

Beer is the absolute best beverage you can drink when you?re watching your waistline. It helps to put it right out there in front you where you can see it.

Look for foods that have air bubbles in them. Examples include chocolate bars, Twinkies (after you suck the cream filling out), soda pop, sponge cake, and cheese puffs. As you know, air has no calories. Look at these foods as the wrapping for a low-calorie, low-fat serving of air.

Putting ketchup on anything makes it healthy. Think about it. You?re getting your vegetables in a concentrated paste. It?s like stepping into the future... today!!

Here are a number of delicious, zero-calorie foods you may not be aware of:

• Anything eaten while standing has zero calories.

• Anything eaten off somebody else?s plate has zero calories.

• Food sampled for tasting purposes during preparation has no calories.

• Food sneaked from someone after you distract them is also calorie-free.

• Anything eaten after the expiration date contains no calories.

Eating ice cream can actually help you burn an enormous amount of calories. The key to this lies in its temperature.

Ice cream is very cold. When you eat ice cream, your body must expend energy (a.k.a. calories) to warm it up to your internal body temperature.

When you work through the scientific formulas for heat conversion, you can see you will end up expending approximately 6,000 calories to heat up a small dish of ice cream to body temperature. Drinking ice cold beer with your ice cream amplifies this effect.

These diet tips should have you well on your way towards effectively peeling off pounds of unsightly fat.

Think of me next time you?re eating a pizza with french fries and ketchup on top, dunking your donuts in a glass of cold beer, and shoving down Twinkies (with the filling sucked out) mashed into a dish of nice cold ice cream!

DISCLAIMER: The preceding information is not medical advice and should not be taken as such. If you feel the urge to take any of this information seriously, please lie down until the feeling goes away. Thank you.

About The Author

Nick Nilsson is Vice President of BetterU, Inc., an online exercise, fitness, and personal training company. Check out his latest eBook The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of at http://www.thebestexercises.com or visit http://www.fitstep.com. You can contact him at betteru@fitstep.com or subscribe to BetterU News, his fitness newsletter at betterunews@fitstep.com.

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In our last article we talked about the low-carb diet, and whether or not we can stick with it for life. In this installment we're still going to talk about carb control, but from a slightly different perspective. Let's take a look at WHO is endorsing which diet plan, and what is their motivation?

Without a doubt, the most popular low-carb plan is the Atkins diet. Atkins is the fuel in the rocket, so to speak, that has put the low-carb phenomenon into orbit. Prior to Atkins, few (if any) of us had considered low-carbing as a weight loss plan. Of course, carb control as a concept existed long before Atkins; we called it the glycemic index!

Since the birth of the Atkins plan, many have followed. The South Beach Diet is probably the most successful derivative of Atkins. South Beach teaches a more balanced approach to carb-control eating, pointing out the difference between good carbs and bad carbs. Yes, there is a difference! South Beach doesn't advocate eliminating ALL carbohydrates from your diet, just some.

Along with these two low-carb heavy-hitters, there are hundreds (even thousands?) of companies out there making a living off the low-carb mania. There's even a new magazine dedicated to low-carb living. Should we believe what THEY say? Why or why not?

What do all of these people and/or organizations have in common? Well, most of them are trying to sell us something. Atkins, of course, has books and a growing line of food products. The South Beach folks are following that retail receipe for success as quickly as they can. Just because they're making money off the low-carb diet, does that automatically discredit what they're saying? Of course not! But, it should be enough to make us dig a little deeper, to seek out more facts.

How about the federal government.....one of the reasons we have a government is to protect us from fraudulent claims and give us the TRUTH. Right? Well, hold on a minute: for decades the government has told us that a high-carbohydrate diet is the sure road to weight management (remember the old version of the food pyramid?). Now, all of a sudden, we're not so sure about that.

So in whom do we place our trust? On the one hand, most of us DO trust the FDA to give us the straight-scoop about health and nutrition, so we should have 6-11 servings of carbohydrates per day. On the other hand, most of us know someone who has lost 25-50 pounds on a low-carb diet. Who's right? Who do we trust?

True fitness experts will encourage you to trust the most unbiased source available: YOUR DOCTOR. Not only will your doctor have the most knowledge to answer your questions, but perhaps more importantly your doctor HAS NO VESTED INTEREST IN PUSHING ANY PARTICULAR DIETARY PLAN.

Think about it. If you're planning to buy a new car, who's word are you going to trust more: the car salesman or the automotive expert at Consumer Reports? The car salesman has a vested interest in what you hear, while the Consumer Reports expert (probably) doesn't care what kind of car you buy!

Many of us seek out fair, impartial resources when we're making a major purchase (car, boat, house, etc.). SHOULDN'T WE DO THE SAME WHEN WE'RE INVESTING IN OUR OWN BODY?!?!?!

Please understand that we're NOT saying you should ignore everything from low-carb promoters. We're not saying that at all. Companies and corporations play an important role in educating the public. What we are saying, however, is that it's critical to consult with your physician before starting on the low-carb diet.....or on ANY diet for that matter. As we discussed in the last article in this series, low-carb plans are not right for everyone. Your doctor is in the best position to tell if it's right for you.

Once again, we must include a reminder to EXERCISE! No matter what nutritional approach you take, ALL of the experts recommend that you exercise on a regular basis. Think about it: there are hundreds of diet plans out there in the world today, and many of them offer conflicting information, BUT THE ONE THING THAT THEY ALL HAVE IN COMMON IS THAT THEY STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO EXERCISE. So although the experts may disagree on what you should eat, they do agree on what you should do: exercise!

* Copyright 2005 Pick Up The Pace. Permission is not required for the distribution of Pick Up The Pace articles as long as they are used in their entirety, are properly credited to Pick Up The Pace, and are accompanied by our website link: www.letspickupthepace.com.

* The information in this article and on this site is for general reference purposes only and not intended to address specific medical conditions. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice or a medical exam. Prior to participating in any exercise program or activity, you should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional. No information in this article or on www.letspickupthepace.com should be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition.

Tracie Johanson is the founder of Pick Up The Pace, a 30-minute exercise studio for women, focusing on fitness, health and nutrition for maximum weight loss. Please visit http://www.letspickupthepace.com for more information.

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We all have those people who we connect with on a higher level. As you know, Wayne Dyer is my spiritual mentor who helps me stay in that higher level of consciousness. His messages resonate with me and I am so grateful that he is in my life.

With this said, I had a clear message that I was supposed to watch his DVD on the Power of Intention. I?ve watched it from time to time since I received it about a year and half ago. This Divine message was clear: Watch it daily! So for the past two weeks I have watched it during my morning exercise routine. You know how we have to listen to something over and over, and over some more before we begin to fully appreciate the message.

What has happened to me as a result of this Dyer Marathon?

I thought I was already a very calm person, but now I am even more at peace. I?m learning to manifest love for myself and connect to God in an even greater way that I could ever imagine. Each day, each moment I get to practice staying connected. What an incredible gift!

Here?s a message from the DVD I would like to share with you. When you squeeze an orange, what comes out? Orange juice, of course. It has nothing to do with the person who is squeezing the orange that is producing the orange juice. This is what is already inside. Right?

Likewise when someone squeezes us by saying something negative and out of us comes a negative emotion such as hatred, then that?s what is inside of us. It isn?t the person who is doing the squeezing that is producing the negative emotion; it is what is already inside of us. Right? Great message, isn?t it?

What do you have inside?

When you stay connected to God, you stay connected to the Divinity that is within you. Love yourself first and then love will ooze out of you. Wayne Dyer?s message is clear in this regard as well. You can?t give away what you don?t already have for yourself.

Watch what comes out of you. If you have negative stuff oozing from you, then stop. Be still. Grab something that will clean off that connection to God. What are some of those powerful cleansers? Meditation, EFT, affirmations, gratitude, deep breathing, spiritual books, Wayne Dyer?s DVD, taking a walk.

Love yourself and watch the pounds disappear because you will attract everything that will ooze being healthy. All because you loved yourself first.

Remember: You are enough! You do deserve! You are God?s gift to the world!

If you are in need of an energy session in order to clean some of your layers, I am available.

Love and hugs,

Tami

********************************************
Helping people fall in love?.with themselves
Tami Close
Weight Loss Consultant
2916 N.W. Bucklin Hill Rd. #291
Silverdale, WA 98383
360-792-2209
http://www.tamiclose.com

Tami Close helps people fall in love?with themselves. She is a weight loss consultant and uses an integrative method, including cleansing and nutritional products from Isagenix, in her weight balancing program. She is certified in healing modalities (Rapid Eye Technology and Emotional Freedom Techniques) to assist people in releasing their negative emotions to help them change their behavior. Tami is a recipient of a grant from the Sumasil Grant Foundation in her work with RET and EFT. She is a master trainer and has a B.S. in Training and Development. She is a #1 best selling co-author with Mark Victor Hansen, Wayne Dyer and Deepak Chopra, Wake Up...Live the Life You Love Finding Personal Freedom. She has also written an e-book, Close Kept Secrets to Weight Loss, along with other e-books. http://www.tamiclose.com http://www.closekeptsecrets.com

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So you finally decide to lose that extra weight. You diet. You exercise. And nothing happens. What is going on?

If there is anything worse than being overweight it is being overweight, deciding to do something about it, trying to take it off, and failing.

It ought to be easier than it is. You diet. You exercise. It ought to work. But sometimes the weight doesn?t come off. There is nothing more frustrating.

So what is the problem? Scientists from West Virginia University have given us an important clue. They studied the effect of exercise on body fat. (The effects of exercise intensity on body composition, weight loss, and dietary composition in women. J Am Coll Nutr. 1997 Feb;16(1):68-73.)

They had two groups of women. One group exercised with low intensity, and the other group exercised with high intensity. The researchers didn?t try to change the diet in any way.

What they found was quite interesting. The high intensity group lost body fat. The other group did not, even though they exercised.

Not only that, but the high intensity exercise group lowered their intake of saturated fat and cholesterol. They did it on their own; there were not any recommendations made regarding diet. They ate what they wanted, but after high intensity exercise they had less of an appetite for fatty foods.

Now, the overall body weight didn?t change, but they lost body fat. So what happened? They lost fat and replaced it with muscle.

The result of losing body fat and gaining muscle in women, and in men, is a better figure, a more attractive body. Your clothes fit better. You look better at the beach. You are more fit, so you are healthier and more attractive.

High intensity exercise is the key to getting fit, taking off fat, and developing a diet that you can stick with.

There is one other thing to keep in mind, however. High intensity exercise does not mean that you throw yourself into your exercise full force. For example, don?t try sprinting or heavy weights unless you are a trained athlete. You won?t be able to do it and you can hurt yourself. But just as importantly, it is not necessary.

You don?t need to overdo it when you exercise. You just need to do a little more than you did last week. You just need to increase the intensity a little.

If you are out of shape, high intensity exercise for you may be a slow walk. That?s fine. Start wherever you are and build up.

But it won?t be a slow walk forever, and that is where most people fall down. If you are doing the same exercise you did last year, or even last month, you are cheating yourself. You will not see the fat loss you want, you will tend to be hungry a lot, and your weight will not likely budge.

High intensity exercise is the key. You will lose fat and automatically improve your diet without going hungry. And you will be on the road to having the body you always wanted.

Dan Curtis, M.D. is an author, lecturer, and university professor. He is the author of Dr. Dan?s Super Weight Loss Plan. Sign up for his free newsletter: Dr. Dan?s Super Weight Loss Tips, Tricks and Secrets. Click here-- http://www.superweightlossplan.com/newsletter/

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Americans spend billions upon billions of dollars every year trying to get in shape. We try weight loss diet after weight loss diet, only to fail miserably, or lose a little and then gain it back once we stop the diet. We've all heard the advice that diets don't work, but what DOES work? Is there really a healthy weight loss diet we can start today and stay on-- reasonably--forever?

There is no simple answer to this question. There is so much confusing research and so many conflicting studies that people don't know where to turn. Every book that comes out claims to contain the latest and greatest weight loss diet. Every guru you see on TV says they have the secret. But it seems that every time you try something new, you end up disappointed.

So, when you need a weight loss diet, what should you look for? There are a few basic principles that everyone should keep in mind when searching for a weight loss diet. Let's mention them briefly.

First, many experts would probably agree that the solution to America's weight problem can be summed up in one phrase: calories in, calories out. Speaking strictly about weight loss (not necessarily about health), in order to lose weight you must burn off more calories than you consume. Every pound equates to 3500 calories. So even if you consume 2000 calories every day, if you don't burn off 2000 or more, you'll gain weight. If you consume 1500 calories and burn off 2000, you'll lose weight. It sounds simple, but as anyone who's ever tried (and failed) to lose weight can tell you, it isn't that easy! People have varying opinions on how your weight loss diet should go about achieving the proper calories in / calories out ratio, but calories certainly do matter when you're on a weight loss diet.

Second, look for something that makes good nutritional sense to you. A weight loss diet that promises a 10-pound loss in a weekend might sound great, but if you achieve that loss by consuming only some special juice or lemon water for three days, you're probably smart to give that program the heave-ho. A good weight loss diet will allow you to consume fewer calories without losing vital nutrients or risking your health. And any weight loss diet that works that quickly and requires such drastic measures will likely result in weight GAIN over the long haul.

Third, any weight loss diet or program you go on should encourage exercise. If they tell you that exercise is not required, they're not looking out for your health. Even when you're not on a weight loss diet or trying to get into shape, exercise is good for you and beneficial in too many ways to count. Some exercise, even a little, is better than none at all. Any weight loss diet that encourages or promises substantial, healthy weight loss without exercise is better left alone.

Basically, look for a program that isn't too extreme. You need a weight loss diet that you can stick with--at least most of the time. Beware those lofty promises of miraculous losses, all while eating ice cream and sitting on the couch. A weight loss diet that's worth trying will require some work. It will ask you to make some modifications to your current lifestyle, but without sacrificing your health.

Copyright Troy Francis. Please, feel free to republished this article. We only ask that you leave the resource box and link. You can see more great articles on Weight Loss, Diet, Exercise, Health and much more by going to: http://www.Exercise-Diet.com/

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