Ok, it’s now November and the seasons are starting to change over to Fall and Winter  is not too far away, in fact, this Sunday we will be putting our clocks back 1 hour here on the east coast. If you had trouble getting up in the morning when the sun started peeking through your window, just how much harder will it be for you when the moonlight is still shining bright at 5am?
Here below are a few tips and tricks to stop you from hitting the snooze button on your alarm clock and get you up, and your feet on the floor.

Remember those goals you made for yourself to get your body into the shape you would be proud of? Well get them out now and see just how well you are doing. Now be honest! Re-affirming those goals and committing to them can be part of the motivation you need to get you out of bed in the morning and hitting the gym or the local roads as you pile up the miles to a fitter you.

Are you tracking your progress and setting new milestones as you reach the old ones? Nothing works better than tracking your performance or lack thereof then an activity monitor. It doesn’t lie to you and you can’t ignore the fact that you’re not doing what you set out to do, exercise wise. The new Fitbit the Fitbit Charge 2 Activity Tracker HR 
can definitely “Fit” the bill for you. It can monitor all of your daily activities and provide you with the data, that (doesn’t cheat) lets you know just how well or poorly you’re doing. It even tracks your sleep to make sure you’re getting the proper amount so you can perform the next day the way you need to.

Make it as easy as you can to start your morning routine once that alarm goes off. Remember, it’s a lot easier and really better for you if you get that workout in, early in the morning than waiting till after your work day is done. There are way too many excuses for canceling that trip to the gym if you’ve had “one of those days” at the workplace. And studies have shown that exercising at the beginning of your day can set the mood for a more productive day and better overall outlook. Now doesn’t that just make having a protein shake while watching the morning news all worth it?

Eating Healthy, and that means at breakfast too. We’ve all heard the benefits of eating a good nutritious breakfast to get the body’s furnaces fueled up for the upcoming day. This is even more important when you’re going to be working out within the next hour or so. You don’t want to eat too heavy a breakfast before you exercise but you want to make sure you have the right carbs and some protein in you so you can perform at your best. There are plenty of breakfast examples out there on the web that you can try and see what works best for you. Don’t be afraid to consult with your physician or if you have one your dietitian. They can make a nutrition plan for you that will provide you with the best of what you need to eat.

Workout Clothes: Getting everything ready the night before, is a plus when you’re moving a bit slowly in the morning. Having your clothes right there when you open your eyes, in eye level will save time and energy in not having to fumble around picking out what you want to wear.

Getting a Workout Buddy: Is a great way to make sure you’re not going to hit the snooze button on your alarm clock. When you have a workout buddy that takes his or her’s exercise time seriously it makes you want to keep to your commitment to work out with them each day.
Naturally, this works the same for them as well. But its also a great time to stay caught up on each other’s lives and working as a team buddy, provides the opportunity to pace yourself against someone so you can give it that extra push.

Positive Thinking: This is a must for not just getting up to exercise but to also set the trend for how you’re going to react to your day. Positive thinking is key to a motivational morning workout. You will never want to get out of the bed and go to the gym when you’re thinking “ugh I don’t want to do this.” Try waking up, taking a deep breath, and thinking “this morning workout is going to be a great start to my day”!

Remember, these are just a few hint, tips, and tricks to help you embrace your morning workouts when the sun is still working its way up over the horizon. Bottom line, it’s all up to you. You need to want to do this and commit yourself to it. But if you start your day on this type of positive note and put your all into your exercise routine, you will find that the day may just go a little be smoother for you.

It’s Just About Halloween, Look and See What You Need to Do to Equalize That Candy Your Snacking On!

Well, we all have a sweet tooth and usually, we get a little satisfaction from an autumn night full of midget size ghouls and goblins, and maybe a witch, ghost or Frankenstein monster or two.

We all have fun either going out with the kids as they travel the neighborhood, knocking on doors and singing out “Trick or Treat” Smell……well you know how it goes. Then there are the people that hold the fort down to answer the doorbell and let the little trick-or-treaters in to do their thing and hopefully get some healthy snacks or if you want to make them happy, a handful of candy. If you’re like me, you’ll have a large amount of that sugary substance on hand to appease those scary visitors. But you and I both know, while you’re busy waiting for that doorbell to ring, you will find that your hand is in that bowl full of goodies and popping one piece, then another into your own mouth. Well, what’s the harm anyway?? It’s not like it’s a full-size candy bar right? It’s only the “bite-size” kind of sweet. Below are a few facts on just how much exercise you will have to do in order to negate the giving into your weaknesses and having more than just one piece.

I don’t know about you but Reese’s peanut butter cup is my number one weakness. Well, 5 miniature pieces are 220 calories and contain 13 grams of fat. To make it a wash, you would have to run at a good pace for 17minutes.

How about a Kit Kat? Well, two miniature bars contain 210 calories and 11 grams of fat. And you're looking at 16 minutes on the treadmill. Makes you wonder why you unfolded the wrapper.

Sour Patch Kids, Just a 1 fun-size pack contains 210 calories but the good thing is no fat. Still, to negate those calories you’re looking at spending 16 minutes on that treadmill. Get where this is going? The more you eat the more you’re going to be calling your treadmill your new best friend.

Ok, you can’t go too far wrong with a Hershey Kiss, right? Well I know I like them more than I should and the reason is, eating just 9 (who can eat just one?) pieces will put 200 calories into your pocket along with 12 grams of fat and tighten up your sneaks as you run off 16 minutes of time to make up for eating that sweet confection.

Like the crunch of a Butterfinger? Me too, but just two fun-size bars equate to 170 calories and it will take 13 minutes to do away with the oh-sweet damage.

My wife is a big, I mean big Snickers fan, she loves them, lucky for me she also believes in moderation, because just two fun-size bars will add 160 calories to your daily intake along with 8 grams of fat and you’re looking at 12 minutes of running around the yard.

Like chocolate and nuts? How about an Almond Joy bar, just two fun-size bars will add 160 calories to your waistline along with 9 grams of fat and will take 11 minutes of hard running to make it a thing of the past.

Well, you can see where we are going with this. Now, we are NOT saying you shouldn’t have any candy after Halloween only comes around once every year. Go ahead and treat yourself, but just don’t TRICK YOURSELF into thinking those small pieces won’t cause any damage. Take it all in stride and have a few but keep it all within moderation.

Remember, the more you chomp down, the longer your going to be in that gym or out on the road pounding the pavements to work off all of those sweet little Halloween treats

Have fun, be safe and please keep an eye open so that all the neighborhood kids will also be safe and have a great time this Halloween evening. Be Spooking You……

 

Looks like everyone is “Stepping Up” to take the Fitbit Challenge and we at HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com are happy to see the excitement building in helping America get fit by walking as many steps as they can.

From the Good Morning America morning show to some of this year’s Fall’s new, TV lineups like American Housewife and Kevin can wait. The Fitbit line of Activity Monitors, are making cameo appearances. On Good Morning America’s, on their “Workout Wednesday” portion of the show, Fitness trainer to the stars, Harley Pasternak, who trains celebs like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Halle Berry and Katy Perry, and others, led a group of people in a Halloween workout routine named “Scary 7”(Not Really Scary) workout moves to help you get toned and flexible. As part of the snippet, Robyn Roberts promoted the Fitbit activity monitor and Fitbit’s new “Step-It-Up” program. 50 states. 2 weeks. 1 challenge. America, get ready to walk as much as possible. Over the last year, the Surgeon General has been challenging communities across the country to get up and get moving. Today, Fitbit is taking that challenge to the next level by asking everyone to Step It Up and take as many steps as possible from October 13‑26.

The Surgeon General, Vivek H. Murthy has promoted getting Americans walking more for better health and to help lower the rise in obesity, which is a major problem across our country today, costing millions of Americans extra in health care costs, prescription medicines. He is taking the challenge and is challenging everyone to see if they can Out-Step, him in this heart healthy challenge. As of today, he has already logged 70,414 steps since October 13th, pretty impressive right. But to keep a good track of your progress, you need the right activity tracker or heart rate monitor and where better to get the one that fits your needs then by going to https://www.heartratemonitorsusa.com/collections/fitbit-monitor where you can pick out the one that best fits your tracking needs. We like the Fitbit Charge2,  It not only tracks everything you do but also monitors your heart rate to keep you in the know of how you’re doing. You don’t have to be a fitness expert or top performing athlete to take this challenge, That’s the best part about it. The program is geared to get everyone out and moving and getting themselves in better shape.

You can go to fitbit.com and join the "Step It Up" Fitbit challenge and select Harley as your lead trainer of choice or choose from several top fitness trainers, names you probably know. That choice is yours. The main thing is to be a part of this action driven program to help you, your family and your friends get in shape, be healthier, and get yourself off on the right step to a better, more active lifestyle. Sign up today and don’t forget to track your progress.

At HRM USA, we are all about getting people fit, boosting physical performance, and improving lifestyle. Heart Rate Monitors USA is proud to be one of the most informative resources relating to getting you fit, and offering various wellness tips.

 

 

Look around today as your walking down the street, shopping, at the office or just stopping in for your morning "Pick Me Up Cup of Coffee". Chances are you’re going to see some sort of fitness tracker on someone’s wrist or maybe clipped on their belt. Fitness is the buzz word today and more and more people are getting them and wearing them. But is it just like people wearing fashionable workout attire? They have to have one because they want to fit in, Get It "Fit" In,  with the people that are deemed the “Cool Ones” and they want to be part of the current trend.
Well if that’s the reason they’re buying Fitness Trackers some merchants are all right with that. After all, that helps their sales bottom line.

But here at HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com we’d like to think that you’re buying a Fitness Tracker for just that reason, to get YOURSELF in Shape. It’s now October and it won’t be long till you're making your New Year’s resolution again. Scary isn’t it? Well, there are new trackers and heart rate monitors being developed all the time. This year we brought you the new Garmin Forerunner 35 GPS Watch Wrist Based HR and Activity Tracker Not to mention the new Polar M600 Strapless Heart Rate Monitor Smart Watch  or we know you’ve heard of Fitbit, which is probably the most popular like of Fitness Trackers this year and last year as well. They also introduced the new Fitbit Charge 2 Activity Tracker HR  and the Fitbit Flex 2 Swim Proof Activity Tracker which is brand new and will be coming out this month. 

The bottom line is here at HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com we pride ourselves in bringing you the latest products to help you with your lifestyle maintenance program. A healthier you means you're going to be around longer for your family and friends and that makes us happy!

So don’t be that group of people that just wear the newest fitness watch so they can look like they're a part of the healthier fitness throng. Wear them because you want to use them, to get you up to your highest fitness potential!

In the meantime, we here at HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com will continue to shop around for you, in order to keep bringing you the best tools we can find to keep you reaching for new personal fitness goals. And from time to time we will write some new posts on what we feel can help you and your family and friends with timely articles that cover seasonal happenings that you all can take part in, and that will also work towards keeping you active and healthy.

So take a look at that smart watch, have your reached your daily goal yet??? Well WHY NOT!

As you know, we at HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com are all into getting you healthy and fit. That goes also for your overall well-being.  There is no reason as you grow a little older each year that you need to act like your getting older.  Below are some tips on how you can keep a positive outlook on those golden years and for those not yet pushing 40, you also can benefit from these tips as it never hurts to gain a little fore-knowledge on what is just around the corner, remember it’s going to happen to all of us.  Read on, read on….

Think it’s too late to “reinvent” yourself? Think again. According to Carolyn Worthington, editor-in-chief of Healthy Aging® Magazine, “it’s never too late to find a new career, a new sport, passion, or hobby.”

Worthington is the creator of September is Healthy Aging® Month, an annual health observance designed to focus national attention on the positive aspects of growing older. Now in its second decade, Worthington says September is Healthy Aging® Month provides inspiration and practical ideas for adults, ages 40 - 50-plus, to improve their physical, mental, social, and financial well-being.

This is a great opportunity for everyone that is starting to think about how things are going to be as they age. “Use September as the motivation to take stock of where you’ve been, what you really would like to do. Who says you have to do something related to what you studied in school? Who says, you can’t become an entrepreneur, start your own home business later in life, test your physical prowess, or do something wildly different from anything you’ve done before? Only that person you see in the mirror can hold you back!

10 Tips for Reinventing Yourself during “September Is Healthy Aging® Month”:

Do not act your age or at least what you think your current age should act like. What was your best year so far? 28? 30? Now? Picture yourself at that age and be it. Some people may say this is denial, but we say it’s positive thinking and goes a long way toward feeling better about yourself. (Tip:  Don’t keep looking in the mirror, Just FEEL IT!)

Be positive in your conversations and your actions every day, especially at work or talking about family issues. When you catch yourself complaining, check yourself right there and change the conversation to something positive. (Tip: Stop watching the police reports on the local news.)

Have negative friends who complain all of the time and constantly talk about how awful everything is? Drop them. As cruel as that may sound, distance yourself from people who do not have a positive outlook on life. They will only depress you and stop you from moving forward. Surround yourself with energetic, happy, positive people of all ages and you will be happier too. (Tip: Smile often. It’s contagious and wards off naysayers. Not only that, but it takes less effort to put on a smile than to have a frown on your face all day long!)

Walk like a vibrant, healthy person. Come on. You can probably do it. Analyze your gait. Do you walk slowly because you have just become lazy or, perhaps, have a fear of falling? (Tip: Make a conscious effort to take big strides, walk with your heel first, and wear comfortable shoes.)

Stand up straight! You can knock off the appearance of a few extra years with this trick your mother kept trying to tell you. Look at yourself in the mirror. Are you holding your stomach in, have your shoulders back, chin up? Check out how much better your neck looks! Fix your stance and practice it every day, all day until it is natural. You will look great and feel better. (Tip: Your waistline will look trimmer if you follow this advice.)  Why not start tracking just how much your walking now?  Try the new Fitbit Charge 2 Heart Rate & Activity Tracker from HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com   and give yourself the motivation you need to keep taking those steps not only today but every day.

How’s your smile? Research shows people who smile more often are happier. Your teeth are just as important to your good health as the rest of your body. Not only is it the first thing people notice, but good oral health is a gateway to your overall well-being. (Tip: Go to the dentist regularly and look into teeth whitening. Nothing says old more than yellowing teeth!)

Lonely? Stop brooding and complaining about having no friends or family. Do something about it now. Right this minute. Pick up the phone, landline, or cell and make a call to do one or more of the following: Volunteer your time, Take a class, Invite someone to meet you for lunch, brunch, dinner, or coffee. (Tip: Volunteer at the local public school to stay in touch with younger people and to keep current on trends, take a computer class or a tutorial session at your cell phone store to keep up with technology, choose a new person every week for your dining out.)

Start walking not only for your health but to see the neighbors. Have a dog? You’ll be amazed how the dog can be a conversation starter. (Tip: If you don’t have time for a dog, go to your local animal shelter and volunteer. You will be thrilled by the puppy love!) If you do have a dog, and they are great companions and you need to care about their health and the exercise they are getting just like you do yourself so why not get them their own pedometer.  That’s right we have a pedometer for dogs too, its called the Fitbark from Fitbit (https://www.heartratemonitorsusa.com/products/fitbark?variant=26511036806) This way, your keeping track not only of your own goals but with the data from your dog’s activity tracker you have an ongoing chart that you can give to your vet on it’s next appointment. How great is that?

Make this month the time to set up your annual physical and other health screenings. Go to the appointments and then, hopefully, you can stop worrying about ailments for a while. 

Take a Course: Improve your mind, research keeps telling us that to keep ourselves mentally sharp as well as keeping our bodies fit, we should challenge our minds as well.  Most local high schools promote evening classes for adults on a multitude of subjects. Everything to learning basic CSS to basic dog grooming tips and How to protect yourself.  Take advantage of these great classes and they are also a great way to get out and meet new people and develop a new circle of friends.

The above are just a few tips on how you can shake off that getting older feeling and embrace the world around you.  Keep active, go for a run or just a walk but the more you embrace a healthier, younger you the better you will feel for years to come!