I just found an awesome resource for free workout videos from ExerciseTV and thought I'd share. For those of you who have cable, you are probably already familiar with the channel, so this may not be news to you, but for those like me who don't have cable (or even a TV in my case) this can be a great addition to your fitness routine! I have been working out regularly for years, and have an extensive workout DVD collection, but thrive on variety so that I don't get bored easily and keep my body guessing as to what comes next, and I still enjoyed finding this site. Some of the videos are clips of DVDs you can buy, and others show the full workout. I was even surprised to see that my beloved 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels was on there ! So you can check them out if you plan on buying them, or just do the workout from the computer. This is what I did, I did a 20 minute Kickbox workout this morning, and I really enjoyed it, and got a good cardio workout. This is so great for me because I truly enjoy working out from home, and I love workout videos. I've also been trying to revamp some of my DVDs to include titles that I wouldn't mind my son seeing me workout to (so that the videos do not become a stumbling block to him as he's getting older). So this way I was able to look for a video that had a fully dressed woman (some even have just a man, which is even better) and then do the workout. I will really enjoy that feature, as I've been having a hard time finding videos that don't have half naked women on them. (Although the site has plenty of those too) Those kinds are not so bad if I'm working out by myself (enclosed area), but I like to encourage my son to be healthy and fit by working out in accessible areas when possible....
Well enough babbling and on to the link! The categories are on the left side, so you could click on the type of workout you want, and then click on "free full length" under video type if you want to avoid the trailers (and skip all the crap that has the word "buy", just click "watch"). exercisetv.tv/workout-videos/
Enjoy!
Do you know of any other such resources? Let me know!
My husband just found out 2 days ago that his sister has now been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. As I continue to see this disease abound in those I know and love, I am determined to spread the word about the little things that can be done to avoid/get away from obesity and thus reduce the risk of diabetes (or keep current conditions under control).
Here's a bit more info that I learned from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) on reducing obesity and development of type 2 diabetes:
Among adults, clear evidence exists that surprisingly modest weight loss can markedly reduce the development of type 2 diabetes, if not prevent it completely, in susceptible individuals, and that weight loss can reverse the type 2 diabetic state. The remarkable effect of weight loss through diet and increased activity has been demonstrated in the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Diabetes Prevention Programme in the USA to benefit particularly the over-60s, in whom nearly three-quarters of new cases of diabetes were prevented.
This and other studies provide hope to those with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and a susceptibility to diabetes. Dietary and activity changes to produce a 5-7% weight loss can successfully reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes; reductions in fat and calorie intake accompanied by half an hour's extra walking or other exercise each day have been demonstrated to lower the incidence by 58%. Great success has been achieved among people over 60 years, reducing the development of diabetes in that high-risk age group by 71%. Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin. Similar data have emerged from China, Scandinavia and other European studies.
WHO (World Health Organization) recommendations for dietary improvements and increased levels of exercise across entire populations provide the basis for the development of global strategies to challenge the rise in obesity along with other diet and activity related chronic diseases, including type 2 (www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/who_fao_expert_report.pdf).
The WHO recommendations include: reducing fat, sugar and salt consumption...
Diabetes... this is an issue that although I don't necessarily deal with personally, it is really close to my heart because I have 1 parent and two grandparents with it (thus making me stand up and take note of how to prevent/manage it). If you have diabetes, this affects you. If your parents had diabetes, your risk is that much higher (as are your children at a super high risk if you have it). This disease has become such an epidemic in our nation that it truly troubles me and I have been doing a lot of research over the years on how most cases of diabetes (specifically type 2) can be prevented/kept under control w/simple changes in diet and exercise. These changes don't have to be drastic, or done all at once, as with all changes that are for your health. Changes that are done gradually have a better chance of lasting anyway.
Type 2 diabetes is linked to obesity and physical inactivity. This is especially true among our children, who are being diagnosed with this disease in record numbers because of our modern lifestyles. These two things go hand in hand, the more sedentary you are, the more likely candidate for obesity. The more weight you gain, of course, the more inactive you are because it becomes harder to do even the simplest of activities. So these concepts need to be tackled together and looked at as one in the same. What it all comes down to: taking better care of your temple. As we attempt to do this, with God in mind, we are able to ask for not only His strength to make the required changes, but also His blessing for our obedient efforts in the form of a healthier/strengthened body which is able to fight against this horrible disease.
I will continue to share my research, prayers, tips, recipes, etc., with this topic in mind, in hopes that others will do the same and that we can together do our part in helping our loved ones/ourselves be healed of diabetes as well as prevent our children from having to face the same odds.
I'm a wannabe in every sense of the word. I wanna be good enough to make it to heaven, but Jesus died because I will never be. I wanna be a mom of ten living on a farm in the middle of nowhere, training my girls to honor God & their husbands, by being content, happy homemakers...yet God has seen fit to bless us with the opportunity to help rear for Him two boys (22 and 12), in the middle of suburbia ;) I wanna be a helpmate to my husband in every way possible, yet more often than not, I'm in his way, lol. I wanna be the perfect parent, that raises perfect children, yet I am constantly humbled by the fact that only He is perfect, and I must allow him to lead. I wanna be the ultimate caretaker of my temple, and the pinnacle of health to all around me, yet no amount of healthy eating/exercise keeps me from dropping to my knees often, in need of healing from the Great Physician. I could go on and on about the the things that I am trying to be, but I invite you instead to come and join me as I travel on my path toward virtue... ~Proverbs 31:10-31~
! So you can check them out if you plan on buying them, or just do the workout from the computer. This is what I did, I did a 20 minute Kickbox workout this morning, and I really enjoyed it, and got a good cardio workout. This is so great for me because I truly enjoy working out from home, and I love workout videos. I've also been trying to revamp some of my DVDs to include titles that I wouldn't mind my son seeing me workout to (so that the videos do not become a stumbling block to him as he's getting older). So this way I was able to look for a video that had a fully dressed woman (some even have just a man, which is even better) and then do the workout. I will really enjoy that feature, as I've been having a hard time finding videos that don't have half naked women on them. (Although the site has plenty of those too) Those kinds are not so bad if I'm working out by myself (enclosed area), but I like to encourage my son to be healthy and fit by working out in accessible areas when possible....
). 
