10 Workout Mantras That'll Get Your Butt Moving

We hear you: Getting #UpnOut for that workout isn't always easy. Why hit the gym or the track when you could be watching any number of so-bad-they're-good reality TV shows or catching up on important emails or trying a new look or, you know, sleeping?

The list of excuses to NOT work out is so long it might feel insurmountable to even the most well-intentioned. So what's a fit girl to do? Get a mantra, something you can repeat that'll serve as a little extra oomph on those rough days.

We took to Pinterest (the spot for this kind of fitspiration!) to find some of the best workout mantras out there. We found everything from quirky-cute to earnest to Ryan Gosling. (Of course. Of course there was Ryan Gosling). Click through to find one that'll help get your butt off the couch. Or, tell us the no-fail mantra that always works for you: We're listening @SELFmagazine.

RELATED LINKS:

View the original article here

To Stop Smoking, Teens Should Start Moving

FRIDAY, April 12 (HealthDay News) -- A small amount of daily exercise can help teen smokers cut down on or quit their harmful habit, according to a new study.

Researchers looked at 233 teens at 19 high schools in West Virginia, which has one of the highest smoking rates in the nation. Nearly 13 percent of people under age 18 in the state are smokers, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

All the teens in the study were daily smokers who smoked an average of half a pack a day on weekdays and a pack a day on weekends. They also had other unhealthy behaviors.

"It is not unusual for teenage smokers to engage in other unhealthy habits. Smoking and physical inactivity, for instance, often go hand in hand," study lead author Kimberly Horn, associate dean for research at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, in Washington, D.C., said in a university news release.

The teens in the study were divided into three groups: one group took part in a smoking cessation program combined with a fitness program, another group took part in the smoking cessation program only and the third group heard only a short antismoking lecture.

All of the teens increased their amount of daily physical activity just by being in the study. Those who increased the number of days in which they did at least 20 minutes of exercise -- equivalent to a short walk -- significantly reduced the number of cigarettes they smoked.

Teens were more likely to quit smoking if they took part in the combination smoking cessation and fitness program and increased the number of days in which they did at least 30 minutes of exercise, according to the study, which was published online April 9 in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

"This study adds to evidence suggesting that exercise can help teenagers who are trying to quit smoking," Horn said.

-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: George Washington University, news release, April 9, 2013

View the original article here

Pedometers Can Keep You Moving

Research shows they're a low-cost motivator for sitting less, particularly for those with desk jobs

By Mary Elizabeth Dallas

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, June 6 (HealthDay News) -- Wearing a pedometer that tracks daily physical activity can motivate you to sit less, move more and perhaps shed unwanted pounds, a new study suggests.

Researchers from Indiana University found this type of intervention was particularly helpful for workers who had desk jobs. And, they noted, pedometers are also an inexpensive way to target a large number of people.

"Even if somebody works out 30 minutes a day, the fact that they're sitting and not moving for long periods of time for the rest of the day is, in and of itself, detrimental to their health and well-being, physiologically," said one of the study's researchers, Saurabh Thosar, an associate instructor at the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, in a university news release.

Four men and 22 women between 40 and 66 years old participated in the 12-week study. In order to monitor their physical activity, they wore a $30 pedometer every day, which tracked their lower leg movements.

This particular type of pedometer could be connected to a computer so that information on the amount of leg movements over time could be downloaded and viewed as a graph. The participants were instructed to download their data once a week. During the periods they showed no leg movements, they were urged to be more active. They were also emailed tips on nutrition and exercise twice a week.

Over the course of the study, the researchers found the participants were much more physically active, resulting in a mean weight drop among the men and women of nearly 2.5 pounds.

"This is a very simple intervention that can reach a large number of people at a low cost," study co-author, Jeanne Johnston, clinical associate professor in the School of Public Health's department of kinesiology, said in the news release. "As companies and communities develop programs to increase physical activity and positively impact health parameters such as weight, there is a need to think of the associated costs."

The study findings were discussed at last week's annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Indianapolis. Data presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

View the original article here