As Yoga and Pilates becomes the new crazy, a durable exercise mat is important to have in the safety, comfort and effectiveness of stretching and working out.

Hard flooring can be very dangerous on your body when exercising, causing joint, bone, and muscle damage. The spine is vulnerable to even greater damage without an exercise mat to protect the vertebrae while practicing poses and exercises.  In fact, exercising on improper flooring can lead to arthritis, degenerative disc disease of the back, and breakdown of cartilage in the knees.

From sit-ups and jumping jacks to the Childs pose and Pavenmuktasana pose in yoga, an exercise mat is a necessity! For this reason it is vital that you pay special attention to the type of exercise mat that you purchase.

In considering the purchase of an exercise mat, one should not only consider the durability and thickness of the mat but also the size. A small exercise mat for a large activity can lead to the risk of slipping off the mat and causing severe injuries such as injuring the tailbone or spraining an ankle. In finding an exercise mat that works for you, ensure that it is large enough to be used in a vast amount of activities.

So where is a great place to find a safe and durable exercise mat?

America’s Nutrition is the only place to look. From protein powders and health supplements to exercise mats and yoga towels, America’s Nutrition has it all. America’s Nutrition is a new up and coming health and nutrition supplement website.

The Valeo Exercise Mat, which can be found at the America’s Nutrition website, is a high-density foam mat that is great to protect the body from injury. With a ribbed surface on one side and a smooth side on the other, this mat is sure to stay put while exercising. This mat measures 2’ width by 6’ length, which makes for a perfect fit for most people. With Velcro straps, this mat is perfect to transport to and from any exercise location.

Sounds amazing, huh? Well it’s your lucky day cuz I am giving away a Valeo Exercise Mat from the AmericanNutrition website to one lucky winner

For a chance to win the Valeo Exercise Mat:

You Must Go to America’s Nutrition and let me know what product you would like to try in order to be entered in the drawing

Additional Entries to Win:

1.) Add www.she-fit.com to your blogroll

2.) Subscribe to www.she-fit.com

3.) Post this giveaway with a link back in the article

4.) Follow me on twitter @shefit

5.) Tweet about this giveaway

Whew… that is a lot of chances to win! Just be sure to leave a separate comment for each extra entry! Get it, Got it, Good!

The Giveaway will end in on Friday, August 6^th and the winner will be announced the following day… so be sure to head over to America’s Nutrition.com!

Good Luck!

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Day in and Day out I had my set workout routine. Wake up and head straight to the gym. I had my own elliptical… or so I like to THINK that it was mine! The first ellitpical over from the right of the treadmills. Everyday but Sunday I religiously rode that thing for 45-60 minutes. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I added on 20 minutes of a full body weight lifting routine. . . the same weight lifting routine every time. After a while I noticed that my body started to platue. I wasn’t going anywhere in my workouts and getting so frustrated for not seeing my exercise pay off. It was then that I learned the importance of mixing up my workout.

Why is mixing up a workout / exercise routine so vital?

Mixing up a workout can prevent boredom and burn out. For years I had confined my cardio workouts / exercise to the elliptical. I had missed out on the fun that could have been put into my workout for so many years, like hiking, swimming, dancing, circuit training, kick boxing, and bike riding. Boredom from a workout can easily lead to burn out and eventually lead to becoming a couch potato!

Second, mixing up one’s exercise routine can prevent hitting a plateau in workout performance and ultimately and decrease in training results. The body’s physiology systems, such as the cardiovascular system, adapts to a workout within 6-8 weeks. Keeping the same workout routine will ultimately lead you to a dead end if you don’t increase the intensity or mix up your workout to shock your body of the mundane workout routine. Mixing up your workout plan will speed up the weight loss process and shred inches on the waistline.

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Ways to increase the intensity of your workout can include anything from short bursts of sprints during a jog to walking up hills during a brisk walk. One can also throw in different types of workouts such as swimming one day and biking the next.

There are so many different options to a workout without plateauing or boredom! So go out there and have some fun!

Question

What do you do to prevent boredom in your workouts?

What’s your favorite workout routine?

Being in community is key to battling weight lose and striving towards a healthy lifestyle. Nothing’s worse than being surrounded by people who are eating greasy fast food all day and sitting on the couch while trying to eat that salad after a 5 mile run.

That is why I have love the Internet! People of interests alike can come together in support for one another in so many different ways, especially when it comes to healthy living and weight loss. An internet community that I have been extremely inspired by is Sparkpeople, a weight loss community created to SPARK people’s desire to live a healthy lifestyle and lose weight.

Sparkpeople is 100% FREE with the resources, support, and community to push people towards healthy living.

Upon signing up, one can create a weight loss or maintenance goal. Based upon the food pyramid, sparkpeople creates a range of calories, carbs, fats, and protein needed to obtain weight goals. What I love the most about sparkpeople is that their philosophy is all about eating the things you enjoy but in moderation, never going below 1200 calories, and finding joy in living healthy.

Keeping track of what is being put in the mouth is made easy with a nutrition tracker that will add up all your calories, carbs, proteins, and fat to find that balanced diet. Sparkpeople offers daily meal plans around your caloric needs, or you can input your own meals.

An exercise tracker is used to keep count of how many calories are being burned as well.

A nutrition and exercise tracker is great, but without a community there is no accountability! Sparkpeople has a message board where people can find healthy recipes, motivation, support, and a place to voice weight loss frustrations and achievements. I love the replied I get, not only from the sparkpeople dieticians/coaches, but also the members. When I need advice on my diet or support/motivation when I feel burnt out, someone is always there for me to push me through.

Other things you can find on this website are great articles on nutrition, exercise, motivation, and health topics. You can join sparkteams that focus on different topics/interests such as clean eating, specific age groups, and running. You can find tons of great recipes ranging from low calorie to high protein meals that can spice up your diet and prevent food boredom.

I love sparkpeople and can’t believe that so many people have never heard about it before. This site is great not only for people that want to lose weight, but also for those with diabetes, heart problems, and other health related issues in which to help control their specific diets and stay on track to a health living! So what are you waiting for, go check it out!!!

Question

Have you heard about sparkpeople?
Where is your community found in health living?

Sorry for being MIA these past few months. Nursing school almost ate me alive this year… but needless to say, I am alive. Eight months of torture and pain have paid off.

Labor and Delivery- Check

Pediatrics- Check

Mental Health- Check

Home Health- Check

Community Health- Check

I feel like I’m on top of the world… for the summer break at least!

Made it to the top... that's me in the middle

Two years down and one semester to go till I am an official Registered Nurse!

Oh to dream of never having to write another 40-page patient care plan, reading endless pages of information I don’t retain, stressing over critical thinking tests, or working in the hospital for free. Well, 8 more months and this dream will come true. For now I will enjoy the 4 months of summer break.

My lovely nursing buddies... what would I do without them?

Today marks the first day of summer and I welcome it with arms wide open. 4 months of summer bliss, blogging, and traveling to see the ones I love… and of course, getting back into shape!

DunDunDun… (it just sounds better than reading)

It’s time to put back on the running shoes and hit the ground running. My focus for this summer is DISCIPLINE. In the past year I have lost the concept of being disciplined in so many different areas of my life. It’s time to start working out daily, eating right, reading my bible, blogging and

. . . Well, I guess I should be disciplined to study for the NCLEX.

We will see how well the last one goes. Right now I am so over anything remotely school related.

What areas in your life have you lost discipline in?

With that in mind, I can’t wait to get back into the blogging world. I’ve missed you all so much

. . . See you tomorrow!

My parents surprised me with a ticket to fly home this weekend for my birthday! I still can’t believe that I’m going to be 25 tomorrow. That’s a whole quart of a century. . . Man I’m old!

It’s been a great weekend having my parents to myself. Brother and husband and busy at a conference so I’ve been loving all the one on one time with my mom, dad, and of course my dog Wicket! Tons of window shopping, Coffee bean and Tea Leaf, and you can’t forget Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt… Just like the good ole days prior to getting married and moving off to Arizona.

Yesterday my mom and I had a lunch date at The Cheesecake Factory. For one who is very indecisive, this was the wrong place to pick. My goodness, the menu is like a book! You can find anything and everything ranging from Chinese to Mexican and American food. . . OH, and not to mention the 25 different types of cheesecake!

It’s great to have a variety, but the poor waitress has to come around several times before I could finally say “I am ready to order.” I decided on an egg white veggie omelet and my mom choose my all time favorite, the Navajo Sandwich.

Ok, I thought the menus were big… the portion sizes at The Cheesecake Factory are over the top! You definitely get your money’s worth with these portion sizes.  It’s places like these where a to-go box is a must a great meal for the next day! Needless to say, it was a great lunch and time well spend with my lovely mother!

I though in light of the over-sized portions I would share with how America as a whole has increased portions. Here is a comparison of portion differences since the 1960′s and now:

The crazy thing is that we aren’t just seeing it in restaurants, we are seeing it at home. Everything in your kitchen- from the size of your plates to the way food is packaged has you hearing “eat more, eat more!”

Portion control is very important, but one thing that I am learning is to pay attention to my body and listening to it when I am either full or hungry. It’s quiet the skill to master but once you do, those enormous proportions won’t even be an issue!

Oh water… can’t live with it, can’t live without.

If any of you are like me, you choose flavored beverages over water anytime of the day. I must admit, Diet coke is my guilty pleasure and it gets in the way of my 8 cups of water a day, leaving me dehydrated and feeling sluggish. I know, I know… Diet Coke is horrible to drink and I shouldn’t be drinking it. I am working on it people… ok, maybe not as much as I should. I guess this post is more for me than it is for you guys!

Water works in so many different ways throughout our body. Just look at how water affects out body

There are so many benefits to drinking water besides the obvious of staying hydrated! Drinking at least 8 cups of water a day aids in weight loss, moisturizes skin to make it look younger, relieves headaches, fuels to brain to function better, aids in energy to exercise longer, prevents cramping and sprains, and helps fight against the flu.

So with this in mind, how can we get more water in throughout the day?

Here are 7 great tips to get in more water:

1.)  Buy a fun water bottle and NEVER let it leave your side

1. Rule: Only fill up with water

2.)   Drink one glass of water prior to every meal

3.)  Spice up your water with a slice of lemon or lime.

1. My friend taught me to slice up cucumbers and throw them into a pitcher full of water the night before. The water soaks up the flavor of the cucumbers to give a nice taste. You can do this is all sorts of fruits!

4.)  Straws… They work wonders

1. Who would have known that straws help in drinking water? I find myself drinking so much more when I drink from a straw.

5.)  Drink and Drive… water that is

1. Ok, this is the only time on my blog that I will ever encourage you to drink and drive. Keep your car cup holder full with your fun water bottle and make it a priority to drink your water while on the road.

6.)  Add your vitamins

1. Kill two birds with one stone by getting in your vitamins and water at the same time.  There are several different vitamin supplements made to be mixed with water

7.)  Filter your water

1. I don’t know where you live, but Arizona has the worst tasting water in the world. Brita Filters have saved my life ever since I moved out here. They aren’t too expensive either. Speaking of filtered water… Starbucks has the best water ever! From what I hear it’s triple filtered

Find what works for you. Hopefully some of these tips will help you cross the finish line of 8 cups by the end of the day.

Cheers and drink up!

Question: How do you fit in your 8 cups of water a day?