No matter how well you plan your schedule, there will come a day when you can’t make it to the gym for your strength training workout. You don’t want to skip your workout, so what can you do? Resistance bands, also called resistance tubes and exercise bands, are a great way to get a good strength training workout. Resistance bands are inexpensive and available in a variety of strengths. You can start out with light resistance and work your way up to a super-resistant exercise band. Beginners should start with a light band and do 8 to 10 repetitions of each strength training exercise. Remember to warm up before your workout and cool down afterwards.

A bench press with a resistance band offers a vigorous workout for your chest muscles. Attach two  resistance bands to a door or a wall using a secure mount. Mount the bands at chest height. Grasp a band handle in each hand with your back to the door or wall. Step forward until the bands just begin to offer a slight resistance. Inhale, squeeze your abdominal muscles and then fully extend your arms straight out from your shoulder as you pull the bands. Exhale and slowly return to the start position. Repeat for 8 to 10 repetitions.

Exercise those hard-to-train triceps by doing a triceps extension exercise. Stand on a resistance band with one foot and hold the band at your shoulder. The band should be behind your back stretched from your ankle, up the back of your leg, behind your back and held at shoulder height with one hand. Brace yourself by squeezing your abdominal muscles and breathing in. Pull the band straight up from the shoulder. Exhale and slowly lower your hand back to your shoulder. Switch arms and repeat the exercise.

Work your legs, abs and back by doing resistance band squats. Stand on two resistance bands, one under each foot with your feet placed about hip-width apart. Grasp a handle in each hand. Pull the bands up to shoulder height and keep your elbows close to the sides of your body. Exhale and squat down. Hold the squat for a few seconds and then exhale as you stand back up pulling the bands with you. Keep your back straight during this exercise and keep your knees over your ankles.

Adding some heart healthy foods to your low-fat, high fiber diet can help keep your heart healthy. Tuna is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. Other fish that are rich in heart-healthy omega-3s include mackerel, anchovies, lake trout, sardines and herring. Try some grilled tuna or crumble some albacore tuna over a salad for a tasty, heart-healthy meal. Nuts are rich in omega-3s and may help reduce your cholesterol for a healthier heart and arteries. Walnuts help reduce inflammation in your arteries. They are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and heart-healthy fats. Almonds are also rich in heart-healthy nutrients. They also contain vitamin E, fiber and plant sterols that help reduce LDL cholesterol. Slivered almonds are delicious in fish, chicken and vegetable dishes. 

Fresh herbs not only add flavor and aroma to your food, they are good for your heart too. Use fresh herbs as a replacement for salt. Reducing the amount of salt in your diet can help lower your blood pressure. Herbs, such as oregano, thyme, sage and rosemary contain important antioxidants, too. Cherries and blueberries are rich in anthocyanins, which is an antioxidant that may protect the blood vessels. Blueberries also contain beta-carotene, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium and fiber. 

One glass of red wine each day can help to boost your HDL, or good, cholesterol. Red wine contains two antioxidants called resveratrol and catechins that protect the walls of your arteries. Be sure to check with your doctor before drinking alcohol, especially if you are taking medications. Drinking too much alcohol can damage your liver, heart and other organs, so if you drink alcohol, proceed with caution and moderation. 

Mild black beans contain antioxidants and magnesium that helps to lower your blood pressure. The fiber in beans also helps to lower cholesterol and maintain blood sugar levels. If you eat canned beans, wash them thoroughly in cool water to remove added salt. Citrus fruits, especially oranges, contain pectin, a fiber that fights LDL cholesterol. You get lots of vitamin C and potassium which helps to lower your blood pressure. Carrots are rich in vitamins, including vitamin A, and are a great replacement for shredded cheese on salads. The vegetable fiber in carrots help to reduce cholesterol. Try some shredded carrots in muffins and breads. 

If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, you may be at risk of heart disease. Medications can help to reduce your cholesterol, but you still need to make some lifestyle and diet changes to lower your cholesterol and keep it down. Your body needs some cholesterol. The HDL cholesterol is the “good” cholesterol that helps keep the LDL or “bad” cholesterol in check. HDL cholesterol removes LDL cholesterol from your blood before it can adhere to the walls of your arteries and veins as plaque. Changing your diet can boost your HDL cholesterol levels and lower your LDL even more. 

Measure your portions. Avoid the super-sized meals or avoid fast food altogether. Super-sized meals are usually twice the amount of food that you actually need. Fast food, especially if you order the super portions, can contribute to weight gain, which can lead to obesity and high blood pressure. More than a handful is too much. Use the palm of your hand to gauge the size of one portion. One serving of fish or beef or potatoes should fit in the palm of your hand. One serving of fresh fruit or berries is about the size of your fist. You can fit one serving of cooked pasta, rice, beans and vegetables will fit in your cupped hand. 

Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables to help lower your LDL cholesterol. Try to eat a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Fruits and vegetables are a good source of fiber and are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Most fruits and vegetables also provide antioxidants that help prevent cell damage from free radicals. 

Begin your day with a healthy breakfast that includes whole grains, such as wheat toast, whole grain muffins and oatmeal. Whole grains contain plenty of fiber and complex carbohydrates for energy. You will feel fuller longer when you eat whole grains. Whole grains also reduce the LDL in the blood to lower your “bad” cholesterol. Include some brown rice, barley, whole wheat pasta and breads and some whole grain crackers in your diet to feel full and lower your LDL cholesterol. 

You’ve probably seen the late night infomercials advertising fast weight loss and firm, strong muscles by doing an at home boot camp style workout. The boot camp workouts are sold on DVDs and led by an extremely fit, muscular trainer. The question is, do they work? No exercise program alone can make you look like a body builder. You have to balance your workout routine with a healthy diet, plenty of water and lots of sleep. 

Boot camp workouts are high intensity exercise programs that can stain your whole body. Be sure to see your doctor for a thorough physical examination before you start any exercise program. Tell your doctor you want to start a boot camp style workout and follow her advice. Eat healthy, rest well and get moving! 

If you are already fit, a boot camp workout program over a period of 4 to 8 weeks can help improve your endurance, strength and cardiovascular health. If you need to get into shape, a boot camp workout can help you shed pounds as you burn fat by doing high-intensity aerobic and strength training exercises. 

The Booty Camp Fitness Ultimate Home Edition 2 is an at-home boot camp workout on DVD. The program is created just for women by top fitness trainer, Sammie Kennedy. Sammie has helped women get in shape and build strong bodies in the privacy of their own homes. Booty Camp will keep you moving and burning fat with 11 different exercise DVDs. You also get a jump rope with the program that you will use to burn fat while having fun. Sammie Kennedy’s program leaves nothing out. The boot camp workout DVDs cover every fitness area including strength, muscle tone, core strength and stability, endurance and flexibility. You can even target hard-to-train areas and improve your cardiovascular endurance. This is a total body boot camp that can produce results. 

Learn more about Booty Camp Workout by visiting the website, Booty Camp Fitness. 

Muscle soreness following exercise is not uncommon. Delayed onset muscle soreness is the stiff, sore feeling in your muscles the next day after a vigorous workout. Muscle soreness is a natural reaction in response to stress or micro-tears in the muscle tissue. It usually goes away after 2 to 3 days. Athletes and beginners alike can experience muscle soreness. Is there anything you can do to prevent delayed onset muscle soreness? What can you do to relieve muscle soreness after it develops?

Warming up by doing light to moderate exercise before a workout can help to prepare your muscles for more vigorous exercise. Stretching before and after exercise can also help to prevent or reduce the intensity of muscle soreness. Cool down after exercise to help your muscles recover faster. Cool down by doing some light exercise, such as walking for about 10 minutes and stretching, helps to remove lactic acid from your muscle tissues. Lactic acid builds up during exercise and contributes to muscle soreness. 

Once you start to feel muscle soreness, apply ice to the affected muscle. Massage, gentle stretching and anti-inflammatory pain relievers can also help. The good news is that once your muscles adapt to a specific level of exercise, you should not experience muscle soreness again after engaging in the same level of exercise intensity. Your muscles may be sore again if you increase the level of intensity of your workout. 

You can also experience muscle soreness if you try a new exercise that works a muscle or muscle group you haven’t focused on before. To reduce the level of muscle soreness or maybe even avoid muscle soreness, gradually increase the intensity of your workout. When you are ready to move your workout to the next level, increase repetitions by 5 or fewer repetitions or increase the length of your workout by 5 minutes or less. Perform new exercises using correct form to avoid injury and reduce soreness. 

Do you ever wonder how some celebrities get their beautiful, shapely bodies? Our friends over at Re-Body show you how the beautiful people get healthy and stay healthy. You can read about the fitness, food and attitude of celebrities, such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Katy Perry and Christian Bale. The stars have to work just as hard as anyone else to maintain their weight and keep their muscles in shape. Get started today by making a commitment to fitness, changing your diet and getting plenty of exercise.

Start your body makeover by making a commitment to get fit. Ask for help if you need some direction or you aren’t sure where to start. A personal trainer and a dietitian can help you develop a food and fitness plan that works for you. Set realistic goals for yourself. Start small, such as losing 1 pound this week or walking 2 miles tomorrow. Don’t forget to reward yourself when you reach a goal. 

Change the way you eat for nutrition and calorie control. Dump the empty calories of fast food and processed food for more natural nutrition. Raw vegetables are the best when it comes to getting your daily nutritional requirements of fiber, vitamins and trace elements you need for good health. A salad might immediately come to mind, but you can enjoy raw vegetables many different ways. Toss some raw broccoli florets, shredded carrots and baby peas with a whole grain pasta. Top it off with a light olive oil and vinegar dressing and enjoy. Trade cookies for dried or fresh fruits and nuts. They are loaded with fiber, vitamins and important micro-nutrients, such as potassium and magnesium. Choose lean meats, legumes, whole grains and rice for protein and fiber. Remember to drink plenty of water! Your skin and organs will thank you! 

Get moving! Your muscles aren’t going to work themselves. Everyone needs to get a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise every day. Some strength training ever other day can help you sculpt and tone your muscles from head to toe. If you are like most people, you are super busy during the day. You can make time for exercise no matter how full your daily schedule. You can exercise in 10 minute increments instead of a full 30 minutes at once. Try exercising 10 minutes in the morning before work, 10 minutes in the afternoon before lunch and 10 minutes before bed. 

For more information about remaking your body with celebrity workout tips check out Re-Body. 

Posture is the position of your body when you stand up. Poor posture can cause health problems, including sore muscles, misaligned spine, constriction of blood vessels and nerve pain. Bad posture can also affect your gait when you walk and can cause your body to be off balance, putting you at risk for a fall and injury. Often bad posture is a result of weak muscles that support your back and pelvis. Weak muscles make it difficult to stand up straight. You also tire easily if your muscles are weak. Try these three exercises, three times each week to help strengthen the muscles that contribute to good posture:

Sit-ups help to strengthen your abdominal muscles and improve your posture. Lie on your back on the floor on a carpet or exercise mat. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on the floor, palms down, on either side of your hips. Lift your upper body off the floor toward your knees. Stop lifting your body when you feel the muscles in your back and abdomen tense. Roll back down and repeat this exercise 5 to 8 times. Increase the number of repetitions when your muscles are stronger.

Back arches strengthen your abdominal muscles and your back muscles. Lie down on the floor on your stomach and cross your ankles. Place your hands on your back, palms up. Lift your upper body off the floor by arching your back. Hold the lift for a few seconds and then relax. Try to do 5 repetitions.

Pelvic lifts strengthen your pelvis, abdominal muscles, buttocks and hamstrings on the back of your thighs. Lie on the floor in the same position, as if you are going to do sit-ups. Support your upper body with your shoulders and your arms on the floor by your hips. Lift your pelvis off the floor toward the ceiling. Hold for a couple of seconds and then lower your body back to the floor. Do 5 repetitions. Progress to 10 repetitions by adding a lift each week.

Most of us deal with stress everyday. Taking care of the kids, the house, paying bills, driving during rush hour and work all contribute to our stress levels. It’s important to take care of your mind as well as your body. Not all relaxation techniques work for every person, but exercise can help alleviate stress and soothe your worried mind. Yoga is a good way to relax and get fit at the same time. Yoga poses are designed to help increase flexibility and strengthen your muscles. Poses relax your body while you get fit. You lie on the floor for some poses and practice controlled breathing.

Controlled breathing during yoga poses help to reduce your stress, because the poses focus your attention on your body position and breathing. During yoga you concentrate on the yoga poses instead of work and family worries. Yoga also improves your flexibility and balance. You are less likely to suffer injury from a fall or muscle strain when you joints and muscles are flexible. As your body becomes more fit, you are more able to stave off illness and avoid injury. Yoga can help you manage chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, depression and anxiety. Once you reduce the stress and become more fit, you can sleep better and longer.

Do not attempt to do yoga poses if you have a bone condition, such as osteoporosis or arthritis. See a doctor before you begin any new exercise program. Seek a qualified yoga instructor to learn the correct form before attempting yoga.

Protein is an essential nutrient, especially for building and maintaining muscle tissue. High-protein foods can help you lose weight by helping you feel more full after a meal. You might eat fewer high-carb foods when eating a high-protein diet, thereby reducing the number of calories you consume. A high-protein diet consists of about 30 percent to 50 percent protein at each meal, including high-protein snacks. Protein can help curb your appetite and increase your metabolism, which also aids in weight-loss. Don’t cut out carbohydrates altogether though! You need carbs in your diet for energy and to maintain heart, kidney and digestive health. 

The most nutritious high-protein diets include some fats and carbohydrates. Include foods that are low-fat but contain moderate portions of carbohydrates. Chicken, lean red meats and pork are good sources of animal protein that are also low in fat. Remove the skin from white meat chicken and cut away the fat from steaks and roasts prior to cooking to avoid adding excess fat to your diet. Pork loins and lean pork roasts are high in protein. Be sure to select lean cuts of meat with little or no fat. 

Fish and eggs are rich in protein. Fish, such as wild salmon, tuna and ocean fishes including perch, are not only high in protein they are also high in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Eggs are versatile and delicious. Eggs can be hard-boiled and included in salads, sandwiches or eaten as a snack. One egg each day is probably okay for most people, but if you are concerned about cholesterol, eat the protein-rich egg whites only. 

Soy foods are high in protein, low in cholesterol and low in fat. Soy is made from plant protein and can be used in various food dishes and drinks. Soy milk contains plenty of protein without the fats found in animal milk. Soy may also help to lower your cholesterol while providing essential protein to your diet. 

Beans pack a nutritional double-punch because they are loaded with fiber and protein. Fiber is essential to healthy digestion and may help to prevent digestive illness and disease, such as colon cancer. Fiber also helps you feel full faster and longer, so you tend to eat less. Don’t forget to include whole grains and fresh vegetables to your high-protein diet. Drink plenty of water and enjoy the health benefits of a nutritious high-protein diet. 

The heat of summer seems to bring out the bugs. Mosquitoes are especially active at sunrise and sunset. Many people like to exercise outdoors during warm weather. Running, jogging and bicycling in the park or along a tree-lined path can be an enjoyable experience while you get a good workout. It’s enjoyable until the mosquitoes start to bite! Mosquito bites carry more than a maddening itch. Some mosquitoes carry disease, such as the West Nile virus. The West Nile virus causes flue-like symptoms, which usually clear up in a few days. However, some people may develop severe problems that affect the brain and nervous system. Learn how to protect yourself from mosquito bites and infections. 

The best way to avoid West Nile virus is to not be bitten in the first place. Avoid places where mosquitoes tend to favor, such as areas with standing, stagnant water, swamps and damp shady areas. The city is not free of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes breed in any standing water, including sewer drains and building gutters. Avoid exercising outdoors at dusk or early in the morning. Mosquitoes are most active during these times. 

When exercising outdoors, wear light color clothing with long sleeves. Wear long pants and socks too. Apply mosquito repellent to exposed areas of your body or use a belt clip mosquito repellent. If you are remiss to use a chemical repellent, there are effective natural mosquito repellents available over-the-counter at pharmacies, department stores and health stores.