Summer Exercise

We've already had a few days with temperatures above 100 degrees and Summer is officially here. It's time to enjoy this summer vacation before school starts again.

Mental Exercise

With some free time on my hands and in an effort to avert the quickly growing student loans I currently have, I tried out for the game show Wheel of Fortune. As exciting as it would have been to tell everyone I won thousands and a vacation getaway, my Wheel experience ended in the second round of auditions. Phrase, only vowels remain... B_TT_R L_CK N_XT T_M_. Left without much money and a stubby pencil as a souvenir, I am grateful for the mental workout.

Physical Exercise

High on my list of priorities for this summer has been eating nutritionally and getting in shape. Exercising right is time consuming and physically demanding. With the right tools and knowledge, workouts can be fun and rewarding.

In my search for exercise tools I have come across a fantastic website that crawls the web for the best deals in online stores. They provide definitions and guides in choosing the right product that meets your needs without the bias of commercialized businesses. With filters to narrow your search, it could not be simpler to shop the internet.

I have been looking for heart rate monitors for a while now, because meeting or exceeding 60-90% of your maximum heart rate is a significant part of an effective workout. Using a heart rate monitor will provide instant feedback that helps determine your level of exercise intensity, a major component in physical training.

When exercise intensity is not elevated, pedometers serve well to be riding your waist. They help track steps taken throughout the day which correlates with overall daily activity. Using a pedometer can help you reach the recommended amount of 10,000 steps per day by taking the guesswork out of counting the steps yourself.

What better way to model your new electronic wear than with a new pair of trail running shoes. Whether your in the gym or on a nature hike, your feet are often the most important part of your training. Recommendations are to replace your old shoes every 300-500 miles to avoid injuries from lost shock absorption and uneven tread wear.

With luck and a lot of effort, by the time second year comes around I'll be a little healthier and more prepared to take on the new year as long as I keep moving.