A guaranteed way to drop weight

Take the dog for a walk.

Dog is man's best friend, especially when you need a walking companion. Unlike people, there's little chance that your dog will ever stand you up come workout time.

A study conducted by the University of Missouri-Columbia discovered that taking the dog for a 20-minute walk, 5 days a week yielded an average loss of 14 pounds over a one-year period.

Both you and your dog will benefit from this enjoyable exercise regimen.

Grow your great body in your own backyard

Stop searching for a great workout and step into your own backyard.

A day of heavy yard work will not only leave your neighbors jealous of your beautiful lawn, but also of your fit body. Mowing the lawn, raking leaves, gardening, shoveling dirt and picking weeds result in big-time calories burned.

Another great bonus of using yard work for exercise is that you simply get to enjoy the fresh air and being outdoors.

Walk or run with pedometer

Pedometers are useful tools for runners who are interested in tracking how many steps they are taking each day. With a few basic calculations a pedometer can also be used to determine the distance a person is running or walking each day.

The usefulness of a pedometer is largely based on the premise that taking 10,000 steps per day will help an individual to improve his overall health and live a longer and healthier life.

Statistical data has shown most people, especially those who work at jobs which require them to be sedentary for the majority of the day, do not take enough steps each day.

The use of a pedometer can provide the user with an accurate account of the number of steps they are taking each day and can help to inspire the user to find ways to incorporate more walking or running into the day.

Ways to Walk More

You exercise your hips and knees so you can walk more, without pain or exhaustion. But doctors will also tell you that the best way to walk more is to walk more. Here are 12 ideas to get you on your feet and moving:

Regulate it.
Every night, immediately after dinner, take a 20-minute stroll. Don't let the weather stop you -- that's what jackets, boots, and umbrellas are for. Indeed, there's something wonderfully refreshing and childlike about a walk in the rain or snow. Post-dinner is the perfect time for a walk. It gets you away from the television, it's when others are outside, it's a lovely time of day, and it stops you from eating more.
Divide your lunch hour in two: 30 minutes of eating, 30 minutes of walking.

Develop a habit.
Never sit while talking on the phone. Instead, walk around your home if you have a portable phone, and if not, pace back and forth. You'd be surprised how much movement you can do when you are concentrating on a conversation rather than the exertion.

Make it social.
Plan events around walking. For example, rather than meeting friends for coffee or lunch, suggest meeting at the public gardens for a stroll.

Take a commercial break.
When watching television, always get up and move about during commercials. You've seen them already, anyhow. During a single one-hour show, you can get in more than 10 minutes of activity!

Step up to it.
Take the stairs, take the stairs, take the stairs. You've heard it a million times, but if it is three flights or less, you have no excuse to take an elevator, unless your arthritis pain is truly prohibitive. In that case, take one flight of stairs instead.

Make it interesting.
For an evening's diversion, do some outdoor window-shopping. Strolling down a street of shops is great for people-watching, talking, and feeling alive.

Split your lunch.
Divide your lunch hour in two: 30 minutes of eating, 30 minutes of walking. No one needs to eat for 60 minutes. Chances are, you're just sitting and talking. Invite your lunch partner along for the stroll.

Escape the mundane.
Find a park or a wilderness area near you and commit to a nature walk a few times a week. Nothing lifts your soul as much as a good walk in the woods (or by the lake, or even in the desert).

Go postal.
Locate the outdoor mailbox closest to your home, and get in the habit of walking to it to send off your bills or letters. Maybe it'll get you to write more letters -- wonderful for your hands, even better for your friends and family.

Book yourself.
If you have little children in your life -- be they yours, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or even just neighbors -- commit to the following per year: a trip to the ball game, a trip to the circus, a trip to the zoo, a trip to the aquarium, a trip to the kids' museum. Buy the tickets long in advance, and exercise in advance so you're ready for a full day of fun.

Feel the rhythm.
Somehow, somehow, find a way to dance. Don't wait for a date or a wedding. Turn on the stereo and dance at home. Join a square-dance group or take ballroom lessons.

Make it secondhand.
Come up with a personal "instant walk" trigger. For example, anytime you become drowsy, take a five-minute walk. Or, anytime you want a snack. Or, anytime you get angry, bored, melancholy, or stressed. Walking isn't just an antidote for arthritis pain, it is a wonderful way to work out mental and emotional issues as well.

5 great reasons to get moving

More energy
This one's hard to believe, but exercising will make you feel more energetic. When scientists at the University of New Orleans asked 42 volunteers to assess their mood before and after a 50-minute aerobics class, most of them said they felt less tense and less tired after breaking a sweat. In a 1997 study, researchers found that a brisk 10-minute walk gave people more energy than eating a candy bar. How can that be? Exercise boosts a hormone that increases energy. And it doesn't take more than a few workouts before strength and the lungs' capacity to provide oxygen to working muscles improve, increasing stamina -- which is enough to make anyone feel more energetic.

Less stress
Just one simple workout can ease stress and anxiety. In an experiment at Indiana University, researchers used psychological tests to gauge anxiety levels in 15 volunteers before and after a 20-minute session on an exercise cycle. The volunteers all reported feeling significantly less anxious during an hour or two after the workout. Exercise enhances the flow of brain chemicals, such as serotonin, that are related to positive mood. Because it also increases core body temperature, it can be as relaxing as a good soak in a hot tub.

A sharper mind
Exercise can even spark creativity. Researchers at England's Middlesex University tested creative thinking in a group of 63 volunteers -- once after they'd done an aerobic workout and once after they'd sat around watching a video. After the workout, volunteers in the experiment felt more positive and scored higher on creativity.

Healthier arteries
Physical activity boosts levels of high-density lipoproteins, or HDL, the so-called good cholesterol, by as much as 20 percent. HDL helps rid the body of low-density lipoproteins, or LDL, the artery-clogging kind. Studies show that HDL can even pick up cholesterol deposited in arteries and move it to where it won't do harm. Another benefit to the arteries: The level of fat particles in the blood, called triglycerides, falls by as much as 40 percent after a vigorous workout. Exercising converts triglycerides into fatty acids -- the form in which fat can be burned for energy. You burn stored fat each and every time you work out -- the key to keeping weight off. Plus you lower your level of triglycerides in the blood. And the lower your triglyceride level, studies show, the lower your risk of heart disease.

Better defenses
The moment you begin exercising, your heart starts pounding and your blood pressure surges, sweeping disease-fighting immune cells out into the blood, where they're able to detect troublemakers like cold or flu viruses. Studies show that people who exercise have 40 to 50 percent fewer sick days than their sit-around-and-do-nothing counterparts.

Get fit by jumping rope

Jumping rope is one of the best forms of aerobic exercise. It burns a lot of calories, is easy and fun, and can be done at home without expensive equipment.

As a low-impact exercise, it won't put your knees under stress and will loosen up your shoulders.

A regular jumping rope routine will help you develop your fitness coordination and agility. It targets your calves, thighs, and buttocks. It also makes an excellent addition to a cross-training program, in which a variety of aerobic and resistance activities are combined to create a complete cardiovascular workout to achieve all-around fitness.

Buying the Right Rope

The most important thing when buying a jump rope is to make sure that it is the right length. It is usually possible to adjust the length if the rope is too long. Stand with both feet in the center of the rope and pull up the ends. The handles should reach to your armpits.

Getting Started

Jumping Basics
Wearing loose, comfortable clothing and training shoes, begin to jump. Try to keep your shoulders relaxed and your upper arms close to your body. Use your wrists, not your whole arms, to turn the rope and try to keep them as low as possible. Keep your back straight and your stomach pulled in.

Rocking Skip
This is the easiest way to jump rope, and because you are half running rather than jumping, it does not require as much energy. At first, step each time with the same foot leading, then try alternating the leading foot. To avoid strain, keep your feet within 1 inch of the ground and your knees slightly bent to absorb the impact. Keep your head upright, in line with your spine.

Jumps
As your fitness level increases, begin adding jumps with both feet together. To avoid boredom, you could try some variations, such as hopping on one foot, then the other. Again, make sure you do not jump too high. If you keep your feet in fairly close contact with the ground, you will minimize the chance of strain and will more likely keep jumping for a longer time.

Introducing a Regimen
If you have not jumped rope for some time, you may find a normal training level too hard. To build up stamina, jump initially for 2 minutes, or if this is too much, for 30 to 40 jumps, and then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat twice. At each subsequent session, reduce every rest interval by 5 seconds, until you have eliminated all of them.

Starting a Regimen
You should now be ready to begin a formal training regimen, but this, too, should be introduced gradually. Start with a 3-minute jumping session once a week; then graduate to a 4-minute session twice a week; then a 5-minute session twice a week, building up to three 20-minute sessions a week.