Five Easy and Inexpensive Fitness Tips

Fitness – it’s a word we hear a lot these days, from news stories about the hottest exercise trend to infomercials for the latest workout gadget. Sometimes, it seems like in order to improve our fitness we have to run out and buy a ton of costly equipment or enroll in a pricey exercise class. Unfortunately, these days everyone is tightening their budget, and often the gym membership is the first thing to go. The good news is we can still maintain and even improve our fitness if we keep a few simple tips in mind.

Stretching / Flexibility

I’ve worked in the field of health education for many years, and one of the things I emphasize is that staying fit doesn’t have to be extremely difficult or expensive. Over the years, I have collected fitness tips that require little or no money and can be used by folks of all ages, and I wanted to share a few of my favorites here.

Two things to keep in mind before you check out my suggestions -

1) If you haven’t been active before, but want to improve your fitness, take it slow and easy in the beginning and stick with it.  Each week, set a new realistic goal for yourself and you’ll notice your fitness improving in just a few weeks.

2) If you haven’t had a physical exam in the last couple of years, I recommend getting a complete checkup and medical clearance before starting an exercise plan.

These fitness tips can help you burn calories and maintain a healthy weight, and perhaps even improve your overall mood as well.

  • Break your activity up into 10 minute sessions. If your schedule doesn’t allow you to set aside a thirty minute period to exercise, go for a ten minute walk in the morning, then another at lunch time, then do a ten minute exercise and stretching session in the evening.
  • Team up with friends or relatives who are also interested in improving their fitness. It’s amazing how a little social support from like-minded individuals can help you stick with a healthy habit. Challenge each other to a weekly goal such as meeting for a thirty to sixty minute walk or run.
  • Invest $10 to $30 in a set of hand-weights or resistance tubing that you can use at home. A set of hand-weights (dumb bells) will last forever and greatly increase the types of exercises you can perform. Have you ever used resistance tubing  for muscle Resistance Tubingtoning and strengthening? If not, give it a try. It’s versatile, portable, and best of all, inexpensive.
  •  Start an activity journal. Keeping track your workouts or physical activity is one of the easiest ways to stick with a fitness routine. It can be as simple as recording the date you exercised, the type of activity, and the amount of time you spent doing it. You can simply use a small notebook, or try one of the exercise journal apps available for mobile devices, such as Runkeeper.
  • Exercise while watching TV. Are there some nights when you can’t pull yourself away from the TV to go for that walk or workout? Don’t worry, you can still burn calories and do some muscle toning without missing your show. While you’re watching that favorite program, get off the couch and walk in place or do exercises such as push-ups or crunches every time a commercial comes on.

Of course, there are many more great fitness tips that can help us shed those extra pounds and stay in shape. I hope the ones I’ve listed above offer some motivation to get moving and stay active. Do you do something that helps you stick with your exercise or activity?  If so, let’s hear about them in your comments. Maybe in another post I could list some of your favorites.

Costa Rica, Ed Mercer and Entrepreneurial Acknowledgment

I’m gonna start off by saying that I wish I recorded my videos holding my iPhone horizontally … and I don’t even feel like editing these beautiful videos of Costa Rica with them being vertical. Next time I’ll know better. Although I’ll still post them up periodically over at YouTube.

 

The individual sitting next to me on the plane didn’t even know that Costa Rica is in Central America … this is one of many reasons for this post.

The weather in Costa Rica is beautiful, it’s roughly about 75 degrees Fahrenheit 365 days a year. It’s true that the temperature fluctuates 5 to 10 degrees between cities, islands and provinces. Not only does it seem like you’re in another part of the the country, but also the weather can be differentiated by the locals … to me it didn’t matter since winter is usually a cold time for North America; therefor everyday was a beautiful day … and it was.

For most of Costa Rica, the dry season runs from November through April. During these months, the Pacific coast and most of the Central Valley receive little rain, or the odd afternoon shower. May through mid-October is considered the rainy season, when days are marked by sunny mornings and late afternoon thunderstorms. The Caribbean coast, Monteverde and Arenal areas are exceptions to this rule, and have no distinct dry season.

Costa Rica’s population is at 4.3 million, and it’s hard to adjust to living where there are no addresses … nor street names. If you want your mail to be delivered properly, you better be descriptive. For example; my house is located next to the red house across the street from the local market near the big green tree of the west. Yes, that’s exactly how the mailman will know where you live. More developed neighborhoods have house numbers, which make things a lot simpler, yet it’s still a rare concept.

I’d love to highlight all my interests of Costa Rica, but I’m afraid that the length of this post would scare some folks away… so I’ll refrain.

Below are some interesting points about Costa Rica:

  • Costa Ricans refer to themselves as Ticos (males) or Ticas (females).
  • Life expectancy of almost 77 years, one of the highest in the world.
  • There are 800 miles of coastline in Costa Rica between the Pacific and Caribbean coasts.
  • Costa Rica is divided into seven provinces: San Jose, Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago, Guanacaste, Puntarenas and Limon.
  • The capital of Costa Rica is San Jose, a city with just over one million in population.
  • Costa Rica hosts more than 5% of the world’s biodiversity even though its landmass only takes up .03% of the planet’s surface.
  • More than 25% of Costa Rica’s land is dedicated to national parks, reserves and wildlife refuges.
  • Costa Rica’s official language is Spanish, though a large number of its citizens are bilingual. English, due to its status as the international language of tourists, is the most common second language in Costa Rica.
  • With its mild climate, constant mist and fertile soil, Costa Rica is an ideal place for growing coffee. Coffee has been around for more than one thousand years. Its origins trace back to Africa. Before coffee beans were roasted and brewed to make a drink, they were a source of food.
  • Soccer is the most popular sport … people go crazy.
  • Alcoholic beverages are sold every day of the week throughout the year, with the exception of the 2 days before Easter and the 2 days before and after a presidential election. The legal drinking age is 18, although it’s only sporadically enforced.
  • Tipping is not necessary in restaurants, where a 10% service charge is always added to your bill (along with a 13% tax). If service was particularly good, you can leave a little at your own discretion, but it’s not mandatory.
  • Costa Rica is on Central Standard Time. Costa Rica does not use daylight saving time, so the time difference is an additional hour April through October.
  • Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way. You could test this, but it probably wouldn’t be good for your health.

 

Meeting one of the great entrepreneurs at his own homeland was mainly the reason for my visit. Ed Mercer became a true millionaire at the age of 27. Why do I say true? Many times when you go out to different social functions, events or even bars; one can easily be confused by the demeanour of someone who isn’t truly a millionaire. This wasn’t the case for Ed Mercer, not only did he have all these properties in Costa Rica behind his belt but he truly did have a million bucks in his bank account at the age of 27. That being said, 23 years ago, 1 million dollars is equivalent to 5 million today. I can’t even imagine how hard this man has worked to be where he is today … not even that, but being a millionaire at the age of 27. Just from his background alone, one should never think that it isn’t possible to become a billionaire from nothing. Being in the presence of someone that has accomplished so much is a blessing. Writing about his bio, the people he has been on stage with, his awards and accomplishments would once again make this post longer than intended. I do recommend doing a basic search if you are not familiar with Ed Mercer.

Below are some interesting points about Ed Mercer:

  • Helped 35 other people become millionaires.
  • Largest private developer in Costa Rica, known as Mr. Costa Rica.
  • Honored to be a regular contributor to The Performance Magazine.
  • Mr. Mercer has become an active philanthropist and member of Habit for Humanity, National Geographic, The World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace and many other similar organizations.
  • His greatest personal achievement is the founding of “The Edward R. Mercer Foundation” which is dedicated to the betterment of the planet through ecological conservation and education.
  • Inducted into the Environmental Hall of Fame in June 2008 with greats such as Mario Van Peebles, Art Linkletter, which also aligns with those from the Chicago Environmental Hall of Fame greats like the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Mayor Richard Daley, Whole Foods markets, Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul), the National Green Museum and the National Green League Team, Sierra Club, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, Keely and Pierce Brosnan.
  • Over 35 years of public speaking have put Mr. Mercer on stage with some of the most accomplished speakers in the world such as Bob Proctor, Mark Victor Hansen, Jack Canfield, T. Harv Eker, Deepak Chopra, John Gray, Lisa Nichols, Jay Abraham, Les Brown, Robert Kiyosaki, Bob Circosta, and B.J. Dohrmann.

With that in mind, Costa Rica should be on your travel list … beautiful country, with beautiful people, exotic wildlife, delicious food, never ending activities and the list goes on.

To learn more about Ed Mercer I recommend reading his book – “The Eighth Grade Millionaire”. It’s titled that way because eighth grade was the last level of education that he attended. Just a phenomenal book that will get your entrepreneurial mindset moving towards new heights.

Below are some pictures from the trip, enjoy.

Tambor Costa Rica

 

Teatro Nacional Costa Rica

 

Ed Mercer Vitaly Tennant Costa Rica

 

Monkey Chillin in Costa Rica

 

San Jose Ed Mercer Costa Rica

 

Costa Rica chillin

 

Monte Sol Costa Rica

 

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