Karen’s Opinion

I love the cooler fall weather we are having here in Indiana. It is time to bring out the sweatshirts and long pants. I have been making an effort to get some walking exercise. When it is hot, I talk myself out of going for walks. I also talk myself out of walking if it is too cool, I am too tired, the wind is blowing. Sigh…

I am going to have to do better about exercising though because with the fall season comes fall baking. My husband and I went to the orchard and bought apples to eat and another kind that are good to bake with. I made apple crisp last night and it is gone! I only made a half batch so that I wouldn’t sit around and eat it all day. I know how I am. LOL

Do the seasons change where you live?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PlayStation MOVE. All opinions are 100% mine.

I don’t care to play a game that requires me to work hard to benefit from it but I wouldn’t mind playing a game that gets me to move. I need the exercise! I sit at a desk most of my day and my butt shows it. When I am not working, I am sewing. Another butt builder activity. I need to get moving with the new PlayStation®Move. The Move is a gaming system that works with the PlayStation®3 system. It’s controllers are ergonomically designed to give the player the most control of any gaming system out there. That is what I need! I tried the one I had bought before Christmas and I was not coordinated enough to get it to work for me. That was so frustrating that I gave up and sold it.

The new PlayStation®Move is just what my doctor ordered. Yes, just today, I went to the doctor for a routine check up and I we discussed how I would probably feel better if I exercised. The PlayStation®Move has a bowling game that looks like something that even I could learn to play and have fun with.

Whatever your skill level, PlayStation®Move will want you to have friends over to get moving. I can see it becoming the highlight of our week. Sony has made adding MOVE to your gaming system affordable. The MOVE bundle package allows you to add MOVE to your system for the low cost of $99! At that price, we can all get moving!

Yesterday, while at the hairdressers, I noticed how tan most of the girls were that worked in the shop. They are all active in sports and spend a lot of time outdoors. My friend and hairdresser, Pam, plays golf all the time and is in such good shape.

My dream vacation would be to visit Myrtle Beach and learn from a professional how to play golf. I would love to walk the courses and get a good tan. The icing on the cake would be if I found out I was a natural golfer. Who knows, I could be the next great woman golfer!

48 Hour Tee Times is the perfect website to use when planning a golfing trip to Myrtle Beach. Their real job is hospitality with links to the nicest resorts in the Myrtle Beach area. Most of our trips to Myrtle Beach have involved accommodations with family so we would be more interested in how they are able to get last minute tee times. Their service is free and helps avoid high fees due to last minute booking. Our family never plans ahead so options for last minute tee times would be an asset for travelers like us.

I think Myrtle Beach has the most beautiful weather for a vacation and their beaches are beautiful. When we were there last time, my most favorite thing to do was to lay on a boogie board and ride the waves.

I am so ready for a vacation.

I have been surprising myself. I am still going to the gym! I was afraid that once our son’s wedding was over, I wouldn’t have the motivation to exercise. I fooled myself! It helps that my mom goes to the gym with me and we motivate each other.

Exercise is an important part of our lives. Staying in shape is one way to increase your life expectancy. Weight bearing exercises are important also for increasing muscle mass and bone density as you age. I have osteopenia so it is very important that I walk or run to help my bones increase in density.

Most of us have learned what to do when it comes to exercising. The problem is where and when to get the job done. With a busy lifestyle, making time for exercise is a challenge.

Weight bearing exercises aren’t just for bodybuilders. As you age, especially once you hit the age of forty, you begin to lose muscle mass. For women especially, bone loss becomes a problem. When the body is in need of calcium it can rob it from your bones. Building muscle not only increases their mass but your strength.

Here are five easy toning exercises that can be done anywhere and whenever you have time. At home, at the office, or on vacation, you can do these easy yet extremely effective exercises.

1. The Bridge Butt Lift – Sounds like a plastic surgery technique but it is an easy way to tone your buttocks. Lay down with feet flat on the floor, legs shoulder width apart. Place your hands, palm side down, on either side of your body. Pushing with your feet, squeeze your gluteal muscles and lift your butt off the floor. Hold the position for a count of five to ten and release down to the floor.

2. Squats – Squats work the butt, the hamstring muscles and the quadriceps. If you aren’t sure of proper form, you can use a chair. Stand with feet shoulder width apart and feet firmly planted. Push your butt back as if you were preparing to sit in a chair. Keep your abs tight and your upper body straight. Once you reach chair level stop and hold the position for a count of two to five and release. At the lowest point, place all of your weight on your heels for balance and maximum toning.

3. Reverse Lunges – Lunges work the quadriceps muscles. They can be hard for people with knee problems. A reverse lunge still tones the right muscle groups but with less pressure on the knee. Stand with feet together and arms at your sides. Take one leg and move it backwards until you are in lunge position: front leg bent at a 90 degree angle and back leg extended until you are on the ball of your foot. From this position lower yourself down until the back knee almost touches the floor. Hold for a count of two and return to starting position.

4. Pushups – This is a classic toning exercise that works all areas of the arms plus the chest muscles. If you aren’t comfortable or strong enough to perform a pushup on your toes, lower your body to your knees. Be sure your arms are tucked into the body and your back straight as you lower and lift your body.

5. Crunches – Abdominal muscles can be worked every day to build strength and muscle tone. Lying on the floor in sit up position, lace your fingers behind your head. Squeezing your abdominal muscles, lift your upper body until your lower back is about to come off the floor. Hold for two to five counts and return to starting position.

These five exercise moves can be done whenever you have time. The best thing about exercise is that its effects are cumulative. Even five or ten minutes at a time will work to your advantage.

Now I have even more incentive to do more cardio type exercising. I have got to get on the move so I can have arms as shapely as Michelle Obama! My first thought is to start exercising my arms but trainers state that arm exercises alone are not enough to get toned arms. I know that spot reducing does not work. You must get rid of body fat from the entire body. Ugh.

Maybe I shouldn’t have sold my Wii Fit. Using dumbbells (five pounds or more) and doing 12 to 15 of each exercise — bicep curls, tricep kickbacks to exercise the back of the arm, shoulder and lateral raises should do the trick. Those exercises along with the cardio already mentioned are the key to great arms like Michelle’s.