My Favorite Protein Bar

I don't know about you, but anytime I see the protein bars in a convenience or grocery store, I kind of moan, because most of them are absolutely disgusting. That aside, I seem to have found 2 "bar" brands that I like - a lot. They're great for filling you up and giving that little kick that you need for the last ten miles of whatever you're doing.

Luna Bars are my new found favorite, although they do not hold up very well at all in hot and humid weather - they're coated with a a chocolate consistency that will melt easily.

Nature Valley bars are more for nutrition and carbs - but they're entirely dry. They take a lot of moisture out of your mouth, but they're good for the same reason: giving you a little bit of energy to finish your exercise day. So, for a long and hot day, bring along the Nature Valley - but the sweet and healthy Luna Bars are great for a morning snack.

Fit Tip of the Day

It's better for your body to do moderate exercise over a long period of time than short bursts of intense exercise. Although the short bursts may increase lung capacity and make your muscles sore, keeping your heart rate high, but not pushed to the limit, can facilitate muscle growth and fat loss.

It does feel really good to sprint sometimes - for some reason, we crave that burning that just fills whatever muscles that we're using. My big thing is cycling - and sometimes, I'm just spinning away and slowly climbing hills, but other times, I'm actually upshifting while going up a hill! I've crested hills at a faster pace than I had before I started them. But the amount of effort that takes decreases the amount of stuff you can do - comfortably - throughout the day.

Saving Gas the Easy Way

If your family is at all like mine, chances are that you live only a few miles from the nearest store that sells the daily necessities. For my family, we live two miles from a smaller grocery store, and four miles away from a larger one. Five miles away from the newly placed Super Wal-Mart.

But driving to the grocery store only adds to your bill. There is an easy way to save money on gas: bicycle anywhere within ten miles!

I know it seems like a lot - a twenty mile roundtrip on a bicycle, but in great weather, that's about an hour ride out - maybe a little over if you don't bike much - then an added little while for shopping, and then an hour ride home, with extra weight attached. That's two hours of exercise, compounded with saving money on gas!

Items for the freezer you would most likely have to drive to get - but the little stuff - bread for the week, pretzels and chips - you could go once a week for those items instead of stocking up once a month for a huge grocery bill. You'd get your exercise, and you would save money on gas.

Exercising has been shown to improve self confidence, and it goes hand in hand with other healthy lifestyle changes! Maybe you will start focusing more on creating your own food - hand made tortillas, home grown vegetables, etc. And although your savings might not be great - you might squeeze out one day longer before you have to get gas - it may be just enough to get us through these rising gas prices of today.

Wii Fit Top Ten

Top Ten Reasons A Wii Fit Can Help You Lose Weight

10. If you're over it's weight limit, it can be motivation to get down, so you can join your family and friends in HulaHooping, Ski Jumping, Navigating a River in a Bubble, and other fun activities.

9. If you feel really, really good about yourself, the WiiFit can still tell you that you're weak.

8. There is nothing more motivating than a computer asking you, "Do you find yourself tripping over your own feet when you walk?"

7. Playing with friends causes hours to go by - and even if you're not on your seperate accounts, the exercises are still being performed.

6. Such an expensive toy($300 for a Wii? $100 for this?) has to produce some sort of results.

5. It counts your minutes that you're on the machine and exercising, like points on a game.

4. It rates you and your family members' high scores competitively - nothing says "I love you" like getting a higher score than your sister.

3. The Balance Board makes a fun, "Ooh!" sound whenever you step onto it.

2. You unlock new games on your Mii as you continue to work out. That certainly fosters an obsessive and competitive nature.

1. You get to choose from a fit-looking female or a fit-looking male trainer! Sure, they may be digital...but it's like, eye-candy during workouts!

The Easiest Way To Drop A Few Pounds

That's right folks, I have the secret! Granted, you're all going to groan at me when I tell you what this super secret, secret, is.

Stop Drinking Soda

There we have it. And yes, I mean Diet Coke, too. I know it is supposedly light on calories, but the carbonation and liquid intake still makes you full - and then hungry, at odd hours. But cutting the Pepsi or Mountain Dew or Coca Cola out of your diet - whether it's one can or bottle or four cans/bottles, it will make a big difference in your health and well being.

If you drink water to replace them - or even, sugar free lemonade - you'll notice a big initial difference in energy levels, especially at first, but eventually, I think you'll find that your energy levels throughout the day are more consistent, and you're cutting calories besides! The caffeine hump can be hard to get over, but the benefits far outweigh the momentary lapse of awareness.

Have a great day!

SPD Pedals: The Way To Go?

Let's talk about cycling. I've only been a 'blooded' cyclist for two years - my first tour was last summer, but its already evolving into bigger and bigger dreams. So big, in fact, that not two days ago, I bought my first pair of cycling shoes and pedals. Both were Shimano, and both were purchased from Bert's Bikes and Fitness in Tonawanda(outside of Buffalo), NY. The total cost was $140 or so, but I think the benefits - both already and in the future - will more than pay for themselves.

"Clipless" pedals are a pedal design which enable cyclists to attach their feet to the pedals in a hopefully non-lethal fashion. The pedals, which sort of snap onto the shoe, with an easy twisting motion out, are called "clipless" because they do not use toe-clips. Beginners into the ways of different pedals - including myself - are extremely confused by this terminology, since your feet clip into the pedals.

Putting that aside, there are two main types of clipless pedals. SPD and Look. SPD pedals are designed so that the shoes and their cleats(the attachment points) are a little more recessed, making walking in cycling shoes infinitely easier. SPD pedals were originally designed for mountain bikes, but now many road cyclists use them because of their ease, especially within touring and everyday function.

Look style cleats and pedals do not recess, and making walking harder(and tripping, easier). SPD are a newer style, and as far as I know, the more popular of the two. SPD pedals and cleats are the style that I now own. They are also popular with spinning classes.

So, following my mother's advice (never get the bottom priced item), I opted for a pair of $80(instead of $50) cycling shoes from Shimano. Just to make life difficult, most cycling shoes are offered in metric sizes (Damn you, rest of the world!). Shimano had a wonderful conversion system on the box which now proudly proclaims that my feet are size 7.8.

The pedals/cleats I purchased are the Shimano MD-520 (I believe!), cost me $55, and were relatively easily installed by my bicycle shop in under five minutes.

So why exactly do you want to attach your feet to the pedals? Easy: it increases effectiveness. And, serious injury aside, I suppose it does add some comedic value when you come to a complete stop while forgetting to unclip your feet, and then fall over, still attached to the bicycle. I've heard numbers of effectiveness increased between 30% and 80%. I'm not too sure which is the answer, but I do know that after the last few rides, I'm inclined to agree. Hills that made my legs burn before now do almost nothing.

Any foot attachment to pedals will increase effectiveness, because it prevents improper foot position, it increases fluid motion, it allows you to pull up as well as push down, and prevents foot slippage.

I'd highly, higly recommend the use of cycling shoes and SPD pedals/cleats as an addition to any cycling passion, as it makes the ride that much enjoyable.

Welcome!

Hey all!

I'm not new to blogging - just to this particular community, and this particular subject. My name is Samantha, and I hope to be the host of many, many adventures through the months to come. This blog, Live Smart, is intended to be a blog that promotes not only healthy body, mind, and spirit, but also, healthy choices. From product reviews to recipes and exercise tips, my intentions are to give my readers little ways to improve their quality of life.

So what makes me so special? Well, I'm rather intimately acquanted with a personal trainer. I have over ten years of experience in martial arts, and most importantly, I've been there. We all have - stuck in the rut of unhealthy living.In a way, I hope this blog and my readers can inspire me to begin to make small changes within my life - always striving to improve.Welcome, and enjoy the ride!