VitalityHouse Health Articles

$100 Best Home Gym Project

If you're thinking about getting in shape in 2008 but wondering how you're going to afford to join a gym (or whether you really want to) remember that you always have an option of working out in the comfort of your own home.

While home gym equipment such as treadmills and elliptical trainers can be expensive to buy (and take up a lot of room in your home) you CAN put together an effective home gym for as little as $100 covering all the main aspects of getting fit : cardio, strength and flexibility.

$100 home gym project was started to explore the options for quality fitness equipment on a budget giving you the options you need to get in shape without spending a fortune.

Remember, now is the time to get your equipment together if you want to be ready for those New Years Resolutions so take a few minutes to explore equipment options for a small budget and get some ideas for putting your own kit together.

Permanent or Temporary Weight Loss: Which Will Your New Diet Achieve?

It's often easier in the short term to make drastic changes to your diet. Although it seems to be counterintuitive, starting a whole new eating plan tends to make things simple in the early days of a diet. You might hate the food, feel hungry but you know exactly what you can and can't eat and if you follow the diet you'll lose weight. Simple as that. No decisions, no choices, no room for mistakes.

Why then do I spend my time persuading people not to do that?

The reason is in the length of time such a solution lasts. Most people have given up a drastic plan like this within a week or two. Either they can't get the ingredients one day or they hate the food, or they were too hungry or they had a night out and couldn't eat according to the plan and went completely off the rails.

Even if you manage to stick to the plan (more or less) what happens at the end of it after you lose weight?

The problem is you have learned nothing new. You are right back where you were with your old habits and eating just as much as you always did. The weight comes right back. The classic yo-yo situation.

The way to achieve permanent weight loss is to make permanent adjustments to your diet and habits - ones that you are happy to live with for the rest of your life. It's not so easy as the drastic diet plan until you get in the swing of making those changes but within a month or so they become new habits and then they become very easy indeed.

What's more those changes will remain with you forever and the weight will be gone for good.

Take a look at that shiny new diet book you have for the New Year - are you prepared to live with it forever? If not start making small changes to your habits you ARE prepared to live with for the rest of your life at the same time as you start out full of hope on your shiny new plan.

That way you will have the best of both worlds.

Understanding Behavior in Children & Adolescents with Brain Injury

The Children & Adolescents Committee of the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey presents a free educational session intended for parents and school professionals. Participants will learn the basics of why children and adolescents with brain injury experience behavioral issues, what those behaviors look like, and how they are a way to communicate feelings and frustrations. Parents and school professionals will also learn how to prevent and manage behavioral issues, both at home and in the classroom.

The seminars will be held:

Thursday March 13, 2008
7:00-9:00 PM
Children's Specialized Hospital, Mountainside

and,

Tuesday March 25, 2008
6:30-8:30 PM
Weisman children's Rehabilitation Hospital, Marlton

For more information or to RSVP, contact Erica Puopolo at 732.738.1002 or epuopolo@bianj.org.

4 Quick Tips for the Holidays

It's not easy to lose weight during the holidays but you can do quite a bit to limit the damage. These quick tips should help you reduce the excess calories you consume and give you a head start rather than a set-back for your usual weight loss effort in January.

1. Have a Glass of Water always Handy

With heating systems going into overdrive over the holidays houses and offices get stuffy and it's easy to get dehydrated without noticing. If you always have a glass of water and sip it regularly you won't get the urge to be constantly making cups of tea and coffee - which will dehydrate you more and often lead to eating something alongside. Cake and a glass of water are just not the same as cake and coffee.

2. Ready Chopped Snacks

You'll probably have tons of tempting goodies lying around the house at this time of year. I'm not sure why we feel the need to fill our houses with chocolate and cookies at this time of year but there you go  - they will be there and you'll be tempted when you get the slightest bit peckish. Make sure that you have a ready to grab alternative - plastic baggies or box filled with ready washed, peeled and chopped fruit and vegetables you can take with you wherever you go.

3. Salad with Everything

Eat a large side salad with every meal (or a pile of veggies) - adding this to the plate first so that there is just half a plate left for the more calorie filled  part of the meal.

4. Move When You Can

Avoid sitting around. Be the first one to leap up and help with whatever needs to be done. Not only does sitting around lead to eating but it also promotes an energy slump which will lead to ... more sitting around. Try and fit in your usual trip to the gym or activities when you can - or go out for a quick walk every day. Anything to get the blood pumping and get you out of your chair.

Brain Injury Association of New Jersey Receives Excellence Award

I am pleased to announce that, at the recent Brain Injury Association of America Leadership meeting, the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey received the Award of Excellence for Communications for organizations with a budget above $250,000.

The honor was based on the submission of Returning to Work After Brain injury:  An Information and Resource Guide for New Jersey's One-Stop Centers, written by BIANJ  staff members Judi Weinberger, Rita Stindlberger, and former employee Samantha Caetano. 

I am proud that the fine work of these staff members has been recognized.  In addition, this publication has been valuable to workforce development personnel in New Jersey and has been adapted for use by other states in the ongoing efforts to achieve successful employment outcomes for persons with brain injury.