Tag Archives: activities

Pets & Your Waistline

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How to turn caring for your canine into caring for your waistline.

We’ve all been there: you arrive home from work and all you want to do is flop down on the couch, close your eyes and relax. The absolute last thing you want to do is change into your work out gear and head to the gym. But you have goals set for yourself and those goals aren’t going to achieve themselves, at least not when it come to your weight loss goals. You’re at a cross roads.

Cue your MOTIVATION: Your pet!

I can’t even tell you the amount of times that my dog has gotten me off my butt in the evening for a refreshing and energizing run or walk. It’s good for her, for me and for my mood. And the great news is, you don’t have to go for a run; just by walking, you’re burning a couple hundred calories (number dependent on the length of your walk) and staying active, which is the main goal anyway, right? So, if you’re not feeling the gym today, use your dog to get you motivated and moving. He or she will love you for it!

If you’re not a dog person or don’t have a pet, a great alternative to dog walking is starting a walking group with your friends. You get some fresh air, burn some calories and get to be social. Win, win. Or combine the best of both worlds and start a walking group with your friends who also have dogs. That’s what I did. 🙂

Happy dog walking!

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The Many Benefits of Exercise

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Did you know that exercise does more than slim your figure?!

Read on to discover 24 fabulous benefits of getting your exercise groove on!

We often talk about how exercise will help you control those cravings and lose the weight you want to lose. But there really is so much more to exercise than that! Exercise comes with many benefits, both physical and mental! For example, it makes you strong, physically yes but also mentally. Think about it: when it would be so much easier to just plop yourself onto the couch after work or stay bundled up in blankets early in the morning, and you stll get yourself up and moving? Mental strength!

In my internet searchings for interesting tidbits to share, I came across an article at BC Living, 24 Awesome Benefits of Exercise. Here are 24 awesome (like they said) reasons why we should all get at the very least, 30 minutes of exercise three times a week. If you are like me and looking for some motivation, this article will be a big help!

Until tomorrow everyone! Get your exercise on!

 

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Running Posts from the Past

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Get inspired to run and pound the pavement!

PGX Posts from the Past! Let’s get inspired to run again…

Happy Friday everyone! I found this photo of this incredibly colourful running shoe and suddenly felt inspired to reread our running posts from the past!

We’ve shared a lot of great content in the history of this PGX blog and I thought, let’s take a look back in time and put whatever exercise inspiration you may have gotten from these colourful cross trainers to good use! Check out these posts for some great tips and insights and then go for a run! Forrest Gump’s got nothing on you…

PGX’s No. 1 Running Rule! Trust me, you’re going to love this one.

Get outdoors and enjoy the spring sunshine and Get Into Running Form (Infogaphic)!

Always remember to… Fuel Your Body: the Best Foods for Runners

One of the most important accessories is this colourful shoe! Not sure what type to use? Our post, Choosing the Right Runners (Inforgraphic), has got you covered!

On the flipside, maybe you are Interested in Barefoot Running? Take Baby Steps…

Happy running this gorgeous sunny weekend!

 

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Bike to Work!

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Spring is here! Hop on your bike and take advantage of it!

Get your daily exercise on your way to work and put the pedal to the metal!

The sun is shining. The weather is sweet. Make you wanna move your dancing feet. Well, Bob Marley had it mostly right. The sun is shining and it is sweet, but right now it makes me want to move my bike pedals!

One of my best friends used to bike to work all the time, rain or shine. Now that’s impressive! But it is equally impressive to make the effort on the sunny days! If there is ever a perfect time to consider commuting by bicycle, spring and summer is the time to do it! It’s National Bike Month in the USA and June is Canada’s National Bike to Work month. To all our Canadian friends, let’s get a pedal up on the trend and to all our American friends, May has just arrived and it’s time to put the pedal to the metal!

Biking is fun and easy way to exercise and get all your muscles working and your heart pumping. It can also be a way to save money on parking, help the environment, and skip the the traffic and hectic roads! If you’ve never biked to work and find the very thought of it daunting, then ease it into your routine. Start going for bike rides and get your muscles used to the movement. Try doing other exercises like lunges, squats and the plank to make your leg and core muscle groups strong.

Increasing your fitness activities can never hurt! Learn about more useful exercises to help you get ready for this beautiful biking weather from Alive Magazine’s Dust Off Your Wheels.

 

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Exercises to Bring Out Your Inner Kid!

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Make exercise fun and become a big kid again!

Remember your monkey bar days? Exercise can be that fun, it’s true…

Remember the days when you used cute, colourful plastic plates for your veggies and always had recess to run wild in the playground? I’d lying if I said I didn’t miss them sometimes, especially in the middle of a workout! Back then, working out wasn’t called “working out.” It was just play time in the great outdoors! Now, exercise is all too often a series of boring, mind-numbing repetitions and staring blankly ahead at the next machine in your gym routine!

Well, maybe we can’t completely lose the repetitions but the exercises can be more fun than the average push up! Jay Cardiello of Shape Magazine shares hi top five exercise moves that will have you feeling like a scampering young’un in 5 Exercises to Make You Feel Like a Kid Again!

Remember, fitness can be fun and if the whim hits you, grab a friend, go to the park and frolic like nobody’s watching!

 

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To Camp or Not to Camp

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Spring Time Activities: Camping & Hiking

It definitely feels like Spring out there but is it too early to head into the great outdoors?

As we enter into the month of April, Vancouver is experiencing one of its best starts to Spring that its had in several years. While we can only hope that the sun continues to shine on the Lower Mainland, the sunny days open up a whole new realm of activities that many of us put aside last Fall as soon as the clouds (and rain) rolled in.

One of my favourie outdoor activities, that I don’t get to do nearly enough, is camping. I love the chance to spend an entire weekend outdoors and go for walks, hikes and the occasional swim. However, I’m one of those people who is always (and I mean always) cold. So, I’ve been grappling with the question: is it too early to head into the great outdoors for a weekend trip?

I turned down an opportunity to go this past weekend, thinking I’d been freezing throughout the whole trip – I mean, it was still March! But, as the gorgeous Vancouver weekend drew to a close, I found myself feeling as though I’d missed out.

So, I leave the question to you PGX’ers: Is March/April too soon to camp?

 

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Eat Like an Olympic Athlete!

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Today’s Thursday Obsession: Eating Like an Olympic Athlete!

The 2012 London Olympics are almost here! Let’s learn to eat like an Olympian!

We’re 14 days away from watching the world’s greatest athletes compete in the summer olympics and I wondered, “What do these incredible people eat to keep themselves in tip top, spit spot shape?!” Luckily for me and anyone else who was wondering, Canadian National Olympic team dietician, Kelly Anne Erdman shared her knowledge on how these and probably all other athletes are keeping healthy to prepare for the games!

Check out the fabulous article from BCLiving.com and learn how to eat and maintaina the healthy lifestyle of an Olympic athlete!

As always PGX’ers, stay healthy!

 

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Healthy Pets, Healthy People

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PGX Investigates: The Health Benefits of Pet Ownership

Can owning dog really make a difference to your health? Yes!

You may be surprised to learn that owning a pet is actually connected to better health! There are plenty of reasons why people have pets and now improved health can be one of them!

Studies have shown that people who own pets are less likely to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and feelings of loneliness. Depending on what kind of animal you keep, having pets can also increase your opportunity to get outdoors, exercise and socialize!

A study conducted in 2007 by Queen’s University Belfast found that dog owners especially are more likely to live a longer life and experience healthy weight maintenance, improved cardiovascular fitness and superior self esteem, as well as reduced blood pressure adn cholesterol!

According to the British Journal of Health Psychology, daily walks with your dog (a great way to get out and exercise) are only part of the equation. Dogs can be great stress “buffers” and have been a great source of companionship to people with injuries or disabilities. Incredibly, dogs have also been able to detect an oncoming seizure!

So even though walking is only a part of the healthy equation of pet ownership, the next time your dog comes to you with the leash in his mouth, lace up those sneakers and go for a walk!

Want to read more about the health benefits of pets? Check out these great articles…

Health Benefits of Pets, CDC

Dog-owners ‘lead healthier lives’ BBC News

Live Like Royalty: The Many Health Benefits of Dogs, Man’s Best Friends, The Atlantic

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Healthy Snacking on the Go!

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Hey PGX’ers! It’s Tasty Tuesday and we’re snacking smartly on the go!

Keep it healthy even when you have no time to plan…

We’ve all been there before: you’re running around doing errands, you’re at the airport waiting for your next flight, you’re at a rest stop, or you’re at the movies, and then your stomach begins to talk. What do you do when you’ve forgotten to pack a snack and there’s no way you’ll make it to your next meal without a bite of something to tide you over? What do you buy when you feel the need to munch on something at the cinema?

It’s simple to write a strict diet plan, but it’s another thing entirely to follow it to perfection. This is where a little bit of knowledge can go a long way in helping you reach your goals and avoid sabotaging your efforts to live a healthy life. If you are at the movies, a gas station, the mall, in front of a vending machine, or other such fast food stops, knowing what to avoid will help you maintain healthy eating habits.

Learn the best picks, good options and the worst picks for snacking from Real Simple’s Make Nutritious Snacking Choices on the Go!

 

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400 Calories in the Stomach

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Make smart choices at meal times. Fill up on the good stuff!

How much space does 400 calories occupy in the stomach?

I truly dislike the thought of dieting. But with a looming deadline to fit into a costume that doesn’t quite zip up all the way for a performance, I really have no choice but to make a conscious effort to change my eating habits.

What is it about diets that have people dreading them? Hunger? Cravings? Guess what?! You don’t need to feel hungry when you are making the change for a healthier lifestyle. And if you aren’t feeling hungry, you will most likely have fewer cravings as well! There is no need to fear healthy eating! All we need to do is learn how to make smart choices. If we look for low calorie but dense foods full of nutrients and fibre (think low-GI foods), we’ll definitely be better off! Take a look at what 400 calories of various foods look like in the stomach!

Add PGX to your food and the fibre will help you feel full and you won’t feel the “diet hunger and cravings.” Right now you you can get a free BONUS pack of PGX Singles with purchase of PGX Daily in Canadian stores! Stay healthy everyone; make smart food choices and be sure to get your daily dose of fibre!

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