(ARA) – Budget-minded families are looking to cut expenses that seem like a luxury, or even just frivolous — including gym memberships. Yet mounting evidence suggests that cutting out the gym may be exactly the wrong move for even the most cash-strapped family.

In its just-released report of annual health spending figures, published in the journal Health Affairs, the federal government confirmed that chronic illness accounts for 75 percent of all health spending. Yet exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight can significantly reduce your risks for chronic illness and your medical bills.

“To put that in financial terms, for every dollar you spend on wellness, you can save as much as five dollars or more on illness,” says Dr. Richard Kreider, director of the exercise and sport nutrition laboratory at Texas A&M University. He has studied the effectiveness of the Curves women’s fitness program for the past five years.

“The women in our studies have been able to lose weight, gain muscle strength, raise metabolism, and make significant medical improvements in blood pressure, resting heart rate and aerobic fitness,” Kreider says. “Many of them no longer suffer from the chronic conditions that cost them so much money for medications and doctor visits.”

This can add up to a bundle of savings. The Health Affairs report shows that the average annual out-of-pocket expense for someone with cancer is $8,411, but the good news is that regular exercise can help you avoid the disease and the costs associated with it. A major report by the American Institute for Cancer Research published in 2007 found that obesity plays a key role in increasing the risk for many cancers — including breast cancer — by as much as 60 percent. And a study just published in the journal Cancer found that obesity increased women’s risk for ovarian cancer by a whopping 80 percent.

The benefits go beyond reducing the risk of cancer. A recent landmark study by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota found that people who went to the gym at least eight times a month had significantly lower healthcare costs than those who did not. These frequent gym attendees had:

* 39 percent fewer emergency room visits
* 41 percent fewer hospital admissions
* 18 percent lower overall claims costs

The research, then, is clear. “Exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight can save not only your life, but your money as well,” says Kreider. “Your health is your most precious asset, and not taking care of it is going to cost you more in the long run.”

So how can you get to the gym without breaking the bank? Many clubs are offering great deals on memberships because of the economy. Also, check with your health insurance provider to see if they have a wellness program that offers rebates on dues and membership fees. Some fitness centers, like Curves, have partnered with major health insurance and third-party providers, including Healthways SilverSneakers, AARP and Blue Cross Blue Shield, to make the cost of membership even more affordable. To learn more, visit www.curves.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

You might be surprise to know that the best exercise to lose belly fat is not what you think. Normally your first point of call will be devoting a lot of energy into doing sit ups which will not yield substantial weight lost. What you suppose to be doing is an exercise that will reduce your carbohydrate and fat intake. Once your diet is sorted out, you can start thinking of the best exercise to lose belly fat fast. I am going to focus not on one but three abdominal workouts that have proven to be very effective.

You should first of all get yourself a workout ball, the blow up type. This will be used mainly for three exercises. You will want to target three areas of your abs muscles. The rectus abdominus which is the area responsible for the much coveted six pack look, the transverse abdominus located on the side and the external oblique which is also located on the near the side.

All three of these combines are the best exercise to lose belly fat. You need to understand something right now. You can sit on your exercise ball and do one sit up after another and never gain the results you desire. You need to learn proper muscle contraction at the top of every repetition. Now, let’s look at three varied movements which will really begin to help you lose belly fat.

The combination of the three are the best exercise to lose belly fat fast that have proven to work so well for myself and people. You can sit as much as you like on your exercise ball and do one sit up after the another without gaining the results you crave for. Ok, let now look at three different movements that will really help you lose belly fat.

(a) Sit on your exercise ball with your butt and have your legs stretched with your shoulder width apart. Then place your hand across your chest, then repeat once and squeeze the abs and the crunch position. Do it 25 times and you will begin to feel the burn. I normally do up to three sets of 25 reps.

(b) Next is my favorite. Lie on your back and position the exercise ball between your ankles. Then slowly raise the ball toward the sky and squeeze the abs. Lower your legs and squeeze the abs once again. Repeat this as much as you can and on daily basis and without doubt you will see result.

(c) And lastly, lie on your back and position the exercise ball below your knees like you would when lying on the floor watching TV and have your legs on the couch, but this time around your couch is the exercise ball. Once that’s done, lift your chin towards your knees with your hands across your chest and squeeze your abs at the top. Then slowly lower your chest while maintain the same tight abs. Follow the same pattern as in exercises one and two.

Well, these are the best exercises to lose belly fat fast that have worked so well for me. And with good healthy eating habits and without doubt, you will be on your way to having a leaner and healthier body.

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The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans released by HHS states that adults can gain substantial health benefits from physical activity by doing two hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity coupled with strength training activities. A review by the American College of Sports Medicine states that a greater level of activity is needed to prevent weight gain, produce weight loss, or maintain a weight loss. Maintenance of a weight loss takes the most activity — 250 minutes a week. Starting slow and maintaining motivation are key to staying active for the long term. A great way to get started is to join a walking team and set a goal such as walking a 5K. The camaraderie and team spirit will help you stay motivated and keep you on track.

To boost your weight-loss efforts, Weight Watchers has engaged the Active Network, a leading online community that promotes exercise, to help encourage the importance of physical activity and support efforts to get more active. Active.com trainer Jenny Hadfield suggests the following tips to start moving more:

Go for the Goal

Whether it’s to walk in a 5K, or simply set up a course in the neighborhood to walk with friends, set a tangible goal. Write that goal on paper and mark a date to reach it to stay accountable. Keep in mind that trainers estimate it takes an average of three weeks to form a new habit and eight weeks to prepare for a 5K (3.1 miles).

Evolution Versus Revolution

Evolve into a fitness routine; don’t give your body a reason to revolt. Start where you are instead of where you want to be to prevent injury or burn out. To determine your level of activity, get a pedometer and see how many steps you take in a day. Each week, try to increase the number of steps by 500 to 1,000 with a long-term goal of walking 10,000 steps per day.

Switch to Manual

Bypassing everyday conveniences can help a person move more. Take the stairs. Climb the escalator. Keep your car parked at a large strip mall and trek from store to store. Walk to your coworker’s office instead of calling or e-mailing them. These small changes can add up to big results.

Get Fit with Friends and Family

Gather a group of friends and set a time to walk or run each week. The commitment provides a built-in source of accountability and can make it more fun. Make activity a family event as well, by adding a sense of variety and adventure on the weekends. Whether it’s organizing a hike with your spouse or a treasure hunt with the kids, getting the buy-in from family with help you reach your goal.

Fitness Checking Account

Think of the food you eat as money spent, and the activity burned as a deposit, similar to a checking account. For those with busy schedules challenged to find a slot of 30 minutes to exercise, break it up throughout the day. Ten minutes at lunch walking the parking lot; 10 minutes power shopping at the grocery store; and adding 10 minutes to the walk to get the mail. Just like money, whether it’s one big deposit or three small deposits, all denominations add up. If you’re following the Weight Watchers program, adding up activity POINTS values can translate into extra POINTS values for food.

Challenge yourself this spring by incorporating physical activity into your lifestyle. Until June 6, Weight Watchers members who join a walking team, create one, or sign-up for a selected 5K event will receive access to a free eight week online interactive walking training guide, and may have the opportunity to train with a walking team in their area as part of the Momentum Walk It Challenge. Learn more about the promotion by visiting www.weightwatchers.com/walkit.

Visit a Weight Watchers meeting for additional support this spring. To find a meeting location near you visit www.weightwatchers.comor call (800) 651-6000.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

“You can easily improve overall heart health with a few, simple lifestyle choices,” says dietician Keri Glassman. “One in four Americans does not get enough exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle. With obesity on the rise, especially among children, routine daily exercise is a great place to start.  When combined with a healthier diet, particularly one with reduced sodium, you’ll lower the risks of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and hypertension.”

True, there are factors that you don’t have control over when it comes to heart health, including age, race, gender and family history. However, by monitoring controllable risk factors such as weight, diet and exercise, you can proactively take the necessary steps to limit the threats and improve your overall well-being.

Here are five easy tips to get your ticker in tip-top shape:

Heart smart staples
Stock up on whole grains, lean proteins rich in omega-3s, and a colorful array of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and veggies are not only low in fat and calories, they are also a great source of vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Also, omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, tuna, walnuts, soybeans, brussel sprouts and flax seeds, can help lower blood fats called triglycerides, which are harmful to your heart. A diet high in soluble fiber and low in saturated fats along with increased fruits and vegetables may help decrease cholesterol and blood pressure.

Shake the salt habit
Sodium is one of the biggest contributors to heart disease and hypertension; and, as a general rule, you should not exceed 2,400 milligrams of sodium per day. Buyer beware: high amounts of sodium lurk in many of the everyday foods you love, including soups, breads and even beverages. Help stay within your daily sodium recommendation and opt for the low salt or reduced sodium options of your favorite foods, when available.

Many choices, such as Del Monte’s 50 percent Less Salt Vegetables, are a convenient way to reduce salt while maintaining delicious flavor. Look for heart smart options in the grocery store.  Products such as Del Monte’s 50 percent Less Salt Whole Kernel Corn and Sweet Peas display the American Heart Association heart-check mark on the label as they meet the Association’s food criteria for saturated fat and cholesterol for healthy people older than age 2.

Other low-sodium options readily available at the supermarket include Pepperidge Farms reduced-sodium breads, lower sodium soups from Campbell’s and Progresso, and Orville Redenbacher’s SmartPop popcorn. For great ways on switching out those high sodium foods with lower salt versions, visit delmonte.com/solutions/recipeTools.aspx for delicious recipes.

Your heart will gleam with lycopene
Tomatoes contain lycopene, a leading ingredient in reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease. Studies indicate that canned tomato products may be even better than their fresh counterparts,  so go ahead and use that can of spaghetti sauce. In fact, research finds that lycopene in tomatoes can be absorbed more efficiently by the body once processed into juice, sauce, paste and ketchup.

Get moving
Statistics show that 1.3 million people will have a new or recurrent heart attack in 2009 according to the American Heart Association, and one major contributor is a lack of daily exercise. Tired of your old routine or going to the gym? Sign up for a fun salsa, ballroom or meringue dance class at a local community center. You’ll get your blood moving, heart pumping and have fun with friends and others while you’re doing it.

Snuff out the smoke
Quitting smoking is an important and necessary life change to dramatically lowering your risk of a heart attack. Smokers have more than twice the risk of suffering a heart attack as non-smokers and are more likely to die from a heart-related illness.

For more heart-healthy tips visit http://delmonte.com/solutions or the American Heart Association at www.heartcheckmark.org.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Here are three basic steps to saying goodbye to troublesome bulges:

Lose weight if necessary: Find out from your doctor how close you are to your ideal weight and whether you’re carrying excess fat. Using the body mass index (BMI) provides a reliable indication of both. If you do find that you need to lose fat, a recent two-year study suggests focusing on a low-carb diet where you derive the bulk of your fat from healthy vegetable and fish sources (as opposed to the Atkins-style bacon-on-lettuce routine) will put you squarely on the road to reduction. And, as an added benefit, as you lose fat throughout your body, including from your stomach and around your organs, you reduce your risk for all sorts of nasties ranging from heart disease to diabetes. You know you can’t go wrong improving your diet, and you’ll lay the groundwork for fixing those problem areas.

Get fit: You can do a thousand or even a million sit-ups and it’s not likely to reduce the amount of fat in your belly. The reason? Your abdominal muscles and the belly fat sitting above them have nothing to do with each other. That being said, if you focus on an overall fitness and toning program with your doctor’s blessing of course you’re likely to tone up problem areas along with the rest of your body. Make sure your routine includes plenty of aerobic exercise, at the very least three times per week at 20 minutes per session (preferably more). Since getting in shape is great for your skin, mood and health, you can’t help but come out a winner… even if you still need help with the fatty bulges.

A safe alternative: Once you’re in shape and within 15 pounds of your ideal weight, if you still have an annoying pair of saddle bags or a poochy belly, you might be feeling pretty frustrated. Sadly, where we store our fat is genetically determined, and what our genetics think is a good idea doesn’t always correspond to how we want to look in swimwear. In short, some of us get lucky and for the rest of us, there’s SmartLipo laser assisted liposuction. This treatment works to reduce local fat stores and is a minimally invasive procedure with little or no recovery time. SmartLipo uses a laser that zaps fat and tightens the overlying skin. This procedure is extremely effective removing the trouble spots that weight loss and fitness routines haven’t managed to touch.

Having problem spots can actually work as a call to action. Those areas carry with them the opportunity to improve your appearance and your overall health. You’ll get healthy and, with a little help from cosmetic dermatology procedures, you can achieve the smooth, svelte look you’ve been wanting. With that in mind, as you move from milepost bulge to milepost bikini, make sure you have some fun!

By: Dr. James C. Fairfield