Frugal Patti

The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports also has programs to keep us active in all stages of our lives. We all remember the physical fitness tests in school, but the program has much more to offer. At presidentschallenge.org you can sign up for free programs to track your activities and keep you motivated. The Active Lifestyle program is designed for those who currently are active less than 30 minutes per day for 5 times a week. The Presidential Champions program is for those who are currently active and want to track and challenge themselves further. These programs will allow you to track all physical activity by points value. They will teach you that all physical activity counts for our fitness, whether it be gardening, washing the car, or mowing the grass

The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports offers a great deal to adults as well as children. Yes, this is the same organization that had us doing push ups and sit ups back in elementary school. As we are all trying to get and stay healthy, and many Americans are trying to lose weight, we have online resources that can help us do just that. First, you can start off with a free physical fitness test at adultfitnesstest.org . This site will walk you through the process to check your aerobic capacity, muscle strength, and flexibility. You will be given a score and fitness ranking for your age group (just like when we were in school).

Tomorrow: Using The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports to stay motivated to exercise…

I heard some great tips the other day on reducing stress from work. Although these days much workplace stress is trying to get or keep a job, I though these were some great tips to make life less stressful. First, before you leave work get ready for the next day. Make tomorrow’s to-do list (to get these items of your mind) and return any calls or emails that you need to. Then on the way home, take this time to relax from the day and decompress. Use this time to listen to the music or audiobook that you’ll enjoy. Then lastly when you get home, take some time (if only 30 minutes) to enjoy friends and/or family. Have fun with them. Play catch with the kids, walk around the block and chat, or relax with a glass of wine (or tea) and the TV off. It is so important that we take time for ourselves, family, and friends. Life is short, and we get so busy that we don’t always make time for the really important stuff.

I’ve heard many stories lately about families not taking the medications that were prescribed due to their financial situation, or at the end of last year people were packing their doctor’s offices to get in that last visit before a new deductable season. This is one area of our lives that should be one of our highest priorities. Prevention and regular medical attention can highly reduce our medical issues and expenses. By eating properly and partaking in regular exercise (in this is not part of your regular routine try a 30 minute walk), you can feel better, reduce stress, have more energy, and fight off some of the typical ailments. If you do happen to be under the weather, make sure you take care of the situation before it can get worse, such as, by taking care of minor allergies, sinus infections can often be reduced or eliminated; or by doing prescribed exercises after a physical injury, further injuries or more complicated problems can be prevented.