Speed Up:

87 Ways to Burn Calories & Have Fun!

One of the big reasons that people don't exercise is that they find it boring. I don't blame them. There's no way you'd find me inside a gym on a treadmill. I've got to be outside.

Perhaps you'll find it a lot easier to stick to health recommendations for physical activity, if you were having fun. Below is an A-Z list of nearly 100 ways to have fun while you're getting in shape.

Do you do something that I haven't included on the list? I'd love to get the list up to 100. Send me an email to contact@drjo.com.

• Aerobic dance class, Agility workouts, Aqua walking
• Belly Dance, Basketball, Bootcamp workouts, Baseball, Boxing, Bosu, Balancing Board, Ballet
• Canoeing, Cardio Dance, Cardio Cleaning (I met someone who turns up the music real loud and cleans at record pace...while having fun), Climbing, play Catch with the kids
• Dancing - ballroom or disco dancing, Double Duty workout (you'll have more fun on the exercise bike if you pair it with your favorite book)
• Exertube
• Flag Football, Frisbee Golf
• Golf (walking instead of the cart, of course), Gymnastics
• Hula Hoop, Hoop dancing, Hop with the kids, Hike, Hockey, Handball, Hip Hop dance, Dr. Jo's Hotel Room Workout with the exertube
• Ice Skating, Indoor rock climbing, Indo board (an indoor surf board simulation)
• Jumping Jacks, Jog, Jumping rocks on the river
• Kayaking, Kickball, Karate, Kickboxing, play Keep Away (we even play in the pool with a invisible ball)
• Lift Weights, Line Dancing, Lacrosse
• March in place, Martial Arts, Mountain climbing, Medicine Ball workout
• Nia
• Outdoor gym (outside is better than being inside on a beautiful day)
• Pole dancing (ya, some gyms really offer this), Paddleboarding, Pilates, Pickleball, use a Pedometer just to make your day more energizes
• Quidditch (the Wall Street Journal just did an article on this up and coming team sport...the brooms don't fly though)
• Run, Rollerblade, Ribbon Dancing, Racquetball, Rowing, Rugby, Rock climbing
• Skiing, Salsa dance, Swim, Surf, Skate Board, Squash, Softball, Snowshoeing
• Tai Kwondo, Tap dancing, Trail running or Trail biking
• Underwater swimming
• Volleyball
• Windsurf, Walk, Weights, Water polo, Wii workouts
• Xcountry skiing
• Yoga
• Zumba

Which contains more sodium: an ounce of chips or a slice of bread? Interestingly, they are both about the same - 150mg! How is that? Read on...

The new Dietary Guidelines, to be released later on this year, will recommend Americans decrease their sodium intake to 1500 mg. That's a big decrease from the average intake of 3500 mg. How can we do this?

1. Don't Trust Your Taste Buds. Salt on the surface of the food (ie. chips) will taste saltier than salt that is mixed IN the food (ie. bread)
2. Read the Label. Many food companies are now offering lower sodium options, so turn the package over and read the label. Caution - "reduced sodium" refers to only 25% less sodium, so a cup of reduced sodium soup could still have 500 mg! Frito Lay Lightly Salted Lays chips have just 90 mg per serving!
3. Learn How to Season Without Adding Sodium. Want some flavor? Make your own salsa by cutting up fruit, veggies and add herbs. My favorite is a combination of mango, avocado, tomato, red onion, and cilantro on fish (check out the picture above). Want some zing - add hot peppers, red pepper flakes, chili powder or Tabasco (1tsp has just 35 mg...and could you even use that much?). Mrs. Dash has a whole line of seasonings, too.

Slow Down
Turn Off the Night Light

Could your night light be making you fat? Recent research shows that it really might.

A team of researchers at Ohio State University found that when mice are exposed to persistent light...even just a night light...could increase weight, body fat, and glucose intolerance.

So, use a clip to close your drapes completely, close the bedroom so you can't see the hall light, and put away the night light. If you're worried about making it safely to the bathroom, just select the lowest luminescence possible. And, please turn off the TV :)