Outdoor Summer Exercise

We love the summer. It gives us more opportunities to get outdoors and exercise. To break from your normal summer  exercise regime or to try something different, we wanted to give you some new outdoor exercise options. Here are our findings.

1.Skipping-rope. Haven't skipped rope or played a little Double Dutch with your friends since you were in grade school? Well, it's time to pick up an old habit. It's fun, trendy, and family-friendly. Get the kids involved and get everyone's fitness curve on the upswing. Women all around the country have rediscovered jump-rope, both as a means of getting in shape and as a healthy form of competition. There are exhibitions and festivals going on throughout the United States and Europe. As for weight loss, twenty minutes of jumping is the equivalent of an hour of aerobics. The best part is that skipping-rope is a great lower-body workout.

2. Geocaching. This fun, walking-intensive activity - essentially a technological scavenger hunt - is sweeping the nation. All you need to participate is a hand-held GPS device. Here's how it works: people hide objects almost anywhere you could imagine (the caches), and list them online only by their latitude and longitude. Geocachers become members of these online groups and select caches to find based on general location and difficulty of the search. Caches are inexpensive, fun and quirky. When you find a cache, you leave something else for the next person. To learn more, go to www.geocaching.com.

3. Yoga at dawn. For you early risers, join the ranks of yoga enthusiasts who
spread their mats on the beach as the sun makes its appearance for another day. Yoga has both physical and psychological benefits that often seem enhanced when combined with awe-inspiring natural events. Alternatives to practicing your asanas (yoga poses) at dawn include yoga in the moonlight and yoga in a quiet glade.

4. Fitness trails. Instead of simply biking, jogging or hiking, check out a fitness trail near you. Fitness trails are paths that have a series of stations featuring different exercises. As you jog down the trail, you periodically come upon a chinning bar, parallel bars or, perhaps, a horizontal ladder, all designed to give a different part of your body a workout. Fitness trails are often sponsored by colleges, community groups or your city government, so there's probably one nearby.

5. Amateur leagues. It may seem as if we've become a nation of couch
potatoes, getting our thrills vicariously through our local university or professional sports teams. In reality, amateur participatory sports are alive and well. If you love baseball, why not find a local league designed for people just like you? Most cities and towns have organized programs in baseball, softball, basketball and soccer that are perfect for adults and kids of all ages. It's great weather for sports, so join in, have fun and get fit.


 This list should assist you with more exercise choices this summer. Thank you to netquote.com for their insight concerning this topic.  If you would like to contact us with any questions or feedback, you can reach us by email.

Thank you for visiting!

Joseph A. Jones & The WellLife Team

Healthy Easter Activities For The Family

Spring is coming. We love this time of year. It is a great time to get in the outdoors and be with mother nature. What a better way to enjoy the spring with outdoor Easter activities. This is a good way to work off some of that Easter candy.


Outdoor Easter games offer a family activity beyond the traditional Easter egg hunt. Most of the Easter games use basic supplies, making them simple and inexpensive to coordinate. The games also lend themselves well to indoor adaptations. This allows you to move the Easter activities indoors if there are April showers and the weather does not cooperate.

Obstacle Course

An Easter-themed obstacle course gets all of its participants moving. Each player needs a spoon and either a hard-boiled egg or a plastic Easter egg. The players balance the egg on the spoon while navigating an obstacle course set up in the back yard. Ideas for obstacles include sawhorses to climb under, Easter baskets to weave through and plastic eggs scattered on the ground that the players have to tiptoe around to avoid smashing them.

Egg Rolling

Each player needs a different color of hard-boiled egg for this game, suggested on the Amazing Moms website. Place one white hard-boiled egg in the middle of the lawn or patio. Each player takes a turn rolling his hard-boiled egg. The goal is to get the colored egg to stop closest to the white egg. Keep extras of each color on hand in case one of the eggs cracks or gets squashed during the game.

Easter Egg Toss

This outdoor Easter game requires players to toss eggs back and forth without dropping them. Any type of egg works for this game, including raw, hard-boiled or plastic eggs. Real eggs, whether or not you boil them, will make a mess when dropped or tossed too hard, adding a layer of messy fun to the game. Pairs of players start close together with only a few feet between each member of the pair. After successfully tossing and catching the egg, the pairs move back a step each for a greater distance and another toss. Continue widening the gap to make the game more of a challenge.

Easter Egg Hunt Variations

Give a regular Easter egg hunt a twist for an interesting outdoor game. One option is to organize a treasure hunt instead of an Easter egg hunt. Create a map with locations marked for different Easter treats. You might leave eggs, baskets or small Easter toys in each marked location. Include a larger basket at the end of the treasure hunt. Another variation, suggested on the Kaboose website, is to write a letter on each egg. After the kids collect their eggs, they use the letters to spell out as many words as possible. A special prize goes to the child who creates the most words from her letters.

These are great simple ways to enjoy the holiday and get the most out of spring. Thank you to livestrong.com for these useful ideas.  If you would like to contact us with any questions or feedback, you can reach us by email.

Thank you for visiting!

Joseph A. Jones & The WellLife Team

Exercise Ideas for Couple's on Valentines Day

Valentines Day is arriving very soon. We enjoy the romance and everything but it would be nice to do something healthy and together. So, we need to find some fun exercise ideas for Valentines Day. We did just that for you. Here are our findings.

Sign Up for a Valentine's Day Race

Calories Burned: 288 calories per 30 minutes of running

Whether you're a seasoned runner looking to PR or a recreational runner looking for some fun; attached or unattached, get your heart pumping and celebrate Valentine's Day at a race. Usually themed runs are fun, laid back, and offer tons of entertainment and food. Why not make this Valentine's Day healthy and fun?

Take a Fitness Class

Calories Burned: 477 calories per 60 minutes of intense aerobic exercise

Break a sweat together as you lift weights and boost cardio. You and your partner can motivate each other to work out. This is a great way to push yourself to new heights. If you're single, sign up a singles fitness class. Meet your mate while doing something you like to do.

Dance, Dance, Dance

Calories Burned: 342 calories per 60 minutes of moderate dance

Whether you want to improve your wiggle dance or learn how to tango, dancing will get your heart rate up. Not only can you improve your coordination skills, but there's also something sensational about dancing with your partner. You don't have to be a pro to learn how to dance, be open-minded, have fun and watch your significant other move. Or, grab your friends for a fun evening of music and dancing.

Lace-Up Some Skates

Calories Burned: 342 calories per 60 minutes

Hold hands as you skate around a roller rink or ice rink and pretend you're a kid again. Spin and jump as you show off your amazing skating skills. Even if you're not an Olympic skater, trying a few tricks is always fun. You might end up with a few bumps or bruises, but just think about how much laughter will occur because you just let go and have fun.

Go Rock Climbing

Calories Burned: 747 calories per 60 minutes of rock climbing

Indoors or outdoors, rock climbing builds trust and confidence between you and your partner. Plus, rock climbing is a great way to build muscle. Challenge yourself; try something new and adventurous.

 These are fun activities that you can do with your loved one. A big thank you goes to active.com for their useful information concerning this topic. If you would like to contact us with any questions or feedback, you can reach us by email.

Thank you for visiting!

Joseph A. Jones & The WellLife Team

How To Set Up An Exercise Routine

A New Year is here. There are many people that want to start to exercise but have trouble with finding a proper exercise routine. That results in frustration and giving up  an opportunity to become healthy. Well, help is on the way. From our research , we found a realistic and easy way to follow an exercise routine.

A well-rounded program includes cardio, weight training and flexibility. Knowing how to put these together in a week of workouts can be confusing. Should you do cardio and strength training on the same day? Which one should you do first? This will depend on your goals, schedule and fitness level, which means there are endless ways to set up your workout program. Below are some basic guidelines for getting started with a complete exercise program.

• For Beginners: You should start slowly with a basic cardio program and a full body resistance training routine. You'll want to have recovery days to allow your body to rest and your muscles to heal from your new routine. A typical beginner program will include about 3 days of cardio and 2 days of strength training. If you're not sure about your fitness level, you can take the quiz, What's Your Fitness Level? to get insight and resources to help you get started. Below is a sample schedule just to give you an idea of a typical week of workouts

Sample Routine for Beginning Exercisers

Monday: Cardio 20-30 minutes. You can choose from one of the following Sample Cardio Workouts: Beginner Stationary Bike Beginner Walking Workout Beginner Elliptical Workout	Tuesday: Total Body Strength and core training. You can choose from one of the following Sample Strength Workouts: Beginner Total Body Strength Beginner Total Body Strength - Level 2 Beginner Total Body Strength - Level 3
Wednesday: Rest or gentle yoga/stretching	Thursday: Cardio-20-30 minutes. You can choose from one of the following Sample Cardio Workouts: Beginner Stationary Bike Beginner Walking Workout Beginner Elliptical Workout
Friday: Total Body Strength and core training. You can choose from one of the following Sample Strength Workouts: Beginner Total Body Strength Beginner Total Body Strength - Level 2 Beginner Total Body Strength - Level 3	Saturday: Cardio-20-30 minutes. You can choose from one of the following Sample Cardio Workouts: Beginner Stationary Bike Beginner Walking Workout Beginner Elliptical Workout

• For Intermediate Exercisers: If you've been exercising for a while and your goal is to lose weight, you want to shoot for 20-60 minutes of cardio about 5 or more times a week. Your strength training schedule will depend on what type of workouts you're doing (e.g., total body training or a split routine). You can do cardio and weight training on the same day, depending on your time constraints. It doesn't matter which one you do first, so vary your routine and try different combinations to find the one that is right for you.

• Sample Split Routine for Upper and Lower Body:

Monday: 30-Minute Cardio Medley Workout, Upper Body Training	Tuesday: 45-Minute Treadmill Interval Workout, Core Training
Wednesday: 30-Minute Low Impact Cardio Blast Workout (2 circuits), Lower body	Thursday: Rest, stretch or yoga
Friday: Total Body Strength or Circuit Training	Saturday: Cardio-60 minutes, stretch

• For Intermediate/Advanced Exercisers: If you're more advanced, you can split your routine further, focusing more attention on each muscle group. You can also increase the intensity of your cardio, incorporating interval training and other advanced techniques to burn calories and build endurance. 

• Sample Split Routing for Advanced Exercisers

  Monday: Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, HIIT Cardio	Tuesday: Lower Body and Core
  Wednesday: Back & Biceps, Boredom Buster Cardio	Thursday: Rest, stretch or yoga
  Friday: Basic Total Body Strength	Saturday: Advanced Intense Intervals

Now this should get you started on a realistic exercise routine and be sure to click the links for further information.Your road to health starts now.We thank about.com for this insightful article.If you would like to contact us with any questions or feedback, you can reach us by email.

Thank you for visiting!

Joseph A. Jones & The WellLife Team