April Exercise Motivational Quotes

"Live life to the fullest and you will never find an excuse not to exercise."
- Charles Moffat

"Good for the body is the work of the body, and good for the soul is the work of the soul, and good for either is the work of the other."

- Henry David Thoreau
 
"Give thanks for what you are now, and keep fighting for what you want to be tomorrow."

- Fernanda Miramontes-Landeros
 
"Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty."

- Frank Herbert
 
"The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself; to be conquered by yourself is of all things most shameful and vile."

- Plato
 
"Excess on occasion is exhilirating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit."

- W. Somerset Maugham

"The vow that binds too strictly snaps itself."

- Alfred Lord Tennyson

"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do."
- Leonardo da Vinci

"Successful people aren't born that way. They become successful by establishing the habit of doing things unsuccessful people don't like to do. The successful people don't always like these things themselves; they just get on and do them."
- Unknown

"Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment."
- Oprah Winfrey

"The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results."
- Anthony Robbins

"Little by little one walks far"
- Peruvian Proverb 

"Sometimes the most urgent thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest."
- Ashleigh Brilliant
 
"Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work."
- Ralph Marston
 
"Rest: the sweet sauce of labor."
- Plutarch
 
"It is not good for all our wishes to be filled; through sickness we recognize the value of health; through evil, the value of good; through hunger, the value of food; through exertion, the value of rest."
- Dorothy Canfield Fisher 

"I still need more healthy rest in order to work at my best. My health is the main capital I have and I want to administer it intelligently."
- Ernest Hemingway

Seven Strange Competitive Sports

Looking for a sport you can have a lot of fun doing?

Well there is a lot of strange sports out there - and some of them are surprisingly fun to do.

#1. Cheese Rolling

The goal? Beat a giant Double Gloucester roll of cheese to the bottom of a hill.

#2. Chess Boxing

Alternating rounds of boxing with chess... Not kidding. There is even a World Chess Boxing Organization.

#3. Underwater Hockey aka Octopush

Yes, it is basically just hockey under water. Sounds easy, right?

#4. Fistball

Basically like soccer... but you use your fists.

#5. Bog Snorkeling

Swim through a thick peat bog using naught but snorkel and flippers.

#6. The Annual Man Vs Horse Marathon

Exactly what it sounds like. The man actually has a fair chance of winning because horses aren't that good over rough terrain or longer distances.

#7. Wife Carrying

Invented in Finland, but also popular in the USA...

Dog Jogging for Beginners

Rule #1. Don't walk your dog - JOG YOUR DOG.

Rule #2. Use a short or medium length leash - this way as your dog jogs, you have to keep up according to their speed. For best results get a leash that goes around your waist.

Rule #3. Stop to drink once in awhile - Give your dog a drink too!

Rule #4. Jog the same speed as your dog is jogging. Not too fast, not too slow.

Rule #5. When your dog is tired it is time for a break!

Rule #6. If your dog is really big or really small you will need to learn to be either faster or slower while jogging.

Rule #7. Avoid areas with high traffic. Less busy streets are best.

Rule #8. Skip your iPod for once. Listen to the sound of your heart and your feet (and your dog's feet) on the pavement.

Rule #9. Eat something after you are done jogging. A protein shake, a boiled egg, chocolate milk - something with protein in it. Feed your dog too!

Rule #10. Remember, DOG JOGGING IS FUN. And the beauty of it is because your dog wants to go jogging it forces you to stick to a schedule.

Note: There is even COMPETITIVE DOG JOGGING. Nothing like a frugal competitive sport to get you in the mood to exercise!

Balancing Your Carb Intake

Many dieters are low carb crazed. While nutritionists will agree that going easy on carbohydrates is a good thing, cutting out carbs entirely is really unhealthy.

What Do Carbohydrates Do For You?

Carbs are your brain food, the fuel that gives energy to your heart and muscles all through the day. Carbs are good for you, but too much of a good thing can also be bad for you.

 

Balancing your carb intake means focusing on whole grains, brown rice and healthier alternatives like whole wheat pasta. Avoid white bread, white rice, pasta. Also try bulgar, quinoa, beans and lentils.

What Will No Carbohydrates Do To You?

A low carb diet will make you lose weight. Unfortunately this will be mostly water weight. This is not a diet that can be sustained. Eventually your body will be unable to resist carbohydrates, and you will gain the water weight back. You will also experience very low energy, headaches, and stomach upset.

Striking The Carbohydrate Balance

Vegetables are a carbohydrate but gluten free and lighter than traditional rice and pasta dishes. Try a vegetable and chicken (or tofu) stir fry, but then the next day, try a bulgar, bean and vegetable stew. There is no harm in trying new foods.

By giving your body different types of meals to process, you will keep the metabolism working hard, and it won't grow accustomed to the same old thing. Some nutritionists believe that support that this "carb cycling" method speeds up the metabolism and aids in weight loss.

5 Tips to Help You Live Longer

#1. Force yourself to eat healthy. Learn what is good and bad for you and start avoiding the bad stuff.

#2. Learn to have fun eating healthy. Learn which healthy foods you enjoy the most and step #1 will be ridiculously easy once you get started.

#3. Be active well into your old age. If your muscles and bones deteriorate due to lack of exercise then you are much more likely to have poor balance... fall and break your hip... become bedridden... your healthy deteriorates further... and kaput, you're done! (Seriously, I've lost track of the number of people I know of who died because of their poor exercise levels resulted in them falling, breaking a hip and then their health falls to pieces within a short time period.)

#4. Start being more active now. Don't wait for later. Being active now will add years to your life and your quality of living.

#5. You only live once, so overcoming your mental laziness is your first step to overcoming physical laziness.

BONUS - Find something energetic that you enjoy doing and keep doing it well into your old age - and you won't just live longer, you will pass on your passion (eg. like your passion for bicycles) to the next generation of your family.