Health and Fitness in 2013

Happy New Year's, everyone! Have you started writing your list of New Year's resolutions? New beginnings often call for some changes. Sometimes it can be difficult to quit habits or change your lifestyle, but now is a good time to focus on your health. A new year is a great time to set some resolutions to get healthy. Your resolutions can be as simple as waking up 15 minutes earlier for a quick run or as challenging as quitting smoking.

Let Become.com help you reach your personal health and fitness goals in 2013. This guide is here to help you reach those health goals. Just remember: changes can be tough in the beginning, but ultimately these changes might lead to a healthier 'you.' You can do it!

5 bad habits you can quit in 2013:

Eating junk food, smoking, and procrastinating are some common bad habits that many people can quit. Other common bad habits include cracking knuckles, biting nails, chewing ice, not exercising, and lying. Read on for some tips and advice for quitting bad habits.

Eating junk food:

Food is considered "junk food" when it has little or no nutritional value. Junk food often tastes good because it has a lot of sugar, salt, or fat, which people commonly crave. However, too much sugar, salt, and fat can be unhealthy. Excessively eating junk food may lead to poor health. To avoid this unhealthy food, try packing fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and dairy in food storage containers to carry with you throughout the day.

Smoking:

Every year hundreds of thousands of people around the world die from diseases caused by smoking. The dangers of smoking are not new. It leads to a variety of cancers. Smoking strains your heart and blood vessels. Diseases like emphysema are caused by smoking. It slowly rots your lungs and is a slow and painful way to die. This New Year, make the resolution to quit smoking. There are a variety of aids available to help you quit. You will not regret it.

Procrastination:

Procrastination can be a small habit for some and a very bad habit for others. Procrastination stems from anxiety, and as you procrastinate, your anxiety continues to grow. The best way to combat this anxiety and procrastinating is to make a habit of starting projects early. How do you start projects early? One way to start is to make lists. A list will organize your thoughts and help you to prioritize the steps involved in a project. Place these lists in a weekly planner along with your weekly appointments.

Not getting enough sleep:

Sleep is a state of reduced consciousness, reduced sensory activity, and inactivity of most voluntary muscles. Sleep rejuvenates our immune system and strengthens our memory processing. Scientists often agree that seven to eight hours of sleep a night is a "good" amount for people. Of course, the amount of sleep you need depends on your age, genetics, etc. Can't fall asleep at night? Try a calming cup of chamomile tea. Can't wake up in the morning? Try a red alarm clock or an LCD atomic clock.

Disorganization:

Disorganization congests your life. Perhaps your closet is cluttered, or you workstation is covered in paperwork, or your bedroom is a mess. An organized person enjoys the advantage of a clutter free mind and can often find whatever they need much faster than a disorganized person. Try to be more organized this year, and you can start with your bedroom. You can start simple - get a sock drawer organizer to keep your socks in order. Or try an underbed organizer if you need additional space to store your stuff.

Easy ways to start eating right:

A common New Year’s Resolution for many people is to "eat healthy." It is an ambitious goal considering people’s lifestyles and work schedules. We're so busy that it's hard to take the time to prepare healthy, fresh food. It's easy to stick to a diet of prepackaged, unhealthy food. The key to keeping up a diet is to start simple and work your way up. Don't quit fried foods and sweets suddenly and completely. Perhaps replace one meal at a time with only healthy foods. Instead of a burger at lunch, try a salad with vegetables and grilled chicken. Beware of salad dressings! Many dressings are very unhealthy and filled with calories.

The best way to ensure that you stick to your diet is to learn everything you can about food. Understanding what your body needs to stay healthy is pivotal to eating right. For example, your body thrives on whole grain carbohydrates, fresh vegetables and fruits of all kinds, and small amounts of lean meats and calcium-filled dairy. You can find books and magazines at your local library or bookstore that will explain exactly how your body utilizes the vitamins and minerals found in this food. These books will also explain why a diet of fast food and prepared foods is damaging to your health. Read on for more tips on slowly incorporating a more healthy diet into your lifestyle.

Calories:

We derive calories from food. These calories are converted into energy. Extra calories are stored in our bodies as fat. We can get rid of these extra calories by being active. The amount of calories a person needs depends on many factors, including her/his activity level, genes, age, etc. Talk to your doctor about the calorie intake that is appropriate for you. Your doctor will also be able to tell you the best foods to get these calories. You can use an Omron pedometer to measure calories burned while exercising.

Starting simple:

Making a healthy, permanent diet change needs to happen slowly and steadily. This means slowly incorporating healthy foods into your diet. Instead of getting fried chicken on your salad, try plain grilled chicken. Instead of a bag of potato chips, try an apple or cucumber with hummus. Instead of three scoops of ice cream try two scoops. You can subscribe to a fitness magazine for more ideas and inspiration on slowly changing your diet.

Step it up:

After a few weeks of slowly incorporating healthier foods into your diet, it's time to start stepping it up. That means really focusing on avoiding unhealthy foods. That doesn't mean giving up on everything that you love! It means being aware of how much you consume. After a few months of eating mostly fresh healthy food you'll notice that you also crave those healthy foods. But of course every once in awhile we just have to have some delicious salty potato chips. That's fine! Just try not to over eat these foods.

Exercise:

Exercise has numerous benefits, including reducing the likelihood of getting chronic illnesses later in life, improving your mood, managing your weight, increasing your energy, improving your sleep, and more. Talk to your doctor about the right kind of exercise routine that's best for you. If you lead a busy lifestyle, you can always try to incorporate a little bit of exercise into every day life. Perhaps take the stairs instead of the elevator and use an exercise ball instead of the sofa when watching TV.

All-in-one exercise machines to help make fitness more convenient:

Fitness was never meant to be convenient or easy. But ProForm fitness equipment might make fitness a little more convenient and easy. ProForm is a name associated with fitness since treadmills became popular exercise machines. They were the first ones to build treadmills with the world famous fold-away design. Today, ProForm continues to build fitness equipment of the highest quality and innovation. They have state-of-the-art features in cushioning, electronics, and technology. Almost all premium gymnasiums provide ProForm fitness equipment and professional fitness trainers swear by the fitness equipment from ProForm. Sole also makes high quality fitness equipment and is often the preferred choice of top hotel chains. Sole's treadmills are long-lasting and easy-to-use. They provide great value with excellent workmanship and warranties.

ProForm ZT5:

The ProForm ZT5 comes with a 0-10% Quick Incline that allows you to increase the intensity of your workout so that you can effortlessly increase the incline. With this feature, you can burn more calories and minimize the impact on your joints. Notable features of the ProForm ZT5 also include the 20”x55” Running Treadbelt that allows you to track the progress of your workout in a simple track-style display and the 0-10 MPH QuickSpeed that lets you instantly modify the speed with the touch of a button.

Sole F63 treadmill:

The Sole F63 treadmill, at the sale price of $999, offers unparalleled value. It folds easily for storage and comes with six workout programs and a hand pulse grip with a wireless chest strap. The treadmill inclines up to 15% and includes speeds up to 10mph. This treadmill also contains built in speakers and a 2.5 HP motor. The treadmill is extremely easy to use and is very accommodating.

ProForm Elliptical:

ProForm Ellipticals are another series of fitness equipment from ProForm that are making waves in the fitness world. ProForm has released many new variants in this series and each one of them has a vast range of features and workout routines to help you get fit. A ProForm elliptical delivers a better workout because it exercises the lower and upper body at the same time without stressing your joints. Profrom ellipticals are great for fast results and wide range of workout routines.

ProForm ZE9:

The ProForm ZE9 has 20 resistance levels, an in-handle Quick-Touch that allows you to adjust your incline and resistance, and a built-in iPod music port for you to work out to your favorite music. This elliptical has been engineered with a higher incline for a better workout. It also has a curved design, heart rate and distance readout, and a high resolution display.

ProForm 10.0 ZE:

The ProForm 10.0 ZE has an Intermix Acoustics sound system and 12 digital resistance levels. It also has a CoolAire Workout Fan integrated into it. ProForm Ellipticals are great for exercising at home and are engineered to deliver results in fitness. This machine has the ability to adjust stride length in order to achieve greater muscle definition. This machine also has a heart rate monitor and oversized, slip resistant pedals.