Congrats to FatFighterTV member – Angie – for winning last week’s giveaway for the set of Kim Lyons’ new DVDs, Start Fitness Now: Beating Type 2 Diabetes. Enjoy! And if you didn’t win, here’s another chance for you to try for the DVDs again – good luck!

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As obesity rates in children have been rising, we’ve heard how lack of exercise and a bad diet are to blame. Now, a surprising new study from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health says the amount of physical activity among U.S. teens has not changed that much over the past 20 years, but teens have still gotten heavier. So, is diet the only reason for the weight gain? Or will we see another study in the future with different results about how much teens are exercising?

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You’ve seen her whip contestants into shape on The Biggest Loser. Now celebrity personal trainer, Kim Lyons is taking on diabetes with her new workout DVD series, Start Fitness Now: Beating Type 2 Diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), diabetes now affects nearly 24 million people in the U.S. – up more than three-million in about two years – and obesity is a major risk factor for the type 2 diabetes epidemic. I recently spoke to Lyons about all this. She tells FatFighterTV, it’s time to turn things around now.

Diabetes-friendly workouts
One of the first things I wondered about these DVDs was how these workouts were different than others. What makes them specifically for diabetics? Lyons says they eliminate the exercise intimidation factor.

“A lot of the workout videos that are out there right now are very high intensity, and they’re the kind of videos that are going to draw in people that already exercise, whereas people that have diabetes or are struggling with obesity issues or both are going to really be intimidated by that,” Lyons tells FatFighterTV. “This is kind of a way to get people started and help them get off the couch. There are even workouts where they can sit down and get moving. A lot of people don’t even know they can exercise while they’re sitting down.”

Can you really get a good workout if you’re sitting down? Yes and no, says Lyons. The DVDs are designed for beginners, so while they may not benefit someone who already exercises, working out while sitting down may be just the right place to start for someone who’s new to physical activity.

Doctor’s orders
The workouts were developed with the help of Dr. Shaila Singh, a Diplomat of the American Association for Family Physicians (AAFP) who has managed type 2 diabetes and weight loss in patients for over 22 years.

“Recent research has really brought to light that you can almost halt the disease progression; you can change it, even,” says Dr. Singh. “People who have type 2 diabetes really can [stop being] type 2 diabetic just by exercise and healthy diet modification.”

Lyons adds, “I think it’s just really important to give those people hope and let them know that, yeah, you absolutely can change your life – just 20 minutes a day.”

Beyond the DVDs
Along with the DVDs, there is also an online support program that includes nutrition tips, recipes, and Q&As about diabetes with Dr. Singh, all at StartFitnessNow.com.

Giveaway
To tie in with American Diabetes Month, The Start Fitness Now: Beating Type 2 Diabetes 3-DVD set is giveaway #2 in FatFighterTV’s Winter Workouts (indoors) giveaway series. Again, the workouts are designed for diabetics who need to start a fitness routine, or other exercise beginners.

To enter for a chance to win, just tell me why you want to try these workouts… or if you want to give them to someone as a gift, why you think that person would enjoy them.

See you in the comments!

Contest runs through midnight EST this Friday, November 13, you have to have a U.S. mailing address to enter, and we will use random.org to pick the winner.

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Congrats to FatFighterTV member – Jen – for winning last week’s giveaway for the ExerciseTV DVDs. Enjoy! Thanks again, Exercise TV!

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Have your exercise habits changed in this down economy? A new poll finds more people are downsizing their workouts because of the recession. A couple of interesting things from the poll – sales of fitness equipment are down for the first time in 20 years, health club memberships decreased a little, and some regular exercisers are working out less.

Here are 7 popular food and fitness products during this recession.

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The answer, from a new study – it depends. Researchers stress not all weight-loss podcasts are equal, and caution that the programs should be engaging and offer sound diet and exercise advice or they won’t have much benefit. More on the most effective types of podcasts for weight loss here.

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Addicted to Twitter? Hooked on Facebook? Can’t get enough of your favorite websites? It seems there are so many more reasons to stay online these days… which means you’re doing a lot of sitting. By the end of the day it’s easy to feel tense, sore, and sedentary. But since this is just so unhealthy, check out this list of how to get fit while you’re online – exercises to get your heart rate up, help you tone up and de-stress. All at the comfort of your desk… or close by.  

1.Cyber Squats – Who says you have to sit when you’re online? Set your chair aside for a few minutes and instead do squats as you cruise around the Web. I’m squatting as I write this post – ouch!  Try these shotgun squats

2. RSS Raises – As you’re sitting at your desk, straighten your knees and lift your legs out in front of you. Do this as you catch up on your favorite blogs on your RSS reader. What the heck is RSS?

3. 10 Minute Move it! Break #1 – Alternate jogging in place with jumping jacks – do a minute of each and repeat five times.

4. Twitter Tummy Tone – Tighten your abs for 30 seconds and then release. Do this as you tweet. Tweet me here!

5. Social Squeezes – Tighten your glutes for 30 seconds and then release. (Good thing noone can see you at this social, right?) Repeat as you Stumble, Digg, or Friend on Facebook.

6. 10 Minute Move it! Break #2 – Grab a step stool and climb up and down – get creative if you like and alternate knee lifts at the top of the step. Or how ’bout a creative housecleaning workout break?

7. Inbox Incline – While you’re sitting with your feet on the floor, raise your heels so you are on the balls of your feet and lower them. Make sure you can feel it in your calves. Do this as you read and reply to your emails.

8. 10 Minute Move it! Break #3 – Do walking lunges around the house or office. Want to make it more challenging? Add some weights and do bicep curls at the same time. Or try some of Fitness Model, Jamie Eason’s plyometrics moves.

9. Blogger Breather – Grab a quick minute to just close your eyes and focus on your breath. Count to 10 as you slowly inhale through your nose, thinking positive thoughts. Exhale through your mouth, again counting to 10. This time release all the tension and stress out of your body. Repeat if you have a few more seconds.

10. Sign Off Stretches – Your shoulders can get pretty tense when you sit at a computer too long. So loosen them up throughout the day with Shoulder Shrugs – with your head at your chest, shrug your shoulders up and down. Repeat. Again. And again.

Do these exercises throughout the day to avoid becoming a computer potato!

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Brrr… just looking at this picture makes me shiver! I’ll be the first to admit that I am a big WINTER WIMP. When the weather is cold and dreary, I avoid going outside unless I absolutely have to. So, what about exercise? I might make it to the gym, but that would mean going outside to get in my car. Honestly, in the winter I am much more likely to workout with an exercise DVD in my warm home. I thought some of you might feel the same, so…  

Welcome to FatFighterTV’s Winter Workouts (indoors) giveaway series. Over the next few months, we will be giving away DVDs twice a month so you can keep working out without stepping out into the cold.

[Disclosure: I received a complimentary sample of these products. My policy is to only post giveaways about products I honestly like, or those I think FatFighterTV members would enjoy.]

ExerciseTV is kicking things off with these two DVDs:

Powerade Zero: Less Is More Workout Series – This is a 30 minute calorie burning workout. It’s cardio for your entire body, including pushups, core training, jump steps, and more! See a preview clip here.

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD – This workout from “The Biggest Loser” trainer, Jillian Michaels, is based on Jillian’s 3-2-1 Strength/Cardio/Ab training circuit: Three minutes of strength, two minutes of cardio and one minute of ab work. See a preview clip here.

One winner will get both DVDs. I thought it would be fun to get to know a little more about where all of you live. So, head down to the comments and tell me where you are, and the time and temperature there as you’re reading this.

I am in Columbus, Ohio… it’s now 10 pm and it’s 40 degrees – not too cold YET!

See you in the comments!

Contest runs through midnight EST this Friday, November 6, you have to have a U.S. mailing address to enter, and we will use random.org to pick the winner.

[Photo Credit: stock.xchng]

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What is it about city and state rankings that we all love so much? Maybe just a good healthy competition between our hometowns? Some FFTV favorites have been Obesity Per State, America’s Fittest Cities, and the Best and Worst Walking Cities. Now, SELF magazine has released the Healthiest Places For Women. In at number one…

Burlington, VT. According to SELF, women there have low rates of diabetes, cholesterol, hypertension, smoking, and cervical and ovarian cancer deaths. Residents exercise and walk to work in large numbers. And Burlington has more farmers’ markets than any town on the list, with most now taking food stamps to help more people eat right.

SELF looked at the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas and came up with their ranking based on many factors, including rates of diseases, access to health care, air quality, crime rates, exercise, diet and smoking. So, here are the best and worst of the list…

2009 Healthiest Places for Women, according to SELF Magazine and Self.com:

1. Burlington, VT
2. Bethesda, MD
3. Portland, ME
4. Cambridge, MA
5. San Francisco, CA
6. Honolulu, HI
7. Stamford-Norwalk-Bridgeport, CT
8. Madison, WI
9. Santa Barbara–Santa Maria, CA
10. Fargo, ND

In at the bottom… 2009 Unhealthiest Places for Women, according to SELF Magazine and Self.com:

90. Dayton, OH
91. Daytona Beach–Deltona–Ormond Beach, FL
92. Las Vegas–Paradise, NV
93. El Paso, TX
94. Birmingham-Hoover, AL
95. St. Louis, MO
96. Toledo, OH
97. Indianapolis-Carmel, IN
98. Oklahoma City, OK
99. Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, MI
100. Tulsa, OK

Some other interesting results from the report:

• Exercises most: Madison, WI

• Exercises least- Miami, FL

• Fewest health clubs: El Paso, TX

• Most health clubs – Portland, ME

• Most fast food outlets: Nassau-Suffolk counties, NY

• Fewest fast food outlets – Provo, UT

• Cleanest water: Raleigh, NC

• Most allergies and asthma: San Francisco, CA

• Most toxic sites: Riverside, CA

• Least unemployment: Billings, MT

• Most unemployment: Detroit, MI

• Longest commute: New York, NY

• Fewest STDs: Rockingham County, NH

• Fewest Pap smears: Las Vegas, NV

See the complete list from SELF here.

So, how did your hometown do? Where I live – Columbus, OH  – is #78.

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It doesn’t take much. New research shows just a little exercise can help you feel better about yourself. Results show regular exercise boosts your body image, but the duration, intensity, length or type of exercise doesn’t matter. So, get moving! You’ll feel good physically and mentally.

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