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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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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Over at Does This Blog Make Us Look Fat?, they are traveling into the future and playing mind games. It’s all about pretending to be at your weight/fitness goal. Why on earth would you do that? Find out here!

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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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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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(Lose It! app, Photo Credit: Apple)

Health and fitness applications for Blackberries, iPhones, and other mobile phones keep popping up, but I have yet to use one. I’m pretty boring with my apps, still fascinated by the ones that let me know the weather and time in different cities and countries! But after seeing Apple’s list of its top FREE health and fitness apps, I think I’m ready to take my apps to the next level.

1. Lose It!
Set diet and exercise goals and stay on track by recording your food and workouts easily using a searchable database. You can also quickly re-enter foods you’ve had in the past.

2. SixPack App
Features more than 100 exercises with detailed explanations of not just how to do them, but why. Comes with pictures showing proper technique and illustrations of which muscle groups you use in each exercise.

3. WebMD Mobile
Trusted medical information on the go. You can look up symptoms, find drug or treatment information, and answers to your every day health questions.

4. Weight Watchers Mobile
Track your food and activity from anywhere, plus search more than 31,000 food options and calculate POINTS values anytime.

5. Restaurant Nutrition
View nutrition information about restaurant menus and track what you eat. More menu information will be added to the database over time.

All five of these apps can be used with both the iPhone and the iPod touch. And check out That’s Fit’s list of these FREE fitness apps.

Since a cell phone is something many of us have with us at all times, it seems like the perfect tool to track our food and exercise, and get health info on the go, doesn’t it? I’m going to start with the WebMD Mobile and Restaurant Nutrition apps.

Do you use any health and fitness apps? Which ones do you like?

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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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Congrats to FatFighterTV members – Gossipista, Tiff, bison61, aclover09, and Jeff – for winning last week’s giveaway for the Febreze SPORT Extreme Odor Eliminator. Enjoy the de-stinking!

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