Getting Better One Step at a Time

  • Creative Slow Cooker Meals

    Creative Slow Cooker Meals

    If you have a crock pot or slow cooker, you probably already know it makes a great stew, but you can get a little more creative, too. Keep some single-serving containers on hand, and you can freeze most of the recipe for an easy sack lunch or quick dinner option anytime. The photo above is…

  • Getting More Out of Gym Machines

    Getting More Out of Gym Machines

    Gym cardio machines are never perfect simulations of their outdoor equivalents, and their design considerations can affect your workout. Here are a few tips for using them well: — Engage your core muscles consistently to improve your movement and protect your back — Treadmills and stair climbers don’t give you much of a workout if…

  • Should I Join a Gym?

    Should I Join a Gym?

    This may seem like a newbie question, but it spans experience from “just starting” to “planning to compete.” Whether to join a gym is about psychology and interests more than exercise ability. In favor of joining a gym: Gyms are expensive, and if you aren’t looking for instruction, specialized equipment, or a place to pursue…

  • Are You a Binge Eater?

    Are You a Binge Eater?

    Nia Shanks has a nice post about the skills and mindset that helped her emerge from a diet–binge cycle. She emphasizes getting away from the cues that appear in “lose weight fast” pitches — like rigid, unsustainable rules and a laser focus on fat loss — in favor of thinking about positive actions you can…

  • Eating o’ the green

    Eating o’ the green

    St Patrick’s day is tomorrow. Why not celebrate with some green vegetables? Vegetarian Diet Tips offers a big long list of green vegetables, including some old favorites and some true exotics. Need suggestions for cooking them? Yumi’s Vegetable Cheat Sheet has you covered. Image by Ruth Hartnup

  • Tips for Better Sleep

    Tips for Better Sleep

    Good health is a chair with three legs: good nutrition, regular activity, and restful sleep. The more even the legs, the more stable we are. Most of us do much better at one or another of the three. Some people even sacrifice sleep to make sure they work out during the week, a pattern that…

  • Discovery and success

    Discovery and success

    jitenshasw shares her process of discovery and success — see the rest at her tumblr. No quick fixes here — just a willingness to ask herself tough questions and actively decide how she wanted to eat and move — and a journey that established the (different) way she wanted to live. This kind of change…

  • Does Your Pet “Help” You Exercise?

    Does Your Pet “Help” You Exercise?

    my cat thinks he’s my workout buddy but he’s actually killing me See the rest at illustratedkate.

  • Should I Do a 30-day Challenge?

    Should I Do a 30-day Challenge?

    There are lots of 30-day challenges floating around online, urging people to focus on their abs, “get a beach body,” or practice a skill like planking or bodyweight squats. Are they a good idea? In favor of a 30-day challenge: — Relatively brief, improving likelihood of success — A decent chunk of time, promoting a…