5 Outdoor Summer Activities for Families

Summer is the time of year when outdoor activities become part of your every life. The weather is beautiful and it is the time to relax, soak up some sun and spend some quality time with your family. There are so many outdoor summer activities to choose from. Many of which are ideal for families. It is impossible to be bored when you have the great outdoors and an amazing family to spend time with. Here are five outdoor summer activities for families.

1. Plant a Garden

Planting a garden is a great outdoor activity for families. It gives you and your family the chance to create something beautiful while working together. Not only is planting a garden a great family activity but it is a great way to improve the look of your front or back yard. We always recommend applying an FGX power strip afterwards especially if you had been carrying a lot of soil.

2. Spend a Week at a National Forest

Whether you choose to camp in a tent or stay at a hotel, spending a week at a national forest offer endless possibilities. You and your family can explore all that nature has to offer in addition to taking part in amazing outdoor activities. At a national forest you have the opportunity to go rock climbing, hike or even go fishing.

3. Hike and Forage for Food

For families who like to hike together as well as cook together go foraging for food. Plan a fruit and/or vegetable hike and gather a harvest that can later be incorporated into a healthy and delicious meal. Once you are home come up with a few recipes that your family can make together.

4. Spend a Day at the Beach

If you live near the ocean plan a day at the beach with the family. You can enjoy the weather and splash around in the ocean.

5. Take a Hot Air Balloon Ride

Families who are a little more adventurous should consider taking a hot air balloon ride together. You can soar the skies while bonding with your loved ones. This family activity is truly unforgettable.

Overall, there are so many outdoor summer activities for families. Whether you are looking for a relaxing activity or something more adventurous the options are endless. Visits the FG express team for more ideas. Summer is all about relaxing and spending time with the people you love so take advantage of it!

Posted in Health Tips | Leave a comment

Fast food Restaurants: Are there any Healthy Choices?

Everyone knows that it is not healthy to eat at fast food restaurants. Even a single cheeseburger can increase your calorie intake. These foods are the main reason why increasingly more persons are faced with obesity problems today. If you are changing your daily eating habits to live a healthier lifestyle, this could become a problem if fast food is only option for lunch. This means that you might be wondering if it is possible to get healthy choices at these restaurants.

Fast food Restaurants: Are there any Healthy Choices?

Fast foods are not healthy choices for persons who are serious about losing weight or staying in good shape, but at times they might be the only other option besides starvation. Thankfully there are ways that you can reduce the unhealthy effects that many fast foods will have on your diet.

The first basic step to take towards healthy eating is to watch your food portions. Choose the smallest size meals instead of supersizing.

Another suggestion is to avoid high calorie drinks and foods. You could opt for diet sodas or ask for pure water, which is even better. If possible, you should get sandwiches with whole grain bread.

This other basic suggestion would require you to plan carefully before going to a fast food restaurant. Nearly all of these restaurants have website where you can view the nutrition information for various foods. This includes information on the fat, sodium and fiber content. With nutrition information provided for specific foods, you could know which sandwich to get as well as which toppings to avoid or choose.

Now, if you are not able to do this research before going to the fast food restaurants, you could examine the menu carefully while waiting in the line. If done correctly, this will be a good way to make better decisions about healthy choices. If not, you could make a guess and then discover later on that you actually had a meal with loads of cholesterol, calories and saturated fat. Fortunately, all will not be lost as you could make adjustments to the foods that you are eating for the rest of the day. This way, you will not consume more than your daily caloric requirement and you definitely won’t make that mistake again.
One more recommendation is to choose a couple of the healthy side orders, instead of a sandwich or burger.

As you can see, the fast foods might not be healthy choices but there are ways that you can avoid the saturated fats, calories and cholesterol. Keep these suggestions in mind for the next time when you have to eat at the fast food restaurants. Just ensure that you research the caloric and nutritional value carefully and avoid eating these foods on a regular basis.

Posted in Diet, Nutrition | Tagged | Leave a comment

Understanding Jeet Kune Do

jeet-kune-doWhen it comes to taking up one or other form of martial arts, learning a little about the origins of your chosen discipline can help you come to terms with the true psychology of the sport. For those who want to take on the study of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Fairfax in Virginia is an excellent place to get a well-rounded grounding in many of the disciplines, including the popular Jeet Kune Do.

The legend of Lee

The name Bruce Lee is synonymous with Jeet Kune Do, and while many non-professionals may not know it, the reason is because, in fact, he was the one who developed the discipline in the latter part of his career. While most people put his name together with Kung Fu, due to his highly successful Hollywood movie career, Lee’s dedication to Jeet Kune Do is certainly not as well known.

Cut down in his prime, the legend of Lee lives on, perhaps even larger in death than during the life of the great man himself. A testament to his appeal is that even those who have no interest or association with the sport or his movies are familiar with his name and he has become a part of urban lore – although this almost certainly would not have been his aim. He, along with his contemporaries Jean Claude Van Damm, Jet Li, Jackie Chan and of course Chuck Norris, have gone a long way to bringing a little-understood art form into the mainstream consciousness. For those new to the discipline, MMA Fairfax instructors will be more than happy to introduce you to the ethos of Bruce Lee.

The difference between Jeet Kune Do and Kung Fu

Before the 20th century many of the disciplines were known by their specific names and the term Kung Fu became used more as an umbrella term. As Bruce Lee’s became more and more skilled and his style refined, the rigid and regimented movements of the martial arts he practised caused him a great deal of frustration. He went on to develop his own, unique style that, although retaining many of the original movements and techniques, was regarded as ground-breaking and hugely innovative – Jeet Kune Do was born.

If you’re looking for an exact science of the similarities and differences between Kung Fu and Jeet Kune Do you may have to go back to the drawing board. Because, in fact, it is the principles of adaptability, flexibility and the willingness to expect and do the unexpected that forms the very ethos of Jeet Kune Do. Lee believed that one needed to “feel” the discipline and their opponents psyche rather than follow a regimented and robotic regime of movements. He took movements from many disciplines to form the basis of Jeet Kun Do, and his approach revolutionised MMA. Fairfax teachers will be more than happy to explain the principles further and invite you to see the discipline in action.

The modern styles of fighting

When it comes to MMA, Fairfax teachers have a wealth of experience at their fingertips. While Bruce Lee cannot be credited with developing the modern disciplines of MMA, it is his forward and radical thinking that helped shape many of the techniques used today. When learning MMA, Fairfax centers focus not only on the techniques required in order to participate, but they also pay great attention to the mental and spiritual growth that enables someone to become a true proponent of the disciplines.

Posted in Exercise | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Building Your Own Power Rack

For a few important reasons, I’ve been wanting to start working out at home. I’m in a new job that gives me the flexibility to come in earya nd leave early, so instead of an extended lunch (which was my workout time in the past) I can be home by 3:15 in the afternoon and work out there.

Also, my son just turned 14. He’s tinkered with some dumbbells and weighted work-out bars in the past, but recenetly he’s been more interested in a structured workout routine.

I poked around on Craigslist a but, but even used power racks run a couple of hundred dollars. I decided it would be a fun project to build one with my son.

A bit of searching and I found some good wooden power rack plans.  It seemed pretty simple, my neighbor had a drill press, so oever the weekend we built it. We do big lift compound exercises: squats, deadlift, bench press, military press, chins (I added a chin up bar). I keep my son’s weight’s lighter, making sure he does good form. I want him to be able to get at least 8 reps.

We’ve been using it a few weeks now and it’s going great!

The rack seems pretty stable, although if you’re a serious lifter I’m not sure it would be enough. For somone squatting arounf 250 – 275 max (like me) it works fine. But if you were a Big Dude doing 350 plus… maybe not.

It ened up being about $100 in supplies and a fun weekend project. If you’re looking to get a good setup for a home workout, this homemade power rack. might be it.

Posted in Weight Training | Leave a comment

It Starts in the Kitchen

Let’s look each other in the eye here and tell the truth. You want to lose a few pounds. You’ve been saying that for a while now. You’ve probably even gained a few pounds while you’ve been saying it. Likely, you’re most common complaint is: but I just don’t have the time to work out.

I’ve got some news for you: losing weight starts in the kitchen.

That’s right. Losing weight is all about what you eat. Getting in shape and losing weight are two different things. Now you can certainly do them both as the same time (they tend to support each other), but you don’t need to do one to do the other.

So if you’ve been coasting along on the I don’t have time excuse, I’m going to burst that bubble.

Let’s say you’re a guy pushing 210 pounds. Jogging for 10 minutes will burn around 100 calories (about 10 calories per minute). Guess what? One Oreo cookie has 70 calories. That’s 7 minutes of jogging to burn off one Oreo cookie! Now what’s easier? Jogging for 7 minutes or not eating that Oreo. It takes 1 second to decide not to stuff that Oreo down your throat.

And that’s the way it is for everything. If your primary concern is to lose weight, start with the food you eat (or don’t eat). Four easy ways to lose weight:

  • No more sugared drinks (soda, sweet tea, fruit juice, Gatorade, etc.). Drink water, coffee or tea with no sugar added, or diet sodas. No, you won’t get cancer, and no, aspartame won’t give you brain cancer. It also won’t stimulate and insulin response and make you fatter.
  • No more bread. I hear you moaning, but do you want to lose weight or not? If you’re a sandwich addict, use wraps instead. Whole wheat wraps have less than half the calories of bread.
  • No seconds. Eat one plate and one plate only.
  • No dessert. Have to have something sweet? Eat an apple. Or diet yogurt.

That’s it. That’s your start. Just doing these four simple things will get you going on your weight loss journey. You’ll be surprised as how quickly the pounds will come off just from doing these four easy things. And once you’re lighter on your feet, activities will follow.

What are you waiting for?

Posted in Getting Started, Losing Weight | Tagged | Leave a comment