Note: This is the first in a series on diet tips this week
Eating healthy is one of the toughest things to do for people with busy lifestyles.
As soon as people hit a day where it’s rush, rush, rush, when it’s time to eat they often head for a fast-food drive through or order carry out. Most times those dinner choices are going to be less nutritious unless you’re very careful about what menu items you order.
In order to avoid being caught in the “what’s for dinner?” trap, the best thing to do is plan ahead. Here are some tips on how to plan out meals in advance:
Jot down ideas – Get the whole family involved when you have some free time, like on a Sunday night, and jot down a bunch of future meals the family might like. Research on your own, too.
Make a grocery list – Get the items you’ll need in advance and look for time-saving steps, such as using frozen vegetables instead of preparing them all straight from the produce counter.
Stock up on food staples – Have items such as milk, cereal, whole grain bread, pasta, rice, tortillas, cheese, tomatoes and lettuce on hand. If these healthy items are available they will help you avoid eating poorly in a rush.
Plan out the week – Write down the meal plan for the week and think about possibly cooking a meal or two ahead of time. Some people like to make bigger portions and then freeze half to eat later.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com

One of the great mysteries of exercising to many people is this: “How do I shape up my glutes?”
Most people can recognize a well-shaped butt when we see one, but getting it themselves can seem near impossible. People either feel their butt is too big, too small, or too soft.
Even for people who workout regularly, with so much emphasis on core strength such as sit-ups and planks, even they leave out key exercises for the glute.
If you want to improve the shape of your hind quarters, here are my super seven exercises to improve your glutes:
Squats – Hands down one of the top two or three exercises there is in general, squats are a functional movement that works the hips, thighs and glutes. Not only will squats help shape up your glutes, but they’ll build excellent overall strength.
Lunges – Another excellent exercise, lunges are a great thing to do after a run or as part of your workout. You can hold dumbbells while doing them or go without. They’ll work your glutes and hamstrings on the front leg, while the back leg will fire up the quads and calves. There are many different ways to perform lunges, such as side to side, static lunges and low lunges.
Single-leg deadlift – Standing on one leg with the other behind you and in the air, keep shoulders back and straight and hinge forward. Then reach toward the floor. Return to starting position and repeat. You can hold a dumbbell for added difficulty. Will really work the glutes and hamstrings.
Side-lying leg lift – Lay on a mat or the floor and do these for another great way to work the glutes, along with abs. Strap on ankle weights to make these tougher.
Step-ups – Step on to and off of a raised platform to get a good workout of the glutes, along with calves and rest of the legs. Do them slowly and don’t stay in bottom position long to keep the emphasis on the glutes.
Biking – A fun way to get a great workout for the glutes is to go for a bike ride, either outside on the road or trail or on an exercise bike.
Run or walk – Finally, the most natural way to work out your glutes and many other body parts is to go for a walk or run. Stay indoors on a treadmill or explore the great outdoors. To get more glute action involved, use the treadmill on an incline or seek a hilly route outside.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com

Spring Break will arrive within the next month or two for countless high school and college students, along with many adults who want to get away as well. If you are among the many people who will be going somewhere warmer and want to improve your physique, here are 5 tips to tone up quickly before spring break.
1. Do high-impact workouts – Instead of plodding along on the treadmill or elliptical machine for a half hour or more, do high-impact, interval training workouts. Go hard for a few minutes at a time, back off to a slower pace for a minute and then repeat the process several times.
2. Take the same approach when you lift weights – work out harder with short rests between sets and strive to finish your routine faster.
This can actually be a more fun way to exercise because you’re working harder and get done a lot quicker.
3. Lift weights 3-4 times per week – Perform strength training exercises 3-4 times per week at home or at a gym. Use dumbbells, barbells, home gyms or even your own body weight to work your muscles.
By increasing muscle mass you also increase resting metabolism, which will help burn more calories even when the body is at rest.
4. Lose weight the right way – It’s always better to try to lose weight by improving your diet and exercising. Crash diets that aren’t helped by exercise can wind up with the body breaking down muscle tissue for fuel.
5. Try to be more active in general – Do things like take the stairs instead of the elevator and park farther away from the store or workplace.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com

Working out in a public gym, or sometimes even in the privacy of your home exercise room can be intimidating, especially for beginners.
There are lots of questions or insecurities a person can have. Some common concerns might be questions such as: Am I doing enough? Am I doing the exercises right? Will I ever reach my goals? What should my goals be?
Here are my top five tips for people to boost their self-confidence about exercising and alleviate some of the above mentioned concerns:
1. Be consistent – If you exercise 3-4 times or more per week, that’s a great step in the right direction. Consistency will win out every time over getting a super workout in once or twice a month, but not doing much else. Set up a workout program by researching and goal-setting yourself, or talking to a fitness expert. Be consistent in the way you perform exercises also and ask a trainer or qualified fitness person if you’re not sure of the proper form. If you can follow through with consistent exercising, you’ve taken a big step in the right direction.
2. Step up your workouts – If you feel like you can give a little more effort, then do so. Add an extra day of training here or there, or add on a few additional exercises during a workout if you’re feeling extra motivation. This will help you feel even better about yourself after the workout.
3. Make exercising enjoyable – Include exercises you enjoy in your workout. As an adult, you’re not in “Uncle Joe’s” middle school gym class anymore being told to do exercises you hate, such as trying to “climb the rope” or do “burp-ees” (aka up-downs). You should have a well-rounded exercise program for sure, but incorporate as many exercises that you like to do and it will be easier – and more fun – to stick to.
4. Write it down – Keeping a training log is an excellent way to monitor your progress, set goals and stay motivated. If you are doing particularly well or poorly in certain areas of training, a written record will help you make adjustments in your down time. Perhaps you can show the training log to a trainer and get some added tips.
5. Don’t be too hard on yourself – Finally, if you have a slip-up or two with missed workouts, or feel flat during a session, don’t get too down on yourself. Try to get back to exercising as soon as possible so that a bad few days or week doesn’t turn into a lost month or more. It’s easy to get back on track after a few missed days, but can be like starting over if you slack off for months.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com

Spring Break will arrive within the next month or two for countless high school and college students, along with many adults who want to get away as well. If you are among the many people who will be going somewhere warmer and want to improve your physique, here are 5 tips to lose weight quickly before Spring Break.
1. Losing weight comes down to making good food choices, exercising and some pretty simple math. You must eat fewer calories than you’re burning each day.
2. If you have a good three or more weeks until your trip, it’s possibly to drop 5-10 pounds. If you’re really serious about losing weight, the first thing to do is to completely cut out drinking soda. Also, eliminate fast food and reduce alcohol intake, which I know may be hard for many college spring breakers.
3. Drop your total daily calorie intake and understand that the types of calories you consume play a big part as well.
4. Eat healthier. Avoid empty calories that provide little nutritional value, such as junk food loaded with sugar, soda pop, and white breads or white rice. You’ll digest those foods quickly and be left more hungry that if you eat more natural foods. Instead, turn to foods like fruit, vegetables, natural oatmeal and whole grain breads. Eat more small meals through the day, incorporating healthy snacks such as carrot sticks, a peanut butter sandwich and apple or orange. Drink plenty of water as well. That will help fill you up and hydrate your body.
5. Change won’t happen overnight, but a few weeks of eating like this and exercising 3-4 times per week should tone you up. Then remember your healthy changes and try to continue them through the rest of the year.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com

When it comes to working our and exercising, setting goals is important whether you’re a beginner or have been at it for many years.
Without clearly established fitness goals you won’t have a clear idea where you’re headed and you’ll lose out on a valuable motivational tool as well.
Many people exercise without even thinking of long-term goals, but these can serve as an excellent motivational tool.
Long-term goals could include things like losing 20 or more pounds, fitting into a favorite old pair of jeans, getting your blood pressure or cholesterol reduced, running a 5K race or completing a long hiking trail.
To get to those goals it will help you to also set short-term objectives, which can add up to big things over time.
Some good short-term goals include:
* Cut down on eating fast food (limit it to just once a week)
* Eat smaller portions
* Absolutely quit drinking soda pop
* Absolutely quit smoking, and try to limit alcohol consumption
* Eat more fruits and vegetables, drink more water
* Exercise at least 3-4 times a week (note: don’t overdo it, especially early on. The body will be sore and you need time to recover)
* Regularly get cardio workouts, such as brisk walking outside or on a treadmill and-or elliptical machine
* Lose 5-10 pounds
* Build endurance, flexibility and strength
* Improve your physical skills in a sport or weightlifting activity
* Make noticeable improvements in your physical appearance
* Find a workout buddy
* Keep a fitness log
If you do even a few of these things, they will add up to big results in the long run.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.net

With this being Valentine’s Week a friend asked me a timely question recently, which others might find interesting also: “What can someone who likes to work out do to try to get their couch potato husband or wife interested in exercise, too?”
Now, there’s a topic that certainly has to be handled carefully, but at the same time is not a lost cause.
As with all things in marriage or a committed relationship, some compromise is necessary and you’ll also need to be careful not to hurt your significant other’s feeling if you’re trying to nudge them toward exercising more.
Fortunately, both my wife and me enjoy exercising and try to make it a part of our regular schedules.
However, after talking with some fitness experts about this topic, and relying on some personal conversations with couples, here are my Great Eight tips to help someone get their spouse to “shape up.”
1 Talk about the benefits of exercise and healthy eating together.
2 Emphasize that working out together can be something fun to do together and can help you both stay more committed to exercising.
3 If your spouse is reluctant to discuss fitness, it gets tougher to get on the same page. You may have to be more creative in nudging them toward fitness. You can’t push someone to do something they don’t want to do. Perhaps you can take your spouse to healthier restaurants, or on dates that involve being more active. Ask him/her to take a dance class, who would pass that up? Or plan a day at a national park where you’ll be active.
4 Buy healthier food and cook smart meals instead of getting fast food.
5 Exercise as a family. Go for a walk around the neighborhood or park, hike on a trail, or try a bike ride together. Associate with other healthy couples or families.
7 Ask the doctor to talk to your spouse about their health.
8 Finally, don’t give up on your spouse without trying. Keep working on them to turn toward fitness, but always try to encourage instead of criticize.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men — and women. Most women think breast cancer is their top threat, but the hidden signals of heart disease can sneak up on women with deadly consequences.
The good news is that up to one third of deaths due to heart disease are preventable through diet and exercise. Make time for a thorough exam if you haven’t done so in a long time — it will potentially help keep you around longer and also mean another Valentine’s Day with your love.
Countless studies show that healthy eating, along with regular exercise can help improve your heart health.
In keeping with the theme of Valentine’s week and National Heart Month, here are 10 ways to improve heart health:
Get 30 minutes or more of exercise at least three times a week. Make it 45 minutes and five times a week exercising if possible, but anything’s better than just sitting around.
Make exercise fun and you’ll be more likely to keep doing it. Find fun ways to work out, you don’t have to do things that you really dislike.
Schedule time to work out. It’s a priority you owe yourself.
Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and other low-fat foods.
Order healthy on the go – It’s easy to fall way off your diet when eating out, but take the time to find the healthiest options available on restaurant menus.
Get a workout buddy – This will help you exercise more often and stay more motivated.
Make exercising a family affair.
Walk with friends or family in the neighborhood.
Get regular checkups with your doctor.
Set goals – this will help you stay motivated and chart your progress.
At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com

On this Valentines Day, get your sweetheart a present that will really make their heart happy — and I’m not talking about jewelry or candy.
This is also National Heart Month and Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to give gifts that will lead to better health. Here are my top five heart healthy gifts for Valentine’s Day:
5. Cook a heart-healthy meal – Surprise your sweetie with a home-cooked, healthy meal.
4. Give a fitness equipment – Give your Valentine a fitness gift such as new workout clothes or equipment. If you want to really make a big impression, give him or her a new treadmill or elliptical machine with a bow wrapped around it.
3. Plan a fitness date together – Take skiing or snowboard lessons together, try ice skating, sled riding, hike at a park weather permitting or do a rock wall climb.
2. Plan to exercise together- Make a vow to start exercising together at a club, or in a home gym you build or ad onto, or in the great outdoors. It could bring you together even more closer and in the long run help keep you both healthier.
1. Get a physical check-up – If you haven’t had a physical in a while do so, with special emphasis on your heart. Get your cholesterol and blood pressure checked.
At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com