That's Fit

It should come as no surprise to anyone that your mental state has a lot to do with athletic performance. Athletes who are able to "stay in the zone" remain calm and focused under pressure, making them less likely to choke. For some, that's easy. For others (myself included), having to make the game-winning shot can incite a feeling of pure terror. And, aside from practice, there's nothing you can do about that, right?

Wrong! Athletes are turning to neurotherapy and neurofeedback to "train their brains." An article called Train Your Brain in October's GQ chronicled one writer's experience with neurotherapy with the California-based Elite Sports Performance (ESP) and showed how it can (and does) help some of the world's most elite athletes to improve their game, with surprisingly easy-to-understand results.

Essentially, neurotherapy reads the different brain waves in areas of the brain, determining what areas are most active and which are a little more sluggish. For the writer, once the results were interpreted, exercises devised by the staff at ESP helped him learn to control his brainwaves -- the feedback was in real time, so training his mind was simple and straightforward, although not exactly easy.

Apple's new iPod nano has gone on a diet, returning to its long and lean look. Rock your workouts with the fourth-generation nano -- it's not just slimmer, cool new features have techies buzzing:

• A skinnier nano is possible thanks to an accelerometer tilt sensor which allows you to turn it on its side and the player shifts the 320 x 240 screen -- great for video. Flip it either way and the sensor adjusts the picture.
• The accelerometer also powers a shake-to-shuffle feature. Give a firm shake to get rid of that downer song during the height of your workout. Don't fret, running, biking and walking won't inadvertently shuffle away your favorite song, says one tech reviewer. Dropping it will.
  
• The new Genius feature can generate a 25-similar-song playlist from a single song. Sometimes there's an odd Apple in the Genius mix, but you can count on widening your playlist horizons. Flip through your album art with Cover Flow.
  

Now for the feature that really matters -- Apple doubled the nano's storage and kept pricing constant. The 8 gb model is $149, the 16 gb is $199. Or look at it this way, about the cost of two or two-and-a-half tanks of rockin' gas.

Can you walk, chew gum and type at the same time? If you can do all three, you're eligible for a work treadmill.

Desk jockeys jump on their treadmill horse each morning and proceed to type, jaw on the phone and participate in meetings/conference calls as their feet keep moving. Mayo research shows you can burn 100-130 calories an hour work-walking at speeds less than two mph. Not exactly a sweaty gallop, slow and steady wins this race.

I'd hardly call work-walking mainstream, only 335 Walkstations -- about $4,000 a crack -- have sold nationwide since last November. However, work-at-home desk jockeys slap together more affordable homemade contraptions with a little ingenuity. Check out the pics of original set-ups over at this on-line social network for office walkers, and read office walkers blogging about their daily strolls here and here. What about you? Would you try work-walking?

I'm a firm believer in how powerful music can be in a workout -- the right song can help me go, quite literally, the extra mile. The introduction of the MP3 player to my fitness routine was huge, and I know I'm not alone. Recently, I had the opportunity to try out a couple of really cool workout tools -- Rhapsody, for downloading music, and the Philips SA52, a nifty little MP3 player.

I've been using the original iPod Shuffle for a few years -- no complaints. I load it up with my music and it plays all through my workout. However, the Philips SA52 also has the ability to hold pictures, video, and other recordings, which came in awfully handy for a recent trip I took.

Plus, I was able to rank the songs and add them to an "On the Go" playlist right there on the plane, without using my computer or any sort of internet access. Also, it's worth noting that I was totally able to work it by myself. I'm not terribly technologically challenged, but I'm not really into super high-tech gadgets unless they're simple to use.

Blogging is good for the mind and the soul, but don't let anyone tell you it's good for the body. Sure, writing about healthy habits all day long can be inspiring, but blogging itself is a sedentary, solitary task. And if you're a blogger, you're at risk for something called Blogger Bloat -- "a tendency of bloggers and bloghers to gain weight by sitting for long hours in front of computers, snacking on treats! Blogger bloat is a greater risk in the winter, when bloggers tend to choose starchy and comfort snacks," according to this article on Divine Caroline.

Of course, this isn't limited to blogging -- it's something experienced by anyone who spends hours in front of the computer. It could be called writer's waist, typist's tummy or receptionist's rear. Whatever the reason keeping you from getting up and moving around, it's important to find a balance. Avoid blogger bloat and other conditions with these 10 tips.

How do you keep up with blogging and still stay slim?

Whether you're trying to lose weight, training for a marathon, or just want to see how many calories were in your packed lunch, somewhere on the world wide web there is a calculator for you.

These calculators are quick, handy tools for measuring your health and fitness. But if you're searching for a specific calculator, you can sometimes get a little lost in the Googling. Never fear! The people over at Nursing Colleges and Training Schools have taken the work out of the search. They've compiled a list of 50 online health calculators and broken them into categories: Nutrition, Health and Fitness, Weight Loss, Complete Fitness Programs, Running, and Other Sports Calculators.

AOL Health also has a list of helpful resources. Check them out!

While there's a lot of talk about love handles and muffin tops, there's another problem area that affects a significant percentage of women out there -- the back fat that bulges over your bra. Any shirt or sweater with the slightest bit of cling to it will show if off, and like that extra bit of belly fat that's so hard to get rid of, this is one of the last areas to tone up for many of us.

For women who are unable to beat this bulge, there's a new alternative -- plastic surgery. Twenty women have undergone a new "bra-line back lift" procedure to eliminate back fat, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Seven of the patients were followed-up on, with "uniformly positive" results -- however, there's no word on the other 13 patients.

The procedure takes just an hour and, according to the ASPS, removes all "dreaded back fat rolls and lumps." Dreaded? Really? I mean, a little lumpiness around the bra line isn't my favorite thing, but I don't think it would bother me enough to go through plastic surgery over. How about you?

Could the obesity epidemic be coming to an end soon? Perhaps. The so-called 'cure' for obesity is only a few years away, according to leading scientist in the UK. This 'cure' would be a drug, most likely administered in needle form, which could control the hormone responsible for hunger (called ghrelin) and put an end to overeating. And it's hoped this drug could totally wipe out the need for invasive gastric bypass surgery.

I think the term 'cure,' is a bit optimistic. After all, this surgery is supposed to do what gastric bypass surgery does -- eliminate hunger and reduce how much you can eat. And yet gastric bypass surgery often doesn't lead to long-term weight loss. And compulsive overeating often isn't based on hunger -- it's based on emotional factors like stress. And hunger control doesn't automatically lead to healthy habits.

If you ask me, teaching and preaching healthy habits is a much better option for treatment of obesity than a quick fix. What do you think?

I recall dipping my blistered feet -- bad boots -- in a pristine mountain lake in Idaho's Sawtooth Mountains years ago. Now with WiFi service extending into some Idaho State Parks, I might be able to same-day blog about my experience at a state park campground ... and upload a money shot, too.

Yup, WiFi is up and running in a few of Idaho's treasured parks. In response to an Idaho Parks and Recreation survey, 64 percent of 211 respondents favored laptops with their daily dose of forest, wild animals and mountain vistas. Frankly, 211 respondents seems small to extrapolate from, but I'm no statistician. I figured cushy RVers would be Mountain WiFi fans, but interestingly, 37 percent of tent campers want a signal. A dry tent has never been more important.

Now I'm a diehard camper, preferring backcountry camping over car camping when the kids aren't in tow. I'm also a blogger and internet junkie in real life. Personally, I don't want WiFi in state parks because I'm scared of myself. I love the inner peace when surfing stops and nature begins. But I can certainly see the benefits of Woods WiFi -- campers can stay in touch with family, research their next destination, mix-in a little work or find the nearest retailer to replace their busted RV toilet. Who needs a campfire when you can fire up your waterproof, backpackable laptop to e-mail pics of the grizzly sighting to family and friends. Grrr!

Focus, focus, focus! Or ... not! Sometimes we just need a good bit of distraction to keep us huffing and puffing, without throwing in the not-sweaty-enough towel. If that sounds like you, check out this video!

For more fun Fit Kicks, visit the Active Health Network at SportsHealthExercise.Org.

Remember how happy we all felt when Lay's introduced Baked Potato Chips? I do. It was a feeling of relief for me. I had given up chips in lieu of a hard fit body. Fair exchange I thought! But then, there was this company telling me that they weren't going to fry all of their chips anymore, and yes ... there would be a healthier version for people like me. Yahoo!

Once again, snack lovers get to rejoice. The LesserEvil brand snack company has created an amazing variety of popcorns and krinkle potato sticks to make just about everyone drool. Most single servings contain about 110 calories of which about 20 come from fat. Not bad!

The Classic Kettle Corn is the perfect combination of sweet and salty, and thank goodness my bag was a single serving. If it weren't, I could have devoured nine! It was better than any of the junky stuff they sell at carnivals for sure! The Black and White Kettle Corn made my children's "movie night" here at home an even more special event. Good news for me ... I didn't feel the slightest bit bad about giving it to them. The Zesty Pizza Krinkle Sticks were odd to my husband and I though. Why? Because we could not figure out how they made them taste exactly like pizza! It was both weird and wonderful at the same time.

Check out this quick video to learn all you need to know about mastering the jump rope. You'll learn: why to use it, when to use it, how to choose the best length rope, proper jumping form and more! See more free training videos like these on the Active Health Network at SportsHealthExercise.Org.

See more training videos at SportsHealthExercise.org on the Active Health Network!

The Active Health Network has just launched and you can find it at SportsHealthExercise.Org. I'm very excited to announce this to you, because I'm one of the several health and fitness experts contributing to the site. Unlike other health and fitness sites, SHE is owned by a fitness expert, Master of Exercise Physiology, Tracy Benham. She has also surrounded herself by other experts (like me) in unique genres of health.

SHE sports a bunch of great text info, and it's full of FITNESS TELEVISION! You don't have to settle for words, when you can see and hear the various experts blabbing about and showing you personally what they want you to know about becoming a better you. General fitness training, yoga, healthy cooking, etc...

So ... I'm stoked! We've done tons of work leading up to this point, and now I can't wait to see how all of that effort pays off for you. So ... what are you waiting for? Stop reading what I say and go listen and see instead.

There are certainly a million plus reasons to quit smoking: the smell, the cancer risks, the heart disease, etc ... But now there is a new one! If you want to have plastic surgery on your face (and if you've smoked for a long time ... you probably want to), your doctor may insist that you quit before she'll do the procedure. Smoking interferes with the healing process.

This article tells the tale of a woman who repeatedly tried to quit smoking with no success. Until! That is ... her purpose for quitting was vanity. Hooray for that! I don't honestly care what she does with her face, I'm just grateful to have one less smoker in the world. I'm also thrilled that doctors have found a legitimately convincing way to get people to stop.