PJ's Fitness Blog – Page 28 – A blog about a fitter you. Come find out what is on the cutting edge of fitness science and be a part of the ongoing conversation.

New Site That Makes You Well

I had to tell you about this new site, MyUrbanWellness.com – is just too cool to NOT talk about. MyUrbanWellness offers wellness products and services to people in the greater Seattle area at discounts of 50% or more.

If you are a reader of this blog, you are probably already spending lots of money on wellness, but you are not even sure you are getting the best service because it’s too expensive and time-consuming to shop around!

Well, MyUrbanWellness.com does all that for you. They screen each product or service carefully to make sure it is top quality. Then they make sure the merchant is “green”, by verifying they are making conscious efforts toward sustainability and are ecologically conscious. And best of all, by going through MyUrbanWellness, you get big discounts on the wellness products and services you need.

Sounds too good to be true? It’s not. It’s just a really great deal. It’s free to sign up. Then you automatically get reminders each time a new deal comes out – about 3 times per week.

Check it out and sign up for MyUrbanWellness.com today.

Is Exercise Better than Prozac?

Great question, huh? I bet you know my answer already. Of course it’s better! Science has proven it over and over. Science has also shown that Prozac is about as good as a placebo, so it’s not hard to beat that over-used drug for elevating your mood. Even so, exercise is definitely the king for getting you happy, and curing depression.

The reason exercise works so well is because it is better at changing your brain chemicals than anything else you can do. Ever wondered why? God created us to move and to keep moving all day. Our modern society however, requires most of us to sit down all day instead. This unnatural lifestyle screws up the chemical balance in our brains and causes a downward spiral of depression, junk food cravings, more sedentary choices, obesity, etc., etc., until we are dead (10-20 years earlier than we have been).

A recent article in Time points out that exercise is indeed the best drug out there. High intensity exercise like the X Gym workout or the X Gym DVD is of course best; and activities like stair climbing offer the most intense “high” with the least time required, but for those who are obese or just want to get moving again, a simple walk can be the first step in a process that will change your mood and entire life.

They told me to write this

Many regular X Gym members have eventually fired their “shrinks” because they just don’t need them anymore. When they are exercising regularly, they find it easier to eat better too. The X Gym member who suggested I write this post said, “I knew there was a reason I was

Are Affirmations Better as Questions?

My job changes every day. That’s one of the reasons I love it so much. New research comes out all the time, and each week I get to learn new tips, tricks, and techniques that help people reach their health and fitness goals. This week I learned that affirmations may be even more powerful when they are phrased in the form of a question, rather than a statement.

Affirmations 101

I have instructed many people on the power of affirmations and how they are a powerful tool for helping us reach our fitness, health and wellness goals. I use them myself, and I have seen them produce miracles in many lives. Affirmations are a proven, effective way to reprogram your subconscious brain. This is so important is because your subconscious brain is the “boss” of you. It will make happen whatever it believes, through controlling your conscious and unconscious actions every day.

Good, but not perfect

You can use your conscious brain to reprogram your subconscious brain using

Weightloss after Menopause (and Manopause)

At a certain point in life, many people (even people who may have been fit all their lives) find a few extra pounds creeping on, or find it harder and harder to lose weight, seemingly no matter what they try to keep it off or take it off. Popular wisdom says “Well, that’s just how it is when you begin to get older.” “Things change, your body changes, better just deal with it.” But is that really the whole truth? Are we doomed to decline as we age? Or, is there a better alternative?

If you want to stay or get fit, yes, there is hope for women after menopause and for men who have gone through ‘manopause,’ – a relatively new term used to describe the hormonal changes men experience during middle age.

You can buck the trend

Normal hormonal shifts with age don’t have to mean weight problems unless you convince yourself that’s true. This age-related shift does indeed mean that your body will