Five Rules To Improve Your Financial Health

The term “personal finance” refers to how you manage your money and how you plan for your future. All of your financial decisions and activities have an effect on your financial health now and in the future. We are often guided by specific rules of thumb – such as “don’t buy a house that costs more than 2.5 years’ worth of income” or “you should always save at least 10% of your income towards retirement.” While many of these adages are time tested and truly helpful, it’s important to consider what we should be doing – in general – to help improve our financial habits and health. Here, we discuss five broad personal finance rules that can help get you on track to achieving specific financial goals.

Do the Math – Net Worth and Personal Budgets

Money comes in, money goes out. For many people, this is about as deep as their understanding gets when it comes to personal finances. Rather than ignoring your finances and leaving them to chance, a bit of number crunching can help you evaluate your current financial health and determine how to reach your short- and long-term financial goals.

As a starting point, it is important to calculate your net worth – the difference between what you own and what you owe. To calculate your net worth, start by making a list of your assets (what you own) and your liabilities (what you owe), and then subtract the liabilities from the assets to arrive at your net worth figure. Your net worth represents where you are financially at that moment, and it is normal for the figure to fluctuate over time. Calculating your net worth one time can be helpful, but the real value comes from making this calculation on a regular basis (at least yearly). Tracking your net worth over time allows you to evaluate your progress, highlight your successes and identify areas requiring improvement.

Equally important is developing a personal budget or spending plan. Created on a monthly or annual basis, a personal budget is an important financial tool, because it can help you:


 Plan for expenses

 Reduce or even eliminate expenses

 Save for future goals

 Spend wisely

 Plan for emergencies

 Prioritize spending and saving
There are numerous approaches to creating a personal budget, but all involve making projections for income and expenses. The income and expense categories you include in your budget will depend on your situation and can change over time. Common income categories include:


 Alimony

 Bonuses

 Child support

 Disability benefits

 Interest and dividends

 Rents and royalties

 Retirement income

 Salaries

 Social security

 Tips

 Wages
General expense categories include:


 Debt payments – car loan, student loan, credit card

 Education – tuition, daycare, books, supplies

 Entertainment and recreation – sports, hobbies, movies, DVDs, concerts, Netflix

 Food – groceries, dining out

 Giving – birthdays, holidays, charitable contributions

 Housing – mortgage or rent, maintenance

 Insurance – health, home/renters, auto, life

 Medical/Healthcare – doctors, dentist, prescription medications, other known expenses

 Personal – clothing, hair care, gym, professional dues

 Savings – retirement, education, emergency fund, specific goals (i.e. vacation)

 Special occasions – weddings, anniversaries, graduation, bar/bat Mitzvah

 Transportation – gas, taxis, subway, tolls, parking

 Utilities – phone, electric, water, gas, cell, cable, Internet
Once you’ve made the appropriate projections, subtract your expenses from your income. If you have money left over, you have a surplus and you can decide how to spend, save or invest the money. If your expenses exceed your income, however, you will have to adjust your budget by increasing your income (adding more hours at work or picking up a second job) or by reducing your expenses.

To really understand where you are financially, and to figure out how to get where you want to be, do the math: calculate both your net worth and a personal budget on a regular basis. This may seem abundantly obvious to some, but people’s failure to layout and stick to a detailed budget is the root cause of excessive spending and overwhelming debt.

Recognize Needs Vs. Wants – and Spend Mindfully

Unless you have an unlimited amount of money, it’s in your best interest to be mindful of the difference between needs and wants so you can make better spending choices. “Needs” are things you have to have in order to survive: food, shelter, clothing, healthcare and transportation (many people include savings as a need, whether that’s a set 10% of their income or whatever they can afford to set aside each month). Conversely, “wants” are things you would like to have, but that you don’t need for survival.

It can be challenging to accurately label expenses as either needs or wants, and for many, the line gets blurred between the two. When this happens, it can be easy to rationalize away an unnecessary or extravagant purchase by calling it a need. A car is a good example. You need a car to get to work and take the kids to school. You want the luxury edition SUV that costs twice as much as a more practical car (and costs you more in gas). You could try and call the SUV a “need” because you do, in fact, need a car, but it’s still a want. Any difference in price between a more economical car and the luxury SUV is money that you didn’t have to spend.

Your needs should get top priority in your personal budget. Only after your needs have been met should you allocate any discretionary income toward wants. And again, if you do have money left over each week or each month after paying for the things you really need, you don’t have to spend it all.

Start Saving Early

It’s often said that it’s never too late to start saving for retirement. That may be true (technically), but the sooner you start, the better off you’ll likely be during your retirement years. This is because of the power of compounding – what Albert Einstein called the “eighth wonder of the world.”

Compounding involves the reinvestment of earnings, and it is most successful over time: the longer earnings are reinvested, the greater the value of the investment, and the larger the earnings will (hypothetically) be.

To illustrate the importance of starting early, assume you want to save $1,000,000 by the time you turn 60 years old. If you start saving when you are 20 years old, you would have to contribute $655.30 a month – a total of $314,544 over 40 years – to be a millionaire by the time you hit 60. If you waited until you were 40, your monthly contribution would bump up to $2,432.89 – a total of $583,894 over 20 years. Wait until 50 and you’d have to come up with $6,439.88 each month – equal to $772,786 over the 10 years. (These figures are based on an investment rate of 5% and no initial investment. Please keep in mind, they are for illustrative purposes only and do not take into consideration actual returns, taxes or other factors). The sooner you start, the easier it is to reach your long-term financial goals. You will need to save less each month, and contribute less overall, to reach the same goal in the future.

Recognize and Manage Lifestyle Inflation

Most people will spend more money if they have more money to spend. As people advance in their careers and earn higher salaries, there tends to be a corresponding increase in spending … a phenomenon known as lifestyle inflation. Even though you might be able to pay your bills, lifestyle inflation can be damaging in the long run, because it limits your ability to build wealth: Every extra dollar you spend now means less money later and during retirement.

One of the main reasons people allow lifestyle inflation to sabotage their finances is their desire to keep up with the Joneses. It’s not uncommon for people to feel the need to match their friends’ and coworkers’ spending habits. If your peers drive BMWs, vacation at exclusive resorts and dine at expensive restaurants, you might feel pressured to do the same. What is easy to overlook is that in many cases the Joneses are actually servicing a lot of debt – over a period of decades – to maintain their wealthy appearance. Despite their wealthy “glow” – the boat, the fancy cars, the expensive vacations, the private schools for the kids – the Joneses might be living paycheck to paycheck and not saving a dime for retirement.

As your professional and personal situation evolves over time, some increases in spending are natural. You might need to upgrade your wardrobe to dress appropriately for a new position, or, with the addition of a baby, you might need a house with one more bedroom. And with more responsibilities at work, you might find that it makes sense to hire someone to mow the lawn or clean the house, freeing up valuable time to spend with family and friends and improving your quality of life.

5 Tips to Get You Started on Exercise

Hopefully, you are now convinced that in order to successfully manage your weight you must include exercise in your daily routine. Here are some tips to get you started:
1. Check with your doctor first. Since you are carrying around some extra "baggage," it is wise to get your doctor's "OK" before embarking on an exercise program.
2. Choose activities that you think you'll enjoy. Most people will stick to their exercise program if they are having fun, even though they are working hard.
3. Set aside a regular exercise time. Whether this means joining an exercise class or getting up a little earlier every day, make time for this addition to your routine and don't let anything get in your way. Planning ahead will help you get around interruptions in your workout schedule, such as bad weather and vacations.
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The Benefits of Exercise in Weight Control

The Benefits of Exercise in a Weight Control Program

The benefits of exercise are many, from producing physically fit bodies to providing an outlet for fun and socialization. When added to a weight control program these benefits take on increased significance.
We already have noted that proper exercise can help control weight by burning excess body fat.
It also has two other body-trimming advantages 1) exercise builds muscle tissue and muscle uses calories up at a faster rate than body fat; and 2) exercise helps reduce inches and a firm, lean body looks slimmer even if your weight remains the same.
Remember, fat does not "turn into" muscle, as is often believed. Fat and muscle are two entirely different substances and one cannot become the other. However, muscle does use calories at a faster rate than fat which directly affects your body's metabolic rate or energy requirement.
Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of energy required to sustain the body's functions at rest and it depends on your age, sex, body size, genes and body composition. People with high levels of muscle tend to have higher BMRs and use more calories in the resting stage.
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The Diet Connection and Calories

A balanced diet should be part of any weight control plan. A diet high in complex carbohydrates and moderate in protein and fat will complement an exercise program. It should include enough calories to satisfy your daily nutrient requirements and include the proper number of servings per day from the "basic four food groups": vegetables and fruits (4 servings), breads and cereals (4 servings), milk and milk products (2 - 4 depending on age) and meats and fish (2).
Experts recommend that your daily intake not fall below 1200 calories unless you are under a doctor's supervision. Also, weekly weight loss should not exceed two pounds.
Remarkable claims have been made for a variety of "crash" diets and diet pills. And some of these very restricted diets do result in noticeable weight loss in a short time. Much of this loss is water and such a loss is quickly regained when normal food and liquid intake is resumed. These diet plans are often expensive and may be dangerous. Moreover, they do not emphasize lifestyle changes that will help you maintain your desired weight. Dieting alone will result in a loss of valuable body tissue such as muscle mass in addition to a loss in fat.
How Many Calories
The estimates for number of calories (energy) used during a physical activity are based on experiments that measure the amount of oxygen consumed during a specific bout of exercise for a certain body weight.
The energy costs of activities that require you to move your own body weight, such as walking or jogging, are greater for heavier people since they have more weight to move. For example, a person weighing 150 pounds would use more calories jogging one mile than a person jogging alongside who weighs 115 pounds. Always check to see what body weight is referred to in caloric expenditure charts you use.

FROM: http://health-vip.cn/archives/articals/107.htm

Overweight or Overfat?

Overweight or Overfat?
Overweight and overfat do not always mean the same thing. Some people are quite muscular and weigh more than the average for their age and height. However, their body composition, the amount of fat versus lean body mass (muscle, bone, organs and tissue), is within a desirable range. This is true for many athletes. Others weigh an average amount yet carry around too much fat. In our society, however, overweight often implies overfat because excess weight is commonly distributed as excess fat. The addition of exercise to a weight control program helps control both body weight and body fat levels.
A certain amount of body fat is necessary for everyone. Experts say that percent body fat for women should be about 20 percent, 15 percent for men. Women with more than 30 percent fat and men with more than 25 percent fat are considered obese.
How much of your weight is fat can be assessed by a variety of methods including underwater
(hydrostatic) weighing, skinfold thickness measurements and circumference measurements. Each requires a specially trained person to administer the test and perform the correct calculations.
From the numbers obtained, a body fat percentage is determined. Assessing body composition has an advantage over the standard height-weight tables because it can help distinguish between
"overweight" and "overfat."
An easy self-test you can do is to pinch the thickness of the fat folds at your waist and abdomen. If you can pinch an inch or more of fat (make sure no muscle is included) chances are you have too much body fat.
People who exercise appropriately increase lean body mass while decreasing their overall fat level. Depending on the amount of fat loss, this can result in a loss of inches without a loss of weight, since muscle weighs more than fat. However, with the proper combination of diet and exercise, both body fat and overall weight can be reduced.

FROM: http://health-vip.cn/archives/articals/102.htm

Exercise and Weight Control

Just about everybody seems to be interested in weight control. Some of us weigh just the right amount, others need to gain a few pounds. Most of us "battle the bulge" at some time in our life.
Whatever our goals, we should understand and take advantage of the important role of exercise in keeping our weight under control.
Carrying around too much body fat is a major nuisance. Yet excess body fat is common in modern-day living. Few of today's occupations require vigorous physical activity, and much of our leisure time is spent in sedentary pursuits.
Recent estimates indicate that 34 million adults are considered obese (20 percent above desirable weight). Also, there has been an increase in body fat levels in children and youth over the past 20 years. After infancy and early childhood, the earlier the onset of obesity, the greater the likelihood of remaining obese.
Excess body fat has been linked to such health problems as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes, arthritis and certain forms of cancer. Some evidence now exists showing that obesity has a negative effect on both health and longevity.
Exercise is associated with the loss of body fat in both obese and normal weight persons. A regular program of exercise is an important component of any plan to help individuals lose, gain or maintain their weight.

From:http://health-vip.cn/archives/articals/101.htm

State of the Medical Reinsurance Market 2/2

(Continue my last post, http://health-vip.cn/archives/articals/99.htm… … )

4. How would moral hazard4 be minimized?
If reimbursement is based on actual amounts paid by insurers and self-funded plans, the payers probablywould alter certain behaviors (e.g. provider contracts, cost-saving measures) as they will no longer beresponsible for the catastrophic costs associated with individuals or groups covered by reinsurance.
Options to mitigate this effect (known as moral hazard), to varying degrees, include:
Ø Reimbursing payers based on government-defined nominal costs per service (e.g. Medicare feefor service payable amount)
Ø Requiring a coinsurance amount from payers, thereby keeping a portion of the catastrophic claimsas the payers’ responsibility
Ø Reimbursing payers based on a risk adjuster or other predictive model, similar to the CMS-HCC  (Hierarchical Condition Category) model Requiring payers to have in place cost-containment measures, such as disease management, inorder to participate in the pool.

5. Addressing geographic cost factors, such as Medicare geographic cost factors.
If a reinsurance program is created on a federal level, geographic cost differentials may result in different
"subsidies" for different geographic areas of the country. Because health care costs are high in some partsof the country (due to both cost per unit differences and utilization differences), a fixed attachment pointcould result in insurers in low-cost areas subsidizing insurers in high-cost areas. Ways to mitigate thispotential problem include:
Ø Adjusting the "national-average" attachment point based on Medicare geographic cost factors
Ø To the extent that the program is financed by assessing participating insurers, calculating theassessment on a statewide or regional basis, rather than across the entire federal program.

6. How should the accumulation period be defined?
Most reinsurance arrangements are based on one year's claims, but it must be determined how this isdefined. Options include:
Ø Reimbursing payers on a “paid-claims” basis, that is, based on all claims paid by the insurerduring the year
Ø Reimbursing payers on an “incurred-claims” basis, that is, all claims for services received by theinsured (and thus incurred by the payer) during the year.

7. What types of services are eligible for reimbursement?
Different insurance plans will have different benefit packages, covering different services. In addition,some benefit packages will be more generous than others. As a result, it is important to define whatservices are eligible for reimbursement under the reinsurance program. Options include:
Ø Medicare/CMS reimbursement policy
Ø Reimbursement based on the underlying insurance plan.

8. Other considerations:
Ø How would the reinsurance program be administered? Through a government agency? Throughthe states? Through private reinsurers? Through a partnership or combination of public andprivate entities?
Ø Would premiums from insurers and self-funded plans be required for participation in thereinsurance program? If so, how should these premiums be determined?

End. (http://health-vip.cn/archives/articals/100.htm)

State of the Medical Reinsurance Market 1/2

Many health plans and self-funded employer plans are large enough to manage effectively their owncatastrophic risk, and therefore usually choose not to purchase commercial reinsurance. As a result, thecurrent reinsurance market is fairly small compared with the health insurance market as a whole.
Nevertheless, reinsurers have significant amounts of available capital and large enough risk pools tohandle claim variability.
Under "true" reinsurance, risk protection is purchased by insurers for very large (catastrophic) claims.
Insurers can almost always purchase reinsurance with annual limits of up to $5 million, and with limits upto $10 million sometimes available.
Under "stop-loss" insurance, insurance is purchased by self-funded employers to cover the risk of largeclaims. Attachment points (per claim deductible) range from $10,000 to $500,000, with most fallingbetween $25,000 and $250,000. Self-funded employers can almost always purchase stop loss with annuallimits of up to $5 million. Higher limits are available, but are not always easy to obtain.
Issues for Consideration
Many issues need to be considered when designing a government reinsurance program. How theseissues are addressed could affect how the program is implemented as well as its ultimate costs.

1. Would participation in the reinsurance program be voluntary or mandatory?
A program could be voluntary or mandatory. If the program was made voluntary, it would need to bedetermined what level the decision would be made on. There are several choices:
Ø Insurer level—Under this option, insurers who opt to participate in the reinsurance program wouldbe required to do so for all of their health plans, not just select groups.Employer group level—Under this option, insurers could determine to enroll employer group planson a case-by-case basis, enrolling some groups, but not others.
Ø Individual employee level—Under this option, insurers could determine to enroll particularemployees (and any dependents) on a case-by-case basis, enrolling some employees, but notothers.
Ø Individual insured level—Under this option, insurers could determine to enroll particular insuredson a case-by-case basis. This differs from the employee level above, because the insurer couldchoose to reinsure only a dependent, but not the employee.
If participation in the program was mandatory, it could apply to:
Ø All health plans
Ø All self-insured health plans
Ø All health plans, excluding those that are self-insured
Ø All health plans with less than some fixed number of members
Ø Some other subset of health plans

2. What issues should be taken into account for a reinsurance program at the state level, the federal level,or for a program that has both state and federal elements?
Issues that would need to be considered include the interplay of state regulations and ERISA with thereinsurance program, how current state high-risk pools and other state reinsurance programs would beimpacted, issues unique to multi-state employers, and the desirability of uniform benefits and procedures.

3. Will the attachment point be increased over time, and if so how?
The cost of a reinsurance program would increase at a rate faster than underlying medical trend due to theleveraging effect of a fixed attachment point. That is, costs of the program would increase not onlybecause underlying medical costs would increase, but also because more claims would exceed theattachment point. Over time, this leveraging effect would increase the costs of the program substantially,and therefore, the costs to the government in a government-sponsored program would also increase.
Options to mitigate this effect include increasing the attachment point annually by the increase in the
Medical Consumer Price Index, the increase in health spending, or some other measure of health costincreases.
(To be continued… … )

From http://health-vip.cn/archives/articals/99.htm

Attention, body needs nutrition

What does the body need in order to do its work? (Food.) We also say that the body needs proper nutrition. What does the food provide? (Energy.) What foodsprovide energy? (Fruits, vegetables and grains because they give us sugar andstarch for energy.) We say that proper nutrition is the first principle of goodhealth. What does that mean? (Pause for student comments.)
Now let’s talk about what we did in the Mathematics Center. We worked withordinal numbers. Ordinal numbers tell us the position of an object. Look at theword “order”. Can you find part of that word in “ordinal”? Yes, “ord” is in
“order” and in “ordinal". That’s what ordinal numbers tell you — the order or theposition of objects. The ordinal numbers relate to the cardinal numbers. The cardinalnumbers are the numbers we are familiar with — they tell us how manythings are in a set or a group.
Now, why do you think that we say that nutrition is the first principle of goodhealth? Yes, proper nutrition is the first principle of good health because withoutnutrition the body cannot continue to live for a long time in good health. Whathappens when we are sick or do not have energy? Are we happy? Can we do thethings we want to do? No, nutrition is important, and so we say that it is the firstprinciple of good health.
When we studied about foods that give us energy, what experiments did youcomplete? What did we learn in our experiment using iodine? Yes, many foodsthat we eat contain starch, which is one food that gives us energy.
Nutritionists, people who study the kind and amount of food that people needto be in good health, measure the amount of food energy living organisms need byusing the unit of heat called a calorie. We use this unit to tell us how much foodwe need each day. If we know how much food we need each day, we will be ableto balance our meals and to avoid the weight we would gain if we ate too muchfat and too much starch.
But starch in our diet is not enough. What else do we need? What do fish,chicken, turkey and beef provide? (Those foods give us proteins that we need tobuild muscles and renew all the cells.)
As we saw from the activities on proper nutrition, all foods give us energy andhelp us build our bodies, but all foods give us more of one thing and less ofanother than the body needs. Very few foods give us everything the body needsall at the same time. That is why we need to eat balanced meals. The studentsconsider: Is fat necessary for the body? Is it an important food? How much fatshould we have in our daily diet?
You worked on an activity that required you to balance your body in order towalk from one end of the beam to the other. What did you have to do to stay inbalance? Yes, you couldn’t lean over too much on either side — you had to stayin the middle. What do you have to do in riding a bicycle? You can ride a bicycleonly if you balance on it. The same happens with your body and balanced meals.
You get energy and “building blocks” when you eat “balanced meals.” What doyou suppose “balanced” meals are? (Pause for student responses.) Yes, balancedmeals are meals that include foods from each of the five food groups. We don’twant to have too much of one thing and very little of another. (Display pictures offood from the Food Guide Pyramid.)
The Food Guide Pyramid is a guide, a suggestion, of the types and amountsof food that a person needs to be healthy. The Guide tells us that the group we 14 Unit 1 Good Healthshould select the most from is the Bread group, which includes oatmeal, Creamof Wheat, rice, spaghetti, for six to 11 servings every day. The next groups are the Vegetable group, which should include three to five servings every day, and the
Fruit group, which should include two to four servings each day. The Milk groupincludes cheese and yogurt, and should include two to three servings every day.
We should have the same number of servings per day from the Meat group,which includes beef, chicken, pinto beans, eggs and nuts. At the top of the pyramidand having the smallest triangle, are the fats, oils and sweets. This is notconsidered a food group because all foods contain fat and sugar. To be healthy,however, we should use fats, oils, and sugar barely, or with care. Fats and sugarare important, but they do not give energy and building blocks as do other foodsin a balanced diet.
We also said that one of the body needs is water. Do all living things need waterto live? We are going to look at the amount of water that living organisms need.

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Exercise and Ease into Menopause

Someone always been thin and never struggled with weight problems...so what changed? The truth is, women's bodies do change as they get older and go through menopause, but weight gain isn't inevitable; we have more control over our bodies and how they age than we think.

What Happens During Menopause

Beginning around the mid-thirties, the ovaries decline in hormone production. This accelerates in the 40's, which makes hormones fluctuate and by the 50's, periods usually end completely. What many women don't like about this process are the symptoms and problems that come with these shifting hormones such as:

• Hot flashes
• Depression, stress and anxiety
• Sleep disorders
• Irritability
• Osteoporosis
• Cardiovascular disease

Another experience many women have is weight gain, especially around the belly and waistline. Part of this has to do with those declining hormones, though researchers aren't sure how or why. Experts at Oregon Health & Science University have found intriguiging evidence that, for some, menopause may increase appetite. By studying hormones in monkeys (which are virtually identical to humans), researchers concluded that, with decreased hormones, many monkeys increased their food intake by 67%.

Menopause isn't the only cause of middle-age spread. Other factors include:

• Reduced activity. Women often exercise less when they enter menopause, which can lead to weight gain.
• Decreased metabolism. One reason metabolism declines with age is the loss of muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so when you lose that muscle (about 1/2-lb a year if you don't preserve it with weight training/exercise), you don't burn as many calories.
• Increase in calories. As metabolism drops, many people don't adjust their calories accordingly, which often leads to weight gain.
• Genetics. Your genetic makeup and where you're predisposed to gain and store fat also plays a role in weight gain, making it more difficult to maintain your figure.

  Easing into Menopause

  There are any number of ways to manage menopause symptoms, from alternative therapies (such as acupuncture) to eating a healthy diet. However, one simple thing you can do right now is exercise. As the American Council on Exercise states: "The good news is that a regular program of physical activity can help manage many of the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause as well as the related health concerns, such as heart disease and osteoporosis."

  Other benefits of exercise include:

  • Reduced stress. Menopause can often lead to depression, anxiety and stress. Exercise is proven to help reduce stress and improve your mood.
  • Weight loss. Exercise can help create a calorie deficit, which is what you want when it comes to losing body fat.
  • Reduction of hot flashes. Some research has found that exercise increases estrogen levels, which can decrease the severity of hot flashes.
  • Increased bone mass. Strength training and impact activities (like walking or running) can help strength the bones and prevent osteoporosis.
  • Reduced risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes.

  The North American Menopause Society goes even further, stating that "Exercise may cause the same magnitude of change as that induced by estrogen therapy." (The Effects of Physical Activity on Menopausal Symptoms and Metabolic Changes around Menopause) If I've convinced you how much exercise can help, it's time to get moving.

  Getting Started

  Even if you've never formally exercised, it's never too late to start...nor is it too late to reap the benefits. The key is to start slowly and do things you enjoy such as:

  • Walking
  • Cycling
  • Vigorous yard work
  • Swimming
  • Cardio machines
  • Group fitness classes

  Strength training is equally important, especially if you want to increase your metabolism and lose body fat. You don't have to train like a bodybuilder to get the benefits, but you do need to use resistance (such as dumbbells, machines or resistance bands) and you do need to challenge your muscles and body. You might want to work with a personal trainer to get started or visit Workouts for Beginners to find cardio, strength training and flexibility workouts specifically for those just starting out.

  Whatever you do, make the commitment now to become more active. Move more throughout the day...get a pedometer and start tracking your steps...get your family involved and spend some quality time with them through movement. Taking control of your health is one way to make menopause a more pleasant experience.

FROM: http://health-vip.cn/archives/articals/96.htm

The Benefits of Exercise in a Weight Control Program

The benefits of exercise are many, from producing physically fit bodies to providing an out letfor fun and socialization. When added to a weight control program these benefits take on increased significance.
We already have noted that proper exercise can help control weight by burning excess body fat.
It also has two other body-trimming advantages 1) exercise builds muscle tissue and muscle use scalories up at a faster rate than body fat; and 2) exercise helps reduce inches and a firm, lean body looks slimmer even if your weight remains the same.
Remember, fat does not "turn into" muscle, as is often believed. Fat and muscle are two entirely different substances and one cannot become the other. However, muscle does use calories at a faster rate than fat which directly affects your body's metabolic rate or energy requirement.
Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of energy required to sustain the body's functions at rest and it depends on your age, sex, body size, genes and body composition. People with highlevels of muscle tend to have higher BMRs and use more calories in the resting stage.
Some studies have even shown that your metabolic rate stays elevated for some time after vigorous exercise, causing you to use even more calories throughout your day.
Additional benefits may be seen in how exercise affects appetite. A lean person in good shapemay eat more following increased activity, but the regular exercise will burn up the extra calories consumed. On the other hand, vigorous exercise has been reported to suppress appetite. And,physical activity can be used as a positive substitute for between meal snacking.

From: http://health-vip.cn/archives/articals/95.htm

Exercise and Modern Living

One thing is certain. Most people do not get enough exercise in their ordinary routines. All of the advances of modern technology - from electric can openers to power steering - have madelife easier, more comfortable and much less physically demanding. Yet our bodies need activity,especially if they are carrying around too much fat. Satisfying this need requires a definite plan,and a commitment. There are two main ways to increase the number of calories you expend:
1. Start a regular exercise program if you do not have one already.
2. Increase the amount of physical activity in your daily routine.
The best way to control your weight is a combination of the above. The sum total of calories used over time will help regulate your weight as well as keep you physically fit.

Active Lifestyles
Before looking at what kind of regular exercise program is best, let's look at how you can increase the amount of physical activity in your daily routine to supplement your exercise program.
• Recreational pursuits such as gardening on weekends, bowling in the office league, family outings, an evening of social dancing, and many other activities provide added exercise. They are fun and can be considered an extra bonus in your weight control campaign.
• Add more "action" to your day. Walk to the neighborhood grocery store instead of using the car. Park several blocks from the office and walk the rest of the way. Walk up the stairs instead of using the elevator; start with one flight of steps and gradually increase.
• Change your attitude toward movement. Instead of considering an extra little walk or trip to the files an annoyance, look upon it as an added fitness boost. Look for opportunities to use your body. Bend, stretch, reach, move, lift and carry. Time-saving devices and gadgets eliminate drudgery and are a bonus to mankind, but when they substitute too often for physical activity they can demand a high cost in health, vigor and fitness.
These little bits of action are cumulative in their effects. Alone, each does not burn a huge amount of calories. But when added together they can result in a sizable amount of energy used over the course of the day. And they will help improve your muscle tone and flexibility at thesame time.

From: http://health-vip.cn/archives/articals/94.htm