Kimberly Laux's blog

Although the general guidelines for a healthy weight loss are simple to understand—eat less, move more—it’s easy to get lost in the details.During your quest to live a healthier lifestyle, you’ve probably read article after article that reference specific dietary guidelines, physical fitness recommendations, how much sleep you need, how much water to drink and the list goes on. While this is all valuable knowledge, it can be challenging enough to digest and remember, let alone apply to your daily life.

What a sense of accomplishment to step on a scale and watch the numbers confirm that all of your hard work is paying off. In addition to shedding pounds, you’ve made some positive changes that will benefit your overall health now and in the future.

Step into any shoe store and you’ll be overwhelmed by displays for shoes that claim to help you burn more calories and tone your leg muscles as you walk. The theory behind this popular footwear is that their unique design (often a less stable, rounded sole and extra cushioning) constantly challenges your body to find equilibrium as they alter your natural stride.

It happens to the best of us. Spring ends, and we vow to take advantage of the warmer weather and longer days summer provides. Then what happens? Hot/humid conditions, summer cookouts and the temptation to lounge around sipping cold, refreshing beverages deter our weight loss plans.By following these tips, you can enjoy your favorite summer time activities while continuing to shed the pounds.

Good bye, food pyramid! In early June, the USDA unveiled MyPlate--a graphic icon that depicts percentages of the recommended amounts of food variety on your plate. 

You know the "secret" to weight loss--eat healthy and exercise. But knowing how to eat and exercise simply isn't enough; you actually need to do it! Sometimes though it's easier to sit on the couch than to do what we know we should. Need motivation?Here are a few reasons why YOU need to get up and GO:

Another article I wrote for Examiner a few years back...Why do you exercise? Odds are you probably do it to lose weight. Sure, there are the added benefits of lower blood pressure, better heart health, disease prevention, improved mood, more energy and so forth. But according to SGMA’s “Tracking the Fitness Movement” report, weight control was the top reason women exercise and it ranked fourth among men.

Genesee County Parks organizers have announced their spring/summer/fall schedule for this year. Those of you looking for free health/fitness classes are in luck! Check out http://www.geneseecountyparks.org/images/contentImages/file/2011%20GCP_FFG%20spring-sum.pdf.Some of the highlights include healthy cooking, Zumba, Zumbatomic, hula hooping, jump roping, walking, hiking and even a capoeira demonstration!

You're proactive about your health--eating better and moving more. But those pounds just aren't falling off like they were.Hitting a "plateau" can be one of the most frustrating situations you face while working toward your goals. The reason for a plateau varies from individual to individual, but I believe most can be overcome by making one slight change to your workout--incorporating intervals into your training.

On April 12, Deepak Chopra, MD, spoke to a sold-out audience in downtown Flint, Michigan. The title of his presentation was "Healing Transformation & Higher Consciousness." This was the first opportunity I've had to listen to one of Dr. Chopra's lectures, so I wasn't sure what to expect. What he provided was a unique view of health from both a medical and holistic perspective.