If you are currently unemployed you may think that the last place you should be spending time is at the gym. Any place dedicating time to something OTHER than finding work can be hard to justify.

Getting laid off or downsized from work can be an intensely stressful time and can lead to depression. The number one best thing anyone can do for both, stress and depression is exercise.  Not only will exercise alleviate stress and elevate endorphins–the “feel good” natural neurochemical–but staying fit while looking for work will help you make a good impression on prospective employers.  Invariably, an energetically fit person will have an edge over one who is not.

Networking at the Gym?
The gym is also a great place to meet fellow members from all areas of business and the community and build relationships that could lead to mutually beneficial opportunities. My Gym Trainer books for fitness on the go are a great conversation starter: almost everyone asks “what are those cards?” In an environment where energy is upbeat and dynamic, people are more likely to chat a bit about what it is they do.

Support for Moms and Dads
A good gym is a great resource in hard times by utilizing the services offered by many gyms, such as free childcare, plenty of classes, great equipment and some with pools, hot tubs, saunas and showers.  The free childcare is a huge perk, so parents should scout around for a gym nearby that offers this.   Adding up childcare plus all of the other benefits often means parents and singles, can actually SAVE money by fully utilizing all that their gym has to offer.  However, if gym membership is not for you, remember YOU are your greatest asset, so take care of yourself.  Investing just a little in your fitness will reap tremendous benefits in your physical, emotional and mental well-being, and help to keep you energized in your job search.  And, if you can’t get to a gym My Trainer Fitness offers inexpensive portable workouts that you can do at home, inside or out.My Trainer Fitness for At Home or My Trainer Fitness for Outdoors is perfect AND economical at just $12 ($10 through October) for 6 complete workouts. So, as the saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”, and as is the motto at My Trainer Fitness:  never easy…ALWAYS worth it!  You will never regret getting fit.  You are worth it.

Physical Activity is key for healthy children, that’s a fact. The benefits of daily exercise in children’s development physically and mentally are priceless. As adults we can encourage and set healthy habits in motion. October is National Children’s Health Awareness Month so what better time to make a change in your family and get everyone moving!

These Are The Facts!

• These statistics come straight from The Presidents Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. We can make changes to improve our children’s health and encourage habits for an active lifestyle, ultimately setting them up for success as adults.
• 16 percent of children and teens aged 6 to 19 were overweight in 1999-2002, triple the proportion in 1980. Fifteen-percent of children in the same age group are considered at-risk for overweight. The percentage of overweight African American, Hispanic, and Native American children is about 20%.
• More than 10 percent of children between the ages of 2 and 5 are overweight, double the proportion since 1980.
• Health risks associated with being overweight or obese include type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, arthritis.
• According to a study done by the National Association of Sports and Physical Education (NASPE), infants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers should engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily and should not be sedentary for more than 60 minutes at a time except when sleeping.
• One quarter of U.S. children spend 4 hours or more watching television daily!
• Only 25 percent of students in grades 9 through 12 engaged in moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes on 5 or more of the previous 7 days in 2003.

What Can We Do?
Encouraging your child to become more active takes an involved parent or role model. Leading by example is key. Your child will be more inclined to join you exercising if they can stay engaged and have fun at the same time. My Trainer Fitness for Kids was created specifically to help and encourage activity in our youth. These tips will help!

• Vary the activities from day to day. Walking, biking, hiking, jogging with the dog (don’t forget Fido needs daily activity too!) and of course resistance training routines such as My Trainer Fitness for Kids cards!
• Find the time. Schedule activity into as many days as you can. Even 15 vigorous minutes is better than nothing at all!
• Establish a routine. If your children can anticipate that every evening after dinner is activity time it will become a healthy habit. Perhaps Saturday mornings are hike day or kids choice (let them choose what they’d like to do)
• Encourage your children to include their friends to make it more fun!

Regularly expose your kids to positive, healthy environments by engaging in active hobbies, sports and other healthy pursuits together’ because remember, you are your kid’s #1 role model so have fun being active and getting–or staying–fit together. You will never regret it.

OK…this is it folks! We’re very excited to share with your our latest My Trainer Fitness product AND the expert talent that made it possible! In honor of October as Children’s Health Month, we bring you My Trainer Fitness for Kids 6-pack!

The MTF Kids 6-pack workouts were created by Coach Robyn Holland of Crazy Running based in Winston-Salem, NC. Robyn loves running and kids and she’s put these passions together in Crazy Running, a program that get kids ages 9-14 running like crazy , while exposing them to all venues of track and field, from sprinting and jogging, to relays, hurdles, cross country, and 1-5K training, Robyn coaches it all.

Probably every parent has said to their kids, “Why don’t you go outside and get some exercise?” We do this because we know that in today’s high-tech era, we’re all more sedentary than is best for our bodies, and we’re all painfully aware of the techno era catch-phrase unheard of a decade ago: “childhood obesity”. So, when we send the kids out, what do they do? Parents know that they often come back soon afterward, ready to get back onto their more enticing computer games. But kids were designed for running and romping, climbing and racing and that’s what keeps them growing strong, healthy and balanced. So next time, send your kids outside with a My Trainer Fitness for Kids card for around 30 minutes of fun and vigorous exercise. You’ll both be glad!

My Trainer Fitness products can be purchased here; Amazon.com; www.BarnesandNoble.com, and Borders.