Watch these videos to get in shape this summer
In our 50th anniversary issue, we are looking back – at the best of times. Here are the top DAOFitLife YouTube videos you may have missed. I have included a QR code for each one in case you want to scan to your phone and listen on the go! For more videos, check out the DAOFitLife YouTube Channel (please like and subscribe!)
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Look back, but don’t stare: why nostalgia benefits mental health
If you read my blog, you know I love to romanticize about the past. Throwback songs, styles, popular sayings and sitcoms are my jam. And a lot of people feel this way – especially after living through a pandemic, where reminiscing about a maskless, unfettered freedom in life may have kept some of us going. Lately I have been wondering – nostaligia good or bad? The research on this is surprising, so read on to find out where you should leave the past.
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Photo by Georgia de Lotz
The DAOFitLife Hotlist: Best Throwback Dance Videos
The 50th anniversary issue throwback theme continues! I was at the gym recently and was listening to “Footloose” – a song that gets me flying on the treadmill. Then I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to see the music video while I listen to the song? And it was. So I set out to find the best dance music videos, or at least my top 5.
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Photo by ernest et lulu
How to beat the bloat and feel fantasic – with VIDEO
Feeling bloated is so unfair. Even if it is not visible, it can feel like you are carrying around a rock. It can ruin social engagements. It can make you irritable and want to isolate.
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Photo by Jason Yoder
The 10 best ab moves
It is summer and you know what that means. While you may be past the age of bare midriff tops, there is definitely a confidence that goes with having your best abs forward at the beach, pool, and in thinner fabrics at the office. So let’s start shredding.
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Here are a list of the perfect choices for that midday salad pick me up. Photo by Nielsen Ramon
DAOFitLife Hot List: Healthiest summer salad chains
It’s almost noon, and you are hungry? What are you going to get when it’s north of 80 degrees and climbing? A SALAD! And I have the perfect recommendations on what chains are the healthiest and how to order healthy so you can slide into the pool later.
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In the eye of the beholder: Your gym is everywhere
How to get a great workout at the pool
Most pools opened after Memorial Day. Time to soak up the sun on the weekends at your house or condo complex. But did you know this is a great opportunity…
Bento boxes rock! Here are the best recipes. Photo by Ella Olsson
DAOFitLife Hotlist: Best Lunch Prep Ideas
We all are so crazed and running around during the day. Lunch is well, inconvenient. Now is a good time to refresh your lunch playlist with some very fast and…
You will know by the end of this article how to spot a good hotel gym and work with what you got. Photo by Risen Wang
The Best Hotel Gyms and How to Work Out in Them
What do you look for when you choose a hotel for travel? Thread count of the sheets? Size of the room? Enhanced Wi-fi availability? One thing you also need to…
Photo by Edelle Bruton
The Ultimate Guide to Work Out In Your Hotel Room
Even if it is tiny, and even if you don’t have time. I am also including a challenge program I have started that you can follow along from home or while you are on the road!
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That swivel chair is perfect for oblique twists. Photo by TheStandingDesk
The DAO of Deskercise
“I’m chained to my desk all day. I don’t have time to work out!”
So not true. Introducing the “DAO of Deskercise”. You can exercise right at your desk and burn hundreds of extra calories all day. And you can preempt later body aches and pains from tech neck, wrist tension, and lower back compression.
But how? Read on.
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Photo by Kira auf der Heide
DAOFitLife Hotlist: The best apps for travel
Here is a list of all of the websites and apps I rely on when I travel
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Photo by Tom Barrett
Your must have guide to staying fit during travel
Are you jetsetting again for work? Have an upcoming trip for a graduation, wedding, or getaway. These are the top 10 do’s and don’ts you need to know from packing to arriving to departing.
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Photo by National Cancer Institute
Get your grit back: 13 things mentally strong people don’t do
May is mental health awareness month – whichhich is why I am excited to blog about what I learned from one of my favorite books, 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do, by Amy Morin. Amy Morin is an acclaimed psychotherapist who lost her mother and husband in her twenties. Amy’s emotional challenges motivated her to engage in a deep study of mental resilience and culminated in four widely successful self-improvement books.
What I learned from this book is the importance of grit and perseverance. Of not running away and facing the hard things. It’s a case for mental toughness.
Mental toughness is our ability to perform consistently under stress and pressure and increasing our resilience to bounce back when things don’t go our way. That work is no different than work done in a physical gym – all of the practices in the book are like physical exercises that you can do to get stronger mentally.
Here is my summary of the 13 Things and how they can help you whenever you confront challenges and disappointments, on a smaller or grander scale. I would like to extend a warm thanks to my very good friend Ryan Trombley for his assistance in writing this article.
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On the hunt for a great gift - consider a useful iPhone wallet. Photo by Sahej Brar
The DAOFitLife Weekly Hotlist May 11
If you are on the hunt for a good graduation gift or Father's day present, check out the SkyBorne iPhone Wallet More Zoom video etiquette from Anna Bey (no beds…
Photo by Alexander Schimmeck
8 ways to eat fruits and vegetables without the hassle
There are two main barriers for most busy professionals when it comes to getting in more fruit and vegetables: 1) they are not as fun to eat as M&Ms; 2) They are also way harder to prepare – we don’t all have time to make unicorn food smoothies . And the last reason makes it really problematic for thoe of us who barely have time to eat in the first place. So here is your no-muss, no-fuss guide to getting in more fruits and vegetables for a healthier, leaner you in time for summer.
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The lat muscles that support your back will be on full display - and making them strong will make your pushups and deadlifits better. Photo by FitNish Media
Bringing Sexy Back – DAOFitLife’s Top 10 Back Exercises
How much thought do you put into training your back? If the answer is not much, this article will convince you otherwise. Working your back is essential to counteracting the 3 C’s – couch, computer, and the chair you sit in all day.
Your back plays an integral role in all of your workouts. Running. Yoga. Pilates. Strength Training. Your back is literally your core. Even if you are not working out, your back muscles hold you up and help you do all the random menial tasks like laundry and emptying the dishwasher.
Also, your back takes up a lot of real estate on your body. It’s about to be summer with tanks, dresses and swimsuits and a sleek back will make you feel confident and have the posture to go with that confidence. Here is the DAOFitLife curated list of the top 10 back moves you can do in 10 minutes, plus more playlists and resources you can use both in the gym and at home.
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How stressed are you - find out in 5 minutes! Photo by JESHOOTS.COM
The DAOFitLife Weekly Hotlist
Are you wondering exactly how stressed you are? There is a Stress quiz you can take that will tell y9ou where you stand on a "Perceived Stress Scale". Thanks to…
Before you start medicating up, read this. Photo by Bermix Studio
Cold, Flu or Covid? The DAO weekly Hotlist
Do you have the sniffles? Below is a guide from the CDC website on whether it is more likely to be a cold, flu, or COVID. Of course you will…
How to order healthy sushi
Sushi is one of my favorite go-to foods as the weather starts to get warmer. The sticky rice, salty taste and fun eating with chopsticks is a perfect way to…
