Read more about the article When Your Jeans Feel Tight: A How-to-Deal Guide
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When Your Jeans Feel Tight: A How-to-Deal Guide

Have you ever taken a pair of jeans out of the closet you haven’t worn in a while? There is already an inner battle in my head when I do. Should I try them on? What if they don’t fit? What if I’ve gained weight? How did they fit the last time I wore them?

Now you shimmy them on. You might already be on the struggle bus in the shimmy process. Or you might get them all the way up but they don’t quite zip. Or they might zip, but that’s only a technicality. It zips but doesn’t quite fit.

In my day job, I like developing a “mode of analysis” for all my projects and issues I handle. So here is the DAOFitLife “Mode of Analysis” for your tight-jean issue. Step by step, with decisions along the way that you make based on what you feel is right for you!

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Read more about the article Spring Cleaning: The Sneaky Workout You Didn’t Know You Needed
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Spring Cleaning: The Sneaky Workout You Didn’t Know You Needed

Spring cleaning may not be the most exciting task on your to-do list, but it can actually be a sneaky way to get a workout in. Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is the energy we burn during our daily activities, and cleaning and organizing your home can be a great way to boost NEAT and burn some extra calories. In this article, we’ll explore some common spring cleaning tasks and how many calories they can burn per hour, as well as tips on how to tackle cleaning out and organizing your closets and kitchen cabinets.

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Read more about the article How to Get Toned Arms for Summer – Starting Now
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How to Get Toned Arms for Summer – Starting Now

Spring is here,  and it’s time to start thinking about getting those arms ready for tank tops, sundresses, and other warm-weather attire. Whether you’re looking to tone up, build muscle, or just feel more confident in your own skin, there are plenty of ways to get nice arms for spring.

Here are some tips to help you achieve your goals. It might be only spring but it generally takes about 8 weeks to notice a difference when you start a new training program. Be patient, and follow along!

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Read more about the article What Would Jesus Eat? Where Food and Faith Collide
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What Would Jesus Eat? Where Food and Faith Collide

In 1 Corinthians 10:31, it says, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 

So how do food and faith collide? Whether you follow a certain religion or just are one with the universe, food and how you treat your body with it can have a powerful role on your spiritual life. In this season of Lent, I was curious about how something so innate to our body survival – food – can connect with faith – which for those of us who follow one, is a way of feeding our souls.

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Read more about the article Are you still deciding whether to join a gym? Pros and Cons of Home v. Gym workouts 
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Are you still deciding whether to join a gym? Pros and Cons of Home v. Gym workouts 

There has been a double-digit increase in the number of gym membership sign-ups in January versus the same period in pre-Covid times, said gym owners.

If you are thinking about joining a gym, or on the fence, here are some questions you need to ask yourself: 

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Read more about the article Live well in 2023: The DAOFitLife Glow Up Guide
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Live well in 2023: The DAOFitLife Glow Up Guide

It’s a new year and a new start, which means it’s the perfect time to focus on yourself and make some positive changes. One way to do this is to “glow up,” or make improvements to your physical and mental well-being. You can “glow up” in many ways, and a lot of it is bigger than what you see on the outside. A true “glow up” is an inside AND outside job. 

Here are some tips on how to glow up this January.

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Read more about the article Exactly how to do stealth workouts in the middle of the day
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Exactly how to do stealth workouts in the middle of the day

The Wall Street Journal had a recent article, “Why Working Out During the Workday Is the Ultimate Power Move”. The article has an interview of CEOs who humblebrag about being able to disappear for two hours unaccounted for to do sets at the gym. This is the exact kind of messaging that makes the rest of us think that we have to be some big wig to “get away” with midday workouts. 

I beg to differ. I have been doing mid-day workouts for years – when I was an on the clock government worker, as a junior associate at a law firm, and now as a director at a Big 4. The secret is knowing exactly what you will do and exactly how you will do it. And being PREPARED. You may not be the CEO of a company, but you should be the CEO of your own body. 

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Read more about the article My “Opposite” New Year’s Exercise Resoluton
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My “Opposite” New Year’s Exercise Resoluton

Many New Year’s resolutions involve quitting. Quitting drinking, quitting smoking, quitting sugar, Or starting some big challenge – mainly involving working out. We see the gyms and workout studios fill up with determined people who may have been in a holiday cookie blur but could be mistaken for ironman training competitors. So hardcore and leaving no space on cardio machines, workout classes and you can forget the bench press. You may go to a yoga class and experience namaste or a foot in your face. 

The hard and simple truth: You can’t outrun, outdance, outkickbox, or outnamaste a bad diet. And I am looking to partially prove that and some other things by my 2023 New Year’s Resolution.

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Read more about the article The Hardest Workout in the World: A Guide to Barry’s Bootcamp
Literally, the room is this color. At the Washington DC Dupont Circle Barrys.

The Hardest Workout in the World: A Guide to Barry’s Bootcamp

It’s a workout that has attracted the biggest celebrities and gained a reputation as THE place to be if you want to push yourself to the limits. As most global brands do, it started with a crazy dream. Barry Jay founded this fitness craze together with his partners in West Hollywood in 1998 and has since opened dozens of studios in 15 states and 15 countries (including Norway, the UAE and Qatar). It has attracted celebrities like Jessica Alba and Jake Gyllenhaal, David Beckham, Adriana Lima, and Harry Styles (who was rumored to have been recently in the DC Studio – unconfirmed)

Barry’s can be summed up as this: a red room, blasting music, a motivating instructor, and everyone going so hard you would think it’s the Hunger Games.

The DAOFitLIfe Guide to Barry’s follows (note: all views are my own opinion and not supported by any outside organization).

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Read more about the article Enjoy Thanksgiving and Keep Your Fitness on Track
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Enjoy Thanksgiving and Keep Your Fitness on Track

It’s official – travel for the holidays is back. About 70% of Americans said they have travel plans to travel for the holiday, Airport officials and industry analysts say passenger traffic for the Nov. 24 Thanksgiving holiday through New Year’s is set to reach or exceed 2019 levels.

This post updates the hottest tips for staying sane and healthy during Thanksgiving.

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Read more about the article When treating your mental health makes you gain weight
Do you have to choose between being sad or skinny? Read on to find out what your options are. terovesalainen @ Adobe Stock

When treating your mental health makes you gain weight

 Would you rather be sad, or skinny? Would you rather be fat and happy, or thin and sad? These are questions that magazines are actually asking mostly women about the fact that treating depression and anxiety would some forms of medication could potentially cause weight gain

The articles featured in Vice and Self magazine echo a deeper sense of self- conflict about mental health – at what cost do we pursue our well-being and happiness? For some this can mean taking prescribed medication, which can lead to intended and unintended consequence. And one of the biggest ones whispered about in anonymous forums is this: weight gain.

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Read more about the article How to attend conferences without blowing your fitness goals 
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How to attend conferences without blowing your fitness goals 

If you are in a professional services field, you know that conferences are like our Superbowl. It’s the ultimate opportunity for companies to showcase their talent, swag, and brand power. 

It’s also the ultimate opportunity to pack on the pounds. A lack of choice for food options, many of which are not healthy. Wining and dining. Little sleep from compressed schedules for presentations and time zone differences. 

Slowly, you make decisions that you would never make if you were at your own home base. Like, maybe that stale mini cheese Danish IS a good idea. 

If I know one thing from being a professional in this workforce for many years, pre and post-pandemic, I know how to navigate this minefield. And I am here to tell you all the best tricks and tips so you can come and go like the fit boss that you are. 

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Read more about the article How Working Out Like a Whirling Dervish Can Make You Fall In Love With Fitness
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How Working Out Like a Whirling Dervish Can Make You Fall In Love With Fitness

“Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love.” – Rumi

The thrill of the pandemic workout craze is fading.  UpSwell’s survey found that while 50% of respondents returned to the gym within 9 months of restrictions lifting, nearly a third (27.71%) of all respondents still have not yet returned to the gym, and 31.23% are working out less in 2022.

Peloton, the exercise bike company that saw huge success in the early days of the pandemic only to flounder as sales slowed, reported a $1.2 billion quarterly loss recently. 

SoulCycle will close up to a quarter of its studios across the U.S., including six reportedly in the New York City area, amid adjustments related to the pandemic, the fitness company said Tuesday.

How do we bring it back? Enter Rumi, and Sufism.

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Read more about the article The DAOFitLife Hotlist: Summer workouts to enjoy before fall
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The DAOFitLife Hotlist: Summer workouts to enjoy before fall

There are murmursof a “false fall” or “early fall” happening. But despite some of these breezy days, we still have 3 weeks until real fall. So let’s get out there and enjoy some fun outdoor sports.

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Read more about the article How to Cure Tech Neck
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How to Cure Tech Neck

Did you know looking down at your phone is like putting the weight of a bowling ball on your neck? Not to mention, when you add stress, your neck will tense up further. The way we sit in front of the computer and look at our devices means we are always looking down. Overt time this causes your head to move forward, and eventually throw off your neck alignment. This is known as “tech neck.” And this is beyond an annoyance. Over time, untreated neck issues can cause massive tissue damage and harm to the spine including slipped or herniated discs. The good news is, there are easy hacks and exercises you can do right now to ease the tension in your neck and cure the related headaches.

Here is your guide to cure tech neck AND get better posture below.

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