You have probably been wondering whether or not your body fat analyzer is particularly accurate. Especially now, since you have been getting into a nice exercise routine using your Bender Ball as the focal point of everything else you are doing, it would be nice to know if, besides getting stronger and better looking abdominal muscles, that you are also doing your part to reduce body fat.

Unfortunately most commonly used body fat analyzers, also called impedance meters, are not particularly accurate or reliable. There are many variables that can influence the reading, including the quality of the device which you are using, as well as how much water you have imbibed recently. For a good estimate of the percentage of body fat you are carrying around its best to ask your doctor. And don’t forget to tell him about your Bender Ball and the great results you are getting with it, working out your abs in a crunchless, painless way.

I’m very goal oriented.  This means that I do better, and am more motivated, when I have clear goals in front of me.  I’ve found a great trick for keeping myself on target with my exercise routine, and that’s to think of the next event where I want to look great.  With summer coming, it’s not hard to think about the beach, the vacation we hope to take, and the pool.  All of these images keep me on target with my crunchless abs and my Bender Ball.  I want to melt it off for the summer and feel good about myself around the pool and in my summer clothes.

So, I’ve found this to be a great trick.  I’ve actually put a few pictures around the house of summer time fun.  I have one on the refrigerator and one on the front door to remind me to stick to my exercise program and to stay loyal to my Bender Ball!

I’ve discovered a brilliant new way to stay motivated with my exercise routine – clear and concrete goals.  I’m participating in a 10K run that my friend and neighbor set up years ago in memory of his mom.  I’ve never participated before because the thought of running or walking a 10k made me laugh. I was certainly not in shape for that!  But now, with my daily running, my crunchless abs with my Bender Ball and my other activities, I’m feeling great and I’m confident that I can pull off the 10K run.

Having a set goal has really made a difference for me mentally.  It’s pushed me out of the house on mornings when I just don’t feel like getting up and it’s getting me energized and excited to push my body.  Now, the trick will be to find another motivational goal that will keep me in this frame of mind even after I finish the 10K!

I wrote in my last post that I had been shopping recently and had a great experience.  The shopping really occurred because of Spring.  See, since Spring has arrived, I started to take out all of my summer clothes and to put away some of my winter wear.  Boy, was I surprised to try on a few summer outfits – only to realize that they didn’t fit me at all!  I know that I’ve been losing weight and feeling great with my crunchless abs from the Bender Ball, my running and my nutrition, but I don’t think I realized just how big a difference these changes have made.

So, my wife finally said it was time to go shopping. And what a great experience it was!  Now, I love Spring and Summer even more than I have in the past.  What’s not to love when you fit into smaller size clothes, feel great and look forward to being outside more?

I live in a very beautiful part of my town, near a forest and a small, hilly, uninhabited area. Sometimes people come and make picnics here or just come for a nice, quiet walk. This is the place I like to go for my morning runs. Yesterday morning I had a little extra time because my first meeting was scheduled a bit later than usual, so I took advantage of that breathing space and first did a crunch-less abs workout with my Bender Ball, and then I went to the hill and ran for about 20 minutes. I am so glad I did. The air wash fresh and cool, the sun was just rising over the distant lake, and there were some deer going for a morning stroll. I felt really alive and refreshed and ready for anything my day might bring.
I felt so good the entire day that I even did a short, 10 minute work-out with my Bender Ball right before lunch, and then I went for a walk with my wife after dinner. I even did another 5 minutes with my Bender Ball before hitting the sack. By the time I got into bed I felt like a million dollars.

Sometimes in the morning I go for a short run, maybe about 15 or 20 minutes max. I never believed I would start running again, but because my Bender Ball gave me the confidence in myself that I could actually change my appearance, weight and the way I feel about myself, I decided to really take the plunge and start a more intensive work-out routine. And I am so glad I did. Especially now, it is so nice to be outdoors observing how the seasons are changing. Since I sit in an office all day long, my morning run really brings some fresh air, good smells and interesting sights into my life. And just think, I have my Bender Ball to thank for making me realize what my real potential was.

A friend of mine told me the other day that his doctor says he has high cholesterol and needs to lose some weight. My friend came to me for advice, he told me, because he can see that I have been keeping fit lately and he wanted to know how I do it.

Of course I told him all about my Bender Ball, and how I work out with it before I go to work in the morning, and at my lunch break, and very often before I go to bed. I explained to him that since it only requires about 5-10 minutes of a work-out at each time, it is easy to find the time to work-out. I also explained that using the Bender Ball is easy and fun, and it puts much less of a strain on the back while much more efficiently strengthening all those important abdominal muscles in the front. He was impressed and said he is thinking about getting a Bender Ball.

I left off on my last post at our family dinners, which are great, and I recommend it if you can arrange it. I know some people use their dining room tables as a storage space or a work space like a desk, but we are careful to keep the table cleared off so we can sit down to eat together without first having to organize everything that’s on the table. After dinner the kids do their homework, talk to their friends on the phone or whatever kids do in the evenings. My wife and I sometimes watch T.V., or, if there is nothing that interests us, we’ll take out our Bender Balls and do a few crunches before bed. If the weather is good we might even go for another walk together. I usually feel good about my day, and find this routine a great way to stay connected with my wife and kids, and work in a nice amount of exercise without too much trouble.

In my last post I started to tell you about my day. My wife picks me up at the end of the day, which is at about 5pm, and when we get home I go through the mail and my wife starts to make dinner. The kids start to wonder in from their various activities depending on the day of the week. One of my kids is on a basketball team, and another takes ballet lessons. More than one of the kids has piano lessons, etc… In other words, I don’t keep track of their activities, that’s my wife’s department. While the kids set the table for dinner my wife and I go for a 15 minute walk. Our family therapist suggested it as a way to talk without distractions, and also to get a little exercise at the same time. I love my walks with my wife. I find them really relaxing and productive at the same time. It’s really a great way to stay in touch. When we get home the table is usually already set, and the food is ready. We sit down to eat as a family, which I also love, and we almost always have a great time talking about our days and our dreams.

I was having coffee with a few of my buddies the other day, and I couldn’t help but laugh.  There we were, at the beginning of the new year, talking about exercise and hopes for the new year.  They wondered why I was laughing.  I’ve known these guys for probably close to 30 years, and every single year we talk about the same things!  We always spend January talking about our New Year’s resolutions, about our new gym memberships, about our excitement about getting fit, etc.

And then what happens?  By February, we’ve forgotten all about our resolutions and we are meeting for a few beers and a slice of cake.  I laughed this year because I’ve finally broken from the pattern! Thanks to my bender ball, I’ve started losing my beer gut and feeling so much better about myself.  And that made me get a gym membership and the whole thing has made me feel 100% better.  And I told my buddies that I didn’t even put exercise as one of my New Year’s resolutions – because exercise, and using the bender ball, are simply part of my daily life now.  I don’t even think about them, and I know that they won’t be pushed aside, as my friends’ resolutions will be.

Poor guys.  Let’s hear it for my fitness and my bender ball!