We have updated the names of the various shops within our|AMP|nbsp; Women Fitness Clothes Store. The revision was made to provide better descriptions of what is in each shop.


Our Women Fitness Clothes Store features huge selection of women's fitness clothes, including sport bras, exercise tops, exercise pants, and athletic shoes. If you have been to it yet, we suggest you stop by a check it out. For our fuller-figured visitors, we also have a Plus Size Fitness Clothing Store.

Since NetSweat is a web site devoted to fitness, it should not
be surprising we, the publishers, are anti-smoking. We generally don't talk
about tobacco on this site, simply because that most visitors to a fitness web
site are going to be non-smokers. If you are a smoker, however, and are trying
to quit, we applaud your efforts. We realize that this can be a very difficult
habit to break.


The reason why we are choosing to bring up the subject now is
because there was an interesting article that ran in yesterday's Denver Post
about the economic impact of smoking bans. Reporters for the newspaper analyzed
sales tax for various cities in Colorado and found, for the most part, that
sales tax revenues for bars and restaurants rose after smoking bans were enacted
- even when population growth was factored in. You can see the article by clicking
here.


The trend towards imposing smoking bans is continuously gaining
momentum, both in the U.S. and internationally. While we understand that tobacco
is a legal product, smoking intrudes on the rights of non-smokers not to be able
to breath tobacco-free air. Given that banning smoking has not had a detrimental
impact on the bar and restaurant industry as a whole (Las Vegas casinos have
continued to increase revenues after bans were impacted), we support a
nationwide ban on smoking in all public places. If you agree with our stance, we
ask that you tell your legislators to support such legislation.

We just tried a Body for Life Balanced Nutrition Bar (there was a coupon in either this past Sunday's or the prior Sunday's newspaper). The bar has 15 grams of protein, 7 grams of fat, 22 grams of carbs, and 200 calories. The flavor was Cookies and Cream. We found it at our local Safeway.

We were pleasantly surprised by the taste. It was sweet and not overly dry - a problem with many energy bars. It could make a good choice for a snack, especially if sweettooth cravings are killing you.

With at least another six more weeks of winter storms (more if you live up in
mountainous areas), there is still plenty of time to go snowshoeing. Snowshoeing
is a great way to exercise because it can burn lots of calories (500-1000
depending on speed and fitness level) and is relatively low impact. If you're a
runner, this is a great cross-training activity.


In addition, snowshoeing can give you an excuse to find new trails and visit
new parks and winter resorts. Many places offer guided nature tours, offering
the chance to see wildlife.


We carry snowshoes and related equipment in our Outdoor
Gear Store, but. if this is your first time trying the sport, however, you
may want to consider simply renting instead of buying. (The publishers of
NetSweat rent when we go snowshoeing. We love the sport, but tend to ski much
more often). Many outdoor shops and ski rental shops rent snowshoes. If you're
planning a vacation at a ski resort, ask if they have a Nordic Center. Many
resorts do and can rent you snowshoes.


As far trails, ask local national park rangers or a local outdoor gear shop
for suggestions. Since it's easy to get lost during winter time, make sure to
stay on well marked trails. Try to snowshoe as a group instead of doing it
alone; however, if you are planning on snowshoeing alone, let somebody else know
exactly what trail you'll be on and what time to expect you to back.

Earlier this week we changed the navigation on our Outdoor
Gear Store. We renamed several of the categories to be more descriptive.
These changes should make it easier to navigate through our store and provide a
better understanding of what's available in it.


For those of you who haven't been to our Outdoor Gear Store, click
here to check it out. We carry over 4500 outdoor gear products including
hiking, snowshoeing, camping, backpacking, and climbing equipment. We also have
a big selection of men's and women's outdoor clothing.

The just released February issue of Women's Health |AMP|amp; Fitness Magazine features our ABA Plus Size Fitness Clothing store.

On page 21, there is a photo of the Slimming Silhouette Cami Bra and the matching Two Color Sport Capri pants. You can see (and buy) both by clicking here.

Here's a quick post that we might re-publish and/or revise from time to time.

Our fitness blog is published using Greymatter - an open source blog software program. It's relatively easy to set-up, has a great user support forum, and is free. We're still tweaking with the formatting of things, but for those (like us) who have an existing web site, Greymatter is great way to add a blog to your site. There is an add-on to make the Blog a live feed, but that's on the list of things to do.

If you reading this blog and want to send us feedback (compliments, gripes, questions, etc), you can reach us by going to our Site Information page. On this page you will find a contact form. All we require you to enter is your name, email (which we will never give out) and some comments.

Although there is not a single fitness regime that is perfect for everybody, the publishers of NetSweat would like to share some of the things we do to stay in shape. Keep in mind, these are activities that we personally enjoy doing and should not be interpreted as being the exercises that you should be doing.

In no particular order:
Downhill skiing - we just got back from Beaver Creek and the snow was incredible. For us, nothing beats being in the mountains, regardless of the season.

Hiking - Fresh air, beautiful scenery, and a break from the everyday stresses - what's not to enjoy? As far as our favorite trail - the 7-8 mile hike through Bryce Canyon in Utah. If you get a chance to go there, do it (and bring lots of film or a big memory card for the digital camera). We've been to Zion’s and Arches and neither park, though spectacular, tops Bryce.

Elliptical Trainers - A great indoor workout that burns lots of calories. Although many elliptical trainers allow you to exercise both your arms and your legs at the same time, we remain big fans of Precor which does not have stationary arms.

Yoga - We swear yoga. The improvement in our flexibility, posture, and muscle tone is huge. Our advice for anybody who is starting yoga is get a good a mat (we love our orange Wai Lana mat ) and stick with it for a few months. Yoga may seem real hard at first, but if you're willing to give it some time, you will wonder why you didn't start sooner.

Walking - It's low impact, can be done virtually anywhere, and helps to burn calories. We make sure we at least walk a mile everyday (30 minutes in the morning isn't as hard to squeeze as you think).

What exercises you choose to include your fitness regime is completely up to you. Hopefully this list of our favorite workouts will help you get off the couch and become more active.

Chances are there are many of you who made a new year’s resolution to lose weight and went into work only to find temptation right in the office break room. Cake, cookies, candy, vending machines – they are all the last thing a person on a diet wants to see.


Here are some office fitness survival tips:


1. Use a big cup or water bottle. If the water cooler is in the break room, then filling up a bigger container of water will result in fewer trips - keeping you away from temptation.

2. Bring in your own snacks. Whatever you bring in will likely be a)healthier, b)lower calorie, or c)cheaper. Baby carrots, Pria Bars, and mint gum (a lot of things taste bad after chewing gum including soda and chips) are good options. If you absolutely crave chocolate, the bite size bags of M|AMP|amp;Ms are only about 150 calories.

3. Take your break outside of the office. Yes, it’s cold right now. But the downstairs lobby has fewer snacks than the break room.

4. Don’t fret the snacks. If you give in to temptation, pledge not to do it again and move on.