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Why would a company that specializes in health, fitness, activities and travel write a post about climate change? Climate change affects us all.

Health effects of climate change include famine and disease.

Sports and activities are usually more fun when they are played outdoors.

Being fit and healthy is easier when you aren’t wondering about food and water.

Climate Change is happening now.

“This December world leaders will gather in Copenhagen to negotiate a global response to climate change. As a world leader in greenhouse gas pollution as well as clean energy technology, the United States needs to take bold action by implementing comprehensive clean energy policies to curb emissions.”* *(http://www.blogactionday.org/)

To find out how climate change will affect you:  The Top 100 Effects of Climate Change.

This list will surprise you.

It includes things like baseball, wine, salmon and skiing.

Other areas that are mentioned that effects us all: food, sports, environment, animals, health/sickness, oceans, human costs, and even national security.

Less deer, more jellyfish.

Less mountains, more deserts.

More floods, hurricanes and fires and disease.

The time is now.

More ways to get involved**

Add your name to those across the world calling on President Obama to lead on climate change. http://www.blogactionday.org/en/takeaction

Sign the Tck Tck Tck campaign’s “I am ready” pledge supporting an ambitious, fair and binding climate agreement in Copenhagen this fall:tcktcktck.org/people/i-am-ready

Register for the 350.org International Day of Climate Action October 24: www.350.org

Join the UK Government’s “Act on Copenhagen” effort to promote a global deal on climate change: www.actoncopenhagen.decc.gov.uk/en

Learn and act with The Nature Conservancy’s Planet Change site: change.nature.org

Watch and help promote Current TV’s green-themed video journalism at: current.com/green

Support strong climate legislation in the US by making calls to your Senators with 1Sky: www.1sky.org/call

Put yourself on the Vote Earth map and upload your photos, pictures and weblinks to show the world future you want to see:www.earthhour.org/home

More actions and information available: http://www.blogactionday.org/en/takeaction

**  List from The Official Blog of Blog Action Day.

Tags: Blog action Day, Effects of Climate Change, Health and climate change, S.H.E. CARES, SHE cares about climate change, why we care

Thank you for supporting us for the last two years.

We have moved all of our shows, articles and smart, quick & energetic ( kick-butt)  health and fitness information back to its orginal site: http://SportsHealthExercise.com .

Please join us,(& bookmark, sign up for feed) there as we continue our path to Get Fit - Be Active -Have Fun.

The  .org site will become the host of our non-profit and charity support site starting in early 2010.

Warm, Fit & Active Wishes,

Tracy Benham and the Teams at SHE and AHN

SHE has Moved back to .com

Tags: Active Health Network, AHN, Daily Kick in the Butt, Fit Kicks, fitness website, get fit, Health and Fitness websites, SHE, Sports Health Exercise, Tracy Benham

Last summer after Nastia Luikin won 5 Medals in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing our AHN fitness expert Fitz had the opportunity to speak to Nastia when she was promoting the Secret Sport Challenge. In this short interview Nastia shares her favorite music to work out to, her thoughts on fitness and how important healthy eating habits are to everyone.

Last night on the ESPN ESPY awards, Gymnast Nastia Liukin was named the Best Female Athlete.

She had this to say about her award on Twitter: OMGOMGOMG!!!!!!!! THANK YOU EVERYONE SOOO MUCH!!!!! I won BEST FEMALE ATHLETE!!!!!!!!!!!! All because of you guys!!!!!!!!” http://www.twitter.com/NLiukin - follow Nastia on Twitter for more info from her or visit her website http://www.nastialiukin.com.

Fitz’s Interview with Nastia Liukin

Fitz: How many hours a week do you train before a competition?

Nastia: Before the Olympics I trained for about seven hours a day. It included about two hours of warming up and conditioning, and the rest of the time was spent practicing routines and skills on the events.

Fitz: If you weren’t a professional athlete/gymnast how do you think you’d pursue fitness?

Nastia: Staying very fit, active and maintaining a healthy diet are very important to maintaining my lifestyle. I think everybody should do some type of exercise whether it’s going to a fitness center or going for a run around your neighborhood. I run two miles, three times a week to keep my endurance up.

Fitz: Tell me about your eating habits.

Nastia: I have always chosen to eat healthy and Organic foods. I was raised to enjoy the value of nutritious foods and the healthy habits have stuck with me. I owe a lot to my parents for teaching me the right eating habits.

Fitz: What’s your favorite healthy food?

Nastia: My favorite food is sushi! I love it and it’s very healthy, so that is a plus!

Fitz: Favorite junk food?

Nastia: Of course everyone has their one favorite thing that you treat yourself with occasionally and mine is ice cream!

Fitz: What’s on your mp3 player?

Nastia: Saving Jane, Carrie Underwood, Rihanna, Jesse McCartney, Jordan Pruitt.

Fitz: Any secrets to staying fit or eating well consistently?

Nastia: Set goals for yourself. I always set daily, weekly, monthly, and long term goals. Strive to achieve them! Whether it be running a mile everyday for a month, or winning a gold medal at the Olympics, setting goals has played a huge roll in overcoming obstacles and achieving success in my life and my sport.

Fitz: What was the best part of your Olympic success?

Nastia: Winning the All Around gold medal, hands down was the best part of the 2008 Olympic Games. I achieved my biggest dream and goal in my gymnastics career. After winning that Gold, I was able to add a few more medals to my collection. Leaving Beijing with five Olympic medals was more then I would have ever dreamed about. It was also very special to be there with my dad, Valeri, who is also my coach. He competed at the 1988 Olympic Games and won two Gold and two Silver medals.

Fitz: Any advice you can share for average Joe and Jane simply trying to become more fit?

Nastia: Make exercising part of your daily routine. It can be right when you wake up or after your done with a long day. I suggest right when you wake up, because it gets your body going and gets you off to a great start to the day. At the end of a day, you might feel more tired and get lazy. Also, make it fun! Go running with a friend, or just listen to some of your favorite inspiring songs on iPod!

Fitz: Thank you so much for both the interview and for all of the excitement in Bejing; it was a thrill to watch you perform and win. You have certainly done your job setting the standard for elite athleticism and inspiring others to excel as well.

More Celebrity Interviews: Fitzness.com

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ActiveHealth

Tags: Best female athlete winner Nastia, Celebrity Fitness, Espy winner Nastia, female althlete fitness, Fitz, Fitz interviews nastia, Nastia Fitness, Nastia health, Nastia Liukin fitness, SHE, She's the best female athlete 2009

A Goal without a Plan is just a Wish. A Plan without a Deadline is just a Fairy Tale.

Tags: Daily Kick in the Butt, exercise quotes, famous quotes, fitness quotes, fitness tips, Inspirational quotes, Kick your butt into gear, motivational quotes, organizational quotes, SHE, Sports Health Exercise, success quotes, Tracy Benham

iPopperz -let your ear buds reflect your fashionable style.

Ear buds are the latest cool new tool you can use to stay fashionably fit. iPopperz are fashion forward earphones with style! “I think everyone who exercises looks cool, because working out is just a cool thing to do. Having said that, some of you like to take it to the next level and iPopperz will be right up your alley,”  says Fitz, AHN Fitness expert and new owner of IPopperz ear buds.

iPopperz and Fitz have graciously offered to send one of you a free pair. These make a perfect back to school gift for your teen or a uplifting gift to yourself after all of your hard work towards your health adn fitness goals.  All you have to do is check out their great catalogue of iPopperz here and write in the comment section  on the Fitzness Blog here “which pair suits your style perfectly and why”. Really, the designs range from baseballs to skulls to fancy jewelz and fun colors, so you’re bound to find a set that suits your style.  Now get busy comment.  Nothing to sign up for, just a chance to get a free pair for the first 50 people that sign up before Friday July 24th.  We’ll pick a winner and announce it here and on Fitzness.com.

**To enter, name your favorite iPopperzstyle and why.  Leave a functioning email address along with your name as you registered. Email addresses will not be made public, they’ll just be used to contact you and let you know that you’ve won – woohoo! Winners will be contacted by email and will have 24 hours to respond before a runner-up winner is announced. You snooze, you lose.  iPopperz will mail the winner one set of iPopperz within 14 business days.

Tags: AHN, back to school gifts, ear buds, ear buds for teens, Earphone giveaway, earphones for women, favorite ear buds, Fitz, Giveaways, iPopperz, SHE, teen earphones

We are excited to announce that we have convinced AHN Fitness Expert and celebrity trainer, Fitz to run her popular Ask Fitz Column right here - on your favorite health and fitness site.
Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our Active Health Network’s fitness expert and celebrity trainer is now your own virtual personal trainer. Fitz will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Post your questions here in the Comments section below, DM us on Twitter (ActiveHealth) or send them to us from our Contact page. Learn more about Fitz here.

Fitz - Your Virtual Personal Trainer

Q. Dear Fitz, I love the summer weather, and really want to use the large outdoor pool at my gym. I do water walking and swim a couple of laps, but then I get so bored! Swimming 20 laps in a row is not fun for me. I’m pretty sure swimming burns a lot of calories, which is my goal. Help! Deanna

A. Hi Deanna, I’m so excited to help you, because I too love the benefits of training in the water. We always hear that it’s a terrific workout for those who want to avoid trauma from high impact activities. It also happens to be a fantastic workout for those who want to burn a massive amount of calories!

Quick personal story. About eight years ago, while in the midst of a competitive kickboxing career, I tore my right hamstring. This made it impossible for me to do almost any sort of activity that involved any sort of impact. After swimming most nights for three weeks I actually lost three pounds. I was sold! Swimming is awesome exercise!

So back to your question. Yes, swimming lap after lap can be boring. The fix is quick and easy though. A pool workout jammed with a variety of activities and strokes will keep you huffing, puffing and happy. Give this workout a try and then get back to me. This workout should take you about 20 minutes to complete. If you want to make the workout harder or easier, just remove one repetition or add one to each exercise. If you’re really ambitious, go through the entire workout twice!

Fitz’s Calorie Torching Pool Workout
• 4 laps Freestyle swimming
• 4 laps running
• 20 Dips. Put your hands on the edge of the wall while your body is facing the center of the pool. With bent elbows, lift your body out of the water onto straight arms.
• 50 jumping jacks
• 4 laps Freestyle swimming
• 20 Pool Push-ups. Put your hands on the ledge of the pool with feet behind you. Bring your chest towards the ledge and then push away.
• 2 laps Bunny Jumps (jump across the pool like a bunny)
• 4 laps using kick-board
• 20 Dips
• 4 laps running backward
• 50 jumping jacks
• 4 laps using kick-board
• 20 Pool Push-ups.

Don’t forget about doing a warm up and cool down to round out this fun, fit workout.

**This workout is designed for a lap pool, which does not go very deep. If you are using a regular pool do your runs and jumps in the shallow end.

All material and content provided in the Ask Fitz column/blog (and this entire site) is provided for informational or educational purposes only. It should not be viewed as medical advice or substitute for professional medical care. Consult a physician regarding the applicability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to your symptoms or medical condition.

Tags: Active Health Network, AHN, Ask Fitz, ask the expert, exercise questions, Fit Kicks, fitness expert, Fitness questions, Fitz, get fit, get in shape, lose weight questions, SHE, Sport Health Exercise

This week, shop entirely from your grocery list. Save money (& your waistline) by staying away from impulse purchases.

Tags: Daily Kick in the Butt, diet tips, fitness quotes, fitness tips, grocery tips, health quotes, health tips, healthy eating, Kick your butt into gear, lose-weight quotes, motivational quotes, nutrition tips, SHE, shopping tips, Sports Health Exercise, success quotes, Tracy Benham, weight loss accountability, weight loss tip

AHN Celebrity trainer Fitz shows a few fun and effective ways to use a Bosu and Medicine Ball to boost your upper body training.

Tags: active, Active Health Network, AHN, Bosu, Bosu Partner Workout, Bosu Workout Video, Exercise, exercise videos, Fit, Fit Kick, Fitness, fitness videos, Fitz, Health, healthy, Medicine Ball Video Workout, SHE, Sport Health Exercise, Tips, Tracy Benham, Workout

Celebrity trainer and AHN fitness expert, Fitz shares the real scoop on the smoothie.

Consuming a smoothie packed with fresh produce and not much extra nonsense is fine if you choose it as a healthier alternative to dessert or an occasional meal replacement. It is not however, some sort of miracle weight loss potion one should indulge in after every workout. Fitz shares her thought in this short Fit Kick Video. For lots of yummy, smoothie dessert recipes, check out Fitz’s Flab Belly Cookbook.  It is available at your local bookstore, Amazon.com or in our S.H.E. Recommends box. ( right hand column)

Tags: Active Health Network, AHN, diet shakes, Fit Kicks, fitness tips, Fitz, health tips, healthy smoothies, meal replacement shakes, SHE, Smoothies, Sports Health Exercise, Tracy Benham

All day/week: Use a plate or utensil EVERY time you eat anything. You will be less tempted to mindlessly snack. If you grab a snack or eat out - get it to go and save the wrappers. You may be surprised much you are actually eating.

Tags: Daily Kick in the Butt, diet tips, fitness quotes, fitness tips, health quotes, health tips, healthy eating, Kick your butt into gear, lose-weight quotes, motivational quotes, nutrition tips, SHE, Sports Health Exercise, success quotes, Tracy Benham, weight loss accountability, weight loss tip