Guest blogger, Carol Dunlop is certified through FiTour as a Personal Trainer and through the American Red Cross as a CPR, AED and First Aid Instructor. She has competed and placed in several Fitness America and National Bodybuilding competitions. Carol was diagnosed with breast cancer in the summer of 2011 and she is sharing her story of survival at DietsInReview.com. Check out her website, OptimumBodySculpting.com.

Weeks, days, and hours. My time is relegated to watching my calendar intently for the next procedure, appointment, lab work or medicine dose. As I have said before, I was healthy and could go months without seeing a doctor. Now, if I go a week without seeing one, something is definitely off. Not only are there doctor’s appointments for them to basically look you over and make recommendations, there are lab trips for blood draws and tests and procedures and shots. It can all be so overwhelming, if you let it.

I am getting through it by taking one day, one procedure, one medication at a time. Once I’m finished with the last dosage, I am looking ahead to what’s next. Then, I stop. I can’t allow myself to go any farther. Going farther just overwhelms me and causes me to feel anxious and powerless. When it’s just one thing on my plate at a time, I have the power.
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As I get older, I find myself more and more entrenched in my musical ways. I love exploring new music, but I think I love discovering older music even more. It’s either intense nostalgia for a perceived superior past or a slow approaching midlife crisis. Either way, as long as I use that passion for good, who cares, right?

To show that I’m not just turning into an old(ish) fogy, I’d like to put forth a workout mix that blends some of the great music out now and some from yesterday.
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I know you probably don’t want to hear the word “holidays” just yet, but I promise in this context, it will actually reduce your stress.

Most people wait until after the holidays to worry about getting into shape, but with that mind frame, you are more likely to pack on not only the holiday pounds, but quite a few in the weeks leading up to them as well. We all know that the “I’ll take care of it later” mentality leads to “I’ll eat whatever the heck I want up until that point” actions.

This cycle can leave you feeling discouraged and hit your self-esteem pretty hard, making that New Year’s Resolution the same as it was last year. And the year before that…

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could cross that “finally lose the weight” resolution off your list and move on to number two? Be it skydiving or paying off your credit card bill, I guarantee it will be more rewarding in a pair of skinny jeans.

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Fall is at our doorstep. Soon, the leaves will be changing, and of course, falling. That doesn’t mean you have to fall off your exercise routine.

Don’t let the cooler weather and less sun get your cardio in a rut. If you’re bored with your workout routine, now is the perfect time to shake things up and make sure the inclement weather doesn’t get you down. It’s especially important for guys like me to step it up a notch, because football season means more beer and snacks on the weekend.

Here’s a peppy playlist from some of my favorite new indie rock artists, mostly fresh finds for me, and a few that have been around for a while:
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For most, impact exercise is a good thing. The more force you apply to your bones, the stronger they become. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the population is physically falling apart due to being sedentary, overweight, and all around just plain horrible to ourselves.

To be fair, many have legitimate joint and bone injuries, or are recovering from surgeries that also require them to stick to low and no impact modes of exercises. There is no shame in that. Low or no impact doesn’t have to mean taking it easy- it just means working out differently. You can get just as intense of a workout while still being mindful of your limitations.

Low Impact Cardio

To determine if something is high impact, ask yourself if your feet leave the floor, and how hard they come back in contact with it. Your bones and joints are required to absorb the shock, and the impact of this can be too much for many.

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