Why exercise?
The latest updates.
Check here for new exercise videos, illustrations, helpful tips and the latest science in the field. Check here also for the author's personal exploration of the world of health and fitness and updates through Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.
To contact me with requests or other feedback, please visit the contact us page. I would enjoy hearing from you!
Feb 20, 2024
Grip strength: A proven health indicator. Test & train for low risks!
Grip strength: Compare yourself to age-group averages and healthy standards. Get stronger using minimal equipment.
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Apr 05, 2023
Walking speed for seniors: This is a lifesaver!
Walking speed for seniors: Seniors who walk faster live longer! Build strength, improve your balance reactions for a better walking pace.
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Feb 11, 2023
Body mass index (BMI): Find your healthy weight -Why I exercise
Body mass index (BMI): Learn the new science and set meaningful goals for your health and quality of life.
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Jan 28, 2023
Aging and exercise: Have we been aging too quickly?
Aging and exercise: In-depth scientific analysis of the aging process. Inspiring examples of healthy aging & exercise.
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Jan 28, 2023
VO2 max: A leading health indicator. Test yourself! -Why I exercise
VO2 Max: Learn to test yourself accurately with a 1-Mile Walk, 12-Minute Run, or 1.5-Mile Run. Learn whether you're fit enough for optimal health.
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Jun 28, 2017
10 life changing lessons in a week of intense stress!
You know those weeks when life hits hard and won’t let up, when people may have let you down, things you were counting on fall through and your work and personal responsibilities collide? How do you hang on to your sanity and sense of well being when over and over, you’re faced with tough, on-the-fly decisions under pressure?These are the 10 lessons I learned in a week of intense stress:
#1: Be concerned with unfairness, not disrespect.
#2: Know your limits. Stop working when it’s time to rest.
#3: Annoying mistakes happen under pressure. Own them & keep moving forward.
#4: Reconsider what you think is truly stressful.
#5: Deal with your stress and your symptoms may just go away!
#6: Discipline brings peace. Get your work done so you can truly relax.
#7: Make room for cardio exercise. It’s great stress relief & healthy for your brain.
#8: Recognize when you must confront and even express anger.
#9: Trust your decisions. Reflect to improve for next time, not to worry & second guess yourself.
#10: Stress reveals tendencies that can improve with practice and some help.
Stress seems to have such a big impact on the personal choices that affect our health. I hope this video will help you think about the ways you can grow stronger through life’s surprises and challenges.
Jan 04, 2016
Exercise with kids
By the end of the week we reached the point where they’d wake me up in the morning just to chase them around the house (which seemed to be the 3 year old’s favorite). Video games and movies were in the mix too, but not without enough movement for everyone, myself included. I didn't track it, but I'm sure we were getting well over 45 minutes of exercise per day, and everyone had a great time.
If you have kids around, exercise is fun. You can get it done! For your reference, these articles compare calories burned and give you more exercise ideas for your family.
Calories burned during exercise
Cardiovascular exercises
Metabolic equivalent
Sep 16, 2014
Reviews of Progressive Core Strengthening
"This is a great book. Since starting the program my lower back pain is gone. I highly recommend it!" -J. Pitoukkas "This is an amazing book! As a Pilates teacher, I've found (it) to be so helpful for me & my clients." -R. Pelayo "I'm training for Ironman Chattanooga and have incorporated his workouts into my training plan over the past several weeks...Huge benefits! Especially on the long bike rides and long swim sessions." -R. Ziglar "It's an excellent ebook! It's doing wonders for my mum who's been recovering from a hip injury and lost a lot of strength, She's been following this book for 5 weeks and she's doing great." -T. Blackman
Reviews like these make the time and effort of creating a book worth it for me. I'm very happy to see the wide range of applications for Progressive Core Strengthening.
Go to the article and scroll to the bottom to see more reviews from Facebook.
Continue reading "Reviews of Progressive Core Strengthening"
Aug 19, 2014
Back stretching exercises update
The back stretching exercises article has been updated with more detailed illustrations and stretching instructions! You also have the option to order and download exercise cards to help you practice your stretches more consistently. 
May 20, 2014
Facebook, Instagram and social media
The wheels are beginning to turn for social media on whyiexercise.com. The social media hub will be the Facebook fan page. The feed on Facebook will have many of the latest videos, pictures and info. From here you'll see direct links to Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and the YouTube channel so you can check out anything you might have missed.
May 20, 2014
Progressive Core Strengthening
Have you seen the new e-book? If you are looking for expert instruction to take your core strength to the next level, look no further than Progressive Core Strengthening. This book will teach you to perfect your form and protect your back as you work your way through 6 levels of exercise, intro to advanced!
Also check the store for other titles, including an updated version of Correct Posture and introductory guides to stretching and core strengthening.
Oct 07, 2013
Recent links and mentions
Every so often I check the links to whyiexercise.com so I can learn more about my readers. I wanted to share what I discovered last week from referring sites.
In her article, Ten Excellent Knee Rehab Websites, Dr. Sheila Strover, Clinical Editor of Kneeguru.co.uk referred to whyiexercise.com as a leading resource for knee exercise, even among websites dedicated to knee rehab. "…a site for anyone wanting to build up their knee strength. …it is very clear and has excellent illustrations." Dr. Strover linked to these articles for her readers: knee exercises, knee strengthening exercises
See Dr. Strover's article through the link at the end of this post. whyiexercise.com is listed at #9.
Progressive Chiropractic, a Victoria, BC clinic with cutting edge diagnostics, also uses whyiexercise.com as a reference. Dr. Mark Smith's office has linked to back strengthening exercises as a resource for their patients.
Kimberly Garrison, Daily News personal fitness columnist at philly.com, referred to whyiexercise.com in her 9/25 article on calorie counting. "…the website whyiexercise.com has calorie expenditures for lots of activities at a range of weights" See the articles on metabolic equivalent and calories burned during exercise.
It's great to see that whyiexercise.com has been a helpful resource for knee care, back care and calorie counting!
Oct 03, 2013
Learning new exercises at Muscle Beach
A couple weeks ago a friend was telling me about one of the toughest exercise moves he's seen. The human flag is a difficult exercise because you are suspending your body straight out from a post or pole. But my friend was talking about doing the exercise on a climbing rope! I tried it that day and it seemed really tough. The next week I went back to Muscle Beach and met a guy who could climb a 25' rope and do the Flag at the top! He gave me some tips for holding the rope, and after a little practicing, I could do it! (Not at the top of the rope, though.)
Also in this video is my workout buddy, Ken, doing his first muscle up. We've been training together for months, and I felt like he had the strength to do a muscle up, so 3 weeks ago I had him start trying. He didn't pull it off in the first couple weeks because he was having trouble with the timing of the movement. Then, spontaneously, he decided to run to the bar to try the move. It worked out perfectly as you'll see in the video.
Did you hear us cheering each other on? I was pretty excited after Ken's muscle up! This type of workout is so much fun for our group, and that keeps us coming back every week to get in better shape. See the link below to read more about exercise motivation.
Sep 30, 2013
Whyiexercise.com Pinterest update
Last week I discovered that illustrations from whyiexercise.com have been pinned on Pinterest quite a bit more over the past several months. Great to see that readers are enjoying the pictures!
To help make pinning easier, I tagged the most popular illustrations to make them more visible. You can see the tags in these articles:
knee strengthening exercises
back strengthening exercises
cooper test
back stretching exercises
I also started a Pinterest board for whyiexercise.com. There are 7 pin boards with 56 illustrations, including workout routines, exercise instructions, exercise charts and fitness charts. Follow me on Pinterest to see the updates.
Sep 03, 2013
Why I Exercise
Why I Exercise gives you tools to get the health benefits you need from the lifestyle you enjoy!
Mar 12, 2013
The best shape of my life!
A little over 3 years ago my wife learned she was pregnant. Faced with becoming a father, I realized that I needed to make some changes. I was pushing
Oct 13, 2012
1.5 mile run charts in a Reddit.com debate!
1.5 mile run charts from whyiexercise.com were the subject of quite a humorous exchange on reddit.com.
See the charts in this article
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May 18, 2012
Atlanta weight loss clinic recommends whyiexercise.com
A medical group in Atlanta recommends whyiexercise.com as a health and fitness resource. As stated on their site: "This free website features links to free online exercise videos, exercise illustrations, home exercise programs and physical fitness tests to help you gauge your current strength and endurance levels against others your age."
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May 18, 2012
Whyiexercise.com is on Pinterest!
Exercise routines and charts from whyiexercise.com are becoming popular on Pinterest! Some of the favorites are the routine of knee strengthening exercises, the push up chart for ladies, and the routine of body weight exercises.
May 18, 2012
New e-book, Correct Posture, featured on whyiexercise.com!
Created by the author of whyiexercise.com, Correct Posture for Your Back shows you how to relieve muscular fatigue, stress and tension in your back, build core strength safely, improve your first impressions, and most importantly, how to prevent serious back problems. This user friendly book includes over 120 detailed illustrations.
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May 18, 2012
New exercise video update
Scroll to the bottom of this article to see the latest body weight / gymnastics exercises I've been working on, including a transition from a seated L position to a handstand, slow muscle ups (a pull up followed by a dip) on gymnastics rings, and rope climbing with a full overhead reach.
The ongoing challenge of this routine gives me great motivation to exercise!
Nov 17, 2011
Obesity and overweight trends projected to worsen in U. S.
I was stunned to learn that 72 percent of men and 63 percent of women are currently overweight or obese. Based on this, it's not surprising to see that Northwestern Univ. projects 83 percent of men and 72 percent of women to be overweight or obese by 2020. They are also saying that by 2020, 77 percent of men and 53 percent of women will have dysglycemia (pre-diabetes).
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Nov 17, 2011
Poor heart health scores found in children
The CDC studied 7 markers of cardiovascular health in teens including diet, body mass index, smoking, cholesterol, physical activity and blood sugar. Amazingly, not 1 child out of over 4000 studied met the criteria for a healthy diet, and physical activity scores were less than ideal for over 50% of teens.
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Jun 15, 2011
Only 51% of americans exercise more than 90 minutes per week
Assuming Gallup's numbers for frequent exercisers are on target, it's no wonder we have so many chronic health issues in the US!
3 hours of moderate to vigorous exercise per week are necessary for health maintenance, but many types of physical activity can work. See many of the possibilities (and the estimated calories burned) here:
https://www.whyiexercise.com/metabolic-equivalent.html
Continue reading "Only 51% of americans exercise more than 90 minutes per week"
Jun 15, 2011
Study on life expectancy shows need for exercise and healthy diet
The color-coded map from this study shows the areas with the lowest life expectancy in the US South, the same place where obesity and diabetes are the highest. Obviously, more exercise and a healthier diet will reverse the trend. It will improve quality of life and longevity much more effectively than advanced medical technology. I wrote an article on this issue here:
https://www.whyiexercise.com/reasons-to-exercise.html
Continue reading "Study on life expectancy shows need for exercise and healthy diet"
Mar 22, 2011
Reasons to exercise: real life examples, illustrations, statistics
Reasons to exercise: Build your health, prevent disease and disability and lower your medical costs.
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