Over the holidays, it's a tradition to focus on food and festivities, and to put working out lower on your to-do list.  Way lower, like maybe just above organizing your sock drawer.  Who has time for the treadmill when you need every spare minute for shopping, cooking, fretting, decorating, partying, wrapping presents, lighting candles, and engaging in epic family arguments over trivial events that happened 20 years ago?Yet you know if you let exercise slide you’re going to feel guilty. 

About eight months ago I had a turning point in my life. Instead of hiding from and burying my fears - a trait I'd gotten very good at over the years - I began to learn to face them head on. In addition to therapy and medication, I recently discovered two more things I want and need to do to take better care of myself - the first is getting regular exercise and the second is attending a 12-step program (for friends and families of problem drinkers).

I'll let you in a secret: I Strength Train.

According to a report from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, fewer children are eating the daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables than they were in 1998. They also are not getting as physiclaly active in the winter (though they do fairly well in the summer). If something doesn't change, these Canadian children will experience a shorter life span than their parents.

One of the best things about being a contributing editor for BlogHer, is being able to showcase other women bloggers.  So today, I thought we could take a look at some blogs about nutrition, weight loss, and fitness. In no particular order, here are eighteen health and fitness blogs that I think you might like.  I hope you enjoy checking them out as much as I did. All You Can Do Is Tri...

Move over Swine Flu...There's a new health scare in town. Did you know you could be in danger of death from heart disease if your thighs are too thin? It's true. Or at least new research says it's true. And we all know new research is never wrong (except in the case of newer new research).

Could humming help me reduce my blood pressure and heart rate? It sure would be great if it could. It's not just any kind of humming. It's a type of yoga breathing. And there are apparently many health benefits to this type of yoga breath. I am definitely going to give this a try. The Rejuvenation Lounge has a post discussing the 12 Instant Benefits of Humming Daily.

The other day I started thinking about school tests and standardized test and suddenly a nightmare memory popped into my head: the mile run for the Presidential Physical Fitness Test.

The little angel is not a born fish. She, in fact, hated putting her head under the water with the force of North Korea until just recently. As a toddler, she went through a phase in which she refused to sit in the bathtub. So instead, she stood there. Screaming. And screaming. And screaming. While we frantically hosed her off and patted her head down with a washcloth instead of washing her hair. Because of the screaming.

If I were outdoors and happened to see someone leaping over park benches, dangling from tree branches, and balancing precariously on things that most people wouldn’t think to bother with, I’d probably think they were a little bit crazy. Or at least I would have thought they were crazy before I heard about a sport called parkour.

I love Tai Chi. I enjoy the classes, the movements, and the benefits. I don't want to be a martial artist. But I do like staying limber. Tai Chi helps with that. I need to improve my balance. Tai Chi helps with that. I need weight-bearing exercise for my bones. Tai Chi helps with that.

This is a four-week series to help attendees explore Chicago. Please also visit Walking Tour One, Walking Tour Two and Walking Tour Three. If you haven't checked out the Chicago Walking Tours yet, and are looking forward to getting to know Chicago a bit, we suggest you look into them now. They're chock-full of history, architectural facts, hidden Chicago gems and some of the greatest shopping in the city. BlogHer community member Cynthia Clampitt created three tours, plus put together these tips and fun facts, and we couldn’t wait to share them with you. Read on for a great city guide about the city’s architectural history, expansive public parks, tips for keeping your bearings, and what to do near the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers.