A big part of staying fit and healthy is only putting good foods and plenty of water into your body. If you’re quaffing down alcohol on a regular basis, then you’re not doing yourself any favors. Not only is it empty calories, but it puts an extra strain on your body, as your system attempts to detoxify itself. While an occasional drink may be okay for some, in order to enjoy a healthy long life, you need to avoid abusing alcohol. Easier said than done though. Fortunately, there are rehabilitation clinics that can help.
Passages Malibu is a renowned Drug and Alcohol Rehab in California. Even if you’re not local to California, you can pick up some useful information on their site. Whether this is for you or for a loved one, the best way to fight a drug or alcohol addiction is by arming yourself with knowledge and by getting help from others.
At drug rehab clinics, such as Passages Malibu, you receive individualized treatment programs that offer one-on-one therapy sessions as well as psychotherapy, which helps you figure out why you’re turning to drugs or alcohol in the first place. You can read more about their drug and alcohol rehab treatment therapies on their site.
*This is a sponsored post. 
Tennis is a fun game, but there’s not much you can do if you don’t have somebody else to play with. At least you can get a little training in if the weather is nice. When I was a kid, this meant hitting the ball against the garage door (the parents weren’t that thrilled with this drill). Today, you can get a special rebound net that might work a little better than the side of the house. The Gamma Rebound Net is basically a big 7 foot circle on a stand that you use for target practice. It’s designed to send the ball back to you, so as long as you have good aim (I’m still working on that myself), you could get a decent workout playing on your own. The net is $99 from GolfSmith.
After a perusal of my fitness-y categories in the sidebar, I was somewhat at a loss for where to list these jumping stilts. I’m going to go ahead and call them exercise equipment until I get around to adding the category called “Fitness Gadgets That Are Most Likely to End You up in the Hospital.” That’s just a bit unwieldy. But anyway, the Powerisers Jumping Stilts let you jump 6 feet in the air or bounce along the ground at speeds of over 20 miles an hour. I hope a helmet is included. I imagine quite a bit of practicing is required before you get it just right (AKA move forward without killing yourself). The funky leg gear is available for about $250 from the UK company Gizoo: Gadgets, Gifts, and Gizmos.
via PopGadget
We’ve looked at weight-lifting software; now here’s something for your golfers out there. The ComputerCoach Jr. Pro software program analyzes your swing with a “wide variety of built-in analysis and drawing tools” and lets you know how to improve. Comparison software lets you compare your swing from stroke to stroke to check for consistency, or you can even compare your swing to that of the pros. If you’ve got a laptop you can do it all right at the golf course. The software will cost you $135, but you need to have your own camcorder (for recording your swing) and computer or laptop, so make sure to factor in those costs.
If you’re like me, you’ve probably seen plenty of those fitness balance balls (I’ve heard them called Swedish balls too) at the gym. The personal trainers at my 24 Hour Fitness really like them. The newest rage seems to be doing all your weight training exercises while sitting, or even kneeling, on one of these. Something about developing core strength (which, as a karate student, I totally understand… still, they look a little silly kneeling on a ball to do biceps curls… I wonder how many of them are really thinking about their biceps). Anyway, as I was saying, you’ve probably seen lots of those fitness balls, but have you seen one shaped as a peanut?
I hadn’t until I stumbled across this one on the Amazon site. The picture looks, uhm, silly. But maybe it’s just me (it usually is). I’m not sure what the advantage is to a peanut-shaped ball, but if you want to take a closer look, here’s the link:
There you go. For only $50, you too can look like you’re swimming in between a couple of mooshed together fitness balls…
Man, here’s a tennis training aid that I need: the Pro Performance Hit A Way. I just started taking tennis lessons this year, so I haven’t joined a club or anything yet. That means I’m stuck playing when 1) I can find somebody free and 2) it’s sunny out and the courts are dry (keep in mind I live in Seattle). I could get a lot more practice time in on my backhand if I had something like this. The training aid is less than $20 over at Amazon, so maybe I’ll order it. The reviews are a bit mixed though (it sounds like it doesn’t come with all the equipment shown in the picture). Hey, what do people expect for $20? A ball machine and a club membership? 
Can’t afford a personal trainer? Well, maybe the PumpOne is more up your alley, especially if you already have an iPod or Treo. This software runs on your mp3 player to walk you through workouts and show you proper form (a little dude or dudette on the screen demonstrates each exercise). I’d like to recommend this software for all you guys out there who think biceps curls are whole body exercises… I’m just waiting for one of you to throw out your back while you’re jerking that barbell up there.
Even if you’re an experienced lifter who does everything correct, your body can get bored running through the same routine every time you hit the gym. When this happens, you’re not likely to experience any more muscle growth. And who has time to read a zillion weight lifting magazines to work out new routines? The PumpOne lets you download new programs for $20-$30 bucks a piece (which is quite a bit cheaper than hiring a personal trainer for an hour).
I’m actually tempted to try this out myself, except I’ve still got a ghetto monocolor iPod, and I’m not sure how good those animated trainers would look on the off-gray. I keep waiting to drop a dumbbell on the old iPod, so I have an excuse to buy a new one.