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Mortgage Insurance? Not on Your Life!
Dear Mary: I just bought a house, and I've been getting a lot of flyers about mortgage protection insurance. Is it something good for a new homeowner or just a waste of money? — Donna, email
Dear Donna: Great questions. "Mortgage …Read more.
Tips That Make You Feel Like a Genius
Secretly, I feel like a genius when I discover a secondary use for this or that — in case I run out of this, but have plenty of that! Like using a paper coffee filter to wash a glass top or mirror when I'm in a pinch for paper towels. Or using …Read more.
Supermarket Tricks That Makes Us Spend More
I've always thought of myself as pretty sharp when it comes to spotting supermarket trickery. I'm not even fazed by an end-cap display announcing, "Special." I know their ways. They hope we'll just assume that "special" means …Read more.
The Struggle to Actually Use up Gift Cards
My love-hate relationship with gift cards has intensified. What a pain, really. I'm one who just forgets to use them, and when I remember, I try to figure out how to use each one to the last cent. I was reminded of my situation recently when I …Read more.
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How To Walk Like You Mean ItIt's an amazing place. It's a fitness center that is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. There are no fees or contracts. You just show up whenever you want and do what thousands of doctors and fitness experts say is the very best all-around exercise workout: power walking. I've been to this "center," and there's no doubt about it; the streets of New York City offer an amazing physical workout. Those New Yorkers know how to walk. They walk many blocks, even miles, to and from work. Notice I did not say "stroll." This is a city filled with power walkers. To understand my appreciation for the New York power walk, you have to understand that I live in Sedentaryville, USA, also known as Southern California. We sit in our cars for hours on end, day in and day out. We are commuters. We have no choice. Our cities are not compact like New York. We are spread out, with no public transportation to make the connections. We drive 50 miles or more a day just to go to and from work! Throw in the traffic factor and we're talking eight to 10 hours a week sitting in a car. I think New Yorkers are onto something. They combine their commutes with daily workouts. Whether by design or necessity, it's a lesson for the rest of us. Get out there and walk! Walk like a New Yorker, fast and with purpose, not like a tourist who does the window-shopping stroll. Power walking is an unrivaled aerobic conditioning activity.
For optimal results, power walk for 20 minutes outside or on a treadmill. Remember to hold your head up, centered between your shoulders. Keep your chin up, and focus your eyes straight ahead. Take long strides, and drive the elbow past the hip, which will help you travel at a brisk pace. This will remove lactic acid from the body, burn fat and help cool down your muscles. Any walking is good for you, but getting your pace to 4.5 miles per hour is best. Not sure how fast that is? Here's a quick, measurement-free way to remember. Pick up your pace to the point at which you're just about ready to break into a jog. That's about where you want to hover for most of your walk. Walking is good for not only your health but also your wallet. Adopt the free outdoors as your fitness center and you can cancel that pricey membership at the gym. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 18 books, including her latest, "Can I Pay My Credit Card Bill With a Credit Card?" You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. To find out more about Mary Hunt and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS.COM
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