February 23

Crunches, Sit-Ups, Squats: Do the Moves Ever Change?

FirmButt_article

 

Ever wonder why exercises generally look the same, with just slight variations? That’s because when it comes down to the basic paths of motion your muscles follow, there are really only a few directions they can go. So a squat will always follow the same path, as well as a curl, a press and so forth.

The basic workouts haven’t changed much. What you should focus on is the sequence of the different moves. Be sure to start with beginning exercises, then make your way to more advanced moves. And pay attention to the muscles you’re strengthening. For example, you should first tone the most superficial stomach muscle (the rectus abdominus) before you start strengthening your deepest abs muscle (the transverse abdominus).

Here’s another tip: Perform any cardio and strength training before breakfast. It’ll help rev up your metabolism and optimize calorie-burn throughout the day. Good luck!

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February 6

Ice Massages Get Rid of Shin Splints

running legs_article

Shin splints, or “tibial stress syndrome,” are a runner’s worst nightmare. Unfortunately, they’re also common among avid runners because of the repetitious nature of the sport.

The extreme and debilitating pain of shin splints can be felt on the front of the lower leg along the medial (inside) edge of the tibia, the larger of the two bones that make up the lower leg. Shin splints are usually classified as an overuse injury caused by the repetitive stress of running or jumping, which leads to inflammation of the connective tissue sheath surrounding the tibia.

Taking a break from exercise is the best way to cure an overuse injury, but most athletes are unwilling to sit idle, waiting for an injury to heal itself. Fortunately, you can easily treat shin splints at home. Just freeze water in small paper Dixie cups and give yourself an ice massage after exercise. Peel back the top of the paper cup so that you expose an inch or two of the ice. Rub it up and down your shins for about 20 minutes or until the entire ice-cup is melted. Just make sure you ice only after exercise, never before.

Give yourself a proper warm-up before exercising, including lower leg stretches, and you can help avoid shin splints in the first place.

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February 4

Get in the zone!

cardio_01_article

If you want to hit your fat-burning zone, you have to exercise for a longer period of time. Your body uses mostly glycogen stores during the early stages of exercise, and uses more fat stores the longer you work out.

If you’re really trying to burn fat and lose weight, aim for an hour of low- or moderate-intensity exercise. Why not high-intensity? Because the harder you work out, the less time you’ll be able to keep doing it. Intensity and endurance are inversely related. When one goes up, the other needs to go down – until you get in shape. So, for fat burning, keep the endurance up and the intensity down.

Experts recommend working out at 70% of your heart rate max, which is considered to be the optimal intensity level for improving aerobic endurance. To calculate your fat-burning zone, subtract your age from 220 to find your maximal heart rate. Then, multiply this by 70% to find your ideal heart rate intensity.

For example, a 35-year-old person would have a heart rate max of 185 beats per minute (bpm) and their ideal intensity for reaching their fat-burning zone would be about 130 bpm.

You can monitor your heart rate by using a heart rate monitor or checking your heart rate manually during exercise. Staying within this zone will allow you to exercise longer and burn more overall calories in the long run.

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January 8

Calories….

poundsvscalories

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CALORIES

Use this site to calculate your calories:http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
As you are losing, your caloric intake WILL change…so when you lose 5-10 pounds, remember to recalculate and see where you should be.

For journaling use www.myfitnesspal.com ~ My fitness pal will be a great way to journal your food intake and monitor what you need to eat. It lets you enter your water and exercise. Remember that you need to eat more when you exercise so use this application daily and follow for best results. It’s FREE from your computer and smart phones have a free application also.

http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

Calories Needed for Goal Weight
http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-goal.php

Activity Calorie Calculator
http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/calculat.htm

BMI Calculator
http://www.ivillage.com/beyond-bmi

Find out how many calories you burn (basal Metabolic Rate)
http://health.discovery.com/tools/calculators/basal/basal.html

Daily Caloric Expenditure
http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-burned.php

Find out how many calories are in your favorite foods
www.calorieking.com

Here’s a rundown of about how many calories a 140-lb. person would burn in half an hour while doing fun warm-weather activities…
Bicycling (at a medium pace): 255 calories
Golfing (carrying your clubs!): 140 calories
Playing beach volleyball: 255 calories
Playing Frisbee (casually, not competitively): 95 calories
Playing tennis: 220 calories
Snorkeling: 160 calories
Swimming (leisurely, not laps): 190 calories

*Compare these to only 32 calories burned in half an hour of watching tv.

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December 10

How the Buddy System Can Save You

buddy

 

How the Buddy System Can Save You

Do you want to lose weight? Then buddy up. Let’s face it – the path to wellness is long and daunting. Without a good support system, it’s easy to get lost along the way. That’s what friends are for.

If you want to feel like you aren’t alone in your diet endeavors, finding a partner to help you stay on the light track may be just the answer you’ve been looking for to help keep you motivated. In fact, a study conducted by Brown Medical School and Dartmouth University showed that those dieters who had an exercise buddy who succeeded at weight loss also lost weight themselves. It’s simple to understand why diet buddies are so helpful. It’s far too easy to blow off your daily exercise regimen. Having a partner who you’re committed to will give you accountability, and you’ll be less likely to come up with an excuse as to why you can’t exercise. When you’re in need of someone to boost your motivation, a workout buddy is the ideal candidate. Like any other partner in your life, it’s important to choose carefully.

You don’t want someone who won’t take the job seriously. In other words, just because a person is a good friend or lover in life doesn’t mean they’ll meet the criteria as a diet buddy. A diet buddy is the type of person who will call you on every slip, yet praise you for every step in the right direction.

First, it’s important to figure out what you want in a diet buddy. Are you looking for someone with whom you can work out every day? Or are you looking for a person to lean on when the chips are down and the number on the scale is up? When you find a buddy, you should make sure you both have the same agenda and are looking for the same thing out of the relationship so that neither one of you will be disappointed. Whether you look online, at the gym or even in your neighborhood, be sure you find a buddy who is committed to the weight-loss cause.

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December 10

Tone Your Core With A Side Plank

SidePlank

Tone Your Core With a Side Plank

This move will strengthen your abdominals, back and shoulders. Be sure to breathe normally as you perform the Side Plank. It’ll test your balance skills, but most importantly, it will stabilize your trunk, helping you perform simple tasks such as lifting items and opening doors. And doing Side Planks will also improve your performance in any sport.

Step 1: Lie on your side with your legs extended and left arm resting in front of you. Prop up your upper body with your right forearm against the floor.

Step 2: Exhale as you lift your hips off the floor, balancing your body weight on your right forearm and outer edge of your right foot.

Step 3: Hold for 30 seconds.

Step 4: Switch sides and repeat for a total of 4 reps.

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December 2

Hit Your Arm Goals With a Hammer Curl

jorge_standing_hammer_curl

Hit Your Arm Goals With a Hammer Curl
YOUR DAILY FIT TIP
By Jorge Cruise
Published December 02, 2013

To all you home improvement do-it-yourselfers: This bicep move will feel second nature to you! It’s called a standing hammer curl because you lower the dumbbell as if you are hammering a nail – only your palms are facing each other. The move will increase bicep strength while also toning your forearms. Keep your back straight when performing the move, and try not to swing the weights – curl in a steady, controlled motion. Let’s begin!

Step 1: Hold a pair of dumbbells and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and arms extended downward by your sides, palms facing in toward your body.

Step 2: Breathe slowly as you curl the weights up through a count of 10 seconds, keeping your palms facing each other and your elbows locked at your sides.

Step 3: Hold and squeeze at the maximum tension point for 2 seconds.

Step 4: Lower the weights to the starting point through a count of 10 seconds.

Step 5: Repeat three times without resting.

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November 20

Ignite Your Inner Strength

Happiness_02_article
Today, start to focus on your inner strength. The key ingredient to any long-term plan, inner strength will give you the motivation to never skip a workout.

Most people never develop inner strength; they stick to a regimen for about a week before they lose focus. That will not help you achieve your goals. You need a more sophisticated system to better inspire you to stick to your plan and make it automatic.

To develop inner strength, you must first identify your strengths. Are you honest? Assertive? Punctual?

Now use your personal strengths and apply them to your fitness goals. Believing that you are a competent, strong person will make you more accountable to your actions – and ultimately will help you stick to your fitness goals!

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November 13

The Crossover Crunch

JC_CrossoverCrunch2
YOUR DAILY FIT TIP
By Jorge Cruise
Published November 13, 2013

Give this abs workout a try! It’ll help tone your external and internal obliques as well as your rectus abdominus, the long, flat muscle that runs down the center of your belly. Let’s begin!

Step 1: Lie on your back and place your feet flat on the ground. Bend your knees and move your heels about 6 inches away from your bottom. Cross your left leg over your right knee so your ankle rests against your knee. Place your right hand behind your head and your left hand on your abs.

Step 2: Exhale as you raise your elbow toward your knee (try to actually touch your knee, if you can).

Step 3: Inhale as you return to the starting position.

Step 4: Complete 12-15 reps per side.

Step 5: Do three sets, focusing on your breathing throughout.

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November 12

We All Need the Human Touch

massage

One of the best ways to recover from a strenuous workout is to treat your body to a massage. There’s nothing wrong with getting pampered. In fact, massage therapy is one of the healthiest allies for your body, so much that it’s almost become more of a need than a want.

A few of the many ways in which massages help to rejuvenate your body include stretching weak and tight muscles, increasing joint flexibility, relaxing tired, overused muscles, and alleviating stress. Massages are great for relieving pain as they create changes in the body’s chemistry, thereby reducing pain throughout the body. Studies show that people who suffer from fibromyalgia had less of a pain-related chemical called P in their saliva after undergoing massages. They also experienced a reduction in discomfort.

People suffering from migraines and surgery-related pain also got relief from massage therapy. But they aren’t the only ones benefiting from the healing touch. Pregnant women who receive massages during labor have less stress, anxiety and pain.

Some research indicates that massage therapy raises the level of natural killer cells that fight off viral and cancer cells. And the patients who do have cancer had less anxiety, pain and fatigue after undergoing ongoing massages. While there are claims that massages contribute to weight loss by expelling toxins in the body, it’s difficult to find research to support these statements. Health experts do maintain that massages increase blood circulation, which gives the metabolism a nice boost. Of course they also alleviate stress, which contributes to weight gain. Why not let someone rub you the right way?

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