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Keeping Your Body Engaged In Life

July 15, 2011 By

I read an interesting statement the other day. THE BODY ADAPTS DOWN. This makes sense when you think about how smart our bodies are. They can adapt to the most strenuous situations and challenges, so the opposite must be true, too.

If we are physically inactive, muscles become smaller, bones become thinner, hormone production decreases, cellular conversion of energy gets lazy — nature chooses disintegration.

We are looking at buying a new car, so I turn to the car analogy. Even the most expensive, luxury car won’t run after being left in a garage for too long without use. The batteries will go dead, the tires will go flat. Similarly, a person whose heart, lungs and muscles have gone flat isn’t going to be able to do much.

To avoid this dead battery syndrome, keep yourself active by keeping your body engaged in life.

I’m not talking about extreme exercise, or spending hours at the gym every day, but regular activities that promote deep breathing, sweating, and keeping muscles toned. Walking (especially uphill), swimming, bicycling, resistance training, even just deep breathing are all good activities. How about playing/running with the kids, sweeping the pool (twice maybe), or mopping the floor for that matter, doing some sit-ups or push-ups while you watch your favorite show, get creative, but get moving. Here are a few more suggestions to start you off.

Push-ups – Okay, probably not the most favorite exercise for many people, but there are different ways to do push-ups that don’t make them so hard. You don’t need to pretend you’re “Rocky”, and do them with one hand; just do what works for you. Do them on your knees, instead of keeping your legs straight. Or, do them standing up against a wall. You will be building up arm strength and working out muscles in your chest area.

Jumping Jacks – Does this bring back memories of third grade P.E.? These are always fun, as they bring back memories of being a kid! Well, surprise – they are also great cardio exercises, and good for warming up, too.

Leg Lifts – These are great for building up strength and muscles in your legs. Just like with push-ups, there are a few variations. If you find it hard to do the exercises with your legs straight, try bending them slightly.

Dancing – Dancing is a wonderful exercise, which is great for your heart. Not only that, but it can lift your spirits as well, especially if you do some silly and crazy moves with the kids. Crank up the tunes and get moving.

Jogging In Place – Jogging is a great exercise for your heart. You can jog in place at home while watching TV or listening to music. The only equipment you will require is a good pair of shoes, to eliminate any stress to your legs. Mix it up with some high knees.

Squats – Squats are the “go to” exercise for your legs and buttocks. To get the technique down, you can even try these by sitting and standing up again from a regular chair.

The body is a smart cookie, so use this to your advantage by challenging your body and keep it moving to ensure that your body adapts up instead of down.

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The Best Way to Exercise – Watch your Results Soar

May 4, 2011 By

Google ‘health and fitness tips’ and you will find 155,000,000 results. Talk to five health and fitness professionals and get six different opinions. Clearly there is enough information to go around.

However, with all this information, what are we supposed to believe? Have you ever started a workout routine only to read a week later that you are doing it all wrong? It can be frustrating and overwhelming.  One of my favorites is the debate as to whether you should do cardio before or after weight training.  I’m still not sure, so I alternate before and after.  I figure at least I have a 50/50 chance of getting it right.

Fortunately, there are actually a few tips that most everyone will agree on, and one of them is my favorite.

It has changed the way I work out, and my fitness results have soared!

On the surface, this may not seem like an earth shattering, OMG Kristi you are a genius type of tip, but it really is.

The tip is INTENSITY.

Whatever your exercise routine, do it with intensity. Maximum intensity.

For all of you who just said “duh”, this is really one of those tips that is easier said than done and takes some practice.

I have been weight training consistently (and fanatically) for 12 years, and not until this past year did I really understand Maximum Intensity.

I got some advice from a college football coach. He put together a three-week plan that included an all over body workout three days a week for three weeks. No cardio.

My first reaction was serious anxiety. How could I work out so little and not either lose muscle mass or gain fat or both?  However, in his plan, he said something that made me want to try it.  He told me that I had nine workouts, and I must make the most out of every rep, every set, every workout, because there are only nine. So work out at your max intensity and make it count.

My second reaction was excitement about this challenge to make it count.  It was on!  I always thought I worked out really hard until I started focusing all my attention on this make it count stuff.  Immediately, I was doing more weight and more reps than I had ever done, and I saw my muscle tone change (something I hadn’t seen in a while).

An added benefit: my workouts are much shorter now. If I really focus on the exercise and the intensity, instead of the kid’s next field trip, or what I am making for dinner, I can get a better workout doing fewer exercises and fewer sets.

4 Tips for Maximum Intensity

  1. Stop thinking about your list of 46 things you have to do today
  2. Only think about the exercise you are doing right now
  3. Make sure your last rep is as good of form as your first rep
  4. Ask yourself if you can do one more rep or one more minute, then one more, then one more

If you are going to make the effort to exercise, make it intense.

Make it count.

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Smart Facts and Fit Tricks to Transform Your Exercise Routine

April 6, 2011 By

 

 

 

 

 

 

Working Smarter  is one of my favorite sayings!  Sometimes the smallest tweak in your exercise routine can make a big difference.  Here are some  simple tricks that will transform your usual regimen into a fat-blasting routine. Whether you use just a few of these strategies or all of them, these tips will help you get the calorie-burn you deserve. 

 
Smart Fact: You’ll be able to comfortably work out longer and harder if you’re cool. Being too hot stresses your body out, so you don’t perform as well.  Translation: You burn less fat. (Courtesy of Len Kravitz, PhD, Exercise Science at the University of New Mexico.)
Fit Trick: When exercising at home, put a fan in front of your workout area. If you are at the gym, try to use the treadmill that has a fan built into the console.
 

Smart Fact: Warming up for five minutes before each workout helps you lose more weight. It not only makes your muscles more pliable but also increases their range of motion, so you end up using more muscle fibers as you exercise. (Courtesy of Heather Dillinger, IDEA Health and Fitness Association)
Fit Trick: Choose a warm-up routine that hits all of your muscles, not just your legs. The easiest option: Do three to five minutes of low-intensity walking while pumping your arms back and forth.
 

Smart Fact: Saving your energy for the end of your cardio workout may prevent you from losing as much weight as you can. (Courtesy of Dixie Stanforth at the University of Texas at Austin.)
Fit Trick:Instead of starting out slow and then finishing up strong, do your high-intensity cardio early in your workout. After doing your warm-up, try exercising at a high intensity for 15 minutes before slowing down to a more moderate pace for the last 15 minutes.

Smart Fact:Two smaller workouts can be just as effective as one. Every time you do high-intensity exercise, your metabolism stays revved for an hour or more afterward. Splitting up your workout boosts your metabolism twice, giving you additional calorie-burning time from the exact same routine (Courtesy of Dixie Stanforth).
Fit Trick: If you are pressed for time, split your workout into two smaller, high-intensity sessions.  Doing one in the morning and one at night will give you the best results.

Smart Fact: If you’re convinced that you’re melting fat while exercising, you’ll make a mind-body connection that will actually help you lose fat faster. I know, this one sounds a little “weird”? However, in a 2007 Harvard study, participants who believed they were getting a good workout showed greater reductions in body fat than subjects who performed the same activities but  feel like they were really exercising.
Fit Trick: The next time you do anything active, remind yourself every few minutes that you’re giving it your all. This little mental move will also motivate you to push yourself harder, leading to even greater fat loss.

Smart Fact: The less time you rest between sets when strength training, the more calories you’re likely to burn. Keeping rest periods short keeps your heart rate at a higher rate, which naturally increases the number of calories you’re using. This has made all the difference for me in just a few short months.
Fit Trick: Take a 30-second break  (or less) between sets. Really keep track! Watch the second hand on the clock or your watch.  You will be amazed at how fast 30 seconds goes by.

Next time you exercise remember these smart facts and fit tricks.  They are easy to do, and will make a big difference in your progress.

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3 Steps to Maximize Your Workouts

April 1, 2011 By

I love weight training. I have been doing it for over 15 years, and I am always learning new ways to maximize my workouts and my results. Just walk into a bookstore or browse online and you’ll find all sorts of information on how to get the benefits of weight training, but there are a few steps you should follow no matter what your goals.

Before I tell you about the best ways to maximize your workouts, I want to mention a common myth about weight training and women. Some women are hesitant to add weight training to their exercise routine because they are scared of looking too bulky.  The truth is that due to the fact that women DO NOT and CANNOT naturally produce as much testosterone (one of the main hormones responsible for increasing muscle size) as males do, it is impossible for a woman to gain huge amounts of muscle mass UNLESS anabolic steroids are used in conjunction with an extremely aggressive weight training program and bulking diet.

Women who weight train without the use of steroids get the firm and fit cellulite-free looking body that they’re looking for, provided that they follow a good nutrition program and cardiovascular workout as well.

Now that we have that out of the way, here are three steps to get the most out of your workouts.

Step # 1: Make your workouts short. Weight training routines should never last more than one hour. I usually shoot for around 30 minutes. Remember, you’re placing stress on the muscles as you lift weights. An hour is the maximum time to exercise without causing too much stress and possible injuries. Also, from a mental perspective, who wants to workout for more than an hour? If I knew I would be at the gym for more than an hour, I would start making excuses not to go.

Step # 2: Make your workout intense. This may be the most important thing you can do to get results faster. During weight training sessions one of your goals should be to really challenge your body, so it adapts by building new muscle cells and burning body fat. If you are going to take the time to lift weights, really make it worth your while. If you are lifting 2 pound dumbbells and doing 20 reps and not feeling fatigued or tired, you are not working hard enough.

Step #3: Consistently change your weight training routines. Regardless of whether you are trying to burn fat, boost your metabolism, get more tone, or become a body builder, change is a must. To reach your goals more efficiently and work smarter, you must constantly challenge your body. Your body can adapt quickly to repetitive routines week after week. Adding more weight, changing the routine, or changing the number of repetitions are all excellent ways to keep change in your weight training workouts. If you are not a big “change” person, you can even just reverse the order of your exercises.

So whatever your goals, if you are taking the time to exercise, make it count!

Work smarter and reach your goals faster by short, intense, and diverse workouts.

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