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Dear ,
Sometimes if
I'm in a mood during my indoor cycling class, I'll make my spinners take turns doing twenty push-ups between
songs. It may seem like I'm bullying them but there is method to my muscle
madness. I know from my own experience that the odds of dropping down and doing
push-ups (or any other resistance training for that matter) AFTER completing your cardio are
slim. I advise that you do your weight work prior to your cardio. Or better yet, insert
some weight intervals into your cardio. After 15 minutes on the stairmaster,
step off and do squats with heavy weights , do another 10 minutes of cardio,
then do 20 push-ups, 10 more minutes of sweating, the some heavy weight biceps
curls, etc. This is called circuit training and is a much more efficient way to
burn fat, build muscle and gain bone strength. Working out in this format increases your
calorie burn during your aerobic stint plus you rev up your metabolism so that
you burn more fat the rest of the day even when your sitting on the couch with
Oprah!
Here are some
facts about how strength training can boost your health:
It boosts your
metabolism for six to fifteen hours after your workout.
It increases
your calorie and fat burning activity for 24 to 48 hours post-workout
And 24/7/365
your metabolism will be faster so you burn more fat.
Since five
pounds of muscle fits into the space or two and a half pounds of fat, if you
gain muscle and lose fat you will be twice as tight and slim!
If you are
just doing cardio, good for you, BUT you are getting the smallest return on
your time invested. Circuit training takes the relatively small amount of time
that you have to exercise, and makes you burn more fat during the rest of your
day and week! Would you rather invest seven hours a week, get seven hours of
benefit or would you want to invest that same seven hours and get 138 hours of fat
burning benefit?
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Women & Their Bones~ Use It or Lose It
Make no bones about it, as we
approach middle age(and yes, it has to be called "middle" age.Take the age you
expect to live to, then cut it in half-see?)the bare-bone truth about your
skeleton is that , especially in pre and post menopausal women, you can ONLY
maintain or LOSE bone density. You cannot naturally regain it. Yes, I know
there are some strong prescription medicines out there that reverse bone
density but you've only got to look at the precaution/side effects label on
those drugs to try a more holisitic route if at all possible.
Do you even know if you get 1000
milligrams of calcium everyday? Most multi-vitamins do not add much calcium
because it interferes with the absorption of other vitamins. That's about 3
cups of milk or 12 cups of ice cream:)
I've come across way too many ladies
going through reverse puberty, as I like to think of it, who take no calcium
supplement and the only dairy they consume is milk in their Venti Latte (P.S.
Skim milk has the same amount of calcium as whole).
The changing face of fitness is
about keeping what you got! It has to be your daily priority! So before we move
on to exercises that you can do at home to strengthen your bones through
weight-bearing movement(Get those Nikes on), here is what you need to do.(READ MORE)
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KIDS' FITNESS FACTS
Kids-wise, if your child complains of knee
pain, check their arches to be sure they are lifted. Flat feet are common
during growth spurts and can strain the joints above, especially the knees and
hips. Get orthotics if needed.
Baby-wise, Keep those toddlers out of shoes! Arches of the
feet support all the other domes of the body and are not fully formed until age
four or so. Shoes on babies and toddlers interfere with this natural arch
formation. Who cares if people think you are a hippie.
Heavy backpacks slung over one shoulder have
got to go!
I weighed my son's backpack yesterday and it
weighed 21 pounds.On a 90-pound frame that would be the equivalent
of my 6-foot husband hefting a 50-pound weight
around all day.Wearing this weight intermittently throughout the day
Is worse if it is on one shoulder, especially
if it is the same shoulder.This creates a muscular imbalance,
Which often escalates to become a muscular
strain.
What to do?
(READ MORE)
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