Fix Your Cardio Workout at home

Treadmill 

The Mistake - too much bouncing
The Fix - do a few leg swings to loosen the hips before you start
The Mistake - too many long steady runs
The Fix - add in intervals, vary 30 sec intensity with 1 min easy run repeat several times,  vary the length of interval and intensity.

Stationary Bike

The Mistake - seat too high or too low
The Fix - your leg should be fully extended at the lowest point of the pedal rotation
The Mistake - steady state rather than a quick pace
The Fix - vary intensity with 2- 3 minute intervals followed by a moderate cadence - repeat for 15-20 mins - stand on occasion to add variety of muscles worked.

Elliptical Trainer

The Mistake - too little resistance
The Fix - set resistance so you feel yourself pushing down the ramp
The Mistake - getting bored
The fix - try adding 90 sec interval blasts with recoveries twice as long over 20 minutes

Check out Women's Health for fixes on the rowing machine and stair stepper too

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/the-best-cardio-workouts

Fact or Fiction Fitness Questions

Which burns more Calories  - Cardio or Strength training??

New Studies show strength training superior to steady state cardio.  Weight training can boost metabolism long after you work out - for as much as 36 hours!!  Lift those weights baby!!

In my boot camp we work every muscle group to exhaustion with high reps and light weights.  I also layer in 30 seconds of interval cardio for maximum calorie burning!

Can you reduce cellulite through exercise??   YES!!!

Women lose approximately 5 pounds of muscle per decade, mostly from where the do not use their muscle - yeah, where you sit!  So when you lose muscle from you hips and thighs the layer of fat over top loses it's foundation so it can begin to look like an orange peel. Strength training (coupled with good nutrition) can help you get your foundation back and smooth out the look of your skin.

In my bootcamp we always work those big muscle so come lunge and squat with me!

Can exercise make you smarter??  YES!!!

Many studies have tied  physical activity to improved attention, memory and learning ability!  Exercise increases the production of Stem Cells that develop new brain cells.

Come check out the bootcamp class this January 2012 with your "student studying" teens.
Check out Women's Health for more questions

You got to MOVE IT ! MOVE IT!

What is the single best thing we can do for our health?  Worth the watch!!!!

Keep Fit at Home for the holidays

 


Here are four of my favourite workout videos you can do at home over the holidays and keep fit until classes resume in January.  I have seen these at Costco, Walmart, London Drugs, Superstore at various times over the past 6 months.  You can also order on line.....about $15 each.

Don't like DVD's try incorporating these exercise in your day for  a quick workout plan to keep fit at home

hold a plank for 1-2 minutes

hold a wall sit for 1-2 minutes at 90 degrees

3 sets of 10 walking lunges using a weight for extra challenge  (or perhaps a baby)

3 sets of full push ups (try it on your stairs to make it a little easier)

20 minutes of cardio with intervals 3 - 4 times per week

Eat More, Lose more Weight!

Make these you dietary rules or perhaps confessions.....

I will eat it if it grows on a tree  (Tip: Eat these first at every meal)

I will eat protein with every meal and snack (Tip: Eat 3 servings of dairy a day)

I will eat (30mins) before a workout and with in 30 minutes after a workout (tip:Carbs & protein before and protein rich after)

I will become a salad savant (Tip: Eat first and go with a home made dressing with lemon and Olive or flax seed oil base)

I will always have protein for breakfast (Tip: Can't handle eggs?, dairy rich smoothies or Protein shakes as a great option)

Thanks to Women's Health Magazine for your tips

The Best FAT BURNING FOODS!

Almonds and other nuts (with skins intact)
Build muscle, reduce cravings

Dairy products (fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese)
Build strong bones, fire up weight loss

Eggs
Build muscle, burn fat

Turkey and other lean meats
Build muscle, strengthen immune system

Berries
Improve satiety, prevent cravings

Enova oil (soy and canola oil)
Promotes fullness, not easily stored as fat

Peanut butter 
Boosts testosterone (a good thing even in women), builds muscle, burns fat

Fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, mackerel)
Trigger fullness, fire up fat burning

Grapefruit
Lowers insulin, regulates blood sugar and metabolism; be sure to eat the fleshy white membranes

Green tea
Fires up fat burning

Chili peppers
Spikes metabolism

Spinach and green vegetables
Fight free radicals and improve recovery for better muscle building

Whole grains (quinoa, brown rice, whole grain cereal)
Small doses prevent body from storing fat

Beans and legumes
Build muscle, help burn fat, regulate digestion

Whey
Builds muscle, burns fat

Thanks to Women's Health Magazine for the recap list!

Which candy bar is best to eat????

Best Chocolate Candy Bar

Eat This! Nestlé Crunch Bar
220 calories 
12 g fat (7 g saturated)
 24 g sugars
The Crunch bar has nearly half as much sugar as the 3 Musketeers.
Not That! 3 Musketeers
260 calories 
8 g fat (5 g saturated)
 40 g sugars
It's not the fat that does this bar in; it's the sugar. Forty grams is more than 2 Twinkies' worth - and it's nearly double the quantity you'll find in a Crunch Bar.

Best Breakable Candy Bar

Eat This! Kit Kat Bar
210 calories 
11 g fat (7 g saturated)
 22 g sugars
Spread the love. Just because there are 4 pieces in a package doesn't mean you need to eat them all yourself.

Not That! Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar
270 calories 
16 g fat (10 g saturated)
 31 g sugars
Bite-size piece might work for s'mores, but eat a whole bar as a snack and you just sacrificed half .

Here are some other great 100 calorie snacking options

Starbucks Tall Skinny Latte
Score your caffeine fix along with a hunger-crushing 10-gram shot of protein and about a third of your daily calcium needs.

Banana
Naturally prepackaged goodness you can take anywhere, with the added benefit of cramp-preventing potassium.

1/2 C Edamame (measured shelled)
Eating this protein-packed pick-me-up out of the shell will help make the snack last longer.

3 C Air-Popped Popcorn
Go ahead, nibble mindlessly as you zone out in front of Bravo. Even if you're watching trash, you won't be eating it.

Quaker Instant Oatmeal (regular flavor)
This speedy fiber- and protein-packed breakfast also makes for a warm, filling snack.

Yoplait Light Yogurt (fruit flavors)
This bone-building goodie provides 20 percent of your RDA for calcium and vitamin D.

9 Shrimp And 4 Tbsp Cocktail Sauce
The perfect appetizer--and no one at the table will know you're counting calories.

Sargento Light String Cheese Snacks
Any food you can play with is a great distraction; plus, the protein battles mid-afternoon hunger pangs.

Thanks to Women's Health Magazine for this information!!!!!!