burning fat
Is Sitting the New Smoking?
Tags: burning fat, Fitness, fitness training, get in shape, healthy living, workouts for work
A new study has shown that sitting for long periods of time may be as bad for you as smoking! Inactivity is definitely a contributor to heart disease and obesity. Being sedentary is not natural for our bodies; when we move towards less activity our bodies move towards acting as storage containers versus the agile and energized machines they should be. The workplace CAN be a health hazard…or you can turn it around! Read more about the study here.
I have a desk job, what can I do?
Many of us are sitting at our desks 7-8 hours—or more—a day. If it’s the nature of your work, you CAN break up the sedentary cycle with a few brisk breaks. People may think you’re always in a hurry or just suddenly more energetic or maybe even a little kooky, but that’s okay. The key is to take brisk breaks and to be BRISK.
1. FAST walk, inside or out, every time you walk.
2. Take the stairs whenever possible, two at a time if you can
3. Exercise in your office or break room. See MTF for At Work.
4. Stretch to increase circulation and blood flow
These simple steps will go a—surprisingly—long way toward enhancing your overall health and well-being and you are worth it.
And the most sedentary US city is?
2011: Lexington, KY. “What hurt Lexington most was the actual amount of activity, or exercise, people reported engaging in — any physical activity at all, which was relatively low. And they did have higher rates of deaths from deep vein thrombosis (DVT) as well,” said Matt Marion, deputy editor of Men’s Health.
Good news: Seattle, San Francisco and Oakland, California were the most physically active!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110627/od_nm/us_usa_cities_odds
3 Fat Loss Myths You Need to Know About
Tags: burning fat, fat loss myths, get in shape, healthy living, lose weight
Myth: Natural or herbal weight-loss products are safe and effective.
Products labeled “natural” and “herbal” do not mean they are safe OR that they work. Some can cause serious health problems and combining weight loss products with other medications can also cause serious damage. Best bet: speak to your physician before using ANY weight loss product, natural, herbal or otherwise.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/herbal-supplements/SA00044
Myth: Weight loss is the same as fat loss.
Not so. Have you ever seen someone who is thin but looks unhealthy, who weighs less than you or in contrast see someone fit and lean that weighs 20 pounds more? Would you rather lose muscle mass or body fat regardless of what the scale says? Jade Teta of Metabolic Effect clarifies: “Where weight loss is about quantity of food eaten and [length of] time exercise is done, fat loss is about the quality of food and the type of exercise.”
http://www.metaboliceffect.com/topic/38-weight-loss-vs-fat-loss.aspx
Myth: Cardio should be performed within the “fat burning zone”
Have you ever checked out the automated programs on cardio equipment at the gym labeled Fat Loss Zone? This generally means steady-state cardiovascular exercise without variation in intensity. Cranking up the intensity allows you to burn more total calories and CONTINUE to burn calories and fat post-workout. Confused about HIIT (high intensity interval training)? It’s worth a few minutes read for the time it will save you during you workouts!
http://ca.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding_100/135_fitness_tip.html
Beach Bum Circuit Workout
Tags: burning fat, Circuit Training, women's workouts, workouts
Not looking forward to hitting the beach this weekend? While change doesn’t happen overnight, you will notice improvements right away with the right exercises and a lean, clean diet, so why not start firming up your lower half with this lower body workout? With consistency and persistence you will see positive results each week…likely even each day!
Check out more workouts just like this one here! And, as always, thanks to collaborator Carla Birnberg our My Trainer Fitness MizFit!
Working Out Increases Intelligence
Tags: better workouts, burning fat, children's fitness, family fitness, fitness trainer, healthy living, jill coleman, my gym trainer, personal trainer, training for women, weight training, women's workouts, workout book
From Brawn to Brain Power, How Exercise Makes Us Smarter
Our bodies evolved in motion. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors, as they’ve come to be called, did not sit at desks or in caves all day. They had to move to eat–or be eaten. It was in this natural environment of motion that the human brain literally evolved.
Ask any runner or fitness fiend and most will tell you that their best ideas come while they’re working out and it’s not their imagination…or maybe it is…their creative imagination that is! Exercise literally increases the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain, refreshes our brain cells and stimulates new synaptic exchanges that are a vital part of the creative, thinking mind.
The other time the brain does this the most? In sleep! So the message here is to remember these two basic things: exercise and adequate rest are not optional, they are essential, and can even make you smarter.
So, next time you need more mental juice or feel “brain dead” as the saying goes, try some simple exercise to get your blood flowing, such as a brisk walk, a few rounds of climbing stairs, squat jumps or some good ole jumping jacks, and you’ll be amazed at how very effective a couple of active minutes can be. Power naps work for some people and can be just the thing, but often the nap is as much about getting horizontal to shift the blood flow as much as the actual need for a nap. For those who have a hard time fitting exercise into their schedule, try three minutes of a vigorous–but safe–activity instead. The results should be energizing!
A great and enjoyable resource for learning more about how the brain functions, written in language that had my teenage daughter chuckling more than once as she studied it, is Brain Rules by Dr. John Medina. It’s a favorite in our household and if you buy it from my daughter’s blog, (she’s a budding teen entrepreneur), she will send your book with her FREE study guide, great for teens, college students and as a teacher resource.
Order Brain Rules from:
www.DevaniAnjali.com (includes a FREE student/teacher study guide)
Or, your usual favorite book source, and for more information and fun videos by author John Medina: www.BrainRules.com
Does cold weather make us fat?
Tags: burning fat, family fitness, fat loss for women, get in shape, healthy living, holiday weight gain, my trainer fitness, winter fitness
Are those jeans getting a little snug and oversized sweaters becoming your go to fashion item? You’re not alone. Most people will gain an average of 2 pounds during the winter season. Winter brings colder weather and for some, added pounds. Is it because we are eating too much getting less exercise…or is it the cold?
“Your body may be working against you to hang on to it so you stay warm,_ said Lawrence Cheskin, MD, founder of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center in Baltimore, in an interview with Prevention magazine. So while some doctors believe that winter weight gain may be genetic, it’s more likely that the following issues are contributing to those unwanted pounds:
• less motivated to exercise due to colder temps
• eating more comfort foods such as nuts, chips, creamy fat laden foods and starchy carbs
• less sunlight contributes to feeling down and lack of motivation
• consuming more alcohol at festive events and mindless noshing
Prevention is Key:
1. Get off the couch! As appealing as it can be limit your couch time and get your exercise in at the time of day you have the most energy. If you can’t get outside to benefit from some sunlight hit the gym, head to a climbing gym, get to a spin class. Try something new!
2. Pass on the eggnog. Enjoy the festivities but limit alcohol and stay away from the calorie packed eggnog and Irish Crème. Eggnog packs a walloping 350 Calories in an average serving, along with 19g of fat. Try champagne – 90 plus calories per eight-ounce glass, wine spritzers and Low Cal Beers.
3. Stock the kitchen right! You’ve probably heard it many times before but if you don’t buy it, you won’t eat it! Hit the grocery store with a list of healthy foods that will keep you full and decrease the chances of eating out of boredom. Fruits, vegetables, fiber rich foodsì go easy on the empty starches, high sugar items and high fat foods.
4. Don’t forget your vitamins! Ensure you continue taking a multivitamin through the winter. Your body might benefit from taking extra vitamin C and D during the winter months (consult your doctor)
5. Weigh yourself periodically. We’re not saying every day but at least once a week to keep yourself in check!
Enjoy some treats this holiday in moderation! Off set the weight gain by remaining active and eating right. At My Trainer Fitness we think these tips will keep you on track throughout the winter and into the warmer months.
The Week Magazine
Tags: burning fat, fitness trainer, fitness training, personal trainer, training for women
My Trainer Fitness is featured in The Week Magazine as a great way to step up your workout!
The Week Magazine, Nov. 26, 2010
Spotlight with Winston Salem Monthly for My Gym Trainer!
Tags: better workouts, burn fat, burning fat, Circuit Training, Fitness, get in shape, lose weight
Winston Salem Monthly (print and online) shines the spotlight on MGT in this article.
Six-Pack Abs: Clues from Athletes
Tags: abs, better workouts, building muscle, burning fat, weight training
I was a gymnast for 12 years. My teammates and myself included – grew up with nice, lean defined, abdominal muscles, and in the world of high level gymnastics this is more the norm than the exception. It was not because we were all genetic freaks, or did thousands of crunches. In fact, we did NO standard crunches at all! But what we did do, strengthened our core and worked our bodies in such a way I believe contributed greatly to that to sculpted, quilted abdominal look.
Well, the great news is that you do not have to start gymnastics classes to get visible abs. But I do think every fitness athlete or enthusiast can learn something from their training and put to use a variety of these principles. So how does gymnastics core training differ from the standard crunch? The 3 major components that differ are:
3) working the muscle in various planes of movement
Full Extension – Muscles stretched with resistance through their entire intended range of motion (ROM), receive the most overload. I can remember way back to my gymnastics training days, where my coach would start and end every practice with 3 to 4 sets of hanging leg raises or leg lifts as we gymnasts called them. For these leg raises, we would hang from the high bar, with our body fully extended and lift our legs to meet our hands. Our coach was a stickler for form and – none of the reps would be counted if we used momentum and did not begin from a “dead” hang – with full extension. As young gymnasts, we knew it was harder to start from the “dead hang” fully extended position, but we certainly didn’t know “why” – but we did it anyway. You can incorporate the same movement into your own workouts – either grabbing onto a chin up bar or abdominal chair (Captain’s Chair), lifting legs (straight or bent). These devices can be found in just about every gym. The key is starting from that “dead” hang position – getting a full stretch in the abdominal muscles.
Isometric Contractions – of the abdominal muscle. Isometric contractions are where tension is created in the muscle with no visible change (movement) in the joint angle. The muscle(s) is contracting without moving through a ROM. For this principle, the goal of course is not to achieve a full extension of the abdominal muscle but to hold and contract it in one position. So much of gymnastics is isometric in and of itself (balancing in a handstands, upside down or right side up positions with leg up/ leg down – you name it – we were probably required to do it)- so many of the drills we did to learn new skills isometric of isometric nature.Planes of Motion is the third component vital to core training. In gymnastics, we flipped and twisted in all different directions. Even on the uneven bars, we had requirements in our routine for elements that contained a direction change. I remember really disliking this, because once you got going in one direction – you had to switch and go the other way – and have enough momentum, technique, and CORE strength to do so. Hanging windmills was one way we trained for this. It was an advanced version of the hanging leg raise, but instead of just going in one plane of motion- lifting your legs up to the bar and back down again, you lifted your legs in a circle in one direction, then switched directions the other way. It targets the oblique muscles, part of the abdominal core, responsible for rotation.
Desiree Walker is an IFBB pro fitness competitor and general dentist
practicing in Lumberton, NC. She shares her love for health and
wellness with her husband Ash and 2 crazy cats.
My Gym Trainer Favorite Leg Circuit: 20 Minutes to Leaner Legs in 1 Month
Tags: building muscle, burning fat, Circuit Training, fitness training, leg training, training for women
At My Gym Trainer, we are all about getting results quickly and effectively: short, easy-to-follow workouts that deliver. Each of the three My Gym Trainer books (Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced) contains 8 leg workouts (2 per week). A minimum of twice-per-week lower body workouts will yield best results, and also offer plenty of variety. Here is an example of a leg circuit that will generate great results in only 20 minutes. It contains our 5 Must-Do Moves for Leaner Legs in 1 month!
In all of the My Gym Trainer books, we use circuit-training exercise like this exclusively because it is great for both cardiovascular fitness and strength training, not to mentions burns ton of calories in a short period of time. It is a way of exercising that maximizes fat-burning by keeping the heart rate and breathing up throughout the workout, and generates an after-burn so the metabolism stays elevated for hours after the workout is over. Instead of doing 1 set of an exercise and then sitting and waiting to do the next set of the same exercise, circuits are designed so that you move from one exercise to the next with little rest in between. For more workouts like this, grab a copy of My Gym Trainer at www.MyTrainerFitness.com or www.amazon.com!
Directions:
• Do the following leg circuit 2x/week for 1 month (3x/week for best results), allowing at least 48 hours’ rest in between each leg workout.
• To complete the circuit, perform the allotted number of reps for the first exercise, then immediately move to the second exercise and perform the allotted number of reps for it. Go on to complete the 3rd exercise, then the 4th and then the 5th.
• Once you complete one full cycle of all 5 exercises, begin again at the top, continuing to cycle through the movements until you complete 20 minutes. o Each time you do the workout, record how many “rounds” you complete in the allocated 20 minutes. On your next time through, try to beat your previous measure. Good luck!!
Killer Recumbent Bike Workout to Shape the Legs
Tags: bike workout, burning fat, cardio
Traditional fat-burning anaerobic exercise done via high-intensity interval training (HIIT) creates a hormonally and calorically favorable environment to lose inches, while aerobic pedaling using heavy resistance generates a similar effect to that of weight training, thus shaping the leg. If the resistance and speed combinations are enough to elicit a strong lactic acid burn in the legs and glutes, the result is a fat-burning, leg-sculpting effect.
Because of the orientation of the bike, the movement loads the glutes and the quadriceps predominantly, paying particular attention to the area right below the glutes referred to as the “glute-hamstring tie-in” by many fitness professionals. The glute-hamstring tie-in is a notoriously stubborn place of fat storage for many women and also one of the first places on the body to take on cellulite with age. The beauty of using the recumbent bike is that it helps burn fat all over, while eliciting a localized burn in the legs, attacking both the glute-hamstring tie-in and the lower part of the quad near the knee (referred to as the “tear drop” and the “sweep”).
Improve Muscular Endurance & Shape the Legs
Another useful approach when engaging the recumbent bike is to do a protocol that elicits more of a muscular burn in the legs. The segments are a little longer and focus on a slow, deep aching in the glutes and quads to make those muscles pop. Try this protocol as an alternative to a light weight-training workout or add it in at the end of a heavy leg day.
Workout #3 – 25 minutes: Throughout this protocol, you will build on your resistance and slow the pace to the point of burning. Choose Manual Program on the bike and change the levels as called for. This type of working will really get the glutes burning; think about the muscles being worked and squeeze them to get the full effect. This should feel similar to resistance training for the legs.
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