Archive for the 'excercise' Category

5 Easy Quick Steps to Your Best Summer Body

Published by spinchick on June 20, 2011 in excercise, metabolism, tips and weight loss. 0 Comments

Bikini body{This post was written my fitness column on LA’s the Place – “The Fit Life.” It gives you some quick and easy real life tips on getting in shape for the summer. . ~Helen}

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You’re standing in the fitting room filled with dread. The harsh overhead lights don’t do anything to ease your fear of the garment clutched in your hand. You slowly strip down, peel on the suit. And scream. Yup, it’s bathing suit season once more.

It may seem a daunting task to fit into that suit (or swim shorts), especially if you have more than a few pounds to lose. There is no quick hacks to safely losing weight, however, but there are some simple steps you can take to get you there faster.

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The Best Way to Manage PMS

Published by spinchick on June 3, 2011 in excercise and helpful stuff. 0 Comments

Solutions for PMS“I see a red door and I want it painted black, no colors anymore I want them to turn black.” ~Rolling Stones

I remember those days of ugly PMS clearly.

I was angry, tired, aggressive, my breasts hurt horribly and I was bloated.

The world was black, my life felt bleak, and it was nearly two weeks of hell.

Pre-menstrual syndrome might not seem like a topic for a weight loss blog, but this is more than a weight loss blog. It is a blog about improving your weight, your health and your life.

PMS doesn’t improve anyone’s life.

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What Type of Exercise Is Best for Weight Loss?

Published by spinchick on March 2, 2011 in excercise and weight loss. 0 Comments

Exercise Weight Loss“Wind me up and watch me go, where she stops nobody knows. A good excuse to be a bad influence on you.” ~Pink

I used to be an avid weight lifter and hated anything cardiovascular. I would run, sure, but despised every minute of it. Sometimes I would ride my bike to school but only out of necessity because I didn’t want to take the bus. For the thrill of it, the power of it, the invincibility of it, I would always lift weights. Nothing beat the feel of cold, hard, heavy steel in my hands.

Now that I’ve gotten older I have switched teams and am a die-hard cardio fiend (in the form of Spinning® and cycling). How and when this traitorous change happened I am not sure. All I know is that I’ve played on both sides equally and aerobic exercise is now my drug, I mean exercise, of choice.

This is the question debated hotly back and forth in the fitness world: “Which type of exercise – cardio or strength training – is best for weight loss?” Trainers and group exercise instructors fight over this at length. Both camps claim that “mine is better than yours,” with trainers leading the weight lifting charge and class instructors flying the cardio flag.

All the while, Pilates and yoga gurus probably stand quietly and Zenly by, with their tight cores and neutral spines,  laughing at our inability to come to an agreement.

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Weight Loss Secret – The Unpredictability Factor

Published by spinchick on January 17, 2011 in excercise, metabolism and weight loss. 0 Comments

Diet changes

“Turn and face the strain, ch-ch-changes.” ~David Bowie

The single most effective tool in weight loss is unpredictability and change.

What do I mean by that? Not letting your body know what to expect or what’s coming up next. Shocking it on several levels to keep it on its feet and your metabolism fired up.

You hear about “shocking” you body with exercise, but how about shocking your body with your eating habits? If you are like most people (myself included since I start 360 mornings a year with oatmeal), you get used to eating the same foods day in and day out. It’s surprising to realize that you really do eat close to the same number of calories every day, be it a higher number or a lower number. Your body knows this and depends on this information to keep you fat.

If you are focused on eating only 1,200 calories a day your mind will find a way to throw a whole pizza in there just to keep your fat stores happy. Just sayin’.

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The Beauty of Sore Muscles

Published by spinchick on January 14, 2011 in excercise and motivation. 1 Comment

“Help, I’m alive…” ~Metric

There are times, a day or so after a really hard workout, when I really do feel like saying, “Help, I’m alive!” Because a) I need help to get out of bed or even just sit and b) I feel alive. Sometimes, though, after a killer session with – say – kettlebells, I wish I weren’t alive to feel the muscle soreness. That’s when simply lifting my arms or closing my legs becomes a challenge and my body laughs at me.

That level of muscle soreness (DOMS – or delayed onset muscle soreness) is rare if you’ve been working out for awhile, but when you first start an exercise program or change up your workout it’s a familiar feeling. Good pain, as we are prone to say.

Why is the pain good? Because of one simple thing: You know your muscles have been worked. Who cares about the science behind it or why we feel sore? Who cares if it really means anything? The true value of DOMS is how it makes us feel emotionally:  we have done something for us, our bodies, and our minds. This one day, our muscles screaming with every movement, is a day that we have broken free of past patterns, defied the odds, and moved our bodies in a way they aren’t used to.

With every wince we are reminding ourselves that we are strong, determined and alive.

THAT is good pain.

May the DOMS be with you.

Onward and forward.

The All You Can Eat Holidays Are Approaching

Published by spinchick on November 8, 2010 in excercise, tips and weight loss. 0 Comments

Holiday overeatingYup, that’s right. The Holidays are approaching and with the joy also comes the despair: How to keep from waking up on January 1 feeling like a heffer.

I’ve rounded up last year’s articles from both of my blogs on keeping holiday weight gain at bay. With tips on how to eat better, how to trick yourself into eating less, and how to fit in some exercise, this year you might just be able to button your pants come January.

If you have any tips you would like to share on how you avoid Holiday weight gain, we would love it. Knowledge is power.

- Eat With Control This Holiday Season

- Keep Yourself from Bingeing This Holiday

- Simple Tricks to Keep Your Eating in Check Over the Holidays

- 5 Easy Ways to Keep the Holiday Pounds Off (It’s Easier Than You Think!)

Prepare now and have an enjoyable Holiday season.

Will Exercise Help You Get Thin?

Published by spinchick on August 19, 2009 in brain food, excercise, helpful stuff, metabolism, roundup and this just in. 0 Comments

The answer is no, at least according to a Time Magazine article published last week, Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin. In fact, it is their thought that exercise might even make it harder for you to lose that excess weight.

Could this possibly be true?

As someone who has lost 80 pounds and gone from a size 20 to a size 4 by exercising and making moderate changes to her diet, I can confidently state “not very likely.”

Why would Time Magazine makes those claims if they are not accurate? Because study results are always open to interpretation – and because we are talking about that very article right now. Buzz is good for business. That’s why.

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Free Fitness E-Book

Published by spinchick on March 11, 2009 in excercise, helpful stuff, metabolism and motivation. 1 Comment

Fit LifeThe electronic version of my “Living the Fit Life” is here. >Download your copy now. It’s free! (Courtesy of LA’s the Place.com.)

Post any comments you might have about it. I’d love to hear your feedback.

The Best Workout for a Flat Stomach

Published by spinchick on February 15, 2009 in excercise and weight loss. 1 Comment

Before we talk about the best way to get flat abs quickly, we need to clarify one little thing: There is no such thing as spot reduction. If there were I would have the most amazing abdominals ever, because I do a lot of stomach exercises. I plank, pike, lift, crunch, x climb, tuck, roll out and kettlebell. However, I have lost 80 pounds, been pregnant twice, and now carry an extra 10 pounds over ideal. So, alas, my muscles are fabulous, but the excess skin (and few extra pounds) covering them are not.

Do I care? Not really. Because my core is strong and my body can do pretty much everything I ask of it. This Christmas, I found myself climbing up and down a ladder, hoisting decoration-filled boxes in and out of my tiny attic. Reaching overhead while balancing on a rung, lifting the boxes, rotating them across my body and lowering down (sounds like the “wood chop” exercise, doesn’t it?). All stomach muscles engaged, back taught, stabilizers engaged. THAT is why I work my abs…to be able to live my life without ending up in traction.

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Saving Time and Money with Exercise Important

Published by spinchick on February 2, 2009 in excercise. 0 Comments

The American Council on Exercise (ACE), America’s Authority on Fitness®, just released its annual popular fitness trend report. Topping the list? No surprise here. Budget-friendly workouts and time-saving boot camp-style classes.

The economy has taken its toll on everyone, and the fitness industry is not exempt. Every year ACE surveys its worldwide network of personal trainers, group fitness experts, lifestyle and weight management consultants, and advanced health and fitness specialists to see what’s hot, and what’s not, in exercise.

The top two trends reflect our current economic woes, but there is a definite positive element. Though people are cutting back on expenses, they are still thinking of their health as their best investment. For many, it’s simply time to get creative with their exercise routines. The following are ACE’s “Top Workout Trends” for 2009. See what other people are doing for their health and fitness.

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