One Cool Tool

Recently, I started working out with a personal trainer at a gym called Equinox.  As a part of training, you're supposed to take an "Equifit Test" which tests your fitness, helps you write your goals, and calculates your BMI.  I was absolutely fascinated with this.  BMI stands for Body Mass Index and it tells you how much fat you have based on your height and weight.  I was measured by my trainer and I have 21% body fat. I gasped at this number but he reassured me that I was in the healthy range.  For women, anywhere from 18-24% is average and women need about 13% body fat to live.  You can calculate your own BMI on the internet by entering your height/weight/age.  Just another way technology can help you keep fit!
BMI CALCULATOR

Get Fit... by Watching TV?

In one of my previous blogs, I mentioned Exercise TV.  Not only is it a good way to get in some exercise in the cold winter months, you can utilize it all year round for workout videos! 

According to Exercise TV, Exercise TV is the leading digital network that provides free workout videos.  In addition, they also include fitness plans and healthy lifestyle tips.  Today they have about 36 million customers who enjoy over 150 workouts on demand.

Exercise TV is not limited to your television either.  They also have a website, http://www.exercise.tv/ that offers over 100 free full-length workout videos online. 

Exercise TV was founded by Jake Steinfeld of "Body by Jake."  It is managed by Comcast, New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc. and Time Warner Cable.

Their videos are organized by category (walking, dance, bootcamp, stretch, etc.).  It's so easy to use also!  All you need is a television with a remote control and some room to move! 

They have so many different kinds of workouts to choose from.  They have workouts to specifically target different areas of your body like your arms, butt, legs, or stomach.  They even have quick 10-minute workouts to accommodate people with busy schedules.

My favorite videos have to be the 10-minute ones that work your abs.  Also, I really love the belly dancing ones.  I don't think I'd ever really take a belly dancing class but it sure is fun to try something out of your comfort zone in your own home!

Exercise TV is just another example of how useful technology can be when it comes to getting in shape.  Now there's really no excuse to get your daily 30 minutes of physical activity in.  All you need to do is turn on your TV!





Here is a Bollywood-inspired dance video.  It can be fun to try new things!


http://www.exercisetv.tv/workout-videos/dance/power-bhangra-4021

Compliments by Nike

This has to be one of my all-time favorite ads! It's funny, true, and empowering!

Beat the Winter Workout Blues

As the weather begins to grow colder, it seems as if it's harder to stay active.  With winter on its way, it takes a lot more motivation to get to the gym.  I know all I want to do on a snowy day is stay inside and snuggle with some hot chocolate and a good book.  However, it is very possible to stay fit even during the cold winter months. 

According to FitSugar.com, it is possible to still do your favorite summer activities even in the winter.  For instance, if you like to walk to keep fit, rent/buy a pair of snowshoes.  Walking in the snow adds more resistance so you can get a great leg, butt, and core workout and burn even more calories.  Also, if you love to play sports, you can give some winter sports a try.  Cross country skiing works your upper body as well as your lower body and snowboarding is also an option.

If you're more the indoor type, then FitSugar also suggests to invest in a bike trainer or roller which allows you to use your own bike to cycle indoors.  In addition, there are so many different workout DVD's available for purchase these days.  You have the ability to try a new workout right in the comfort of your own home!  Exercise TV is one of my favorite channels.  When I don't feel like going to the gym in the winter, it's so convenient to turn it on and surf through the hundreds of workouts that are offered.

However, if you do have the motivation then by all means hit the gym.  Or, if you are brave enough to venture out into the cold, then you can still reap all of the benefits of exercising outdoors.  According to MayoClinic.com, it's important to remember to stay safe while exercising in the cold!

• Protect your hands with gloves, your head/ears with a hat and your feet with thermal socks.  Your hands and feet become more vulnerable to frostbite because your blood flow is concentrated in your body's core when it's cold.
• Pay attention to temperatures and wind chill.  If the temperature is too low or it is raining, you are more prone to frostbite and might want to skip the outdoor workout that day.
• Remember to dress in layers and choose sneakers with a lot of traction in them to help with running/walking in the snow.
• Stay hydrated before, during, and after your workout.  Staying hydrated during your workout is just as important in the winter as it is in any other season.
• Know the signs and symptoms of hypothermia and frostbite.

Or if you're feeling a little less motivated, turn on Exercise TV or visit their website and download some workout videos.  With so many options, you now have no excuse not to keep fit all year round!

http://www.exercisetv.tv/workout-videos/cardio/compound-movement-workout-4418

A DASHing Role Model

We all have our own role models--the people that we look up to and aspire to be like. For me, I've been completely obsessed with Kim Kardashian ever since she first came on the scene.  It was so refreshing to finally see a celebrity with a "real body" and not someone who looks like they need to eat seven cheeseburgers. 
She has also openly discussed her past weight issues and diet struggles.  It's nice to know that celebrities are real people too and no one is perfect.  Nothing makes me more frustrated than when I hear someone brag about how they eat fast food and never work out yet they still weigh 100 pounds.
"I grew up looking at skinny models and feeling like I didn't relate," Kardashian, 30, tells the November 2010 issue of Cleo magazine. "So when people come up to me and say they're proud that they have someone they can look up to who has curves, I'm honored."
Kim has also gone public about how she recently lost 15 pounds and how she keeps it off.  She revealed to OK! Magazine that she eats a healthy diet full of protein and veggies but also stated that it's important to give into your cravings once in a while.  She also works out 4-5 days a week with her trainer, Gunnar Peterson. 
She's been featured in numerous magazines about how she stays fit.  I've even tried one of her workouts that I found in Shape Magazine!  She also has several different workout videos available like Fit in Your Jeans by Friday.  Kim Kardashian is a real woman who works hard for her amazing body and she shares her tips/secrets with the rest of us!  I keep her Shape Magazine cover next to my mirror as motivation and I'm sure I'm not the only one.  The right celebrity/role model can motivate you!  Kim is truly my fitness role model!
Here's a link to a clip from just one of her workout DVD's...
Fit in Your Jeans by Friday

Miracle Shoes?

Can a pair of shoes really work miracles?  (By miracles I mean tone your butt, help you get rid of cottage cheese thighs, and torch more calories.)  The world has been hit recently with a new craze of toning shoes that boasts benefits such as these.  However, with so many fitness fad out there today, I was a little skeptical.


According to WebMD, rocker sole shoes were first developed for people with diabetes or ankle problems, but are now mainly being marketed as "toning shoes." These shoes are more unstable and have a curvy sole which makes it feel like you're exercising on something like a sandy beach.  This forces you to work muscles (mainly in your butt, thighs, and calves) that you otherwise would not.  They can also change your posture and take pressure off of the joints.


However, before you go and drop close to $100 on a pair, consider this:


A new study, released by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), shows that toning shoes including Skechers Shape-Ups, MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology), and Reebok EasyTone don't help you exercise more intensely, burn more calories, or improve your muscle strength and tone.  Also, many people do feel that these shoes work because of soreness in different muscles. Don't be fooled. The shoe’s unstable sole design does cause wearers to use slightly different muscles to maintain balance, resulting in temporary soreness that will subside as the body adjusts to the shoe.


Bottom Line:  People are always looking for a "quick fix" to their fitness/weight problems.  However, being in shape takes hard work, determination, and committment and sadly, no shoe (no matter how fabulous) is going to replace that.  However, if you consider a brand new pair of sneakers your motivation to be active and shape up, then they can absolutely still serve a great purpose.


There are many different brands that are selling these toning shoes.  Sketcher's Shape Ups even has Joe Montana in one of its commercials  to promote them...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO18BZxtC0g

iMotivation

It's become completely habitual.  When I go to the gym, I grab--water, phone, and arguably most importantly, my iPod.  I hate to admit it but I'm definitely one of those people who CANNOT and i repeat, cannot work out with out some music to occupy me.  And as embarrassing as it is, I am definitely that girl at the gym with her music blaring out of the earphones. (From the stares I get, I guess vintage Backstreet Boys doesn't pump others up the way it does for me.)  Regardless, I thought I couldn't be the only person in the world who couldn't work out without music and a little research proved me right...

According to Livestrong, a recent study published in the "Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology" showed that music can motivate a runner to run longer and a cyclist to pedal harder.  Now, I know I'm no expert by any means, but I can speak from personal experience, and when the right song comes on, you just stop all thinking...and go!

In addition, according to Len Kravitz, Ph.D., program coordinator of exercise science and a researcher at the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque, four primary conclusions can be drawn from the numerous studies that have tried to explain music's facilitation on exercise performance. 

• Music can reduce the feeling of fatigue.
• Music can boost spirits
• Music can produce "relaxation response" which can help someone push through some of the more uncomfortable feelings of exercise.
• Rhythms of music can improve motor coordination which can reduce injury.

There.  These few facts make me feel a little better about my sick attatchment to my iPod.  So all the hours I spend downloading songs and making playlists are totally worth it!  Check out Billboard for the latest chart-topping songs or hit up iTunes to download and make your gym playlists! Just remember, no two playlists are alike.  Your gym playlist should be all about you and consist of the songs that are going to make pump you up and make you work harder!

Here's a list of my top 5 songs on my gym playlist:

1.) Michael Jackson- Pretty Young Thing
2.) Jesse McCartney- Shake
3.) Lady Gaga- Just Dance
4.) Backstreet Boys- Everybody
5.) Rascall Flatts- Stand

Running Wild

After what I thought was a pretty respectable workout yesterday, I come home and check my phone only to find a text message from my older sister that said, "Just finished mile 26."  Okay, Angela.  "Thanks. Way to put my three mile run to shame," I responded.  (I still secretly believe she's been trying to steal the spotlight back after I came along 20 years ago.)  Anyway, the whole 26 mile thing has to do with this little race that she's running this weekend-- The Chicago Marathon.  Now, I may consider myself athletic and while I do love to run, I'm pretty sure there is no way you'd catch me running a marathon.  Ever.

My sister has always been a distance runner.  Ever since I can remember she's always been running a few miles a day.  But I had no idea of the hard work and dedication that she put into this.  She ran her first half marathon (which was 13.1) miles in Rochester over the summer.  She also ran the Boilermaker which is an annual road race in Utica.  Training for that was pretty "normal" to her.  She'd start running around four or five miles a day (she's already in phenomenal shape) and work her way up finally to 13.  She also lifts three times a week.  On top of that, she has a full time job with Merrill Lynch and just got her Master's degree.  Don't ask me where she finds the time OR the energy to do what she does. 

For the Chicago Marathon, it was pretty much the same procedure, except now she had to push herself even further to reach that 26.2 mile mark.  So every night after work and on weekday afternoons, you could find her running around Albany.  So she kind of did her own thing when it came to training but I wanted to see what an actual training schedule looked like so I went to http://www.chicagomarathon.com/CMS400Min/uploadedFiles/Chicago_Marathon/Runner_Information/BACM_NIKE_TRAINING.pdf for an official work out schedule and I must say it is nothing short of intense.

On top of that, I also wanted to find out a little bit more about the Chicago Marathon because when she announced she was doing it last year, I'll admit I didn't really pay attention.  According to http://www.livestrong.com/, it is recognized as one of the best and largest marathons in the world.  It is limited to 45,000 runners and typically draws about 1.5 million spectators annually.  October 10, 2010 will be the 33rd anniversary as the marathon has been going on every year since Setpember 25, 1977.  The marathon starts at Grant Park and goes through 29 different neighborhoods of Chicago. 

So by the end of this post, you may think of my big sis as clinically insane.  (So do I, but for different reasons)  However, there are SO many benefits from running (both physical and psychological) that you would have to been insane NOT to go for a jog.  So on that note, I'll leave you with a list of just some of the benefits...

Health Benefits Of Running

• One of the most popular benefits of running is to reduce or manage weight. It burns more calories per minute, than any other form of cardiovascular exercise. Research proves the fact that running burns an average of 100 calories per each mile.
• Running has proved to be beneficial in slowing the aging process. People, who run regularly, do not face muscle or bone loss in comparison to their counterparts.
• Running helps to enhance the glow of the face. It promotes the human growth hormone which helps in staying young.
• People diagnosed with osteoporosis, diabetes or hypertension, are advised to engage in running for a few miles per day.
• Running is beneficial in reducing the risk of heart attacks, by strengthening the heart, lowering blood pressure and maintaining the elasticity of arteries.
• Cancer patients are also advised to indulge in running as it proves to be helpful in improving their condition.
• Regular running raises HDL (good) cholesterol, reduces the risk of blood clots and encourages use of the 50% of your lungs that usually go unused.
• Running has positive effects on the immune system. It creates a higher concentration of lymphocytes in the blood.

Psychological Benefits

• Running also has a positive effect on the mind of the person. It builds confidence and gives a feeling of empowerment and freedom that comes with knowing the fact that your legs and body are strong and capable.
• We all know running reduces body weight and helps you gain a better self-image. With this, the runner also gets a boost in his/her personality and becomes more confident, than he/she ever was.
• Running relieves a person off stress. The feeling of high that you get while striding ahead, beating past the air, refreshes the mind and the heart completely.
• It might surprise you, but running has been used a treatment for curing clinical depression and addictions of all kinds. Patients often feel less tensed, less depressed, less fatigued and less confused after indulging in the practice of running.
• The mind starts working fast when a person engages himself in running. While the body gets strength, the mind becomes more focused and determined.

A Modern Work Out

Typically, when I think of working out, I think of an all-out heart pumping, sweat session.  I love my cardio because it makes me feel like I actually accomplished something.  To me, the harder I work means the more calories I torch.  I like to go to the gym or go for a run in the morning right after I wake up because then I feel good for the entire day.  However, my routine Wednesday morning run has been replaced this semester by modern dance class.

I feel the same about dance class as I do about going to a class at 9:30 A.M.  Painful and unecessary.  Put both of those things together and you have a very unhappy 20 year old.  If I didn't need the fine performing art credit for school, believe me I wouldn't be putting myself near any dance studio.  My only other option was to take an art class and if you can believe it, I dance better than I draw.  Other than the fact that I'm completely uncoordinated, I can't stand standing in one spot stretching and breathing and counting.  That's what I figured modern dance to be.  


However, as I'm now into my 6th week of it, I notice I'm a little more flexible.  These weird moves like "dog in room" and "baby cobra" (I know, what the hell, right?) actually do something.  Contrary to my previous beliefs, modern dance could be a good thing after all.  We start with a warm up, we do moves that stretch and lengthen the body, and even learn small dance routines.  The moves aren't hard by any means and I don't drip sweat after I do them for an hour either.  I'm impressed to say the least.  Although, I must say you wouldn't find my professor's collection of music on my iPod.  I try to ignore that part.  But, I've been to yoga classes and even spent $59.99 on Winsor Pilates DVD's and I didn't stick with any of it.  Maybe all I needed was a friend to peer pressure me into taking a class.  An hour of moving your body and stretching sure beats any lecture that I could think of.  I may not be quite ready for Dancing with the Stars, but don't worry, I'm working on it.  (Look for me next season) At least by the end of the semester I hope to be a little more flexible and dance away with an A.


Here's a little youtube video showing one of our warm ups! http://youtube.com/watch?v=_F7my5hJfXg&feature=channel

Look The Part

I consider working out to be one of my favorite hobbies.  I also love it because it goes hand-in-hand with one of my other favorite hobbies--shopping.  As much as I love to shop for pretty much anything (I even love grocery shopping), nothing makes me happier than shopping for new clothes.  And when you hit the gym, you can't be running on the treadmill in your favorite pair of jeans.  So not only is working out good for you, it's the perfect excuse to go out and expand you're wardrobe.  Find something flattering, cute, and really comfy before you hit the gym!

Typically, I'm an old t-shirt and shorts type of girl.  However, this past weekend forever changed my life.  One of my best friends just got a job at the gym, Equinox in Scarsdale and she introduced me to the most beautiful pair of work out pants in the entire world.  Lu-Lu Lemon's black "Groove Crops" are (in my opinion) the perfect pair of pants.  I dubbed them the "miracle pants" as they flatter your bottom half perfectly and are as comfortable as they are stylish.  They're made with wicking fabric which pulls moisture away from your skin and distributes it evenly so it evaporates faster.  So convieniet, especially if you're aiming for a really sweaty gym-sesh.  The best part about them is that the material isn't supposed to pill after you wash it!  That's one of the worst things in the world.  You spend a ridiculous amount of money on nice pants and then you wash them once and they look like they're 10 years old.  They waistbands come in different colors and patterns and I wanted to buy one for everyday of the week!  The only negative thing about them is their price.  For these "miracle pants" you're going to have to shell out $87.00. (Unless you have a friend that works at their store and you get them 40% off :) ) I believe they are so worth it!  Comfy and cute.  It's like the best of both worlds.  They're made for high impact workouts, yet they're simple enough where you could even pair them with your favorite tee and get away with wearing  them on the weekends or to class.  Again, I highly reccommend these Lu Lu Lemon Groove Crops.  You'll look good, feel good, and get the best possible workout. :)

http://shop.lululemon.com/Groove_Crop_II/pd/np/500/p/1034.html