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.