Messages

31

Body Fitness / Melt Fat on the Mat

« on: April 22, 2017, 01:45:08 AM »

Vinyasa and power may not be the only forms of yoga that will get you closer to that long, lean, limber look. Research presented at the 73rd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association found that restorative yoga—which focuses more on relaxing and stress-reducing movements rather than a challenging flow or balancing poses—burns more subcutaneous fat (the kind directly under your skin) than stretching does. By the end of the yearlong study, yogis who practiced at least once a month lost an average of about three pounds, nearly double the amount lost by those who only stretched. So if you don’t feel up for a more athletic yoga class, ease your way into a practice with a gentle one.

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Body Fitness / Roll With It

« on: April 22, 2017, 01:43:43 AM »

Also known as “myofascial release,” foam rolling is an easy way to benefit your entire body. “While stretching addresses the length of muscle fiber, rolling improves the quality of the tissue,” says Rob Sulaver, CEO and founder of Bandana Training. This leads to tension- and pain-free muscles, which function better so you perform better. Be sure to roll for five minutes before your workout. Not sure what to do? Try these 10 ways to use a foam roller.

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Body Fitness / Muscle Over Mind

« on: April 22, 2017, 01:42:48 AM »

If you usually head to the gym after work, take heed: Mental exhaustion can make you feel physically exhausted, even when you have plenty of energy, reports a Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise study. When people played a brain-draining computer game before exercising, they reported a subsequent workout as being harder, yet their muscles showed the same activity as they did doing the same workout after an easy mental game. So if you think you can’t eke out those last 10 minutes on the rowing machine, remember: You can! [Tweet this motivation!]

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Body Fitness / Work It from Every Angle

« on: April 22, 2017, 01:42:06 AM »

Most traditional fitness plans happen in predictable patterns that usually involve moving in two planes of motion—up and down or forward and backward—ignoring the third plane of motion, lateral. “Move your body in all directions to create the most fit, functional, and athletic physique,” Stokes says. If you're a runner, cyclist, or walker, remember to include movements such as jumping jacks, side shuffles, side lunges, and carioca (the grapevine-like move) in your warm-up or cool-down, she suggests.

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Body Fitness / Be Here. Now.

« on: April 22, 2017, 01:41:33 AM »

Before you convince yourself that you’re too busy to mediate, consider this: “Adding mediation to your daily fitness routine can be a crucial part of body transformation,” says Mark Fisher, founder of Mark Fisher Fitness in NYC. Find five to 10 minutes once or twice a day to focus on your breath, he suggests. “Taking the time to do this can help your body and brain de-stress and recover better from all your hard work at the gym and the office.”

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Body Fitness / Put on More Weight

« on: April 22, 2017, 01:41:05 AM »

You know strength training is the best way to trim down, tone up, and get into “I love my body” shape. But always reaching for the 10-pound dumbbells isn’t going to help you. “Add two or three compound barbell lifts (such as a squat, deadlift, or press) to your weekly training schedule and run a linear progression, increasing the weight used on each lift by two to five pounds a week,” says Noah Abbott, a coach at CrossFit South Brooklyn. Perform three to five sets of three to five reps, and you’ll boost strength, not bulk. “The short, intense training will not place your muscles under long periods of muscle fiber stimulation, which corresponds with muscle growth,” Abbott explains.

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Body Fitness / Seek Out Text Support

« on: April 22, 2017, 01:40:33 AM »

If you thought texting changed your love life, imagine what it could do for your waistline. When people received motivational text messages promoting exercise and healthy behaviors twice a week (i.e., “Keep in the fridge a Ziploc with washed and precut vegetables 4 quick snack. Add 1 string cheese 4 proteins”), they lost an average of about 3 percent of their body weight in 12 weeks. Participants in the Virginia Commonwealth University study also showed an improvement in eating behaviors, exercise, and nutrition self-efficacy, and reported that the texts helped them adopt these new habits. Find health-minded friends and message each other reminders, or program your phone to send yourself healthy eating tips.

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Body Fitness / Heart Your Trainer

« on: April 22, 2017, 01:40:04 AM »

“Find an instructor who motivates you to get out the door or turn on a video—they will be your best advocate,” Becker says. If you look forward to seeing your favorite Pilates teacher, you'll be more likely to hit the studio regularly. Same goes if you love a trainer's energy in their DVD or online videos.

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Body Fitness / Sweat to a Beat of Your Own

« on: April 22, 2017, 01:39:09 AM »

Rocking out to your fave playlist helps you power through a grueling workout, and now research shows singing, humming, or whistling may be just as beneficial. [Tweet this tip!] A German and Belgian study found that making music—and not just listening to it—could impact exercise performance. People who worked out on machines designed to create music based on their efforts exerted more energy (and didn't even know it) compared to others who used traditional equipment. Sweating to your own tune may help make physical activities less exhausting, researchers say.

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Body Fitness / Multi-Goal

« on: April 22, 2017, 01:38:35 AM »

Popular belief says if you really want to make a big change, focus on one new healthy habit at a time. But Stanford University School of Medicine researchers say working on your diet and fitness simultaneously may put the odds of reaching both goals more in your favor. They followed four groups of people: The first zoned in on their diets before adding exercise months later, the second did the opposite, the third focused on both at once, and the last made no changes. Those who doubled up were most likely to work out 150 minutes a week and get up to nine servings of fruits and veggies daily while keeping their calories from saturated fat at 10 percent or less of their total intake.

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Body Fitness / Memorize a Mantra

« on: April 22, 2017, 01:37:56 AM »

Whatever you tell yourself to get through a grueling workout, don't stop. (And if you need some fitspiration, check out these inspiring quotes.) An innovative European study found that motivational self-talk can significantly help reduce the rate of perceived exertion (how loud your muscles are screaming) so you can go further for longer.

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Body Fitness / Are Your Serving Sizes

« on: April 22, 2017, 01:35:35 AM »

When dishing out dinner, put away the measuring cups and grab a standard size plate. “If your food fits with no individual item touching another, you can be pretty confident that your portion sizes are appropriate,” says Snader.

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Body Fitness / Take It Outside

« on: April 22, 2017, 01:34:43 AM »

A study by the National Institutes of Health that found people could burn up to 7 percent more calories in the cold. So if you're torching 268 calories during a half-hour indoor run at a 12-minute-mile pace, you may hoof off closer to 300 calories if you head outdoors.

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Body Fitness / Heed Your Hunger

« on: April 22, 2017, 01:34:16 AM »

Give your body a little more credit: It tells you when you’re hungry—you may not be listening, though. Before chowing down because there’s only one slice of pie left or because the last guest arrived at the brunch, stop and check in with your stomach. “If you’re not hungry, make yourself a small plate and sip on some tea or coffee while everyone else digs in,” recommends Elle Penner, M.P.H., R.D., a MyFitnessPal expert. When your belly starts to finally grumble, food will be there.

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Body Fitness / Learn the Ropes

« on: April 22, 2017, 01:33:38 AM »

The best training tool you're not using: a jump rope. “It may seem a little juvenile until you think of all the hot-bodied boxing pros who jump rope every single day,” says Landon LaRue, a CrossFit level-one trainer at Reebok CrossFit LAB in L.A. Not only is it inexpensive, portable, and easy to use almost anywhere, you’ll burn about 200 calories in 20 minutes and boost your cardiovascular health while toning, he adds.