Cardio Queen

A lot of people have asked me what the best kind of cardio is for burning fat and losing weight. The truth is no one form of cardio is necessarily better than the other. It depends how hard you push yourself. No matter what form you use you should feel short of breath, it should be hard and it should be fun, yes FUN! You might not love it right away, but you can learn to love it and the more you love it, the more you appreciate what it does for your body. As many of you know I hated to run about three years ago and last week I ran a half-marathon…and I honestly had fun! Also, switch it up. Your muscles get used to the same exercises repeated over and over which means you burn fewer calories and build less muscle than you did when you did it the first time. Here are a few of the most popular and what they can do for you but don’t leave out the not-so-obvious forms of exercise like tennis, rollerblading, exercise classes, volleyball, etc.

Running- One of the biggest mistakes beginner runners often make is that they start way too fast. Start slow, let oxygen get into your lungs and let your body adjust to the sudden change in motion. Use baby steps rather than long strides and keep your head up. Let your mind wander as you listen to music and before you know it, you will have run two miles! Running is total-body workout engaging your lower body, upper body and core. One hour= aprox. 720 calories

Biking- A very underestimated source of cardio is bike riding. Rather than driving to dinner, find an easy 4-6 mile route to a restaurant and make it a date or a fun girl night out. Biking is low impact which means there is little to no stress on your joints which is great for people with minor injuries. One hour= aprox. 840 calories

Pilates- strengthens abs, increases flexibility, tones muscles, maintains joint health. The only down side is you need a huge machine, a good instructor and a lot of mula! One hour= aprox. 300

Yoga- Strengthen and tones muscles while torching up to 630 calories per hour. (Try the Sculpt class at CorePower yoga if you really want a great workout. There are several locations and your first week of classes is free, I swear by this class!)

Swimming- Great workout, especially for summer! It’s a very underrated form of cardio. It’s fun, easy, and works almost every muscle in the body. It’s low impact so it’s great for those of you with injuries and you can burn around 400 calories in just 30 mins.

Elliptical- Not my favorite form of exercise. I feel like the machine does more than I do. But it’s a great way to warm up before a gym workout. I generally only use the elliptical when I’m not in the mood for working out but I want to do something. You can burn about 300 calories for 30 mins.

Treadmill- I personally can’t run on a treadmill but one of the best cardio exercises I do is walking on an incline. It sounds easy but trust me, you can get just as good of a workout (if not better). I change the incline every minute and sometimes throw in a sprint here and there and by the time an hour is up I’ve burned up to 600 calories.

Stair climber- This is a great choice for those who want to firm and tone their lower half. The stair climber can burn about 500 calories an hour and is a great way to get your heart rate going.

Don’t Fall for the Gimmicks

Corporate America is increasingly taking advantage of the complexity of diet and nutrition products at the expense of peoples’ health. Americans are shelling out billions (yes, with a ‘B’) on dietary supplements that promise a “quick-fix” just about everyone’s battle-of-the-bulge. Sadly, the wishful thinking and ignorance of the average person conceals the real danger behind these so called “miracle drugs”. The majority of these supplements are not approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) which means they may not be safe to ingest. They may contain dangerous toxins that could result in detrimental harm to your liver and heart. Diet pills are not approved for a reason people! If there was a drug that did as these products promise, everyone would know about it! These products may help you lose weight initially, but the weight quickly comes back on and in many cases brings with it a few extra pounds.

So the moral of the story is, there is no diet pill out there that is worth trying. They do more damage to your body (and you pocketbook) than good. Turn to natural solutions to weight loss and management, that is the only sure-fire way to take it off and keep it off!

My First Half-Marathon

Training for my first half-marathon gave me a sense of purpose to my workout regimen. Having vague goals like “I want to lose weight” often don’t give you the motivation you need. I never considered myself a runner and if you would have told me three years ago I would run in a half-marathon, I wouldn’t have believed you. Desperate to get back in shape after my freshman 15 weight gain I decided to try it. I took it slow, starting with a couples miles a week. I eventually developed a true love for it. The first time I experienced runners high, I was hooked!

Now I look forward to a great run to alleviate stress, a bad day or just to clear my head and I always feel so great afterwards. Not only did my fear of not being prepared for race day get me off the couch several times, the fact that I was able to accomplish something that I never thought I could do was priceless. My mom and I crossed the finish line together and although our 2hr and 40 min time is less than impressive, we all stuck together and had a great time.

Patience is a virtue

Unlike the instant gratification lifestyle we are now used to, losing weight will never be that easy. You can work so hard and have an immaculate diet but it seems like nothing changes. Just don’t give up. Losing weight in a healthy way means on average it takes a week to lose just one pound. Many of us feel like we deserve to indulge in our diet when we have a great workout, but remember a great workout means burning between 800-500 calories in an hour which equals about one pint of light ice cream!
Even when it seems like nothing is changing, if you follow the rules and stick with it, results will follow….eventually. Staying in shape is hard work. It takes patience, self control, and a lot of motivation but that’s what makes you appreciate it that much more. Strive to get 4-5 days a week of strenuous physical activity mixing cardio, weight training, and stretching. The beauty of summer is your options are endless. Don’t be a prisoner to the gym like we are all winter long. Instead of meeting a friend for lunch get out and enjoy the sun. Go for a swim or ride your bike. Try your hand at tennis or golf. Staying healthy is a lifestyle, you don’t have to be on a diet your whole life, just learn to enjoy eating well and exercising. But be patient; never give up because you aren’t getting the results you feel like you deserve immediately.

Summer Slim Down

The last month of junior year was pretty rough for me. And with stress came binge eating and no physical activity whatsoever! How convenient is a ten pound weight gain when that stupid bikini comes beckoning once again? Not very! So I welcome any of you in the same position to join me in a little summer slim down! Whether it’s five, ten or fifteen pounds you want to lose, these little tricks will work for everybody. They have already got me back on track and I’ve lost three pounds in the last week and a half.

1. Go for the goal(d)- Set a goal for yourself other than losing weight. I recently signed up for a half marathon, which is ironic since it was only a year ago that I struggled running two miles! This weekend I ran ten for the first time and I have never felt better.

2. Pack a snack- You should be snacking all day to keep your metabolism going. But it only works if you have the right snacks and they are always on hand. I keep always keep an apple and little baggies of almonds and cranberries in my purse so I never get famished or reach for something unhealthy. You can stay healthy and save money by packing a lunch for work rather than eating out every day.

3. Booze and you lose- We tend to disregard alcohol as part of our caloric intake but happy hour might be to blame for not being able to drop those last few lbs. Think of it as a treat, so it’s the cookie OR the cocktails- not both!

4. 2-4-6-8 HYDRATE- Being in the sun all day will dehydrate you which is often confused with hunger. Be sure you’re getting plenty of water. Carry a water bottle in your purse and for every alcoholic beverage order a water with it. Try drinking a glass of water when you feel hungry and wait 20 minutes, you might find that you were just dehydrated saving you hundreds of unneeded calories.

Mind over matter

We’ve all been there. That moment when you think I need to stop, I can’t run any farther, I can’t do one more rep or I absolutely have to have that cookie! These are natural feelings and the reason we have trainers to make us do one more rep. But the mind is a powerful thing. Through research and my own trial and error I have found some very successful techniques mind tricks that help me muster up the motivation to go the extra mile, pun intended!

· The ski rope- Remember those ski ropes that would pull you up the bunny hill? It sounds ridiculous (and probably looks like it too) but imagine yourself pulling up one of these ski ropes when you are running up-hill. Lean forward and reach for a rope directly in front of you and one hand at a time “pull” yourself up. Not only do you trick your mind that your body is getting help, you also become fixated on this image and forget your running all together.

· The sick and twisted combo- Let’s say you get that old familiar desire for chocolate ice cream. Imagine yourself eating it topped with something you absolutely loathe like say, olives. VOILA, craving gone!

· In the now- Concentrate on what you are doing at the moment. Don’t let your mind wander. You will start worrying about something you have to do later and convince yourself it is more important than your workout.

· Play time- Turn your workout into a game. Watch a program on TV and sprint every other commercial. This is a fun way to do interval training which is one of, if not the, best calorie burning cardio you can do.

Come up with your own mind tricks to cure workout boredom, insatiable cravings, midnight snacking, or to ramp up your workout.

Fall off the horse again? Here’s how to get right back on...

The worst part about being in the best shape of your life, is the day you give up. The process is so cyclical. You eat healthy and exercise everyday for a month straight. Then one day you decide to treat yourself to that cookie to celebrate all your hard work. The next thing you know, you haven’t worked out in a week and you’ve gained five pounds. So what gives? What’s a girl to do?

The only thing to do is, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and do it all over again. Like everything in life you can’t expect perfection. Everyone has their weak moments. We get bored, busy or stressed out and fitness and good nutrition take a backseat. Don’t be so hard on yourself that you just give up altogether. Here a few easy things you can do right now to get yourself back on track and back in shape in no time.

1. Recover from couch-potato syndrome- We all know that if you can just get yourself to the gym, once your there, you will perk up. Any exercise is good exercise and you can’t expect yourself to give 100% every day. So even if you go and walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes, your burning more calories than you wouldn’t have otherwise.

2. Jot it down- I know it sounds juvenile but seriously, writing down your goals and keeping them in a place where you see them everyday might be the simple reminder you need to avoid giving into that temptation, or skimping out on your workout. Make sure they are meaningful, attainable and measurable.

3. Two heads are better than one- Don’t go it alone, grab a buddy who has similar goals and become a team. You will feel more guilty letting your friend down than just letting yourself down. Schedule times to meet at the gym or go to a fitness class and send each other healthy recipes. You will keep each other motivated and on track and maybe, just maybe have a little fun too!

4. Switch it up- There is no excuse for workout boredom. Open your mind; don’t limit yourself to the treadmill and free weights. Learn how to use the machines, play a sport, walk your dog, go for a bike ride, take a swim, throw a frisbee, take a new class, your options are limitless.

5. Shop til’ you drop- Go buy some cute workout clothes. If you’ve got something new and cute to wear, it might just be the motivation you need to get you there. Shopping for new workout clothes not only gets you out of the house, it puts exercise on the brain.