Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Blast Back Fat With This At-Home Workout http://ift.tt/2bOJBJM
There's something abundantly cruel about the human body sometimes. You can work out regularly, eat right, and limit your cheats to a glass of wine and not much else and you get the results you were hoping for. But sometimes, the body has a way of shocking you. Back fat, bra fat, or whatever else you'd like to call it often has a way of creeping up on you. Let's get you the info you need to tighten up that back!
The back muscles are comprised of the erector spinae, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboid, and the teres major. Back strength is important for posture and everyday activities such as lifting, pulling, and carrying anything.
So what does back strength have to do with back fat? According to Harry Hanson, owner of the American Academy of Personal Training, "Building and strengthening the muscles of your back will make you the proud owner of a leaner, tighter torso." And not only that! When you have a stronger back, you're burning more fat overall. According to Hanson, "The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn, even while at rest because adding more muscle increases the body's metabolism."
It's as easy as one, two, three (moves)! The following exercises work great together because you'll hit every area of the back when you combine them in a single workout.
Putting It All Together For a Complete Back Workout
Put the following exercises together for a back-fat-blasting workout! Before you jump into the moves, make sure to start with a warmup and dynamic stretching "to ready the muscles and to prevent injury," says certified personal trainer and owner of GymJunkies.com, Terry Asher. Now onto the workout!
Plank with Rows
3 Sets x 12 Reps (6 per arm, alternating)
Upper Back Lifts on a Swiss Ball
3 Sets x 12 Reps
Deadlifts with Weights
3 Sets x 12 Reps
Rest for 30-60 seconds in between sets
If you can perform this plan and be strict to form, you're well on your way to a fitter back! Sounds easy enough, doesn't it? Just stick to the plan of completing this workout three non-consecutive days per week, you'll be on your way to a smoother, toned, and fat-free back faster than you know it.
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These 7 Breakfasts Are Perfectly Proportioned For Weight Loss http://ift.tt/2bx6K62
When you're on a mission to lose weight, it's essential to have a healthy breakfast. And we love the concept of counting macros and focusing on the quality of calories versus just the calorie number itself, so we consulted our macro-counting expert and nutrition coach Carrie McMahon to create the balance of those concepts: macro breakfasts for weight loss.
When you're counting macros for weight loss, Carrie has told us time and time again to focus on high protein, fibrous carbs, and healthy fats - with the exact proportions being a 20 percent fat, 45 percent carbohydrate, 35 percent protein split.
Counting that on your own can be challenging at first, so she pulled 7 of her favorite POPSUGAR Fitness breakfast recipes to showcase what those proportions look like in food form. No guesswork, no counting, just eating . . . and losing weight. Enjoy these tasty dishes all week long, using whole ingredients like eggs, oats, kale, and even dark chocolate!
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16 Healthy Recipes That Prove Pumpkin Pie For Breakfast Is a Great Idea http://ift.tt/2bo6DrL
Let's stop pretending like we're actually going to wait until October to eat all things pumpkin and just get on with it now! While we're at it, let's also forget this silly notion that pumpkin is best served as dessert in pie form. These healthy recipes prove that pumpkin was made to be eaten for breakfast. From energizing smoothie bowls to piping-hot oatmeal, get excited.
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Make a Splash With This Total-Body Mermaid Workout http://ift.tt/2bWQrjY
Your mermaid dreams are coming true with this fun but challenging aquatic workout, inspired by the Mermaid Fitness class at the Hotel Del Coronado. Jump in the pool and prepare to work your whole body!
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You Only Need to Do 10 Reps of This Move to Totally Work Your Body http://ift.tt/2bh2c2Z
If you thought burpees were hard, do we have a treat for you today. The man maker burpee adds in free weights, and has been called "the hardest burpee in the world," as it has the power to totally transform your body in a short amount of time.
Get Stronger With This 2-Weeks-to-50-Burpees Challenge
Do just 10 of these, and you'll be exhausted - it's a total timesaver, and you'll get a superpowerful workout. All you'll need is a set of hand weights and some space to move.
- Start with a wide stance, toes slightly pointed out.
- Lower into a deep squat, grabbing your free weights with your hands.
- Walk or jump your feet back into plank position. Optional: do a push-up.
- From plank position, begin your row: with your core tight and your glutes engaged, exhale, stabilizing your torso as you lift your right elbow to row. Feel your right scapula sliding toward your spine as you bend your elbow up toward the ceiling.
- Keeping your neck long and energized, return the weight to the ground, and repeat the movement on your left side.
- Jump your feet back in toward the hands, drop your hips toward the ground, and lift your chest.
- In a squat, curl your weights into the chest, and stand.
- Do an overhead press by extending your arms above your head, weights in hand. Carefully lower the weights to the starting position.
- This completes one rep. Do one set of 10 reps.
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45 Lunches All Under 400 Calories and Perfect For Taking to Work http://ift.tt/2bOj0g9
The last thing you want to deal with in the afternoon is a low-energy slump that comes from being too hungry or because you ate a heavy lunch that knocks you into a coma. These healthy lunch recipes are exactly what you need for hectic work days. Each meal is full of healthy protein, fiber, and carbs to keep you feeling satisfied, energized, and ready to take on the rest of the day. They're also filling enough to keep you full until dinner, but still manage to fall under the 400-calorie mark.
The 75 Healthy Dinners You Need in Your Recipe Arsenal
From Weight Loss to Better Digestion, There's Not Much Golden Milk Can't Do
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So, You Just Ate a Sleeve of Oreos and 11 Reese's Cups . . . Now What? http://ift.tt/2bwIb9l
As a sweets fan myself, I can fully admit that there have been moments in my life when I've polished off a pint of ice cream solo, housed a box of Girl Scout cookies in one sitting, and inhaled half a sleeve of Oreos without even thinking twice about it. I'd like to think I live a healthy life and adhere to a pretty healthy diet, but we've all had our questionable moments, and it's fine, we're all fine, everything's going to be fine. Are you feeling me on this? Are you reading this with Oreo crumbs on your face, nodding with a mixture of regret and relief?
So You Just Ate an Entire Pizza . . . 10 Next Steps
If you've had a lapse of judgment or just really indulged on a dessert marathon (I'm with you), there are things you can do to counteract your sugar binge. And if you're feeling a little sick, jittery, and wondering "what do I even do with myself now?" then don't fret - we consulted some dietitians to give you a step by step guide on how to get your body and brain back on track.
"When it comes to counteracting a sugar binge, there is unfortunately no magic food or step to resolve it," said Lisa Eberly, R.D. "The three main ingredients to combat a serious sugar binge are moving, water, and time." And while we're bummed about the "no magic food" part, we're relieved to know that there are steps we can take.
Moving
Let's sweat it out, right? Eberly explained to us how all this sugar is processed by the body, and how you can begin to balance things out again. Although movement is only the first step, it's totally necessary to get the detox going.
"When you ingest any kind of carb or sweet, it breaks down into glucose," said Eberly. "That glucose runs through your veins in the hopes of being taken up into the cells and used for energy." Got it. Sugar becomes glucose, glucose is the body's energy.
"This glucose - a fancy word for sugar - cruises through the blood until your muscle cells signal that they need some glucose to break down and use as energy." Hungry muscles want sugar! Use those muscles, and you'll be using up some of that excess sugar. Thanks, Oreos!
But if you're not using your muscles (read: working out, moving, etc.) then that energy is actually going to turn into fat (womp, womp). "If you eat a ton of sugar and then lounge on the couch, your muscles are like, 'Nah, no thanks.' And that glucose mulls around a bit and ultimately gets stored as fat," said Eberly.
"On the contrary, if you eat sugar and then go for a 10-minute walk, your muscles are like, 'Hey dude, thanks for the fuel,' and they soak that glucose up. This doesn't mean you need to hit up a SoulCycle class right after eating three cupcakes, it just means that if your body is moving, you're using glucose. Best practice would be a nice walk for 15 to 20 minutes to counteract a sugar binge."
And a reminder, there are WAY healthier ways to feed your muscles glucose - like in whole grain breads, potatoes, and even pasta.
Potatoes Can Help With Weight Loss - Here's What You Need to Know
Water
Everyone we talked to suggested water as the best step. To break down why water is so crucial, Eberly explained the physiology with a metaphor many of us can relate to.
"Remember that glucose running through our blood? Well, let's pretend for a moment that our blood is a cocktail and sugar is alcohol. After a sugar binge, you'd imagine your body's cocktail would taste, well, strong. Now add a little bit of water to it. Better . . . Now add a ton of water. That's a weak cocktail."
"Drinking water will help to add volume to your blood, diluting the sugar," she said. "Additionally, water will help speed up the filtering of your blood, getting the sugar outta there. Lastly, most sugar binges have an accompanying headache, which water helps to prevent. Guzzle for a few hours following a binge; your body will thank you.
This Is What Happens When You Don't Drink Enough Water
In addition to staying hydrated with H2O, nutrition coach Carrie McMahon suggests you "stick to as many whole foods as you can," and "try not to eat anything in a package, or anything pre-prepared." Her advice? "Stick to vegetables, meats, fruits, eggs, nuts, avocados, and whole grains . . . These foods are hydrating and fiber-filled, to ensure you get your body back to normal after a sugar rush."
Lara Felton, R.D., gave similar advice to McMahon, suggesting you "don't skip meals" (if you're hungry, you'll probably binge again!), but "cut calories" and "fill up on lean proteins, healthy fats, whole grains, and vegetables."
Time
"There's no magic pill or special food that will rid your body of sugar," said Eberly. "Water and moving will speed the process up, but being proactive is the best way to prevent the dreaded post-binge feeling."
She reminded us that "every bite of a sugary treat tastes the same." (Truuuue!) "So having three bites will taste the same as 20, with a much easier follow up. One way to keep yourself from bingeing is to eat sweets mindfully and intentionally."
That intentionality is essential to saving yourself from the effects of future binges. Ilana Muhlstein, R.D., told us to identify if there's anything in particular that caused the binge - what are your trigger foods? "Get clear on what triggered the binge, what you could have done to stop it sooner, and how it felt to lose that sense of control, so you don't repeat the act again."
Eberly stated that portion control is crucial going forward. "Going for the ice cream? Put it in a small bowl. Hand in the M&Ms? Take one handful and put away the bag. Big slice of chocolate cake? Put your fork down in between bites. These small steps toward mindfulness can help you not only eat less of your treats, but help you savor and appreciate them so much more."
Stop Your Cravings Before They Happen With This Dietitian's Trick
Another tactic to preventing a future binge or stopping the onset of one: "Don't fall into the "all-or-nothing" mentality," said Felton. "This means, even if you 'fell off the wagon,' you don't need to go crazy. If you can step back, walk away from the food (or throw it away in the trash outside so you aren't tempted to go back for it) and distract yourself with another activity, you can reset your attention and focus from the sugar rush," she said.
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Why Training Your Tendons Is Important (and 11 Ways to Do It) http://img.youtube.com/vi/MshBlueDsDk/0.jpg
Building muscle is simple. Lift heavy things, rest, make sure you eat enough food, sleep, repeat. For a beginner, progress is linear and relatively sudden. You get quick feedback: your muscles get more defined, you look a little leaner, you can lift a little more each session, friends and co-workers notice and comment on the changes. New striations pop up, clothes fit differently, you feel more capable dealing with the physical world. You’re hungrier and heavier, yet still manage to drop belt sizes. All is well.
Muscle isn’t the only thing you’re impacting when you lift heavy things, though. You’re also imposing stress on your tendons and demanding an adaptive response. You’re training your tendons, too.
Yet because tendons receive less blood flow than muscle, and blood brings the nutrients and satellite cells used to repair and rebuild damaged tissue, they take a lot longer to respond to training than muscle. In one study, it took at least 2 months of training to induce structural changes in the Achilles’ tendon, including increases in collagen synthesis and collagen density. Other studies have found that it takes “weeks to months” of training to increase tendon stiffness. Meanwhile, we see structural changes to muscle tissue with just eight days of training.
This basic physiological fact shouldn’t impede our progress and tissue health, but it does.
Our bodies “expect” a lifetime of constant, varied movement. From a very early age, most humans throughout history were constantly active. They weren’t exercising or training, per se, but they were doing all the little movements all the time that prepare the body and prime the tendons to handle heavier, more intense loads and movements: bending and squatting and walking and twisting and climbing and playing and building. It was a mechanical world. The human body was a well-oiled machine, lubed and limber from daily use and well-prepared for occasional herculean efforts.
We don’t have that today. It’s the age of information. And though we spend most of our day in the digital realm, clacking away on keyboards and caressing touch screens, we retain the ancient need for physical training ingrained in our DNA. So we go from couch potato to budding powerlifter, from desk jockey to CrossFitter. But unlike our predecessors, we haven’t applied the lube of daily lifelong movement that makes those intense physical efforts safe. Everyone seems to be lifting weights nowadays, but few have the foundation of healthy, strong, durable connective tissue necessary for safe, effective training.
Just look at kids. The health of their connective tissue has three main advantages over adults:
They practice constant varied movement. They’re flopping down in distress because you turned the TV off. They’re climbing the bookcase, crawling like a dog, leaping like a frog, dancing to every bit of music they hear, jumping from objects twice their height.
They’re still young. Kids simply haven’t been alive long enough to accumulate the bad habits that characterize sedentary life and ruin our connective tissues. They aren’t broken yet.
Their connective tissue is highly vascular. Early connective tissue has a dense network of capillaries, meaning it receives ample blood flow. It regenerates quickly and has a faster response to stress. Mature tendons are mostly avascular and receive very little blood. To stay healthy and heal and respond to stress, they require diffusion of the synovial fluid filling our joints. Vascular blood flow is passive and subconscious; it’ll happen whether you move or will it to or not. Synovial fluid only diffuses through movement. You have to consciously move your joints to get the synovial fluid flowing.
So what can we do?
“Just move constantly like a six year old” is nice and all, but not everyone can crawl through the office, practice broad jumping across the board room, or run the stairwells with a software engineer on their back. Besides, we have a lot of catching up to do. More concerted, targeted efforts are required to overcome a lifetime of linear, limited movement and tons of sitting.
Before we make any decisions, let’s understand exactly what tendons do.
- They attach muscles to bones. It is through tendons that muscles transmit force and make movement possible. Contracting your muscles pulls on the tendons, which yanks on the bone, producing movement.
- Tendons also provide an elastic response, a stretch-shortening recoil effect that helps you jump, run, lift heavy things, and absorb impacts. Think of it like a rubber band.
Tendons have two primary properties that determine how they function:
Stiffness
The degree to which a tendon can withstand elongation and maintain form and function when placed under stress. Contrary to how we usually think about stiffness, a stiff tendon can help us transmit more force and be more stable in our movements. It takes a lot more force to get a stiff tendon to elongate, but they reward your efforts with a powerful recoil.
Stiff tendons are stiff. More elastic tendons are compliant. We need a mix of compliant and stiff tendons, depending on the tendon’s location and job.
Hysteresis
The efficiency of the recoil response. If you waste a lot of energy in the rebound, you have high hysteresis. If your recoil is “snappy,” your tendons have low hysteresis. Low is better.
Other things matter, of course, like where the tendon “attaches” to the muscle. The farther it attaches from the axis of rotation, the stronger you’ll be (imagine holding the baseball bat in the center or the handle and trying to swing; which grip position will allow greater force?). Another is length; longer tendons have greater elastic potential than shorter ones, all else being equal. But that’s determined by genetics and out of our control.
What can you do to optimize these properties? There are some possibilities.
1. Eccentrics
Many studies indicate that eccentric exercises (lowering the weight) are an effective way to treat tendon injuries. In one trial, ex-runners in their early 40s with chronic Achilles’ tendonitis were split into two groups. One group had conventional therapy (NSAIDs, rest, physical therapy, orthotics), the other did eccentric exercises. Exercisers would do a calf raise (concentric) on the uninjured foot and slowly lower themselves on the injured foot (eccentric heel drop) for 3 sets of 15 reps, twice a day, every day, for 12 weeks. Once this got easy and pain-free, they were told to increase the resistance with weighted backpacks. After 12 weeks, all the ex-runners in the exercise group were able to resume running, while those in the conventional group had a 0% success rate and eventually needed surgery.
If heel dips can heal Achilles’ tendinopathy and single-leg decline eccentric squats can heal patellar tendinopathy, I’d wager that eccentric movements can strengthen already healthy tendons. Any tendon should respond to eccentrics. Downhill walking, slowly lowering oneself to the bottom pushup position, eccentric bicep or wrist curls; anything that places a load on the muscle-tendon complex while lengthening it should improve the involved tendons.
2. Plyometrics
Explosive movements utilizing the recoil response of the tendons can improve that response. In one study, 14 weeks of plyometrics (squat jumps, drop jumps, countermovement jumps, single and double-leg hedge jumps) reduced tendon hysteresis. The trained group had better, more efficient tendon recoil responses than the control group. Tendons didn’t get any bigger or longer; they just got more efficient at transmitting elastic energy. A previous 8-week plyometric study was unable to produce any changes in tendon function or hysteresis, so you need to give it adequate time to adapt.
3. Explosive isometrics
Explosive isometric training involves trying to perform an explosive movement against an immoveable force, like pushing a car with the parking break on, trying to throw a kick with your leg restrained by a belt, or placing your fist against the wall and trying to “punch” forward. In one study, explosive isometric calf training 2-3 times a week for 6 weeks was just as good as plyometric calf training at increasing calf tendon stiffness and jump height while being a lot safer and imposing less impact to the joints.
4. Volume-increasing exercises
Volume clearly matters. Just look at the beefy fingers of free climber Alex Honnold, who relies on them every day to support his bodyweight. Those aren’t big finger muscles. They’re thick cords of connective tissue. Pic not enough? In performance climbers with at least 15 years experience, the finger joints and tendons are 62-76% thicker than those of non-climbers. And a study showed that the extremely common crimp hold—where all five finger tips are used to hold a ledge—exerts incredible forces on the finger connective tissues, spurring adaptation. So if you’re up to the challenge, rock climbing (indoor or outdoor) is a great way to increase tendon volume.
5. Intensity-focused exercises
You have to actually stress the tendons. We see this in the eccentric decline squat study mentioned earlier, where decline squats (which place more stress on the patellar tendon) were more effective than flat squats (which place less stress on the patellar tendon) for fixing patellar tendinitis. In another study, women were placed on a controlled bodyweight squat program. They got stronger, their musculature improved, and their tendons grew more elastic, but they failed to improve tendon stiffness, increase tendon elastic storage capacity, or stem the age-related decline in tendon hysteresis. The resistance used and speed employed simply weren’t high enough to really target the connective tissue. A recent study confirms that to induce adaptive changes in tendon, you must apply stress that exceeds the habitual value of daily activities. So, while walking, gardening, and general puttering about is great for you, it’s probably not enough to coax an adaptive response out of your ailing tendons. You need to increase the magnitude of the applied stress through tinkering with volume, speed, resistance, range of motion, and the proportion of eccentric vs. concentric movement.
6. Full range of motion
Deeper, longer, farther is probably best. Consider the squat. An ass-to-grass front squat, where the hip crease drops below the knees, will stretch/stress the patellar tendon that attaches the quad to the shin bone to a greater extent than squatting to just above parallel.
7. Avoid pain, seek mild discomfort
Tendon discomfort is okay. Stress isn’t comfortable. Tendon pain is not and should be avoided. You want just enough discomfort to provoke a training stimulus, but not outright pain.
8. Daily practice
Think about—and train—your connective tissue every day. That could range from random sets of eccentric heel drops and static squat holds done throughout the day. I like Dan John’s “Easy Strength” program, where you basically pick a few movements to do each day—every day—with a fairly manageable weight. Front squat, Romanian deadlift, and pullups, for example. 2 sets of 5 reps each day for each exercise. Only add weight when it feels “too easy.”
9. Don’t rush; take it easy
Pick a load and stick to it until it gets easy. In a pair of incredible appearances on Robb Wolf’s Paleo Solution Podcast, Christopher Sommer of Gymnastic Bodies explains how he puts together a tendon-centric program for an athlete. He has them stick with the same weight for 8-12 weeks. The first few weeks are hard. The weight feels heavy. At 4 weeks, it’s a lot easier but still a challenge. At 8 weeks, you start feeling like it’s too easy. And that’s where the tendon-building magic happens. By 12 weeks, what felt tough when you started is now “baby weight.” Your muscles are stronger and your tendons have had enough time to build collagen density. You’re able to manhandle the weight without a problem.
Like I just mentioned above, another example is Dan John’s “Easy Strength,” which has you lift almost every day using light-moderate loads, only adding weight when 2 sets of 5 reps becomes really easy. You won’t see the rapid progression of Starting Strength, but it’ll also be easier on your body, prepare your tendons for higher loads, and remove the need for a gallon of milk a day.
10. Partial reps
Early 20th century strongman George Jowett developed a program for “strengthening the sinews” that involved partial reps of extremely heavy weights. He focused on the final 4-6 inches before lockout of the primary exercises, like bench press, overhead press, squat, and deadlift.
11. Massage and myofascial work
Massages can increase blood flow to the otherwise avascular tendons. Self myofascial release using foam rollers or lacrosse balls (or even the good ol’ elbow) is worth doing, too.
Building connective tissue strength isn’t just for preventing injuries. It will make you stronger, too. Every person aged 16 to 28 knows about “old man strength.” It’s that phenomenon of otherwise unimpressive looking old guys crushing your hand when shaking it, being immovable statues down low in pickup basketball games, and generally tossing you around like you were a child in any feat of strength. What explains it? It’s not the muscles (yours are bigger). It’s not the speed (you’re younger and faster). It’s gotta be the connective tissue made thick and strong from decades of hard living.
And so in real-world, full-body movements and compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, pullups, and gymnastics work, healthy and strong tendons increase performance. They make you stronger, more explosive, more powerful, and more resilient. They allow your big impressive muscles to actually express themselves and reach their full potential. A healthy tendon is a conduit for your muscle to express its power.
Muscles are cool and all, but don’t neglect the tendons. Feel the stretch and when you feel some weirdness in a tendon, back off. Throw in some eccentric movements and explosive isometrics. Practice hops and broad jumps. Do a joint mobility drill regularly, and consider adding a morning movement practice. Don’t feel guilty for not going hard all the time. Get really comfortable with the weight and the movements before increasing the intensity.
There’s more to the tendon story, but these are a few easily implementable suggestions for improving your tendons with physical training.
Thanks for reading, everyone. How do you train your tendons? Have you ever considered such a thing?
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Tart Cherry Cider http://ift.tt/2bndkKr
This post is sponsored by The Cherry Marketing Institute.
I look forward to fall every year. With the hint of briskness in the air, it gets me so excited for the holiday season. It’s a great chance to revamp your routine, tackle those remaining goals or resolutions, and get back in the swing of school routines.
With the impending busy season, it can make it trickier to stick to a healthy lifestyle. I thought I’d share some of my tips for getting the most out of your mornings and routines as the kiddos head back to school and things get a little more hectic.
-Wake up earlier to work out. I’ll have to admit, this one is tough for me. I used to be SO GOOD at waking up early to crush a morning workout, and now, I cling onto every last second of sleep that I can. I’m going to make a conscious effort this fall, because I’ve found that on the days I don’t teach, if I don’t get a morning workout, it doesn’t happen. A bonus for early workouts: I don’t realize what I’m doing until it’s almost over haha.
-Get more out of your workout time. Even though I’m admittedly terrible at waking up early for fitness, I am pretty good at crushing my workout in the time I do have.
Here are some of my tips for getting a more effective workout in less time:
Get to the gym with a plan. Know exactly what you’re going to do when you walk in the doors, so you don’t waste precious sweat time by trying to devise a plan on the spot. If you’re looking for ideas, check out my fitness page or Summer Shape Up!
Circuit train. While I do enjoy traditional hypertrophy training (3-4 sets with rest in between), it’s not the most time-effective strategy. Work in circuits or superset exercises to keep your body moving and your heart rate elevated. Rest in between circuits or supersets.
Add in cardio blasts. If you don’t have time for a traditional strength + cardio workout, intersperse heart-pounding cardio moves with your strength exercises. I like to do quick bodyweight squats, plyometrics, sprints or row intervals for 30 seconds to 1 minute in between strength exercises.
Do little bits at home. You can absolutely split up your training into smaller bits throughout the day if it works better for your schedule. My favorite method: 10 minutes cardio, 10 minutes strength, 10 minutes core and flexibility.
Here’s a workout that you can split up into pieces if you need to:
A workout that you can split up into 3 10-minute segments depending on your schedule. Get in an intense cardio, strength and core workout! fitnessista.com
-Maximize your recovery. If you recover properly in between training, it improves fitness gains, minimizes injury, and you’ll feel more energized for your next training session. Some of my favorite recovery tips:
Adopt a smart strength training split so you’re not working the same muscles on consecutive days. This will give the muscles enough time to recover and repair before you break them down again through strength training.
Alternate cardio intensities. Your heart is a muscle, and just like any other muscles in your body, you don’t want to work it to its max every day. Make sure that you have a balance of interval training, easy steady state, short cardio workouts, and longer endurance days in your weekly schedule.
Eat foods that will encourage recovery. One of my very favorites is Montmorency tart cherry juice.
Some of the benefits:
Studies suggest that Montmorency tart cherry juice can reduce muscle soreness and weakness following intense strength training or a long distance run. A new study demonstrates the impact of Montmorency tart cherries on inflammation and oxidative stress after high-intensity cycling. Cyclists who drank Montmorency tart cherry juice concentrate before a three-day simulated race experienced less inflammation and oxidative stress compared to those who drank another beverage.
Montmorency tart cherries have a high amount of anthocyanins, which are beautiful in color and have been demonstrated to protect the body against inflammation and various diseases. They can help the body fight inflammation linked to arthritis and gout.
You can check out more details about this power-packed fruit here.
Here is a fall-appropriate recipe I created using tart cherry juice.
The deep red hue has always reminded me of mulled wine, and I thought the tart cherry juice would be fantastic with some fall spices. Since tart cherry juice also helps with sleep, this autumn-esque drink is perfect to sip, snuggled up and winding down from the day. Olivia took one sip and said, “It tastes like Christmas.” It totally does.
- 16 oz tart cherry juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- Juice of 1/2 an orange (slice the rest and reserve)
- 1 teaspoon whole dried cloves
- 4 star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- In a saucepan on medium heat, bring all of the ingredients to a simmer (including the orange slices). Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for about 5 minutes, until fragrant. Strain and serve immediately.
Let me know if you give it a try!
xoxo
Gina
This post is sponsored by my friends at the Cherry Marketing Institute. Thank you so much for your support of this blog. I truly appreciate it.
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Why You Can’t Just Smash Your Muscles for Better Squats: Part Deux http://img.youtube.com/vi/Oy0gf1ZPr1Q/0.jpg
Written by: Kevin Cann
In my last article I explained how our tight muscles are a defense mechanism to provide us stability when we have lost optimal control of joint movement. We find the instability, we correct it, and the tightness will go away.
Just smashing our tissues may help for temporary relief due to some increased blood flow, but we will have to continuously do this to get relief if we do not identify the instability. In order to identify the instability we need to have a thorough assessment performed by a professional that understands the human movement system.
One of our elite lifters here at Total Performance sports is a perfect example of what I am talking about. She has been experiencing lower back pain in the area of her QL and the top of her glutes in conjunction with some tightness in her mid-back that she feels is having a negative effect on her squats.
She had tried multiple things to loosen up her mid-back with no avail. She was performing a lot of soft tissue work that was just not helping the matter. The fact that she had tried this and it did not work makes my job a lot easier because I can write off smashing the tight tissue as a means to fix this issue. This is not an exact science and often times you try something only to realize that it did not work. This is why we are constantly assessing and re-assessing.
The first part of any assessment should be learning a little bit about the person and their lifestyle. I happen to be familiar with this individual so that helps quite a bit. She just finished law school and studying for the bar exam. She spent far more time sitting down with her face buried in a computer or book then she has in a very long time.
This is valuable to know because we all know the problems that prolonged sitting can cause. One of her other complaints was that she feels she cannot turn her glutes on. Sitting down all day long does have a tendency to send our glutes on vacation and it can also change the shape of our spine.
With that said, it is much too early to draw the conclusion that her issue with her glutes is from sitting down. All I have done is ask a few questions. I need to see her move around for me to make a better guess as to what her issue is.
I have a specific assessment that I use and it includes pieces of the FMS and SFMA. I assessed her cervical spine range of motion, single leg stance ability, her ability to touch her toes, her multi-segmental extension (backbend), shoulder internal and external rotation, as well as t-spine rotation while standing.
She moves pretty well for a 74kg lifter that deadlifts over 450lbs. I assessed her hip ROM as well as strength and compared the two sides. Nothing very telling yet.
We continued the assessment by checking her active straight leg raise, which was symmetrical and adequate. It got interesting from the next assessment. I checked her t-spine rotation in the quadruped position with her shoulder in external rotation. There was far less range of motion here than there was when she was standing.
What changed between the standing t-spine rotation test and the quadruped version? The quadruped version requires much more shoulder stability. She had adequate t-spine mobility with her arms in the most stable position, down by her side, but far less when we got into the quadruped position.
Remember what I had said earlier that all tightness is a loss of stability somewhere. If we cannot stabilize our shoulder joint appropriately our mid-back will tighten us around our shoulder blades to provide us with that stability so we do not get hurt.
I gave her a couple of exercises to see how this would help. The first is a twist on the classic windshield wiper exercise. She laid on her back and squeezed a foam roller between her thighs while her hips were flexed past 90 degrees. She held a kettlebell over her shoulder with her elbow locked and her shoulder stacked. Maintaining this shoulder position she rotated her knees to the opposite side of the hand holding the kettlebell. She touched the knees on the ground and returned to that start. It is key to breathe through this exercise.
After we performed a few of these she said that it felt a little better. From there I wanted to re-establish appropriate communication of our posterior oblique system. Rolling patterns are great for this however; I wanted to improve this function while forcing shoulder stabilization. We performed a few kettlebell armbars in each direction and the tightness went away.
Our job is not done at this point. These are minimally loaded exercises being performed while she is laying on her back. I want to see her perform some loaded movements as part of my assessment. I prefer to see the movement that causes the most pain.
I watched her squat and noticed that she loses her packed neck when she comes out of the hole. This can also lead to tightness in the mid-back. We want our cervical spine to be stable. If it is mobile through the squat we will lose mobility in our thoracic spine to give us that stability that we need.
Her lack of stability in both the shoulder and the neck are leading to tightness in the mid-back. In order for that tightness to go away we need to fix both scenarios. As she performs her exercises and works on keeping the chin tucked during the squat, the mid-back will be able to relax and go back to being more mobile. Once we have corrected the stability issues we can add in some soft tissue work to help offset the increased sitting that she has been experiencing on a day to day basis.
This is why having a thorough assessment is important. Often times people will just feel tight and rollout those tight tissues, feel better, and think everything is ok. Only to find that those muscles just tighten right back up. All tightness is a lack of stability somewhere. Find that instability, correct it, and your soft tissue work will be much more effective.
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Do These 7 Moves to Help Tighten and Tone Arms http://ift.tt/2bzux2c
Welcome to the definitive guide to strengthening and toning your arms. These moves will work every muscle group of the arms, meaning you'll have strong and svelte biceps, triceps, and shoulders. All you need to do is grab a set of weights and be ready to work. Tip: as these moves become easier, be sure to increase the size of the weights you are using.
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Overcome Your Fear of Working Out With These 2 Simple Tips http://ift.tt/2bAtSCi
Starting a new workout - or starting exercise in general - can be scary. When I first started my own fitness journey, I was nearly paralyzed by fear. The general anxiety: "What if I fail?" The self-consciousness: "What if I'm so bad and everyone is judging me?" and "I'm going to be the slowest runner, that's so embarrassing." Then, the fear of injury: "What if I hurt myself because I'm so physically inept I can't keep up in class?"
So how do we overcome this fear and get on our way to being healthy and strong? To get some expert insight, I asked a woman who has had to overcome some seriously scary obstacles - think back flips on ice skates, flying through the air on silk ribbons, tumbling, headstands on horses . . . getting the picture?
Ashley Vargas is no stranger to tackling terrifying feats and embracing bravery. The star circus performer and aerialist with Ringling Brothers has been taking on new challenges since she was in college, where she learned to figure skate and eventually started training with an "equestrian bareback-riding family from Italy" who did stunt work on horses.
From there, Ashley started doing trick riding, before joining The Greatest Show on Earth, where she's been a part of a crossbow act, has ridden horses, performs on ice skates, and does aerial work (sometimes aerial work WITH ice skating). She does a little bit of everything when it comes to the stunt performing - she's been learning to walk the wire and do trapeze stunts - and it's a wonder to behold (I got to see her in action shortly after our interview).
To me, every one of the performances that she listed sounded like they'd scare the absolute sh*t out of me if I were to attempt them. I can barely ride a horse sitting down, let alone try to do a headstand on its back while it was moving!
So I asked her, since these incredible physical stunts and activities are so scary, how does she get past that when she's trying something new? Two factors weigh into Ashley's fearless attitude: fun and trust.
Conquer Your Fears and Own the Gym
Have Fun
"You want to have that rush of adrenaline . . . of fun," she said. Evaluate how much fun you're going to have in that activity - sort of like a cost-benefit analysis. Is it more fun than scary? If so, focus on the fun part to get past the fear. As Ashley began to add more physical activities to her performance repertoire, she concentrated on how much fun it was going to be.
Is your new activity going to be more scary than fun? An example of this: if you have a serious fear of heights, acroyoga might not be the most fun activity for you and you'll probably want to skip it and pick an activity that feels a little safer.
Bottom line: find an activity that looks really fun to you, whether it's swimming, dancing, or maybe even acroyoga (assuming you're not afraid of heights)! The idea of having fun with your activity will get you past the initial hurdle, which eventually will open the door to even more activities.
Trust
Ashley also makes sure that when she's trying something new and daring, she has a safety net. "I put a lot of trust in my coaches," she said. "You have to stop thinking about what you can and cannot do, and put your trust in what the coach or trainer is saying."
The takeaway I got from this is that we can trust our trainers and instructors in the gym or in class. Personally, I remember my first few yoga classes ever, in which the instructor wanted me to try Crow Pose. Thinking "There's no effing way that's happening" got in my way, but once I started trusting the instructor who was saying, "It's all in your mind, you can do this," I easily hopped into Crow. Did I fall a few times? Sure. But that's all part of it. Ashley agrees: "If you fall, no big deal, just get back up!" Trust your trainer, and trust yourself.
15 Reasons to Work Out That Have Nothing to Do With Weight Loss
Focusing on fun and having a trainer or instructor you can trust can help you overcome what's setting you back and eradicate the limitations that are inhibiting your ability to live your best life and be your healthiest self.
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12 Impossibly Easy Oatmeal Hacks That Can Help With Weight Loss http://ift.tt/2beWuP7
There are many reasons oatmeal is one of the best foods for weight loss: it can decrease cholesterol and help you drop pounds, it keeps you full, it helps with digestion, and it keeps your blood sugar levels steady.
Try These Overnight Oats Recipes - All Under 400 Calories
So let's make weight loss even easier by looking at ways to hack your standard oatmeal. We've rounded up some of the best tricks and tips to keep you on your oatmeal A game, losing or maintaining weight, and feeling good.
- Add a boost of filling protein with chickpeas. More protein, more satiety, less chance of snacking later.
- Add chia seeds to debloat, up protein, and boost digestion.
- Add hemp seeds to increase the protein even more while keeping it low-carb.
- Make it the night before as overnight oats. No morning cook time!
- Mix in some protein powder for a nutritional boost. Protein oats!
- Layer in nut butter for a filling, tasty twist.
- Make multiple servings of overnight oats on a meal prep day to eat right all week.
- Make it in a slow cooker. It's a warm version of overnight oats with zero cook time in the morning.
- Control portions with smaller mason jars to help you lose weight.
- Try different flavor combinations to keep things fresh so you're not tempted to binge on something else.
- Make big batches of it and freeze it to reheat on the fly in the morning.
- Choose steel-cut oats - they have a lower glycemic index and can keep your blood sugar even more stable than rolled oats.
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When you’re at a life turning point http://ift.tt/2bglwdr
This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, especially with our upcoming move back to Valdosta.
(Photo by the incredible Lou Mora. I’ll share more in our staycation recap post!)
When we first moved to Valdosta, I was at a major transitional and turning point. I was a new wife in the squadron, and had very little knowledge of how it all worked. I was also in a new spot with my job. I worked retail and taught dance classes throughout the end of high school and college, and when we moved to North Carolina and then Valdosta, I had a hard time finding a job associated with my degree (Finance). I was offered a decent-paying retail management position at a department store before we moved to Georgia, and decided to go for it.
Needless to say, that didn’t end up working out. I rarely saw the Pilot because the hours were long and our schedules often conflicted, and I got burned out pretty quickly. During the end of my time there, I started to research teaching group fitness classes and got my certification. When I quit my job, I was teaching fitness classes and started training clients.
I had no idea what I was going to do with my life, but knew I wanted it to involve sharing health and fitness with others, and from there, the blog was born. It’s funny how things can come out of such a transitional time. I remember crying in the kitchen to the Pilot because I didn’t know what to do with my life and I missed all of my family and friends.
Now that we’re going back, I can’t help but feel a little pit in my stomach despite the fact that this time will be completely different. I have a job that I love so much and can take with me wherever we go (yay blog!), and we still have friends and connections in the area. We have two little lovebugs who keep me very busy, and we’re going to have a blast exploring our new place. I CAN’T WAIT to take some Orlando and Jacksonville road trips with the fam!
I’ve considered different teaching possibilities, but will likely wait until we get there to see what I decide to do. Who knows, maybe I’ll finally dip my feet into the yoga teaching pool. Even with all there is to think about and look forward to, it’s definitely a time of uncertainty.
Today, I thought I’d share some of the things that helped me with that first transitional time. I would love to hear any of your tips, too, for fellow reader friends who might be moving, switching jobs, or experiencing some changes this fall season.
-Talk it out. Talking to anyone who would lend an ear helped me so much. I think this is such a great way to determine potential ideas and solutions for when you feel *stuck.* Even though the Pilot chuckled a little when I said I was first starting a blog (he just wanted me to stop buying things online haha), he always listened to me vent and helped explore solutions. I am a huge advocate for therapy, too, so seek out a therapist near you. Mine always helps me come up with an action plan when I feel overwhelmed.
-Do something you really love. Make time for a hobby or something you enjoy. This is random, but since Meg brought over her ukulele, I suddenly want to learn how to play it. I might take a few lessons this fall just for kicks. You know I’ll be singing some Hamilton ukulele jams haha.
-Get fresh air. Whenever I feel blah, stuck or overwhelmed, fresh air works wonders. Right now I’m making a conscious effort to walk the dogs regularly, which is good for them, and good for all of us! I always feel more centered when we get more.
-Explore as many options as possible but don’t drive yourself crazy. I find that it helps me to narrow things down and focus on the things I can do and control right now. Everything else will have to wait until it makes sense. For now, all I can really do is browse houses, think about moving strategy, and try to plan for our short stay in Tucson.
-Trust in the process. This is definitely one of those “easier said than done” type things, but I found that sometimes when change is on the horizon, the best thing I can do is focus on right now. I tend to get two steps ahead of myself, so if I bring myself to the present moment, I realize that everything really is ok.
So tell me, friends: anyone else with some big changes or turning points on the horizon? What helps you when you feel stuck or overwhelmed?
xoxo
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5 No-Equipment Moves You Can Do Anywhere http://ift.tt/2bykoTr
Sometimes you just can't make it to the gym. Or you can't find your weights. Or the internet is down and you can't access your exercise video streaming service. If you're looking for excuses to skip a workout, you generally don't have to look very far. You would never do such a thing, though, right? Right?! Which is exactly why we've rounded up five of our favorite equipment-free moves so you can squeeze in a workout no matter where you are and what gear is (or isn't) available.
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15 Deliciously Healthy Apple Recipes For Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Dessert http://ift.tt/2by40lZ
The adage says an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but we think the new phrase should be "an apple a day keeps the weight loss at bay." Might not have the same ring to it, but you get the gist! Apples are actually a great weight loss booster, and they're super versatile, allowing you to incorporate them into tons of recipes.
Crush Your Weight-Loss Goals With These 4 Drinks
These apple dishes are great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and dessert - we've got everything from baked goods to salads to tasty smoothies for you to try. Enjoy!
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Swap Out Your Protein Smoothie For Quinoa Vanilla Pudding http://ift.tt/2beA2Wd
Quinoa combines with coconut milk and fresh passion fruit to create a protein-packed pudding parfait bursting with tropical flavors. The one-pot recipe is simple to make and can be enjoyed for breakfast or dessert.
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You Can't Unsee These Ridiculously Hot Pictures of Zac Efron's Shirtless Workouts http://ift.tt/2bk1jW4
Under most circumstances, a guy posting shirtless gym selfies might come off as a little annoying. But Zac Efron could post ab-baring workout pictures all day and we're pretty sure it would generate zero complaints.
With abs that are truly a wonder to witness, Zac has so generously graced us with the fruits of his labor: a cornucopia for the eye, really. Let's cut to the chase, though: BEHOLD.
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