Tag: Fitness

Suzanne Somers takes her Thighmaster EVERYWHERE!  Okay, I don’t know if that’s true….and if you have a Thighmaster consider taking it out to the curb before you take it out of town.  Resistance bands, jump ropes, and stability balls, on the other hand, are a few reasonable objects to take with you on your next trip.  Having a small piece of fitness equipment with you gets you one step closer to actually working out while you’re gone.  At the very least, you’ll have to look at it every time you open your luggage.  Give the guilt a little time to work it’s magic…

If your hotel has a gym…USE IT!  You’re paying for that in your room rate, you know?  If it doesn’t have a gym then use what it does have to your advantage.  Consider getting a cardio workout in on the stairs or at the pool.  If your hotel has a courtyard then utilize that space for exercise.  Be creative!  Just remember that 12oz curls at the hotel bar don’t count.

Keep in mind that there is a lot you can do without any equipment.  Squats, lunges, pushups, and crunches are just a few examples.  Running is another way to stay active without equipment while you’re out of town.  Come up with a short routine that you can complete using only your body weight.  Ask your trainer to write you a travel workout or visit You Tube for ideas.

Once you arrive at your destination consider walking rather than taking buses, trains, and cabs.  Walking is an easy way to get some activity in without interrupting your trip itinerary.  Depending on where you’re headed you might ask the concierge at your hotel whether or not bike rental is an option.  Either mode of transportation can be a great way to explore your destination.

While the above plans would make a stellar vacation itinerary, try to add some exercise into that agenda.  If you plan ahead and commit to working out a certain number of times on your trip, you are more likely to follow through with your good intentions.  Making a promise to yourself to run a certain number of miles or visit the hotel gym a certain number of times while you’re gone is a great way to get moving.  This type of commitment may even inspire you to get your workouts over with in the first few days of your trip.  Make a plan and stick with it!

For every ten people I train, about eight of them rank weight loss and toning somewhere toward the top of their list of goals.  Unfortunately, most people don’t know where to start with toning, and myths on infomercials and in magazines deter them from doing what is right.  Below are three secrets to toning that will clear up those myths and get you on the right track to your ideal body.

Whether you are a male or a female you need to understand the importance of challenging yourself in the weight room.  Don’t buy into the myth that high repetitions with low weight are better for toning.  That ideology is completely false and a waste of your time.  Find a weight that challenges you to complete 12-15 repetitions correctly.  This will help you to build muscle gradually without gaining a ton of size overnight.

Ladies, because you lack high amounts of testosterone you are never going to look like Arnold without the help of supplementation.  Building muscle helps to speed up our metabolism and weight loss.  Don’t let the thought of 26″ biceps discourage you from curling 15 pound dumbbells.  It’s never going to happen, so lift as heavy as you can without sacrificing your form.

Contrary to popular belief, cardio is not the magic wand of weight loss.  Just because you’re going to the gym and hitting the treadmill three times per week doesn’t mean you’re going to see the results you’re after.

Is weight loss one of your goals or are you at the stage of the game where you are ready to focus on toning?  Subtracting your age from 220 will give you an idea of what your max heart rate is.  Once you calculate that stick with low intensity cardio (around 65% of your max heart rate) for weight loss and high intensity cardio (around 80% of your max heart rate) to increase your endurance and work on toning.  Make sure you’re not in the habit of doing the same cardio everyday.  Every part of your workout routine needs constant change and creativity if you want to avoid hitting a plateau.

Last but not least, it is important that you put at least some thought into your diet.  For most people, this is the hard part.  If you feel like turning your diet completely around is unrealistic and may even end up discouraging you, don’t stress too much.  At the very least begin paying attention to your diet and making smarter choices one at a time.  If portion size is something you know you need to work on then take that alone and work on it until it becomes a part of your routine.  If you know you could stand to drink more water then make that your first order of business when it comes to your diet.  The bottom line is you don’t want your poor eating habits to eradicate your work in the gym.  Exercise is only one half of the battle and the only way to get ideal results is to give it 100%.  Start small if you need to and a healthier diet will begin to come together.

Head out to your local sporting goods store and buy a small piece of fitness equipment today.  Consider a resistance band, stability ball, yoga mat, kettlebell, or set of dumbbells.  After you buy it, make a commitment to using it at least twice a week.  Don’t put it anywhere near the closet that’s holding your ThighMaster and Tae Bo tapes.  Put it somewhere where it can be seen and easily picked up.  Remember that buying the equipment is only half the battle.  You have to use it to reap the benefits!