WORKOUT MYTHS

HEY FITNESS FAMILY:-)

As with anything...ask enough people about something..and you'll get 10 different answers! Well the same goes for working out and staying fit...It's MYTH-BUSTING time!! Here goes...

MYTH: Soreness equals a better workout

REALITY CHECK: No pain, no gain? After a hard workout session, you may feel muscle soreness, but DON'T equate that pain to a good workout session. Exercise does NOT need to hurt to be good for you! In fact, if you're sore afterwards, you COULD be doing something WRONG!

MYTH: I'll keep burning calories after my workout session

REALITY CHECK: While there are alot of popular misconceptions about this, there is SOME TRUTH to it. THE WORKOUT AFTER-BURN FOLLOWS A WEIGHTS SESSION, however, there's almost NONE following a CARDIO session! Practically all of the work you do during a cardio session is OVER WITH the moment you step off the treadmill.

MYTH: Muscle turns to fat

REALITY CHECK: Some people are afraid to workout, because they think if they STOP working out, their muscles will degenerate into fat. IT IS PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR MUSCLE TO TURN INTO FAT! Muscles are made up of a completely different type of cell; muscle cells don't just TURN INTO fat if you stop working out. THE TRUTH IS: When you stop working out, your muscles get smaller. Your fat may get more noticeable at the same time because you are STILL eating the same number of calories AND contributing to your FAT DEPOSITS. Sooooo, it may APPEAR that muscle is turning into fat, but that's NOT whats actually happening!

DON'T WORK THROUGH YOUR LUNCH...GO FOR A WALK....GET TO THE GYM...PUT THE KIDDIES IN A WAGON OR ON A BIKE....EAT HEALTHY FOOD...KILL THE EXCUSES!!

WORK....SWEAT....GET-IT-IN!!!!!

Obesity Statistics in America

GOOD DAY FITNESS FAMILY :-)

This morning I woke up thinking about how EVERYWHERE I went this weekend, over HALF the people I saw were overweight; in some cases MORBIDLY OBESE! I often wonder if people realize that THEY control their OWN bodies!....What you put in your mouths is a DIRECT reflection of YOU...LITERALLY!...If you eat CRAP-FOOD all day...you will LOOK and FEEL like CRAP!...I know..I know...I'M sort of BRUTAL!....Wellllllllll if brutality gets you OFF the couch...OUT the drive-thru...and IN the gym...then just call me BRUTAL-BETTY..*smile* :-)

Take a few moments and read through the statistics I retrieved from the American Sports Data, Inc. website. To actually SEE this data is HEARTBREAKING!...Remembering that I used to be an overweight...200 pound....busy mom...that probably thought JUST like YOU!..."I just don't have the time to workout...Less 55 pounds later....I am here to tell you that it CAN be done...and you DO have time!....READ your food labels...EDUCATE yourself about nutrition...KNOW your body....and GET-IT-IN DAILY!!! (take a peep at my previous blog posts for workout tips)

"Obesity is proliferating through the United States: 3.8 MILLION people are OVER 300 pounds, over 400,000 people (mostly males) carry OVER 400 pounds and the average adult female weighs and unprecedented 163 pounds!....The National Center for Health statistics has been tracking America's obesity problem for over FOUR DECADES..

• Between 1962 and the year 2000, the number of obese Americans grew from 13%, to an alarming 31% of the population
  
• 63% of Americans are overweight
  
• 31% are obese
  
• Childhood obesity has MORE THAN TRIPLED in the past two decades
  
• According to the U.S. Surgeon General report obesity is responsible for over 300,000 deaths EVERY year"

DO NOT WORK THROUGH YOUR LUNCH HOUR TODAY!!...Go walking, EVEN if its just for 20 minutes! YOU are in control of you OWN health...LIVE HEALTHY!...Have a FAN-TAB-U-LOUS healthy salad for lunch!....WORK....SWEAT...

GET-IT-IN-spire

MAXIMIZE Your Cardio Workout

HELLO FITNESS FAMILY :-)

Okay...so the average person has a 1 hour lunch break, right? Soooo, if you manage your time well, this means about 45 minutes to workout; leaving 15 minutes to get dressed/undressed....Here are a few ways to maximize your cardio workout during your lunch hour:

1) BE PREPARED - If you choose to ride the bike, be sure to bring a good book or article to keep your mind focused on something other than the 'kick-azz' cardio workout you're about to get! If you'd rather listen to music during your workout, be CERTAIN to load your IPOD or MP3 player with your FAVORITE up-tempo beats!

2) PICK AN ACTIVITY YOU ENJOY - If you don't LIKE to run...then DON'T! Maybe you'd rather go for a brisk walk with your favorite music!...OR take that music on the Elliptical (low impact and choose intervals to intensify your workouts)

3) USE YOUR WHOLE BODY - Jumping jacks and jumping rope....BOTH of these activities engage the entire body! Try adding one or more of these activities to your daily cardio routine.

4) PLAN PLAN PLAN!! - SOOO many times I've seen people walk into a gym and just 'case-the-joint', as if they're about to do a stake-out! BEFORE you begin your workout...PLAN IT OUT! For example, 20 minutes on the Elliptical, 10 minutes of Jump Rope and 15 minutes on the Treadmill. Planning your workout is KEY! Also, remember to have a SET TIME everyday to workout. It helps with keeping your routines consistent...and you begin to look forward to sweating EVERY TIME!

5) LUNCH - DO NOT eat RIGHT before you workout! I eat breakfast by 9:00AM every morning...eat a LIGHT snack @ 10:00AM...WORKOUT @ 11:30AM...then, eat lunch about an hour after I've gotten back to my desk. As you get into your workout regimen, you can schedule your meals around your workouts/cardio.

6) LADIES LADIES LADIES!!! - DO NOT BRING YOUR CLOSET TO THE LOCKER ROOM!...and DO NOT WEAR MAKE-UP DURING YOUR WORKOUT!...It gets in your eyes and can interfere with your workout...BESIDES...you're at the gym to GET-IT-IN and SWEAT!...NOT walk down the runway!...You should carry a MEDIUM size gym bag to include the following:

- COSMETIC POUCH - for TRAVEL-SIZE toiletries (toothbrush, deodorant, lotion, face wash, hair gel/moisturizer, brush/comb and sanitary napkins)...and ALWAYS remember your TOWEL!

- CLOTHING - Sports bra, extra panties, workout top and bottoms, sports socks

- HAIR - Try not to over-think your hair! Leave the HUGE hair dryers at home. If you NEED one, get a TRAVEL size dryer. Always be sure to have a ponytail holder or head scarf handy.

AND OF COURSE...DON'T FORGET YOUR SNEAKERS! :-)

Hope you have a FAB-DUC-TIVE day!!...WORK...SWEAT...GET-IT-IN-spire!!

FITNESS: Finding the Time

HELLO FITNESS FAMILY :-)

How many of us say we DO NOT HAVE TIME to workout?!....ALOT!!...EVEN if you don't have time to get to a gym OR take an adequate lunch break, you CAN make changes in your daily activities to assist with you NEW HEALTHY LIFESTYLE:

1) ALWAYS TAKE THE STAIRS - Stop using the elevator at work. DON'T be lazy! If we didn't have elevators, you'd HAVE to take the stairs, RIGHT?!?

2) PARK FAR AWAY - When we go tot he grocery store...or the mall...what do we usually do?..CIRCLE the lot for the CLOSEST spot, RIGHT?....STOP IT...PARK FAR AWAY AND WALK!

3) USE YOUR BREAKS WISELY - Instead of walking to the snack machine at lunch time, take your sneakers to work and WALK AROUND THE BLOCK or AROUND THE BUILDING or UP AND DOWN THE STAIRWELL!....stay AWAY from the snack machines @ work!...

4) FAMILY FITNESS - Get your kids from in front of the TV and OUT ON THE TRAIL!!...WALK....SKATE...RIDE A BIKE!....PULL THEM IN A WAGON!....SOMETHING...but get them involved in your new healthy lifestyle!...AND its a GREAT way to spend PRICELESS quality time!...best of all...IT'S FREE!

5)LATE NIGHT EATING - I hear SOOOO many people talk about how their work/life schedules cause them to eat late at night....THAT'S A BOWL OF CRAP!!!!..Keep healthy snacks with you in your car...in your trunk...in your purse...and eat a healthy substantial HEALTHY meal....AND be sure to give yourself a CUT-OFF time to EAT!....My cut-off time is 8:30PM.....and that goes for THE WHOLE FAMILY!!...If we supervised our fridges alot more...maybe we wouldn't have so many OBESE KIDS!!

Have a FAB-DUC-TIVE day FITNESS FAMILY!......GET-IT-IN-spire!!!

Office Workouts

FIGHT THE BULGE AT YOUR DESK

How many times have you said, "I can't take a lunch...my boss is lurking.." or "I can't go to the gym because I have a huge project and won't have time.."....OR...my personal favorite..."I don't feel like I can get a FULL workout in 30 or 40 minutes.."...THERE ARE NO EXCUSES!!!

GET-IT-IN at your desk!!...and ALL you need is a WATER BOTTLE and your DESK CHAIR!!

Check out this link! It has ALL the info you'll need to get a workout in AT work!!

http://exercise.about.com/cs/exerciseworkouts/l/blofficeworkout.htm://

Have a FAB-DUC-TIVE day and GET-IT-IN-spire!!

Living a Healthy Lifestyle

OBESITY IS OF EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES!!!

360,000 people die EVERY year of obesity related illness. This means that before the close of 2009, someone you know could be the next statistic....OR it could be YOU! Live healthy starting today. REBUKE crap-food and empower your body; IT'S THE ONLY ONE YOU'VE GOT!!

Did you GET-IT-IN today?!?!?...What's your workout regimen?