Run Those Hills

Need a little metabolism boost? Feeling blue because summer is nearly over?

Head out for a run tomorrow. No matter how short or how long -- just run!

While You're at it hit a hill.
The optimal hill to run hill repeats will take you between 60 and 90 seconds to reach the top. You should be panting at the top if you are really pushing yourself.

A Hill Workout For You:

1. Warmup with a slow jog for 1-2 miles.
2. Jog slowly up and down the hill a couple of times.
3. You might even do walking lunges halfway up the hill then some exaggerated skips downhill.
4. Now SPRINT up the hill, then slowly jog down to catch your breath.
5. Start with sprinting the hill 4 times, then slowly progress to add more repeats over the next few weeks.
6. Cool down with a slow 1 mile jog or brisk walk.

STRETCH!!!!

Date Night Superset

Want to primp for your hot date tonight? My husband and I often workout together. Just so happens we have "date night" tonight. This is how we primped:

DATE NIGHT SUPERSET:

Supersets of Pushups then L-seats (tricep dips).
8 reps of each,
then 7 of each,
then 6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1

No rest in between exercises or supersets.
(I threw in 60 reverse crunches and 60 knee-ins at the end just for fun)

THEN REPEAT starting with 8 reps again.

Now you're pumped, primped and ready to go!

Enjoy!

Genius! Have Your Salsa and Bean Dip!

My fabulous aunt/uncle-in-law had us over for swimming and dinner last night. It was a great evening. They are some of the most genuine, gracious people I've ever known. Also, Aunt Janice is a darn good cook.

Last night for appetizers I brought some of my homemade peach/watermelon salsa and she served homemade black bean dip -- but to save calories...

SHE SERVED WEDGES OF PEPPERS INSTEAD OF CHIPS!!! Genius!! Why hadn't I ever thought of that?

I've never been thrilled with carrots and celery served for dipping. But yellow, red, green, and orange peppers were a DIVINE way to enjoy the salsa and bean dip.

So good, in fact, that I felt the need to share this info with everyone who hadn't tried this before.

Enjoy!

Performance Based Comparison of Kettlebell Methods

Kettlebell lifting has gained popularity and is a very effective mode of exercise.  Please read the attached article!  Kettlebells will enhance athletic performance!  

Pilates for Your Feet!

If you're a runner you've probably experienced the feeling of tender feet in the morning. You put your foot on the floor and feel an ache or a tightness mid-foot.

Here is a cool little workout you can do for your feet to make them, well...HAPPY FEET!

http://bit.ly/tlM7j

Benefits of HIT Technique

Sprint to Lose
By Ryan Halvorson

With its low cost and accessibility, running is often the exercise modality of choice. Those looking to drop pounds and gain improved metabolic function may want to pick up the pace. A study published online January 28 in BMC Endocrine Disorders (2009; 9 [3]) provides promising evidence in favor of extremely short duration high-intensity interval training (HIT) as a method for improving insulin action. Study participants included 25 “young, healthy sedentary or recreationally active men” who were placed in an HIT group or participated in a “separate experiment to determine intra-individual variation in response to an oral glucose tolerance test, and did not perform HIT.” The HIT group performed four to six 30-second sprints at maximum effort with a 4-minute rest between exercises six times over 14 days. This accounted for a time commitment of 17–26 minutes and only 2–3 minutes of sprinting per session. By the end of the short study, the HIT group had improved insulin sensitivity by 23%.

“The efficacy of a high-intensity exercise protocol, involving only ~250 kcal of work each week, to substantially improve insulin action in young sedentary [adults] is remarkable,” stated the authors. “This novel time-efficient training paradigm can be used as a strategy to reduce metabolic risk factors in young and middle-aged sedentary populations who otherwise would not adhere to time-consuming traditional aerobic regimes.”

Fitness Food Pyramid

Here are some basic health tips to feel better and improve our athletic abilities.  There are a lot of important diet tips to improve fitness performance as well.

Going to Prison

I'm going to prison tonight - well, sort of. Try this workout with me! It is all burpees. I love to hate burpees. So intense. So painful. And it really does make you feel like you're being punished!

"The Prison Workout" is simply a crazy label for this oldie but goodie exercise!

Who's with me?

http://weighthefaqs.com/fitness/the-prison-workout