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I'm sure you've heard the saying, "a calorie is a calorie," and that when weight loss is the goal, you can probably loose weight on a 1,200 calorie/day diet whether it is 1,200 Twinkie calories or apple calories. At this point, you might be thinking, "Cool! I'll go on the Twinkie diet!"   Our bodies are smarter than that though, and I say, thank goodness. I know - I'm no fun at all :-). Last week at the grocery one of my kiddos held up a box of Twinkies and had the audacity to ask me to purchase them. I nearly burst a vessel in my forehead trying to restrain myself from smashing the box with......
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Being that it is summer, and there are vacations, kids home from school, camps, a lot of running around in circles...sometimes a workout is hard to knock out, even when intentions are high. When that happens, I have a 30-minute, total body workout that requires very little equipment, yet will leave you dripping in sweat. Wanna hear it? Here it is... You'll need:  a set of 10 or 12lb wts (lighter if you like), a resistance tube 5-10 minute warm up @ 40-50% max heart rate Set 1: 10-14 Burpees (also called pop squats) 3-way lunges w/ dumbbells: Start with weaker leg leading. Take one lunge forwa......
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Stumbled upon a few deals I'd like to pass along: 20% off planners! For all of you planners out there (you know who you are, planning each workout weeks in advance), get a head start on school year planning at MomAgenda. MomAgenda is offering 20% off small School Year books (use code: schoolyearsmom) Visit MomAgenda.com, offer expires 7.31.2011 *P.S. I LOVE MomAgenda planners. Seriously, love them - totally created by moms, for moms. Enough said. EatingWell magazine has a new book out: EatingWell 500-calorie Dinners for $22.45 (10% off the regular price). While you are planning workouts in you......
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Check out this video if you are unfamiliar with trigger point therapy... TPR Therapy, Ironman competitor Have you ever wished you could afford a personal masseuse? One who could come to your home, preferably daily, to help relieve you of the knots and muscle tightness that inevitably occur from daily workouts and, well, being a mom? In search of a solution to my IT band issues, I tried a chiropractor (not money well spent), stretching, massage therapy (therapist too gentle to release deep tissue), and my O.D. The O.D. provided the most valuable information: without proper biomechanics, the bod......
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The mysterious " fat burning zone " continues to confuse many gym-goers. The theory goes something like this: working out in a "zone" of intensity that is less intense for at least 20 minutes will burn more fat calories than calories from carbohydrate. Is this true? Yes and no, but mostly no. You actually burn more calories from fat right now, sitting still, reading this post, than you do on the treadmill. That is because in the resting state, the body burns a higher percentage of fat calories. As you crank up the exercise intensity, you burn a little less fat per calorie. However, it really c......
Nov

09

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a room at home dedicated to personal fitness. Often, a box large enough to hold a few pieces of exercise equipment tucked into a corner and a handful of workout DVDs are what constitutes the “home gym.” It is possible, however, with a planning and forethought, to make the space you do have house more than a pair of dumbbells and a resistance tube. Follow these tips for designing your home gym, no matter how much (or how little) space you have available:

Designing your own home gym

1. Test any equipment you plan on buying first
2. Consider your budget – you get what you pay for. High quality, reliable equipment will last for years.
3. Check with local gyms – they often sell their equipment when they are ready to upgrade and often gyms select only the highest quality equipment for their patrons.
4. Consider your space. Use these guidelines to determine how much room you’ll need:

Treadmills: 30 sq ft
Single-station gym: 35 sq ft
Free Weights: 20-50 sq ft
Bikes: 10 sq ft
Rowing machines: 20 sq ft
Stair climbers: 10-20 sq ft
Ski Machines: 25 sq ft
Multi-station gym: 50-200 sq ft



5. The equipment you purchase should suit your interests and fitness level. You should be able to maintain at least 20 mins of continuous activity on the equipment you’re considering.
6. You should have the option of increasing resistance, incline and duration to provide continuous challenge.
7. If you’re on a tight budget, strength equipment can be as simple as a set of elastic bands with handles in varying levels of resistance and/or a collection of dumbbells ranging in weight from 5lbs-15lbs.
8. Consider ceiling height. If you have low ceilings, a Total Gym won’t be an option. You may have to opt for a rack of dumbbells instead of a multigym.
9. Inspect your new equipment for safety, serviceability, design and appropriate features. Your equipment should be easily adjustable, relatively easy to use.
10. Before you make a purchase, be honest with yourself about how motivated you will be to exercise at home.

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