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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......
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07



H.I.I.T, or high-intensity interval training is exactly what it sounds like it is: intervals of high-intensity aerobic exercise with alternating periods of rest/recovery. This method of training has received a lot of attention in recent years because it burns calories like crazy. (Perry et al. 2008) It is also another way you can shake up your workout, especially if you’ve noticed your results plateauing.

How it works:

As you might guess by the words, “high intensity,” the exercise interval portion, or “work,” is at a level comparable to an 8 or 9 on a 10pt Perceived Exertion Scale (RPE), or, 90-95% of max heart rate. The intervals range between 1-4 minutes with periods of recovery in between each interval.

There are many ways to skin this cat…you could do intervals at a ratio of 1:1 (1 min or work, 1 min of rest); 2:1 (2 min of work, 1 min or rest); 3:1 (3 min of work, 1 min of rest)…you get the idea. There truly is no “right” or “wrong” way to go about interval training.

Mode of exercise: You can use any form of cardiovascular activity that appeals to you. Running, stair climbing, cycling, swimming, even jogging in place, as long as the intensity in your routine is high and can be sustained for the given number of minutes.

Time: Again, there is no hard and fast rule for length of time, though the more intervals you do, the more calories you’ll burn. 30-60 mins is probably a good range.

Rest: During the recovery periods it is important to keep moving, just lower the intensity to 40-60% of max heart rate.

Cool down: Include a 5-10 minute cool down period after this workout (you’ll need it!)


Benefits:
Improved ability to oxidize fat!

A heart rate monitor would be extremely helpful during this workout to track heart rate and calories burned.

* Note: Blue Sky Gym and the author disclaim any liability for any injury, physical or emotional, suffered during or as a result of exercise or activities recommended. As always, you should use common sense and consult your health professional before beginning any exercise routine or program.

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  1. [...] Head to the nearest jogging path and turn up the calorie burn with sprint intervals! Pick a tree in the near distance and run to beat the bus, jog to the next tree to recover (30-60 [...]

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