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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......
Apr

06

skywallThis piece of equipment might well be one of the coolest things I’ve seen (and after more than a decade in the fitness business, I’ve seen a lot of cool things)…Skywall! A motorized climbing wall that enables you to hone your climbing skills, without the height (or necessary belts and harnesses). The wall is about 11 ft tall, has 10 different climbing speeds, and the rocks can be moved around, so each climb is completely unique.

Some benefits to climbing, in case you’re new to this sport (as am I):

Climbing…

  • strengthens and tones nearly every muscle in the body
  • strengthens joints
  • strengthens the core
  • burns an incredible number of calories: 150-250 per 15 minutes on the motorized wall!!

You can find out more about the Skywall at Motion Fitness.

P.S – There is a kid-sized version of this wall that is 9ft high and recommended for kids up to age 9. Another, slightly larger model is designed for kids up to age 12. My two cents: this seems like a fun way to introduce kids to climbing in a safe environment. If I can find out what gyms/where have these, I’ll pass the info along.

Mar

07



I’ve been bombarded recently with questions related to interval training and how to incorporate them into a regular routine. Intervals are all-out spurts of effort (85-95% of max heart rate), usually spaced systematically throughout a workout. A simplified example of a running workout with intervals might look something like this:

5 min warm-up
2 min run at moderate pace (6-7 on RPE scale of 10)
1 min run at fast pace (8-9 on scale of 1-10)
1 min recovery (4-5 on scale of 1-10)
repeat 4-6 times

You could also replace the speed work with hill repeats, or use a combination of both throughout the workout. The point is really to increase the intensity for short bouts of time. You’ll burn more calories in less time doing intervals, and also notice an improvement in your cardiovascular level. Intervals are an excellent way to add variety to your routine, move off of a fitness plateau, or cross train.

* 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.

Oct

31

Mix it up
Have fun! The best cardiovascular activity is the one you will actually do. To put it another way, there is no “best” cardio activity. True, some burn more calories per minute than others, but it really comes down to which activity you enjoy doing the most, because that is the activity you will most likely stick with. Case in point: running at 7mph burns approximately 11 calories per minute.* However, many people don’t enjoy running. If you are one of those people, then it is likely that while you are tempted to do the activity because it burns a lot of calories, it is unlikely you’ll stick with it for very long, unless you miraculously learn to love it (which could happen, but probably won’t in the short term). If, on the other hand, you like to swim or power walk, then do that.

To find out how many calories your favorite activity burns, go to the “tools” page at Blue Sky Gym – Tools

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