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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

03

woman running up stairsOne of the most common questions I receive from clients is, “how hard should I be working out to burn the most calories?” The knee-jerk response would seem to be, “as hard as you can,” but the truth is, there is an “optimal” range for exercising if your goal is to maximize caloric expenditure.

To maximize the number of calories you burn during a cardio session, choose a mode of exercise (running, cycle, rowing machine, etc.) that you enjoy (or are willing to put up with for at least 30 mins), and aim to keep your heart rate at about 65-70% of max heart rate. If you use the RPE Scale (rating of perceived exertion), that would equate to a 14-15 (hard). I tell clients that they should feel “comfortably uncomfortable.”

If your goal is sports conditioning (long-distance running or swimming, for example), then high-volume conditioning will address your specific needs (intensity, duration, etc.). High-volume conditioning is a prolonged session (equal to or greater than 60 mins of continues effort at about 65% of max heart rate (13-14 RPE). This is often referred to as “long, slow training.”

If you are unfamiliar with Rating of Perceived Exertion, use the table below as your guide:

6 – no exertion at all (watching television)
7 – light activity (standing, talking on the phone)
8
9 – very light activity (casual walking)
10
11- light activity (warm-up intensity)
12
13- somewhat hard (you are mildly challenged)
14
15- hard (feels difficult, but you can continue without excessive breathlessness)
16
17- very hard: very demanding (out of breath, you don’t want to stay here for long)
18
19- extremely hard (you CAN’T stay here for long; rigorous)
20- maximal effort (all-out effort, only sustainable for very short bouts, akin to doing plyometric power jumps, all-out sprinting, etc.)

These are only two of the many options for maximizing caloric expenditure. High-intensity interval training, Fartlek, sprint intervals, and high-volume circuit training are others I’ll explain in coming blog posts, so stay tuned!


* 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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