January 2008 - Posts
By Gina Lombardi
It’s the most exciting time of the year for sports fans – Super Bowl! I LOVE football (maybe partly because Vince is in my family tree), so I am feeling the excitement as well as the sadness of another season of football coming to an end. But as that last hurrah approaches, so do the fat-laden snacks, calorie-packed alcoholic drinks and, of course, the couch!
This year, make it your choice to change tradition. Start Super Bowl Sunday off right with a pre-game game of your own. Get your buddies together, put on your favorite team jerseys and play some good old-fashioned flag football in the yard. A 150-pound person can burn an average of 576 calories per hour this way!
You could also pair up and work out with a weighted football. A regulation football weighs 1 pound, while these training footballs come in 2-pound and 3-pound sizes. You’ll improve your arm and grip strength while getting resistance exercise during exchanges, hand-offs and passes.
Now that you've earned your food and have that post-exercise calorie burn in your favor, choose the right snacks so you can stay "in the game." Replace regular chips with baked versions, regular beer with lite beer, thick pizza crust with thin.
Don’t forget the water. Playing hard requires hydrating the body afterwards. And since alcohol dehydrates, guzzle the water first -- then you may not even want the beer. (OK, I tried.)
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By Gina Lombardi
Wondering if you’re getting anywhere with your exercise program? If you’re not yet seeing visible results, it may be hard to believe that your effort is worth it. But don’t be discouraged!
Besides the bathroom scales, the following approaches can help you measure your progress so that you can feel good about the time you are putting in at the gym. (They also can act as a kick in the pants if you need to step up your program!)
*Body fat analysis: Although the scales may be saying you haven’t lost much weight, maybe you’ve actually lost some fat but added some weight in muscle -- and that’s still important progress. So get your body fat tested in 4-week intervals. The skinfold caliper test is accurate, easy and most cost-effective. The fit range is 6 percent to 10 percent body fat for men, and 14 percent to 20 percent for women.
*Fitness log: This is something that I have successfully used for more than 18 years with my clients. Keeping track of cardio as well as sets, reps and amount of weight lifted on each exercise is a great way to see how far you’ve come and where you’d like to go. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that statistics don’t lie – even when people do. Someone may tell me that they have been eating well and exercising, but if the numbers aren’t changing, neither are their bad habits. Keep graphs of your body fat percentages (every 4 weeks) and weight loss (once a week only). You can chart number of push-ups accomplished in one session (weekly) or even minutes of cardio completed (daily or weekly).
*Pedometer: This is one of the most fun ways to measure your progress. Just clip a pedometer onto your belt in the morning and see how many steps you take for three days. If you’re trying to lose weight and your average is below 10,000 per day, the recommended amount for weight loss, step it up!
*Sleep assessment: Notice that you’re sleeping better since you started exercising? That’s right, sounder and more restful sleep is a benefit of regular exercise.
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By Jeanette Jenkins
Ever wonder how supermodels like Gisele Bundchen, Heidi Klum and Naomi Campbell keep their legs looking runway-ready? Of course, there is no denying they have great genes. But they also work at those gorgeous gams. When they have a runway show coming up, such as the ones this month in Milan and Rio, they call on a trainer to get their legs looking fierce and fabulous!
To help you get your own pair of runway legs, incorporate some of the following lower-body exercises and activities into your workout regimen. For the best results, try using two to three different methods of training each week so your muscles are constantly challenged.
*Ballet. Tone and strengthen your legs with arabesques, pliés and dégagés. To learn proper technique, take a class in your area or try a home workout DVD, such as those by the New York City Ballet.
*Call-me-the-'B'-word-today-but-love-me-tomorrow-lunges! Yes, even the hot models hate lunges but the truth is they work -- and they work well! Stationary lunges, walking lunges, reverse lunges and side lunges will all tone and define your legs. Just keep thinking how amazing your legs are going to look later on when you don that dress.
*Uphill hiking. Sure, it is great to be able to get out into the fresh air but walking on an incline on your treadmill will also do the trick. Working against gravity will help tone your legs as you burn additional calories at the same time.
*Yoga. Yoga sequences that include variations of warrior 1, warrior 2, crescent pose and chair pose will help define your legs. If you are new to yoga, take a beginner class or try Baron Baptiste’s Power Yoga Level 1 DVD to learn some of the basic poses.
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By Kathy Kaehler
Kicking off a New Year’s exercise program takes some preparation, so make sure you get going on the right foot.
Taking care of your feet can mean the difference between keeping pace with your program and sitting it out on the sidelines with aches, pains and injuries -- not just of your feet but your legs and back, too.
Your feet are the foundation that supports your body, so keep that foundation strong with the following steps:
*Invest in good shoes. Not just any pair of sneakers will do. Get the right shoe for the fitness program that you are doing -- walking shoes for walking, running shoes for running, and cross-trainers for just about everything else. Look for shoes from reputable sports-shoe companies, and then get fitted properly.
*Stretch. Keep your feet flexible with some simple stretches. Try this one: Take off your shoes and roll each foot over a tennis ball while you sit at your desk, read or watch TV. This really stretches the arch of the foot.
*Cut your toenails. Keeping your nails trimmed properly is very important because pressure on your feet increases during exercise. Sore toes will nix any workout.
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By Jay Blahnik
If you ski or snowboard, this is a great time of year for you! For fans of these winter sports, nothing is better than feeling the cold wind across your face and seeing the white snow under your feet.
But don’t let your enthusiasm backfire. Take these precautions to stay comfortable and safe on the slopes:
1. Warm-up. It’s cold out there and so are your muscles, so take a few easy runs down the mountain before working your way up to greater challenges.
2. Keep moving. Don’t stand still in long lift lines. Keep your body warm with a shuffle movement if you are on skis, or squats if you are snowboarding.
3. Hit your peak at the right time. Save your most aggressive runs for the middle of the day when you are warm and not too tired. The risk of injury is greater when you are fatigued.
4. Stay hydrated. Even though the temperatures are cool, you’re still working up a sweat so be sure to replenish your fluids throughout the day.
5. Stretch. At the end of the day, stretch out your tired calves, hamstrings, quads and glutes in front of a nice fire at the lodge.
6. Keep in shape off the slopes, too. You’ve got weeks of skiing left this winter, so keep your body in shape for the snow. Of course, the best training is actually done right on the slopes, practicing the skills. However, exercising away from the powder will help you get stronger so that your body is physically able to handle the tougher runs.
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