The Fit List : Jeanette Jenkins

Strut your stuff: 7 moves for runway legs

fitlist — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:20:00 GMT

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....(read more)

Is your engine running efficiently?

fitlist — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 22:29:00 GMT

By Jeanette Jenkins

With the steep fuel prices, you probably know exactly how much gas it takes to fill up your car. But I’m betting that most of you don’t know how much food it takes to fuel your body, or how many calories you burn while your engine is running.

Knowing this information is important for losing weight or keeping it off. If you overflow your car’s gas tank, the extra gas just spills out on the ground. But of course, if you eat too much food and don’t burn it off, it sticks around – on your hips, thighs and that other spare tire.

So to stay slim and trim, or to lose weight, it’s important to know how fast your engine is running.

A key number is your resting metabolic rate (RMR), which is the number of calories your body burns at rest. One way to determine your RMR is by using a formula, such as the Harris-Benedict equation:

*For women, 655 + (9.6 x weight in kilograms) + (1.8 x height in centimeters) - (4.7 x age in years)

*For men, 66 + (13.7 x weight in kilograms) + (5 x height in centimeters) - (6.8 x age in years)

This formula is standardized, so it will give you an RMR but, because we’re all different, it may not be especially accurate for you.

Devices that measure metabolism are another option that have become increasingly popular at gyms. They go by the names New Leaf and BodyGem. You simply breathe into a mouthpiece or face mask, and the devices give your individualized RMR reading. Costs range from about $80 to $180, and some fitness centers even include this testing in their annual memberships to help members achieve their goals.

Knowing your RMR, you can then calculate your caloric consumption and your overall energy burn -- your total daily energy expenditure, including RMR plus exercise -- and tailor your diet and fitness plan accordingly.

So start crunching the numbers! This is good information to have as we head into the holidays and work on those New Year’s resolutions. The goal is to work out smarter – not harder!

Breaking free of a fitness rut

fitlist — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 23:25:00 GMT

By Jeanette Jenkins

When you were a kid, your mom told you to brush up and down not side to side or you wouldn’t get your teeth really clean. The same theory applies to fitness: Do it right and it will work.

Many of you undoubtedly have tried various exercise programs, lost a bit of weight at the beginning, and then became frustrated because your body stopped changing. Being unable to get past the “plateau” (as it is called) isn’t your fault -- it’s because the program has been poorly designed.

These six exercise-training principles are the cornerstone of a good program design that will guarantee that you’ll break through the plateau and maximize results:

1. Individual Differences: Every person is different, and each person's response to exercise will vary. A proper training program should take individual differences into account. Whether you are a beginner or more advanced, there is a safe place for you to start and a challenging place to which you can strive!

2. Specificity: To become better at a particular exercise or skill, you must perform that specific exercise or skill. In other words, to tone and strengthen your abdominals you have to include abdominal exercises in your program. To tone up your thighs you have to include specific exercises for your thighs. If you want to improve your ability to jog then you have to include jogging in your training.

3. Use/Disuse: You have to move your muscles or they become soft and flabby. Many people try to lose weight by working out just sporadically -- when they feel like it -- but they soon give up because they don’t see results. You must be committed and consistent to see results.

4. Adaptation: By repeating an exercise, the body adapts to the stress and the skill becomes easier to perform. This also explains the need to continue to apply the principle of “overload” (see next entry) to continue to see improvements and changes in your physique.

5. Overload: A greater-than-normal load on the body is required to create change. If your body is already used to walking then it is necessary to start incorporating an incline or jogging intervals. If your body is use to lifting 3-pound weights, then you have to move up to 5-pounders to see results. The more you do, the more you become capable of doing. This is how all the training adaptations occur in exercise and training. The human body is an amazing machine. When you stress your body by lifting a weight that is more than you are accustomed to, your body will react with physiologic changes that will enable you to handle the stress the next time it occurs. This concept is the same in cardiovascular training relating to the heart, lungs and endurance muscles. This is how people get stronger, bigger, faster and increase their physical fitness level.

6. Progression: There is an optimal level of overload that should be achieved, and an optimal timeframe in which this overload should occur. Overload should not be increased too slowly or improvement is unlikely. Overload that is increased too rapidly can result in injury or muscle damage. Therefore it’s important that you start slowly and then progress to the next level as your body adapts to the exercise.

Adapted from the new book “The Hollywood Trainer Weight-Loss Plan,” available May 3, by Jeanette Jenkins.

Music to really move to

fitlist — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 23:42:00 GMT

By Jeanette Jenkins

I recently wrote about how you can break exercise boredom with a cardio blast. Well, here’s another way: listen to great music!

Having a super playlist of tunes can really motivate you during your workout. Music entertains you and helps keep your mind off the monotony of jogging or cycling, for instance.

But it also helps get those feet and arms pumping to the beat – and keeps them moving throughout your exercise session. You may even want to sing along – but refrain, please, unless you’re sweating it out solo!

It can be hard, though, to keep up with all the latest, greatest workout music. Sometimes you know the beat of a song that you love but you just can’t remember who sings it. So here is one of my personal playlists that I use in my studio to energize clients:

“Glamorous” by Fergie

“Maneater” by Nelly Furtado

“My Love” by Justin Timberlake

“Hollywood” by Jay-Z, featuring Beyonce

“Entourage” by Omarion

“Ever Blazin’” by Sean Paul

“Money Maker” by Ludacris

“So Excited” by Janet Jackson

“Tell Me” by P. Diddy, featuring Christina Aguilera

“Hood Boy” by Fantasia

“Hip Hop is Dead” by Nas

“Walk It Out” by Unk

Of course, maybe you have some greatest workout hits of your own!

Break exercise boredom with a cardio blast

fitlist — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 05:33:00 GMT

By Jeanette Jenkins

It’s not just repetitive cardio activities such as climbing endlessly on the stair machine or spinning round and round on the stationary bike that can bore our socks off. Weight-training can be a drag sometimes, too. Doing that same squat or biceps curl definitely can get old after awhile.

To energize your weight-training sessions and burn a couple hundred extra calories at the same time, try adding some “cardio blasts” to your usual routine.

A cardio blast is a one-to-two-minute activity that you can do in between weight-training sets so that you’re not just standing around idly.

Besides keeping your mind engaged, these activities keep your heart rate up and help you burn fat. You’ll also get a mood boost from all those feel-good chemicals your brain is pumping out as you sweat.

Plus, combining weight-training and cardio activities is a great time-saver if you’re rushed for your workout.

Here are some ideas for different cardio blasts that you can try, or you can come up with your own. Just find an open space where you can kick up your heels.

*Jumping jacks

*Skipping in place

*Jogging in place or on a treadmill

*Front or side kicks

*Step-ups

*Knee lifts (alternating from right to left)

Tighten your tush

fitlist — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 06:58:00 GMT

By Jeanette Jenkins

Do you want to get a tight tush like J Lo, a bootylicious back side like Beyonce or a bikini bottom like Cameron Diaz? Let it be known that these women have great assets because they work for them. I have watched many women transform their rear view by following a healthy meal plan and doing booty-specific exercises a few times a week. Here's what I recommend:

*Standing Exercises (do one to two sets of each)

1. Single Leg Squats. Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lift your left foot 1 inch off of the floor and put all of your body's weight onto your right leg. Push your hips back as if you were going to sit into a chair. Make sure your right knee does not push over your right toe. Drive through your right heel, carrying all of your weight on your right leg, and squeeze your buttocks. Return to the starting position and repeat up to 15 to 25 repetitions before switching legs.

2. Reverse Lunges. Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and holding 3- to 8-pound dumbbells. Step back 3 to 4 feet with your right leg and land on the ball of your right foot. Lower your right knee toward the floor until your left thigh is parallel to the floor. Drive through your left heel, carrying all of your weight on your left leg, and then return to your standing position, squeezing your buttocks. Do 15 to 25 repetitions and then switch legs.

3. Squats. With feet should-width apart, hold 5- to 10- pound dumbbells at your shoulders. Next, send your hips back as if you were going to sit in a chair. Go as low as you can without pushing your knees over your toes. Push back up to a standing position by driving through your heels and your hips and then squeeze your buttocks when you get to the top. Repeat for 15 to 25 reps.

*Floor Exercises (do one to two sets of each)

1. Back Kicks. Start on a mat on your hands and knees. Pull your abdominals in tight to support your back then push your right leg towards the ceiling, creating a 45-degree angle. Squeeze your buttocks when your leg is fully extended and then return your knee to directly under your hip. Repeat this movement for 15 to 25 reps and then switch to the other leg.

2. Fire Hydrant. Start on a mat on your hands and knees. Pull your abdominals in tight to support your lower back and lift your right knee out to the side like a dog lifting its leg to pee. Squeeze the outside of your buttocks and then lower your leg. Repeat this move for 15 to 25 reps and then switch legs.

3. Shoulder Bridge Butt Squeezes. Start on your back with arms on the ground, knees bent and feet placed about one foot in front of your knees. Drive your hips into the air by pushing through your heels, and squeeze your buttocks. Lower your hips about 2 inches and then press back up, squeezing your buttocks again. Repeat this motion for 15 to 25 reps.

In addition to these toning moves, also aim for 20 to 45 minutes of cardiovascular exercise three times a week. Activities that help shape your booty are hiking, treadmill walking at an incline of 5 to 10, climbing stairs or using a stair-climbing machine, inline skating and jogging.