Freestyle 20 Minute Cardio

We regularly think of cardio exercises as running, spinning, walking, and basically anything that can be simulated on one of the machines at the gym. Well, if you have to time to head to the gym, you're on the road, or the machines at the gym are full for some reason, there is another approach.

I have this theory that the best way to get yourself moving is to create a circuit of exercises you want to do, and do each exercise for one minute. Say you had four cardio exercises. If you created a circuit of these four exercises, did each for a minute with a 15 second rest between each, you would have five minutes. Rotate these five minutes four times and you have a 20 minute cardio session.

So your next question probably is "What cardio exercises can I include in my freestyle cardio session?". Here are a few suggestions of high power cardio:

Jumping Jacks: This is a very popular exercise, and is also referred to as star jumps sometimes. If you haven't heard of jumping jacks, here is a basic description. Stand with your arms at your sides and your legs closed. Jump up. As you jump, move your arms over your head and land with your legs open wide. Repeat the jump and land with your arms back at your side and your legs closed. Continue the jumps with the open and close movement.

Jump rope: Skipping is an amazing way to burn calories. The trick is just that you have to be consistent for the full minute. Just like swimming, people forget that it's not just the act of holding the rope that burns calories, but the consistency and effort you put into it. Don't have a rope? Buy one! They are really cheap! But seriously, if you don't have one, you can simulate the motion without actually using a rope.

Mountain climbers: You can either simulate the motion of climbing or jump back and forth (I like to call it donkey jumps) while on your hands in the upper pushup position. Luckily, I have a video! See how to do this exercise below.

Jump lunges: Lower into a lunge position with your right foot in front, and then jump back into the lunge with your left foot in front. So rather than step into it, you jump into it. Here is a great video showing how to do a perfect jump lunge.

There you have it! You can try these four in-home cardio exercises and make up your own 20 minute cardio circuit.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Womenshealthmag.com

Exercise and Your Skin

It is no secret that exercise has many benefits, but is healthy skin one of them? When we refer to our skin, we talk of cleansing, toning, and moisturizing (I hear the guys go 'huh?'), and even what foods you should or should not eat. But folks often skip the benefits exercise has on the skin.

Exercise increases blood flow to all the organs including the skin. Organs perform better when there is better oxygen flow. However, I think the other end of exercise concerns most people: sweat.

You've probably heard that sweat is bad for your skin. Well, that is not entirely true. Sweat in itself actually clears out your pores. The problem is the bacteria that gets attracted to the salt in sweat. This is why it is very important to let the sweat do its job while you exercise, and then give your face a mild wash right after. So sweat is good, but leaving it on your skin is bad.

Well, for the ladies, because we wear makeup on your faces, we tend to wash our faces more than we should, which removes the nutrients from our skin. And when you exercise in the middle of the day or the evening, it probably means you wash your face both before and after exercise. If you absolutely have to wash your face multiple times a day, use a very mild wash so it doesn't strip your skin of the good oils it needs.

Now, although we've established that exercise is great for your skin and your circulation, there are things we do that may hurt our skin when we exercise. For one, constantly touching, rubbing, and scratching can have negative effects on the skin, especially sensitive areas like the face. If you are in a bacteria-infested environment like the gym, it is even worse. Try to stay away for constant contact between your fingers and your face, make sure you wear clothing that doesn't cause uncomfortable friction, and try not to let your skin come in direct contact with shared items without washing them or wiping them down (e.g. equipment, towels, headphones, mats).

At the end of it all, one of the most important things to remember is to hydrate. Water is great for your skin, and if you lose a lot of water when you exercise, you need to replenish the body's supply.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: MadameNoire.com

I Exercise But My Thighs Still Rub Together. What Gives?!

If you are a woman that isn’t super skinny, I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of or experienced the “Chub-Rub”, which is a colloquial term for thighs rubbing together when you walk or run. (I didn’t make up the term; It really is called the Chub-Rub). So your questions probably are “Is this normal?”, “Can it be changed?”, “Why does it happen?”

On TV, you see all these skinny girls with their butts as tight and as high as their backs. And you begin to think that if you can’t get that way with all the exercise you’ve been doing, there is something wrong with your body. No, there isn’t. Our bodies accumulate fat in different areas. Trust me, I’m pretty bummed about this as well because we really can’t control how and where we store fat. Consolation? Folks like Beyonce who do exercise consistently, but still have this problem.

However, that said, we can still control our fat by losing weight all over and toning specific areas. To lose weight and tone your muscles, you need a combination of cardio exercises and strength training. The cardio (running, spinning, swimming, etc) helps to burn fat all over, while the strength training helps to define muscles.

Because our inner thighs aren’t used for a lot of the daily exercises we do, they need to be specifically targeted with strength training to get them toned. So besides the regular squats and lunges, what are a couple of great strength exercises for your inner thighs? There are very may, but I will highlight two amazing ones:

Plie Squats

Lying Ball Squeeze

Now, depending on what culture you come from as you read this, what you determine to be a beautiful body might vary as well. Some cultures love really skinny legs, and some want women to have some junk in the trunk (which also comes with junk in the hips mostly). So there also is the question of “What am I willing to give up?”. If you are targeting fairly large hips, it usually comes with some thigh friction. If you are willing to give that up for skinnier legs, you can do a lot of cardio to burn more fat all over, and that should remove the thigh friction problem.

Unfortunately, some people are more blessed than others in this department. I do know people who are fairly big, but do not have this thigh issue, and I also know folks who are skinny but this is a huge problem for them. So it all depends on what body you’ve been blessed with.

If you find that you are getting chaffed from walking or running, it may be time to find a temporary solution like powder, Spanx, or deodorant between your thighs so it doesn’t burn from the constant friction. But whatever you do, do know that you are not alone.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Exercise.About.com, YouChoiceFitness.com, RealSimple.com

Tips to Curb your Appetite

So you get hungry ALL THE TIME? It may be because of what you eat. Here are a few tips to help you stay fuller longer.

Lean protein: Lean protein keeps you full. And to make it work even better, eat lean protein as part of your breakfast. A good rule is to keep 30% of your breakfast as lean protein. Examples are soy milk, low fat yogurt, eggs.

Whole grains: Unless you have no other choice, always opt for whole grains rather than processed carbs. Nowadays, there are many options like brown, local, or wild rice instead of regular white rice. Even with cereals, you can look on the box to see what the contents are. Are they mostly whole grains?nor does it say sugar, sugar, and more sugar?

Exercise: Contrary to popular belief, exercise actually helps to curb our appetites. It doesn't mean you'll automatically eat less though; it just means you may not be as hungry as fast as you used to. A lot of people see exercise as an excuse to eat more because they burn more. Don't fall into that trap!

If you're still hungry after all that, chew some gum! Well, that is my tactic. But it doesn't have to be gum for you. You can find something else to keep your mouth busy so you stop thinking about food. Trust me, your body will adapt.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Feelpositive.wordpress.com

Breakfast Under 300 Calories

Most of the time, our biggest problem is not just what we eat, but how much. Don't get me wrong; some things are pretty bad for you, but when you take a look at many of the food options out there, if we control our portions, we can go a long way in controlling our caloric intake. 

A reader asked me about healthy breakfast options, and I thought about it. A lot of the items we eat for breakfast are not necessarily unhealthy, but we eat more than we should. So I thought it would be a great idea to give you all some good breakfast ideas under 300 calories:

2-egg veggie omelette and toast: Omelettes are great, as long as you don't overdo the oil. I would use very little cooking spray instead of oil. Fill your omelette with vegetables like spinach, peppers, and tomatoes. Eat it with a slice of whole grain toast, and just a teaspoon or less of butter. You can also replace the veggie omelette with scrambled eggs with vegetables.

Yogurt parfait: Parfait is great because most of it is yogurt, but make sure you are not filling it up with more granola and topping than you are with yogurt. A 6-ounce cup of yogurt and one low calorie granola bar or about half a cup of granola will do.

Whole grain bagel: Bagels are yummy, but you have to be really careful with the size. I look at some bagels and they literally scare me. A medium whole grain bagel topped with a teaspoon of cream cheese or peanut butter will be just under 300 calories.

Whole grain waffles or pancakes: Yes, you can have pancakes too. Just make sure you limit them to about 2, and don't kill it with syrup or toppings. I would suggest only about a teaspoon of honey or jam (preferred) or syrup (if you must).

Oatmeal: To be perfectly honest, this is what I find myself eating most mornings because it is simple, and you cannot go wrong with oats. Half a cup of dry oats are only about 145 to 150 calories, so even after you add in some milk, honey or sugar, and some fruit, you'd still be under 300 calories. Plus, oats are a great way to eat natural food because the only ingredient in oats is really just oats.

Cereal: No, cereal is not the devil. As long as you look at your cereal box, and it has a low number of calories (don't forget to factor in the milk!), and you understand what most of the ingredients are, you are usually covered. I wrote a whole post on cereals here: The Healthiest Breakfast Cereals. There is a great table to help you make good decisions as you pick out your breakfast cereals.

Smoothies: As long as you know exactly what is going in your smoothie, you can make better decisions about what is healthier. A great low calorie smoothie is the strawberry banana smoothie that is made up of real strawberries, real bananas, low-fat yogurt, and ice cubes. Be very careful when you buy smoothies from restaurants as most use syrup as an additional flavor. Always ask!

Muesli: No one needs to tell you that muesli is a very healthy natural option for breakfast. Pair about 1 cup of muesli with low fat milk or yogurt for a low calorie breakfast.

Breakfast wraps: Breakfast burritos and other wraps can be healthy too as long as you stick to smaller sizes of whole wheat wraps, and fill them with eggs and beans, and not sausages, bacon, or other processed breakfast meats.

Fast food breakfast sandwiches: Yes, McDonald's and Burger King have advertised new breakfast options that are under 300 calories. It may seem like a fable, but it is true. Try to stick to plain egg sandwiches, and skip the ham, bacon, and even cheese where you can. Forget the fried sides as well because that is where they get you.

You now have some great options! Make sure you also consider your drinks as you make healthy breakfast choices. A cup of 'designer coffee' (yep, Starbucks) can contain a ridiculous number of calories. Stick to plain coffee with low fat or soy milk. Or just have some tea :)

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Eggrecipes.co.uk

Plyometrics: Split Squat Jumps

So yesterday, I was doing a plyometric circuit workout (you're probably like huh?), and the Eights & Weights readers were on my mind. I totally wanted to share my whole workout with you.

Plyometrics is a type of workout that introduces very quick and powerful movements like jumping. Athletes use these movements a lot to improve their power and their speed. And we all need power and speed in our workouts sometimes.

I will write a bit more about plyomterics later in the week, but for now, here is a video basically showing one of my favorite plyometric moves.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Product Review: Nike+ iPod

Are you a consistent pavement pounder, or looking to get into running? Now that summer is basically here, it is a great time to utilize the free space Mother Nature has given us and step away from the treadmill. As you prepare to run outside, here is an interesting tool that could help you out: The Nike+ iPod.

Never heard of it? Well, if you own an iPod, you have probably seen the Nike+ iPod app already installed on your device. If not, it is available in the Apple Store. For those who have seen the app and wondered how to use it, here’s where Eights & Weights comes in!

So first off, what is the Nike+ iPod? It is a kit that helps you measure your running or walking distance, time, and calories burned. If you’ve ever tried to run outside and then measure your run distance with Google Maps, you’d realize how difficult a task that is.

Now, the next question is how. How does the Nike+ iPod kit measure your workout information? It measures your distance and elapsed time as you run, and calculates your calories burned based on the predetermined weight information you entered when you set it up.

Just as with everything else, it is not perfect in calculating your distance, especially since everyone moves differently. However, I have found that you can get it near-accurate by calibrating. At the end of every run, the app gives you an option to adjust to an “Actual Distance”. So all you have to do to calibrate is run a distance that you already know perfectly, and then if the distance the tool calculates is different from what you know, adjust it to the actual distance. Going forward, it uses your calibrated entry to readjust itself. For example, you know you usually run a straight 2 mile road, and you have confirmed this with Google Maps. If at the end of your run, Nike+ iPod tells you it is 2.5 miles, you can simply calibrate it back to 2 miles. Pretty cool, huh?

Another cool part of the kit is that you can select predetermined distances. So if you wanted to run a 5K, you can simply select a 5K run, select your playlist, and start running. It alerts you of the distance covered at every kilometer. If you select your run in miles, it alerts you at every mile. I’m not sure if you can change the voice of your ‘alerter’, but I’m pretty partial to a man’s voice telling me how much longer I have to go with my run :)

There are tons of other tools out there, but I really like this one because you don't have to ‘wear it right’ or think about it while you’re running. It does the job for you as close to accurate as possible. I think it is a great tool. The one big negative about it is that you do need Nike shoes. I mean, it is a Nike and Apple tool so they have to use it to make money off of us somehow.

Now you know what the tool does and how it works. If you are thinking of buying it, here is what you’d need:

• A pair of Nike+ shoes (not all Nike shoes are Nike+). Technically you can use any shoe, but only Nike+ shoes have the compartment for the transmitter.
• A mobile Apple device (iPod, iPhone, Sportswatch, Sportband).
• A Nike+ iPod app on your Apple device.
• If you have a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th Generation iPod Touch, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, Nike+ Sportband or a Nike+ Sportwatch, all you need is the transmitter device to embed in your shoe.
• If you have an iPod nano, you need a Nike+ Sports Kit, which contains the shoe transmitter, and a receiver plugged into the iPod nano.
• If you have an iPhone, an alternative to the Nike+ iPod is the Nike+ GPS App, which does not require the shoe transmitter. However, it is not a free app.

Lastly, if you were wondering where the hell the transmitter goes in your Nike+ shoe, simply lift the inner sole of your left shoe, and you’d see a compartment pre-created for your transmitter. You’re now fully equipped go out and run as much as you can this summer. No excuses!

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Apple.com, iLounge.com