May Fitness Basics: Running

Think you are not fit enough to run? Well, it is probably mostly mental. Runners train very hard, but that training is not limited to the physical. It is a combination of mental and physical. What are some ways you can get over the mental block? Research has shown that actually calling yourself a runner really helps. And while you train, be confident in the time and miles you are putting in.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

May Fitness Basics: Pushups

It is no mystery that females tend not to like pushups. The pushup is one of the most dynamic exercises. It works several muscles in your upper body and your core. Ladies seem to be afraid of pushups because we think men can do them and we can't. But pushups are a result of persistence; continuously doing them and building more strength and a better body as you do. Want abs? Incorporate some pushups in your workout. Want to get rid of arm flab? You already know

Cheers Eights & Weights!

May Fitness Basics: Diet and Exercise

Your diet AND your exercise habits are equally important to lose weight and tone up. Don't exercise endlessly without eating healthy and don't starve yourself and not work out. We all need a healthy balance of both to achieve our goals. And let's not forget the right mindset!

Cheers Eights & Weights

May Fitness Basics: Lifting Weights

Women sometimes have the impression that if we lift weights, we'd just become Tyrese. Men produce hormones that allow them grow larger muscles than women, and so doing cardio and lifting weights alone will not usually make a woman huge. A lot of the women you see that have larger muscles are either not doing cardio to burn the fat over the muscles, or are taking supplements because they want to look that way. Building muscles actually helps your body stay in fat burn mode, and gives you that toned look. Don't neglect your lifting!

Cheers Eights & Weights!

May Fitness Basics: The Abs Myth

A lot of people make the mistake of just doing thousands of crunches and hoping for abs. The truth is that you need a good combination of cardio, strength (e.g.cCrunches), and a healthy diet to get abs. 

People tend to struggle a lot with stomach flab and crunches do not resolve the issue. Focus on eating well, lots of cardio to burn the fat, and then strength training to build muscle tone. I am not a fan of regular crunches as they strain the neck if not done right, so I get my strength from other forms of abs exercises like v-sits, planks, and even deadlifts.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

May Fitness Basics: HIIT

I thought I'd start with a question asked by about the effectiveness of HIIT. If you haven't heard of HIIT (high intensity interval training), it is a mode of exercise where you alternate between very high intensities and low or moderate intensities continuously. 

This helps the body burn more fat, build more endurance, and continue with the fat burn for more hours than steady state training. You can do HIIT with the same exercises you know (like running, elliptical, body weight exercises, etc). With HIIT body weight exercises, you are actually mixing up some strength with your cardio too. So uber awesome fat burning capabilities.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

May is for the Fitness Basics

For our May challenge, I will be discussing some basics to help you in your fitness journey. This includes information about how the body works, and talking about some fitness myths that may or may not be true.

Feel free to ask questions if you have any!

Cheers Eights & Weights!