Jumping Jacks: Eights & Weights Video

There are very many types of cardio: running, swimming, aerobics, etc. But if you're not the kind to throw on earphones and take off for a half hour, you could put together some cardio moves and still break a sweat. One of these types of moves is the jumping jack.

All you need to do is continuously jump while opening your legs and raising your arms, and closing your legs and dropping your arms. Sound confusing? Watch my video below to see a full illustration. If you're not breathing hard after a few minutes, you're not done :)

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Pole Dancing: Yes, I Did It!

Pole dancing has been gaining popularity in the media lately as a form of exercise because a lot of celebrities are beginning to be interested, and a lot of women are beginning to see it as empowering. As you are aware, it has been pretty much associated with strip clubs in the past, and so it is still sort of a "taboo" topic in some circles. But pole dancing is more than just shaking your bum and grinding in a man's lap.

In fact, in places like China and India, they have different forms of pole dancing that is predominantly performed by men, and is a very intense sport. In many other countries, including the US and the UK, pole dancing was a competitive sport before it became the thing you did in strip joints. However, most pole dancing fitness classes offered to women incorporate a lot of the sexy bit as well.

Why did I give you a little of that history? To lead into my next point. Pole dancing is not easy. You require a ton of upper body strength, flexibility, and the ability to endure pain. Why the last bit? Because you need that to use various parts of your body to grip the pole.

Usually, you start by learning basic little teasing moves, and then it gets a little harder as you learn strength moves, and how to grip the pole to hold yourself steady. At my first class, for a beginner like me, it was a little confusing to focus a lot on strength moves before the class started, mostly because I didn't know how much upper body work was required. But I followed on anyway, secretly wondering if we were going to ever touch the pole.

And then the instructor showed us the first spin. My mind was blown at something so basic. How was I supposed to spin around the pole without my legs touching the floor? This was the first class, no? But after trying and trying, I realized that just like any exercise, the bulk of the process is getting comfortable doing it. So after a few tries, I did the basic spin well.

Spinning!

We did a few other kinds of spins as she showed us how to place our hands and feet to make it easier, and not to hurt ourselves. By the end of my first class, I thought I was getting the hang of it, and my arms and core were starting to feel the burn, until the instructor said "Okay, it's time to climb the pole". Huh? I thought I was in a beginner class? I seriously did not believe there was any way I was climbing a slippery pole without falling on my butt. But I was determined to give it a shot. 

So I lifted my right knee so that my foot was on one side of the pole, and my knee was on the other (pressing my shin against the pole and grabbing it with the upper part of my foot). And then as the instructor said, I jumped up and put my other leg on the front of the pole so that I was cross-legged and the pole was now between my knees and ankles. And then I gripped the pole with both hands. And then she said to climb up the pole like a caterpillar. So basically, you grip with your knees and slither up one step at a time. And yes, I did it! That was probably my proudest moment in her class :)

Oh, but that wasn't all. Once we were up, we had to figure out how to stay up and then slide down sexily. We had to grab the pole between our inner thighs and just sit there that way. It may sound easy, but this is probably the part of all the classes I've taken that hurts the most. Gripping on to a steel pole with your inner thighs is not easy at all. Imagine the friction!

I'm smiling but it hurts!

I must admit, the funnest part of class is the humor of the pole dancing instructors. They are a lot of fun. I couldn't believe it when my instructor was training us to the "My Neck, My Back" song. A couple of us couldn't stop laughing. And then when they do some poses and you see how flexible they are, you come back down to planet earth.

Pole dancing has been a great experience and I will definitely be doing more. If you haven't tried it, you should. It is a good strength workout. You may not sweat too much because there is not too much cardio involved, but you build a lot of upper body strength, core strength, leg strength, and endurance. There are several classes being offered in different cities now so use Google, Groupon, Living Social, or one of those sites, and you'd be sure to find one near you.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photos by Oby Enyia

Cycle Your Bum Away

Yesterday, my friends and I decided to cycle around lower Manhattan, across the Brooklyn Bridge, and around Prospect Park in Brooklyn. It was an awesome experience. The funniest part of the trip was right after our break. We stopped at a little Mexican spot close to the Brooklyn Bridge on our way back for some drinks and some dinner, and then got back on our bikes. None of us expected the burn our thighs were feeling after we had sat down for a bit. I mean, what did we expect after 3 hours of cycling?

Like running, or any other cardio exercise, you get a full body workout and burn tons of calories by pushing your body in a repetitive motion. Beyond burning calories though, cycling helps strengthen the muscles in your legs and butt because you're constantly pushing on the pedals to propel your bike forward, especially if your going uphill. 

Beyond just your bum, your legs and thighs also get a great workout. Your quads tone up from the forward leg motion, your hamstrings tone up from the backward leg motion, and your abs tone up from constantly keeping yourself upright on the bike. To get an even better workout, make sure your heels lower towards the ground on whatever foot is lower. That way, you work your calves as well.

Granted, cycling at a steady pace does not burn as many calories as running at a steady pace, which is why it is important to include hills in your route. The hills also help build muscle strength and stamina. And you need that stamina to push yourself as you climb up that hill.

If you're looking for a cardiovascular exercise, and running just isn't for you, look into cycling. The great thing about it is that you could buy a bike and cycle everywhere. If you live in a cosmopolitan city, chances are that your city has good bicycle routes and lanes to make it easier for cyclists. Take advantage and burn your way to your summer weight. I woke up today with post-workout burn in my thighs and butt, but it was totally worth it.

Cycle your cities and share photos with us.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Donkey Kicks - Eights & Weights Video

You have not worked out your full body in the summer if you have not got your bum in order. And how do we help you do that? Make some bum toning videos!

The video below is the donkey kick. What does it involve, kick your legs like a donkey :) The form is pretty basic:

Kneel with your knees under your hips and your palms directly under your shoulders. Pick up one foot and kick back, using your butt to lift your leg straight backward. Keep your lower back straight (Tighten your abs to help you do this). As you extend your leg, also tighten your thigh muscles like you are trying to draw them close together. That works your inner thighs as well.

Try it at home and let us know what you think. See the video below for better detail:

Please note that you can put our videos together for a quick workout. So far, we've seen the pushup, the side plank with a twist, the squat, sit-ups, the roundhouse kick, the lunge, and the mountain climber. You can check out all our videos here: http://www.youtube.com/user/EightsandWeights. Your feedback is much appreciated.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Pulsing & Crunching Abs Workout

So you know the basics: the crunches, the v-sits, the sit-ups, planks, etc. An additional way to work on your abs is while you are doing other tasks like sitting at your computer or driving in your car. You can do a little pulsing motion, tightening and releasing your abs as you breathe in and out.

I figured that you'd probably have times when you literally have a couple of minutes, and just want to get something in. You can combine the two things I mentioned above (the abs exercises with the pulses) to get a quickie. I found the video below on Youtube that combined the two. Use it for your quick abs exercises. We will be releasing some more Eights & Weights videos soon.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Exercise and the Importance of Proper Form

Sometimes, it seems like fitness professionals are always yelling about keeping your core tight, your shoulders down, and your knees behind your toes when you do exercises. It's not just because we like yelling (I know you thoroughly doubt this statement but just go with it), but because your posture is very very very important to your exercise routine.

Why? Because posture could be the difference between hurting yourself or not getting the most out of your exercise, and staying fit. What are the most common form flaws?

Shoulders up: When we run, do yoga, or do other exercises that require an upright position, many people tend to spend their energy unconsciously lifting their shoulder to their ears. If could be because most of us are now used to slouching over computers or because we feel it reduces pressure on other muscles, but it really makes us use less of our energy in the right place because we are busy using it in the wrong place. Think about it. The next time you exercise, just roll your shoulders back and out and your chest out, and feel the difference. We don't even realize we are doing it.

Core tight: To keep your body upright, you need great core muscles. A lot of men do exercises with a slouch, and a lot of women do exercises with our butts out, both putting pressure on the lower back. To maximize your output, always keep your core tight. It helps build those great abs too!

Knees in front of toes: Now, it is important to be really really careful about this one.A lot of folks bounce up and down in their squat without paying attention to where their knees are. If your knees go beyond your toes, you are putting a lot of pressure on those knees, and not working your bum enough. And that's supposed to be the point, right?

Landing hard on the heels: When you run or do plyomteric exercises that require a lot of jumping, it is easy to just let your feet fall on the ground with each step. But it is important to make sure you land on the balls of your feet, and not on the heels or the sides. Landing badly can hurt your ankles in the long run. In the short term, it reduces the impact to the right places (like your legs), and puts all the impact on the places you don't really want to be working hard (like your ankles and knees). Additionally, about a third of runners get hurt at least once in their lives, so it is important to be careful so you don't become one of that third.

Overstretching the knee: Have you heard your yoga instructor say "Don't lock in your knees"? What they mean is that you should always keep an internal softness around your joints. Don't jerk into positions because rather than give your muscles a workout, you are giving your joints a workout. Muscles need that contraction and relaxation motion to get the maximum effect, but it you are over-jerking, you are not allowing them get that motion, and you could potentially hurt your joints.

There are many other form mistakes people make, but these are the biggest ones I've seen. Stay safe folks! If you aren't doing it right, you're probably not getting the most out of it.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Ratemyarms.com

5 Low Calorie Cocktails

Fact: Most people like alcohol. Even if you don't, you probably have a few drinks when you are in a social setting. With food, it is a little easier to gauge your calories because we have been taught that certain things are healthy and others are not. However, with alcohol, it is a little more difficult.

Cocktails can be particularly difficult because it all depends on what the bartender or mixologist decides to put in the drink. And most cocktails contain some form of syrup and a lot of alcohol. Syrups are predominately sugar-based, and of course, the more alcohol anything contains, the more calories it contains as well. 

To make sure you are staying within your caloric goals, the best way to approach this is to be prepared before you head to the bar. That means you should already know what drinks work for you. Let's look at 5 cocktails today that contain fewer calories that many of the others.

Infused vodka: A shot of 80 proof vodka (1.5 fluid ounces) contains about 100 calories. Yes, that's similar to a glass of wine. It is this way because the alcohol content in vodka is much more. And the more the alcohol, the greater the calories. However, vodka is drunk in less quantity than wine. Now, think about the vodka cocktails. They not only add in vodka, but they also add in some flavored syrup which can multiply the calories quickly. One way of minimizing the calories is to just get infused vodka. You could make your at home with all sorts of fruits or peppers, or you could ask for some at bars. Some companies like Absolut do make vodka infused with peppers, with lemon, etc. The infusion itself usually does not add many calories to the drink so you could remain in the 100 calorie region.

Rocket's Red Glare: This drink is made of 1 oz of TY KU Soju and 1 oz of 100% cranberry juice. Soju is an Asian distilled spirit that is smoother and lower in calories than vodka. Granted, you may not find it in every bar you go, but if you do find it, it is a great option. Soju itself only contains about 60 calories in a shot, and when you mix it with the cranberry, it comes to about 95 calories. Not bad huh?

Sake Sunrise: In Japanese restaurants, they usually serve a whole jar of sake. However, to make it into a cocktail, you really only need about 1.5 oz. That contains about 80 calories. To make the sake sunrise, mix the sake with about 2 oz orange juice for a total of about 105 calories.

Gin and Tonic: You can't go wrong with the old G&T. A regular-sized gin and tonic is about 4 oz (1 oz gin and 3 oz tonic) totaling about 105 calories. Who doesn't love that?

Champagne cocktails: Mostly, a 4 oz serving of champagne only contains about 90 calories. This means you can serve your champagne with a whole host of fruits in it and still say around the 100 calorie mark. Flavor it like you would do a sangria (chop up some fruits in it), or just put in a dash of 100% juice (and I mean a dash), or set some olives or cherries at the bottom of your glass.

I hope that helps as you go to summer parties! We don't want you wondering why your waistline is expanding though you've been eating the right things :)

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Sandiegomagazine.com