15 Best Workout Tips of All Time

15 Best Workout Tips of All Time

Want to know the secrets to getting a toned, trim body in record time? We did too, so we went straight to the top personal trainers, exercise physiologists and fitness instructors for the ultimate moves and motivation tricks to kick a fitness routine into high gear. Put a few of these tips into action each week and you're guaranteed to see faster results!

Tone Up on the Treadmill
"Save time at the gym with this 10-minute cardio/sculpt session: Hop on a treadmill holding a three- to five-pound dumbbell in each hand, and set the speed to a brisk walk. Do a one-minute set each of shoulder presses, biceps curls, triceps extensions, side laterals, front laterals and standing triceps kickbacks one after another as you walk. I's an amazing upper-body challenge that also gets your heart pumping. Do this series two or three times each week. As you improve, work up to doing four-minute sets."
—Michael George, trainer and owner of Integrated Motivational Fitness in Los Angeles
Power Up Your Runs
"Adding wall sits to the end of every run will strengthen your quads, hamstrings and glutes, improving your speed and endurance. Lean against a wall with your feet shoulder-width apart, then squat until your knees are bent at 45 degrees. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds; work up to doing 10 sets. Add a challenge by including heel raises: Lift your left heel, then the right, then lift both together twice."
—Mindy Solkin, owner and head coach of the Running Center, New York City
Chart Your Progress
"Stay motivated using a fitness report card. Jot down these subjects: Cardio, Muscle Conditioning, Flexibility and Attitude. Set goals (for example, doing 10 "boy" push-ups) and grade yourself A through F at least four times a year. When you see how much you improve, you'll want to stay in great shape."
—Ken Alan, Los Angeles—based personal trainer
Try This All-in-One Toner
"A side-step squat with wood chop works your arms, torso, abs, back, legs, inner thighs and butt. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart holding a three- to four-pound medicine ball in your hands. Bend your arms up so that the ball is at eye level over your right shoulder. As you bring the ball toward your left knee, step out with your left leg and bend it no further than 90 degrees, keeping your right leg straight. Return to the starting position. Do 10 to 15 reps and repeat on the other leg."
—David Kirsch, trainer and author of The Ultimate New York Body Plan (McGraw-Hill, 2004)
Break Out the Shovel
"Why pay someone to clear snow from your driveway? Besides burning nearly 400 calories per hour, shoveling snow develops muscular endurance and power. But be safe: Minimize the amount of snow on each shovelful, and bend from your knees and hips, not your back."
—Tom Seabourne, Ph.D., exercise physiologist and sports psychologist at Northeast Texas Community College in Mount Pleasant, Texas
Work Out During Your Workday
"Sit on a stability ball to strengthen your core, and keep dumbbells or exercise tubing at your desk. Squeeze in 12 to 15 reps of exercises like dumbbell curls, overhead presses and ab crunches; aim for two or three sets of each. This gives you more free time to fit in fun workouts like biking or tennis."
—Gregory Florez, personal trainer and CEO of Salt Lake City — based FitAdvisor.com
Take This Jump-Rope Challenge
"The best cardio workout is the jump-rope double-turn maneuver. It's intense: You'll burn about 26 calories per minute! Do a basic jump for five minutes, then jump twice as high and turn the rope twice as fast so it passes under your feet twice before you land. This takes timing, patience and power. But you'll get in great shape just by working at it."
—Michael Olajide Jr., former number one world middleweight contender and cofounder/trainer at Aerospace High Performance Center in New York City
Give Yourself a Break
"You don't have to be a fitness saint to get results. Follow the 80/20 plan: Eighty percent of the year, you'll exercise regularly and eat well. Know that you'll slip 20 percent of the time due to holidays and work deadlines. When you accept that fitness isn't an all-or-nothing proposition, you're more likely to stick with it for life."
—Maureen Wilson, owner/personal trainer/instructor, Sweat Co. Studios, Vancouver, B.C.
Get a Jump on Weight Loss
"Add plyometric box jumps to your workout to improve your cardiovascular stamina and leg strength — you'll really sculpt your hamstrings, quads and glutes. Find a sturdy box that';s at least one foot high [like a Plyo Box, $139.95; 888-556-7464; performbetter.com]. Starting from a standing position, explosively jump to the middle of the box, then jump back down. Repeat 20 times."
—Michael George
Don't Skimp on Carbs
"Your body needs them to fuel a workout, so reach for fruit or high-fiber crackers an hour beforehand. If you'e exercising for 90 minutes or longer, include some protein so that the carbs break down more slowly, giving you longer-lasting energy. Your best bets: low-fat cheese and crackers, trail mix or half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."
—Cindy Sherwin, R.D., personal trainer at the Gym in New York City
Maximize Your Crunches
"Don't relax your abs as you lower your chest away from your knees during a crunch — you get only half the ab-toning benefit! To get the firmest abs possible, you need to sustain the contraction on the way down."
—Steve Ilg, founder of Wholistic Fitness Personal Training and author of Total Body Transformation (Hyperion, 2004)
Intensify Your Push-Up
"Squat-thrust push-ups get you in great shape because they work your upper body, core and lower body and improve agility, strength and endurance all at once. From a standing position, bend down, put your hands on the floor shoulder-width apart, and jump your feet back into plank position. If you're strong, cross your ankles; otherwise, jump your feet wide apart. Do a push-up, then jump your feet together or uncross your ankles. Jump your feet back to your hands and stand up. Do eight reps total, rest for one minute, and repeat."
—Keli Roberts, Los Angeles — based trainer
Paddle Your Way to Flatter Abs
"Go kayaking to get a taut stomach — it's ideal because much of your rowing power comes from your core. Mimic the motion and resistance of the water at home by looping an exercise band around the bottom of a table leg or other fixed object. Sit on the floor with legs extended, knees slightly bent; grasp one end of the band in each hand. Rotate your torso to one side as you bring the elbow back slightly, then switch sides. Do three sets of one to three minutes each."
—Barbara Bushman, Ph.D., associate professor of health, physical education and recreation at Southwest Missouri State University
Make Over Your Running Routine
"Unless you're training for a marathon, skip long, slow, distance running — sprinting builds more muscle. Add a few 10- to 60-second sprints to your run, slowing down just long enough to catch your breath between them."
—Stephen Holt, 2003 ACE Personal Trainer of the Year
Super-Sculpt Your Butt
"Get great glutes by targeting the muscles and connective tissues buried deep in your body. To hit them, do high-intensity squats, such as jump squats. Then, blast off butt flab with cross-country skiing, bleacher running and stair climbing."
—Steve Ilg

Exercise At Home Or Gym

Exercise At Home Or Gym

Making the decision of where you will go to exercise

is a very important step in reaching your goals of

fitness.  A lot of factors will go into this 

decision, and each one should be evaluated well

before you start exercising.  Once you have made 

a decision on where you will go to exercise, you

can move on to deciding how you plan to work out.

As you probably know, exercising at home has many

advantages.  The finance department is one of the

best advantages.  With the gas prices being what

they are today, it is quite obvious that you'll

save money on fuel as well as wear and tear on

your vehicle by choosing to exercise at home.

Memberships to a gym can often be quite expensive

and may include other things that you don't need

such as child care or swimming pools.  You also

won't need to be concerned about the latest 

trends of exercise gear as you most likely will

be exercising by yourself at home.

Keep in mind that working out at home does 

require a bit of financial obligation.  Even 

though you may plan to run, it is very important

that you have high quality running shoes.  This

statment applies to any type of equipment that 

you may purchase to use at home.  If you go

out and buy cheap equipment, you'll probably

end up getting hurt or getting frustrated because

you aren't making any progress.

Along with the financial gains, exercising at 

home may also help those who don't like to work

out in public.  If you are worried about how you

look in gym clothes, it is very comforting to

know that the only person who has to be with you

when you exercise at home is you.  Also, when

you exercise at home, you don't need to worry

about time at all.

Those of you who are motivated by being with

people you know or come to know while working

out away from home, a gym may be a better idea

than working out at home.  At the gym, you'll 

also more of a selection of equipment as well,

far more than you'll have at home.

If you need other services than just weights and

equipment, the gym may have just what you need.

If you plan to swim a triathlon, you'll find the

swimming pool at the gym to be just what you need

to prepare yourself.  Swimming is also a great 

exercise for your body and cardio, as it will work

muscles in your body that you probably didn't

even know you had.

Gyms will also offer you classes that you may find

very motivating.  If you attend class on a regular

basis, you may be motivated enough to continue

so you don't have to defend yourself when asked

where you've been or what you have been doing.

You can also meet new people in class, or just

help others along if you choose.

All in all, making the choice of exercising at 

home or at the gym is a choice you should make

based on your goals and personal preference.  The

most important decision you'll need to make is

to determine what type of environment you want

to be in and how you want to accomplish the

fitness goals in your life.

Once you have given it some thought and weighed

out the pros and cons, you'll have no problem

making the choice.  Always keep in mind that

once you've made your choice, you can always switch

if you aren't happy with the choice you made.

Yoga for Weight Loss: What you need know to succeed (part 2)

Yoga for Weight Loss: What you need know to succeed (part 2)

Welcome back folks.

Okay, letís cut right to the chase for how Yoga for weight loss works.
Weíve gone over the sun salutations and if you are anything like me, you probably tried them out and are sold on Yoga ëthe stretchingí exercise actually burning calories.

Now letís target the trouble spots.

Poses for Trouble Spots when Using Yoga for Weight Loss:

1. Abdominal Region: The Forward Bending Pose, the Bow Pose, the Peacock Pose, the spinal twist and the Triangle Pose.

2. The Arms: Definitely the Peacock Pose! the Wheel Pose, the Crow Pose, the Side plank Pose and the 4-limb Staff Pose.

3. The Thighs: The Bow Pose, The Shoulder-Stand, the Hero Pose, the triangle and wheel poses.

4. Love Handles: The spinal twist, the triangle pose, (with practice) the Side Crow Poses, (for ease) The Side plank pose.

I realize the spots above are the ones most of us seem to target when trying to lose weight, so I have made sure to go over them first.

Iím under the impression that if you had searched in google or done some research on Yoga for weight loss, you must have gotten some degree of information on the poses above, or signed up for a class, bought a Yoga DVD, something to learn some more about it, which is why I did not go over each pose in detail. But trust me, they are indeed very easy. I will emphasize though, performing the Sun Salutations (upwards of 24 rounds) should be your main focus in using Yoga for a weight loss regimen, even before the other poses.

This too will help: One pose that some Yogis and Yoginis state to be a versatile enough pose for the whole body will be the Shoulder-Stand. It is best practiced with its counter poses, in fact, since these poses have effects on the meta-physical and spiritual aspects of our lives, it will be safe to say never execute a yoga pose without counter posing it. You may throw some things out of normalcy.

Hereís a brief overview on the Shoulder-stand as a yoga pose for weight loss:
Spread a thick blanket on the floor and place your yoga mat on it. Lie on the back. Slowly raise the legs. Lift the trunk, hips and legs to a vertical position. Rest the elbows firmly on the floor and support the back with both hands. (See the Illustration for Proper Execution).  Raise the legs till they become vertical. Press the chin against the chest. This is the chin lock. While performing this pose, the back of the neck, the posterior part of the head and the shoulders should touch the floor. Breathe in counts of 5-5-5 (inhalation, retention and exhalation). Donít allow the body to shake. Its counter poses are the bridge and fish poses which will target your forearms/thighs and chest/neck respectively.

As I promised; here is the Breath of Fire breathing exercise that you can add to your yoga practice to speed up the burning of calories. (Doesnít the name alone tell you somethingÖ?)

Breath of Fire Exercise (aka Kapalabathi or Bellows Breath)

-Take a few breaths and see that the diaphragm is moving properly.  Now with the eyes closed (as they should be when performing all breathing exercises) make a sudden contraction of the abdomen with a backward push. This leads to a sudden yet firm expulsion of stagnant air from the lungs.

-Now follow this with a sudden relaxation (which naturally makes the new air rush in) now perform the exercise in this manner: passive inhalation and active expulsions at a rate of sudden abdominal push per second one after the other. A round should have 15-20 expulsions. Do not exceed 3 rounds

-You may gradually increase to 120 expulsions per round and then perform only 2 rounds. (As soon as you are doing 50 expulsions per round, do not exceed 2 rounds!) Between each round take a pause for about 30 seconds of normal breathing.

Now, there you have it, the information needed to get you started on the use of Yoga for weight loss: The poses for the trouble spots, the bellows breath, the shoulder-stand and the almighty Sun Salutations.

Remember, for the same reasons Hippocrates-the father of Medicine stated: ìLet your foods be your medicine and your medicine your foodsî, youíve got to include a proper diet when seeking to lose weight with yoga. Keep in mind this is an all too important limb of this exercise so, thereís no way around it friends. (But Iím sure you know that already)

So strike a pose, and see for yourself how Yoga for weight loss can be an effective and safe choice.

Yoga for Weight Loss: What you need know to succeed (part 1)

Yoga for Weight Loss: What you need know to succeed (part 1)

Using yoga for weight loss might not look effective to most people. I bet you theyíll go: ìNaw, itís just stretchingÖwhat can it possibly do to burn calories?î
Well, a lot my friend. Yoga can work for weight loss if you use it right and Iíll tell you what to do in due course.

ìBut how exactly can yoga work for weight loss Foras? (Thatís my name by the way), yaíll just stretching thatís itÖ!î

Boy, I canít tell you how many times Iíve heard that comment.

Well for interested parties, yoga as an option for weight loss is wise, safe and effective.
Remember, it is the oldest physical culture known to man and not only does this exercise work the body, it works the mind and soul as well. Hey, have you seen Madonna, Sting or Russell Simmons lately? (I can just see you go: ìForasÖthey were never overweight so donít go there! WellÖthey never gained weight either and they actually all still look good for there ages right?

Okay, here are the poses I recommend you use when using Yoga for weight loss.
Now my friend, I will go over what I believe is the CORE of Yoga Poses.
Trust me, there have been times when I did this alone and still got the benefits that yoga gives from daily practice.

Letís take notes:

The Sun Salutations When using Yoga for Weight Loss:

These exercises are a combination of Yoga Poses, Breathing Exercises, Sun Bathing and Prayer. They have been practiced for centuries by Yoga Practitioners in India, Martial Artists and African Wrestlers and as a system to rejuvenate the body and soul are beyond compare. Itís been said in the Drugless Healing circles that one round of the Sun Salutations is much better than a week of exercises at the gym!

They are very simple to learn and just about anyone, regardless of their fitness or flexibility levels can learn these simple exercises. In actuality, if you are familiar with ìburpiesî (the calisthenics exercise), they do derive their origin from the Sun Salutations.

Here are some of their benefits:
-They alleviate disorders of the skin and waist.
-Flexibility increases and breathing is corrected, moreover, they mildly exercise the legs and arms, thus increasing the circulation.
-They are the best way to burn calories and reduce weight and are often recommended for obesity and depression.
-They are an effective way of loosening up, stretching and massaging all joints and internal organs of the body.
-They stimulate and balance all the systems of the body including the endocrine, circulatory, reproductive and digestive system.

Technique:

1. Stand straight with the palms together as in a prayer position.

2. Inhale and stretch the arms above the head.

3. Exhale and bend forward while touching the toes.

4. Inhale and stretch the right leg away from the body in a big backward step and keep the hands and left foot firmly on the ground. Bending the head backward the left knee should be between the hands.

5. Inhale and hold the breath. Move the left leg from the body and, keeping both feet together and the knees of the floor, rest on the hands (arms straight) and keep the body in a straight line from head to foot.

6. Exhale and lower the body to the floor. In this position, only 8 portions of the body come in contact with the floor: the two feet, two knees, two hands, chest and forehead.

7. Inhale and bend back as much as possible bending the spine to the maximum.

8. Exhale and lift the body of the floor. Keep the feet and heels on the floor.

9. Inhale and bring the right foot along the level of the hands; left foot and knee should touch the ground. Look up, bending the spine slightly (same position as #4)

10. Exhale and bring the left leg forward. Keep the knees straight and bring the head down to the knees as in the third position.

11. Raise the arms overhead and bend backward inhaling. As in Position 2.

12. Exhale and drop the arms and relax.

You have now completed one round.

Perform as many rounds as possible in multiples of 3. Ideally you want to aim for 6 rounds minimum and up to a maximum of 30. It only takes about 5-10 minutes, depending on your speed and intensity and is best practiced with as little clothing as possible before an open air window first thing in the morning.

Okay, weíve gone over the core pose or combination thereof when using Yoga for weight loss in this part of the series of this article. Iíll go over SPECIFIC poses (asanas) that will target the trouble spots and some breathing exercises that would speed up burning up of calories. But my friends, note, when I say use yoga for weight loss; I mean ALL its limbs: the poses, the prescribed diet for practice and mind-set. If you were doing conventional exercise for weight loss, youíd know to eat a healthier diet rightÖ?
Well the same applies to yoga for weight loss as well friends.

See you in part 2 of this article.