Six Ideas for Lunch-Hour Fitness

office stretch

Experts often recommend taking a half-hour walk during your office lunch hour, and it's true that that's a great way to get your blood  moving, burn some calories and feel healthier and happier. However, walking day after day can get boring — not to mention, cardiovascular exercise is only half the equation. When you're looking to change things up, here are some great exercises you can do during your lunch hour to get into tip-top shape. 1. Lunges in the park: If you're near a park, take advantage of your lunch hour to get out into nature, where you'll feel refreshed almost instantly … [Read more...]

Power Yoga for Swimsuit Season

power-yoga

As part of your workout regimen to get ready for swimsuit season, why not try a vigorous form of yoga called power yoga? Power yoga, or power vinyasa, yoga, is a flowing series of postures, or asanas, linked together one to the next through the breath. Because you are moving through the poses at a quicker pace than other forms of yoga, you can burn up to 500 calories or more in an hour-long practice! Most people don’t think of yoga as a way to help you lose weight, but practicing power yoga helps build a swimsuit-ready body in the following ways: 1) Power yoga utilizes a type of breathing … [Read more...]

Super Set for Super Results

1_Laura_Mak_Fitness

In less time than it takes to watch a few youtube videos, answer emails, or make a cup of coffee, you can burn as many calories as if you were to go for a brisk mile and half walk. You can do this workout at home, outside, at the gym, or in your hotel room – my point is it can go with you wherever you are! This power-packed routine will turn up the intensity with more speed and lots of muscles being simultaneously used. Because it is a full body workout, you will feel not only the core, but the rest of your body engaged and energized. You can burn stress and fat with this high-energy super … [Read more...]

Free Weights vs. Machines?

free weight girl

Q.  If all things are equal will I get faster results from free weights or from machines? A. Unless you have an injury free weights should always be your choice of exercise for several reasons. Here are a few advantages of free weights: – Using barbells & dumbbells are much more effective in strengthing/developing synergistic muscles, e.g. rotator cuff. – Biomechanically free weights match the natural movements of the body. – Overall you will develop greater strength & size using free weights. – Overall power is achieved much more efficiently. Here are a few … [Read more...]