Yesterday I was on a complete workout high. I did an hour cardio-pump class in the morning and hour and a half of level three yoga at night. I felt great. I woke up today feeling pretty sore, but accomplished. Just as I was putting my sneakers on to go running I was watching The Today Show and Kathie Lee and Hoda were talking about how your body needs to rest in between work outs for maximum results. I looked at the segment as a blessing and sat my butt back down. Turns out, there is such thing as over working out and more isn’t always better.
Tag Archives: work out
Have you ever taken pilates? Besides strengthening your core and arms it also helps to increase your overall flexibility. When I was younger I used to take the classes regularly and let me tell you, they are vigorous! However, proof is in the pudding and they are well worth it.
In a recent study of 50 physically active people, half took pilates twice a week for an hour each time and the other half maintained their regular gym routine for a total of 12 weeks.
After the three month period, researchers found that the participants who took the pilates classes had a much greater increase in overall strength and flexibility than those who maintained their normal physical activity. The pilates group was able to do 39 percent more sit ups and 47 percent more sit ups in a minute than the other group. Other physical activities were tested as well. The pilates group even grew a centimeter in height!
There’s no reason to give up your regular workout for pilates, but a class or two a week would be a great add on. You can even do them in your own living room and follow instructors on demand or youtube.
There are certain songs that completely enhance my mood and make me want to hit the gym. I love to run to house music and lift to hip hop. No matter what, I need to have something constantly on that makes me want to dance. Studies prove that the rhythmic speed of your tunes influence your athletic performance.
Fast-paced music is great for cardio (it makes sense that I like to run to house music). The best pump-it-up music should be between 120-140 beats per minute. If you really want to check to see if you’re maximizing your playlist for your workout routine, simply count the beats in the song or you can use a Windows BPM calculator.
Choose your favorite, most high-energy song to start and finish your cardio routine. This will help you get going and entice you to finish. Just when you think you can’t go anymore, the song will come on reinforcing you to fight to the end.
Here are some of my personal favorite, up-beat songs that get me to the finish line:
Dynamite by Taio Curz
I’m In Love by Alex Gaudino
S & M by Rihanna
Stereo Love by Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina
Gettin’ Over You by David Guetta
Over by Drake
Whether you like it or not summer is creeping up on you. If taking out your favorite bikini as a reminder and plastering pictures of Victoria’s Secret models on your refrigerator still hasn’t motivated you maybe these tips will help give you the extra little boost you need to get going. Fitness expert, Theionious Johnson weighed in on some easy ways to shape up in no time:
- Set Realistic Goals: Write it out. Make a list of things you’d like to accomplish in a certain time span. If you write lose 10 pounds, make sure you give yourself ample amount of time to meet the goal. Weekly goals are great motivators too.
- Exercise Before Bed: No matter when your normally exercise do an extra 20 minutes before you go to sleep. It will help burn calories while you sleep and clear your mind. This can be as simple as jump roping at home.
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