Use these body-slimming balance drills to sculpt your abs and improve your posture.
From the editors of Fitness magazine
Target Your Posture
Balance drills sculpt your abs, improve your posture, and help you look slimmer overall, says Ellen Werther, a trainer in New York City. Work up to three sets of 10 to 12 reps per move.
Beginner: Squat on a Board
1. Stand in the center of a balance board with feet hip-width apart.
2. Sit back into a squat, trying to keep board as steady as possible.
3. Raise arms in front of you or use a wall if needed for support.
Intermediate: One-Legged Kick
One-Legged Kick
1. Stand with feet hip-width apart. Extend left leg behind you parallel to the floor as you raise arms in front of you.
2. Simultaneously bend right knee. Come to a stand.
3. Repeat on other side.
Advanced: Single-Leg Hop
Single-Leg Hop
1. Stand 3 inches in front of a step, hands on hips. Lift right foot off floor.
2. Hop left foot onto center of step and hold for 3 counts, keeping abs tight.
3. Extend right leg and both arms out in front of you, then hold for another 3 counts.
4. Return to starting position and repeat on the opposite leg.
Originally published in Fitness magazine, October 2005.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
10 Reasons Why Exercise Makes You Thin
10 Reasons Why Exercise Makes You Thin (Or Why TIME Magazine Got It Wrong)
Six experts weigh in on how and why exercise is a critical weight-loss strategy.
By Holly Pevzner
Thinking TIME magazine's recent article, "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin," is giving you a good excuse to skip your workout in favor of a beer or 3? Think again. We've always known that exercise is critical to losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight, especially when paired with healthy eating habits. But just to be sure, we double-checked with six experts around the country -- here's what they said.
Countless studies, numerous experts who study exercise, and the millions of people who have lost weight all attest to the fact that working out works. "Exercise is absolutely essential for dropping weight and maintaining weight loss," says FITNESS advisory board member Michele S. Olson, PhD, professor of exercise science at Auburn University Montgomery. Here's what exercise does -- and how it does it -- to keep you healthy, happy, and slim.
1. Exercise zaps belly fat.
It's the easiest way to beat the bulge, period. "Regular moderate- to high-intensity aerobic exercise has the greatest impact on reducing ab fat -- the dangerous fat that ups your risk of diabetes and heart disease," says Olson. Exercise is the ultimate middle manager because it lowers levels of cortisol, a hormone that has been linked to ab fat. In fact, women with the most cortisol in their system have higher BMIs and bigger bellies than those with moderate amounts of the hormone, found a University of California at San Francisco study.
2. Exercise controls calories.
"It's pretty simple: You need to burn more calories than you consume in order to lose weight," says Nancy Snyderman, MD, a FITNESS advisory board member, editor-in-chief of BeWell.com, and chief medical editor for NBC news. Regular exercise blasts excess calories that would otherwise be stored as fat. "Plus, you continue to burn calories even in the hours following your workout," says Dr. Snyderman.
3. Exercise keeps lost pounds MIA.
"Ninety percent of people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off for a year do about an hour of physical activity a day," says John Porcari, PhD, a FITNESS advisory board member and a professor of exercise and sports medicine at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Exercise is even prescribed by docs for people who have undergone weight-loss surgery to help them hold onto their newly thin figures.
4. Exercise boosts metabolism.
Yes, you'll lose fat when you diet without exercising, but you'll also lose muscle, which means you'll burn fewer calories. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism and the more calories you'll torch.
5. Exercise trims inches.
The number on the scale doesn't tell the whole truth, says FITNESS advisory board member Jari Love, a certified personal trainer and fitness DVD star: "When you shed fat and gain muscle you may lose inches and drop sizes without losing actual pounds." For instance, if you gain 3 pounds of lean muscle and lose 4 pounds of fat, you've actually experienced a 7-pound improvement in your body condition, despite the scale only showing 1 pound of weight loss.
6. Exercise curbs emotional eating.
"Working out has been proven time and time again to help regulate mood, which has a direct effect on people who eat when they're stressed or upset," says Robert E. Thayer, PhD, a professor of psychology at California State University, Long Beach. Translation: When you're already in your happy place you don't need Ben & Jerry to lead the way.
7. Exercise creates a healthy chain reaction.
There's a reason you find juice bars at the gym: "Healthy habits tend to cluster together," says Boston-based psychologist Eric Endlich, PhD. "When people make positive changes, like getting more exercise, they tend to work on other health improvements as well, such as eating better." The result? Weight loss.
8. Exercise brings on the fun.
Let's face it: Rock-climbing is way more exciting than eating a celery stick. That's why it's easier to be active to stay slim than to maintain a strict diet. "If you look at people who incorporate exercise successfully in their lives, they've found something they truly enjoy," says Dr. Snyderman.
9. Exercise stops hunger.
People who exercise and diet are actually less hungry than those who only diet, according to a study in the journal Obesity. Bonus: Your self-restraint is higher, too.
10. Exercise ups energy.
Regular physical activity increases stamina by boosting the body's production of energy-promoting neurotransmitters, studies show. That pep gives you even more motivation to get moving and shed pounds. When was the last time diet alone did all that?
Originally published on FitnessMagazine.com, August 2009.
You Might Also Like
Related Links
So Long, Job Fat!
Total-Body Fat Blast
8 Ways to Burn More Fat, Faster
Six experts weigh in on how and why exercise is a critical weight-loss strategy.
By Holly Pevzner
Thinking TIME magazine's recent article, "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin," is giving you a good excuse to skip your workout in favor of a beer or 3? Think again. We've always known that exercise is critical to losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight, especially when paired with healthy eating habits. But just to be sure, we double-checked with six experts around the country -- here's what they said.
Countless studies, numerous experts who study exercise, and the millions of people who have lost weight all attest to the fact that working out works. "Exercise is absolutely essential for dropping weight and maintaining weight loss," says FITNESS advisory board member Michele S. Olson, PhD, professor of exercise science at Auburn University Montgomery. Here's what exercise does -- and how it does it -- to keep you healthy, happy, and slim.
1. Exercise zaps belly fat.
It's the easiest way to beat the bulge, period. "Regular moderate- to high-intensity aerobic exercise has the greatest impact on reducing ab fat -- the dangerous fat that ups your risk of diabetes and heart disease," says Olson. Exercise is the ultimate middle manager because it lowers levels of cortisol, a hormone that has been linked to ab fat. In fact, women with the most cortisol in their system have higher BMIs and bigger bellies than those with moderate amounts of the hormone, found a University of California at San Francisco study.
2. Exercise controls calories.
"It's pretty simple: You need to burn more calories than you consume in order to lose weight," says Nancy Snyderman, MD, a FITNESS advisory board member, editor-in-chief of BeWell.com, and chief medical editor for NBC news. Regular exercise blasts excess calories that would otherwise be stored as fat. "Plus, you continue to burn calories even in the hours following your workout," says Dr. Snyderman.
3. Exercise keeps lost pounds MIA.
"Ninety percent of people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off for a year do about an hour of physical activity a day," says John Porcari, PhD, a FITNESS advisory board member and a professor of exercise and sports medicine at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Exercise is even prescribed by docs for people who have undergone weight-loss surgery to help them hold onto their newly thin figures.
4. Exercise boosts metabolism.
Yes, you'll lose fat when you diet without exercising, but you'll also lose muscle, which means you'll burn fewer calories. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism and the more calories you'll torch.
5. Exercise trims inches.
The number on the scale doesn't tell the whole truth, says FITNESS advisory board member Jari Love, a certified personal trainer and fitness DVD star: "When you shed fat and gain muscle you may lose inches and drop sizes without losing actual pounds." For instance, if you gain 3 pounds of lean muscle and lose 4 pounds of fat, you've actually experienced a 7-pound improvement in your body condition, despite the scale only showing 1 pound of weight loss.
6. Exercise curbs emotional eating.
"Working out has been proven time and time again to help regulate mood, which has a direct effect on people who eat when they're stressed or upset," says Robert E. Thayer, PhD, a professor of psychology at California State University, Long Beach. Translation: When you're already in your happy place you don't need Ben & Jerry to lead the way.
7. Exercise creates a healthy chain reaction.
There's a reason you find juice bars at the gym: "Healthy habits tend to cluster together," says Boston-based psychologist Eric Endlich, PhD. "When people make positive changes, like getting more exercise, they tend to work on other health improvements as well, such as eating better." The result? Weight loss.
8. Exercise brings on the fun.
Let's face it: Rock-climbing is way more exciting than eating a celery stick. That's why it's easier to be active to stay slim than to maintain a strict diet. "If you look at people who incorporate exercise successfully in their lives, they've found something they truly enjoy," says Dr. Snyderman.
9. Exercise stops hunger.
People who exercise and diet are actually less hungry than those who only diet, according to a study in the journal Obesity. Bonus: Your self-restraint is higher, too.
10. Exercise ups energy.
Regular physical activity increases stamina by boosting the body's production of energy-promoting neurotransmitters, studies show. That pep gives you even more motivation to get moving and shed pounds. When was the last time diet alone did all that?
Originally published on FitnessMagazine.com, August 2009.
You Might Also Like
Related Links
So Long, Job Fat!
Total-Body Fat Blast
8 Ways to Burn More Fat, Faster
Work Out Playlist Favorites!
Workout Playlists
Tired of doing the same iPod shuffle every time you hit the gym? Plug into one of FITNESS' exclusive music playlists, featuring favorites from celebrities, personal trainers, and editors. These MP3s will keep you pumped from warm up to cool down.
Our Top 100 Workout Songs
Pump up your workout playlist with the best workout songs for every type of exercise.- Download our Top 100 Workout Songs Playlist
- Don't see your favorite workout song here? Tell us your favorite workout music!
Reader Favorites: Workout Music Playlists
You voted Rihanna as the Ultimate Workout Song Superstar, defeating Beyonce for the top spot. Celebrate her climb to the top of your iPods with this all-Rihanna workout playlist.8 Ways to Burn More Fat, Faster
News flash: You don't have to overhaul your life to work off mega calories. Here are our eight simple rules for squeezing the most out of your everyday routine to score the silhouette you've been sweating for.
Rules 1-4
So you think you know the drill on getting a good body. But we're not after good; we're after great.Rule #1: Be an early bird to get the workout.
Lace up first thing and you'll increase your odds of exercising today threefold. A study of 500 people at the Mollen Clinic, a preventive medicine and wellness center in Scottsdale, Arizona, found that 75 percent of those who worked out in the morning did so regularly, compared with just half the afternoon exercisers and a quarter of the post-work crowd. "At the beginning of the day, you have the fewest excuses for skipping exercise," says clinic founder Arthur Mollen, DO. Not waking up early enough, of course, is the main one. "Limit using the snooze button to only five minutes so that you don't fall into a deep sleep again," Dr. Mollen advises. Bonus! You'll go to work feeling focused: A recent study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that 20 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise improved concentration, reading comprehension, and cognitive function.Rule #2: Hit the metal before the pedal.
Instead of going from zero to 60 to sweat off the calories, consider this: Doing a quick sculpting routine pre-cardio could increase the amount of fat you melt. Exercisers in a study at the University of Tokyo who biked within 20 minutes of lifting weights tapped more of their fat stores than those who rested longer or didn't tone at all.The firm-then-burn order is also good for your heart: Arteries stiffen during resistance training, increasing blood pressure, but a cardio chaser such as a 20-minute run counteracts these effects and expedites your arteries' return to normal, explains Rohit Arora, MD, chairman of cardiology at the Chicago Medical School. Plus, strength training "takes coordination and good technique, so you get more out of it if you come to it fresh," says Kent Adams, PhD, director of the Exercise Physiology Lab at California State University, Monterey Bay. "Meanwhile, cardio is a rhythmic, low-skill activity that's the easier of the two to do in a fatigued state," Adams says.
Rule #3: Push your pace, rev your metabolism.
Finished toning and ready to get sweaty? Gun it a bit for a bigger afterburn. "High-intensity exercise increases the release of growth hormones, which mobilize fat to be used as fuel, plus it causes your metabolism to stay elevated about 10 to 15 percent above its baseline, so you're burning more fat for several hours post-workout," says Arthur Weltman, PhD, director of the Exercise Physiology Laboratory at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. In other words, if you worked off 300 calories during your session, you'll get a bonus burn of about 45 calories even after you've toweled off.To net the effect, stick to a speed you consider challenging: In a 16-week study that Weltman conducted with obese women, those who worked out at what they felt was high intensity (a brisk walk or jog in most cases) three days a week and at low intensity for two whittled an inch and a half more from their waists than the low-intensity-only group. Or try alternating between sprinting (racewalking, pedaling fast, swimming at top speed) for one minute and slowing down enough to recover for the next minute.
Rule #4: Give up your seat to trim your bottom line.
Even regular exercisers could benefit from extra toning of their tush, the largest muscle group in the body, which dozes all day at your desk job. "When you're walking or running, it's your hamstrings, hip flexors, and calf muscles that get the most work," says FITNESS advisory board member Vonda Wright, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "Unless you're going uphill, your glutes don't play a major role." The good news? If you bailed on doing those butt-firming squats during your workout, you can easily sneak them in when your cube mate isn't looking. Stand up from your chair, feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your bottom to the seat as though you're going to sit, touch down, and then spring up, squeezing your glutes as you straighten. Do three sets of 10 to 15 reps two or even three times throughout the day.Rules 5-8
Rule #5: Take a power walk to beat a midday slump.
Call it the 20-20 rule: As little as 20 minutes of low-intensity aerobic activity such as walking can give you a 20 percent surge in energy, research at the University of Georgia in Athens finds. "It's paradoxical: Many people assume that they'll get tired from exercise. But the opposite actually happens," says study author Patrick O'Connor, PhD, a professor of kinesiology. "We're not certain what the biological mechanism is," he says, "but indirect evidence suggests that brain chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin are altered and cause the improved energy." Besides, that quick recharge just burned about 75 calories. Sure beats adding 250 spike-then-slump calories' worth of Skittles.Rule #6: Do the two-step.
When you opt for the stairs, go at them two at a time -- as long as you're not wearing heels. The quick bursts of power activate your legs' fast-twitch muscle fibers, which burn more calories than slow-twitch fibers. Plus, you'll be using a part of your muscles that commonly doesn't get enough action. "Fast muscle cells are designed so you can jump far, kick hard, punch fast -- moves that you call on less and less in modern society," says Scott Mazzetti, PhD, a professor of exercise science at Salisbury University in Maryland. "But unfortunately it's a use-them-or-lose-them situation, so it's good to activate them regularly."Rule #7: Go like Gumby.
Consistent stretching significantly decreases muscle soreness, according to a study at the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for Health Services in Oslo. Skipped your stretches postexercise? Wind down with this 17-minute allover loosener from Jennifer Huberty, PhD, an exercise physiologist at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.- Warm up first with 5 minutes of brisk high-knee marching.
- Toe-reach stretch (targets hamstrings, which remain shortened all day as you're seated): Sit on the floor with your left leg straight in front of you, knee slightly bent, right leg bent out to the side and resting on the floor. Reach for your toes without bouncing and hold for 30 seconds; relax. Do 3 stretches, then switch legs and repeat.
- Hip-flexor stretch (targets hips, which also are tight in desk jockeys): Lie faceup on the floor with your left leg bent, left foot flat, and bend your right knee out to the side so your right ankle is crossed over and resting on the lower left thigh. Grasp your left thigh with both hands and pull it toward you until you feel a comfortable stretch in your right hip, glutes, and outer thigh. Hold for 30 seconds; switch legs and repeat. Do 3 stretches per side.
- Side stretch (targets upper back and waistline): Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Raise arms overhead and interlock fingers with palms facing up. Keeping your middle centered, hinge at the waist to the right; hold for 30 seconds. Return to center and reach up; hold for 30 seconds.
- Switch sides; repeat. Do 3 stretches on each side.
Rule #8: Set out your sneakers.
A recent FITNESS poll found that sneakers -- with sports bras being a close second -- are the piece of gear that is forgotten most often, foiling women's workout plans. Clear that obstacle by, well, making them an obstacle in front of the door you exit in the a.m., suggests Diane Klein, PhD, chair of exercise and sports sciences at Tennessee Wesleyan College in Athens. "Seeing them will remind you that you planned to exercise," Klein says. For motivation to move, kicks are worth a thousand words.Originally published in FITNESS magazine, November/December 2009.
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