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Are You Burned Out on Exercise? Exercise burnout isn't a pretty thing to witness. It may cause uncontrollable crying, intense crankiness and even violence or vandalism committed against inanimate objects (like workout shoes, treadmills or other exercise-related equipment). Burnout can reach even further, if you don't catch it soon enough, leaving you feeling depressed, sore, tired, unmotivated and not really caring that you're unmotivated- all signs of overtraining. There are some signs of an impending burnout, but some of the most obvious include: Poor Performance - You may keep trying to run a certain speed or lift a certain amount of weight, but you never seem to get there. If your performance is declining, your body may need some extra rest days. Exercise Dread - If all of your workouts are hard and unsatisfying, you may start to feel as though you'd rather do anything than exercise. Self-Doubt - The worst part of burn out is feeling like you're doing something wrong. Often, when things go wrong with our workouts, our instinct is to work even harder. It's as though we think we can make our bodies do what we want. Sometimes that's true but, if you're burned out or overtrained, your body is going to tell you what it can and can't do. Forcing things may only make things worse. Taking a break is the most obvious choice for dealing with burnout, but you don't have to completely stop exercising. In fact, burnout is the perfect time to try something completely different. If your performance has been in the toilet lately, think of a light activity you know you can do well without much effort. Yoga, stretching, walking the dog, swimming, hula-hooping, Wii Fit - anything that will help you reconnect with your body in a less intense way and remind you that feeling good is an important part of any exercise routine. What about you? How do you know when you're burned out and what do you do about it? Have you ever quit exercising because you felt burned out? Leave a comment and tell us about it.Are You Burned Out on Exercise? originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Wednesday, September 8th, 2010 at 05:00:26.Permalink | Comment | Email this Exercise of the Week - Kettlebell Single Arm Swing Curl The kettlebell is probably one of my favorites pieces of equipment. There's something about 'breaking the rules' and being allow the swing a weight (usually a big no-no in traditional strength training) that makes a person feel powerful and strong in a whole different way. Kettlebell training isn't easy but, once you get the basics down (hopefully from an expert instructor), there are a variety of exercises you can do that can make your workout more intense and more fun (depending on your definition of fun, of course). The single arm curl is one of my favorite kettlebell exercises because it's a dynamic way to work the biceps while involving the lower body as well. I don't know about you, but I get tired of doing the same old biceps exercises (lift, lower, rinse, repeat). This move challenges your biceps as well as your forearms and wrists, as you work to keep the kettlebell upright and stable. The squat and swing adds a bit of a cardio element to the move, making it a great overall exercise. If you don't have a kettlebell or you don't feel comfortable with that type of training, you can try this move with a regular dumbbell, although it won't have quite the same effect. Do it right: - Hold a medium kettlebell in the right hand by your side. Step to the right and lower into a squat, swinging the weight between the knees. Step the feet back together as you thrust the hips up, swinging the weight up into a biceps curl. At the end of the movement, the bottom of the kettlebell should be pointing straight up with the wrist strong and straight. Repeat for 8-12 reps before switching sides, completing 1-3 sets. Exercise of the Week - Kettlebell Single Arm Swing Curl originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 at 05:00:02.Permalink | Comment | Email this Labor Day Workouts Labor Day is often the symbolic end of summer, thus ushering in thoughts of cold, dark, wintery days that make you want to crawl under your bed and...wait, that is way too depressing. Whatever Labor Day means to you, it is a holiday and, if you have the day off, it's also a great time to exercise. You thought I was going to say it's a great time to sleep late, didn't you? You can sleep late, but you can also use this free time for a good workout. I've posted a few ideas below, for your exercise pleasure. Short and Sweet Boot Camp Circuit Quick Total Body 10-Minute Strength & Power Circuit Sprint Interval Workout 10-Minute Travel Workout For a Serious Challenge... Advanced Cardio & Strength Circuit Advanced Lower Body and Core Upper Body Power and Strength Boredom Buster Treadmill Workout - 55 Minutes Low-Impact Cardio Blast Simple and Relaxing Core and Flexibility 10-Minute Yoga Basic Stretch Seated Upper Body Stretch What's on your plate for the holiday? Leave a comment and give us some workout ideas for the long weekend.Labor Day Workouts originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Saturday, September 4th, 2010 at 05:00:57.Permalink | Comment | Email this Avoid Weight Gain on the Road For our last holiday of the summer, my husband and I will be embarking on a road trip of epic proportions (okay, we're only driving a few hours, but it will feel epic). There will be arguments over what music to listen to, when to stop for the bathroom and the purchase of gas station junk food which is, for some reason, synonymous with road trips. With many of us hitting the road this Labor Day, there will no doubt be many arguments across the country over just these issues, but there are ways to ensure you'll have a healthy road trip. One way, of course, is to bring a cooler full of healthy snacks so you won't be tempted by the shiny, pretty boxes of snack cakes at the gas station. Sure, carrots aren't as much fun as, say, jalapeno and fire-roasted beef jerky flavored Doritoes, but they're better for your waistline and they won't stain your fingers an alarming orange color not found in nature. (Is there any chance my husband is buying this argument?) You'll find more ideas in my article, Avoiding Weight Gain on the Road. Are you taking a road trip this year and, if so, how will you eat healthy and stay active? Leave a comment to tell us about it. More Travel Exercise Tips No Equipment Travel Workouts Exercising on Vacation Resistance Band Workouts Avoid Weight Gain on the Road originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Friday, September 3rd, 2010 at 05:00:25.Permalink | Comment | Email this Reader Success Story - How Abi Got Her Husband to Exercise Of all the success stories I've gotten from my readers, one that begins with the sentence: "I got my husband into playing World of Warcraft with me," gets the prize for the most unusual way to get one's spouse to exercise. In fact, Abi's story gets even better and, frankly, I have to admire her ingenuity and the stealthy way she drew her husband into her active WoW world. She started by making the exercise room a little more desirable with new paint, a sound system and a treadmill desk that allowed them to play their game while walking. Her husband was hooked...so hooked that she got him to join a gym and do fun things like rock climbing, playing squash and playing on the water slides. Abi's approach was to make being active fun for the both of them and, as she says, "Instead of telling him how fun exercise could be, I showed him how much fun it was -- and the music and the colors of the room and the smile on my face made my point so much clearer than anything I could have said." What a great story! Read more of Abi's story and share your own if you've got one. Abi just proves that being creative in your approach can have big payoffs in the end.Reader Success Story - How Abi Got Her Husband to Exercise originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 at 05:00:47.Permalink | Comment | Email this What's Your Best Exercise Advice? Unsolicited exercise advice isn't always welcome, especially if you're in the middle of a workout at the gym. I once had a man say, "Hey little lady, should you be lifting all that weight?" to which I responded, "Oh, you mean this isn't the nail salon? Well, shut my mouth." Okay, I didn't say that, but I thought it. In that setting, exercise advice can be annoying but, under the right circumstances, the right advice can change a person's life. I'm thinking about the best advice I ever got from a fellow trainer. She was watching me struggle through a workout and said, "You know, it's totally okay to suck sometimes." It's strange, but I've always remembered that and it's helped me get through a number of tough workouts. I know that many of my readers have years of exercise experience and probably have more wisdom in their pinky toes than many personal trainers I know (including myself). Today, I want to tap into that wisdom to get your best exercise advice. What do you know now that you wish you knew then? Or perhaps you got some great advice that still resonates with you today. Either way, leave a comment or, even better, post your advice here for all of our readers to enjoy. Your advice may just save a floundering workout routine.What's Your Best Exercise Advice? originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 at 05:00:45.Permalink | Comment | Email this Workout of the Week - Sprint Interval Workout If you've ever slogged through a long, boring cardio machine workout, you know how tedious it can be (and if you put a towel over the display in order to pretend that you weren't watching the clock, you get bonus points). Your goal may be to burn calories, but what you end up doing is wondering - How can a treadmill actually stop time and isn't this against the laws of physics? If burning calories without being bored is a goal of yours, sprinkling in a little interval training 1 or 2 times a week will do the trick. Interval workouts are great for burning calories - you work hard for a short period of time and, while working hard is...well...hard, knowing you only have to do it for a minute or so helps you feel better about it. During that hard interval, you're building endurance, increasing your anaerobic threshold and you end up burning even more calories for the rest of the day. There are a variety of ways to do interval training, but if you want a real challenge, this Sprint Interval Workout has got it all. In this workout, your intervals involve going all out - as in, there's a big, snarling dog chasing you and your only chance to escape is to go as fast as you can. Luckily, the dog only chases you for 30 seconds and then he allows you to rest for 4.5 minutes, at which point he inexplicably starts chasing you again, repeating this behavior 4 times. At the end of this workout, you'll feel spent, satisfied and bite-free. Do you have a favorite interval workout? Leave a comment and tell us about it.Workout of the Week - Sprint Interval Workout originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 at 05:00:26.Permalink | Comment | Email this Vote in This Week's Poll: Have you ever regained weight after following a diet? I once lost two pounds after following the Grape Diet (if you haven't heard of it, that's because my high school friends made it up and it basically involves eating only grapes all day long, which I don't recommend). After one day of grape-eating, I went off the diet and I gained back that two pounds...and then another couple of pounds because I felt compelled to gorge myself after a day of deprivation. I wasn't very smart about my eating back then, but this cycle of lose-weight/gain-weight is quite common in the world of diets. In fact, the statistics on diets aren't very good. Some studies suggest that: Most dieters lose 5-10% of their body weight in the first few months of a diet, but... Up to two thirds of dieters not only regain weight 4-5 years after following a diet, they often gain even more than they originally lost What about you? Have you ever lost weight on a diet, only to gain it back (and more)? Vote in this week's poll and then leave a comment to tell us about your experiences. Why did you regain the weight and what you have you learned from that? Do you still follow diets? Tell us about it. Autoregulatory Progressive Resistance Exercise: A Better Way to Lift Weights? The way I learned to lift weights was based on linear progression, or the idea that increasing the intensity over time (i.e., adding more weight while reducing reps) will increase strength. That makes sense but, what fitness experts are realizing is something most of us probably already know: The body doesn't always perform the same way from day to day. There are any number of things that can affect your performance. Maybe you didn't sleep well the night before or you're stressed out about your mother-in-law coming to visit. Maybe you're fighting a cold or maybe you're having a bad hair day. Any of these situations can make your performance suffer and, though you may think there's something wrong with you (wondering: "Why can't I lift as much as I did last week?"), it's natural and something you can use to make your workouts more effective. That's what scientists looked into with Autoregulatory Progressive Resistance Exercise (APRE) which asks the (very paraphrased) question: What happens if the amount of weight you lift and the number of reps you do each day was based on how you feel and how well you can perform? That's the question scientists looked into in a recent study published in The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. The study took college football players through a standard linear progression workout and an APRE workout. In the linear workout, the athletes increased the amount of weight they were using in a planned progression, going from 70% of their one rep max to 85% over a series of sets. In the APRE group, the athletes adjusted their weights based on how they were performing, rather than on a planned progression. The results? The APRE group increased their strength more than the linear group over a 6 week period. Most of us probably don't follow a rigid periodized program, like the ones in the study, but one very unscientific way to use this approach in your own workouts is to simply ask yourself: How does this weight feel? If it's too heavy, lighten up. If it's too light, add more weight. Too often we feel obligated to use a certain amount of weight regardless of how it actually feels but, as the study shows, going by what your body can actually do that day may lead to greater strength gains. What about you? Do you use this method in your own training or do you follow a more planned progression from week to week? Is this something you'd like to try in your own workouts? Leave a comment and tell us what you think. Source: Mann B, Thyfault J, Ivey P. The Effect of Autoregulatory Progressive Resistance Exercise vs. Linear Periodization on Strength Improvement in College Athletes. J Strenth Cond Res. 2010 July; 24(7): 1718-1723. Autoregulatory Progressive Resistance Exercise: A Better Way to Lift Weights? originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Friday, August 27th, 2010 at 05:00:11.Permalink | Comment | Email this Get Out of Your Summer Slump This time of year, our exercise routines are tougher to eke out. The heat seems endless, the flora is getting dry and crispy, the Cubs are totally losing and school is on the horizon, if it hasn't already started. Now is a great time fire up your enthusiasm and find some of the motivation that may be missing. One way to do that is to change things up and do something totally different. Some ideas: Three Weight Workout - Pick up 3 sets of dumbbells - one light, one medium, one heavy. Start with the light weights and do all the moves you can think of with that weight. For example, lighter weights are great for the shoulders, biceps and triceps. Now pick up the medium weights and do the same thing, focusing for example on the chest and back. For the heavy weights, you might shift your focus to the lower body, giving you a total body workout on the fly. All or Nothing Workout - For this workout, choose 5-10 compound exercises (i.e., squat thrusts (burpees), pushups, squats, lunges, dips and turkish get ups) and do each one for as long as you can. As soon as you lose good form, stop and move on to the next exercise. No Equipment Workouts - Sometimes just dragging out the weights can make you feel exhausted. One idea is to free yourself from all that baggage and try one of these body weight workouts: No Weight Workout, No Equipment Workout for Travelers, Boot Camp Circuit What about you? Do you have any ideas for new ways we can shake up our routines? Leave a comment and tell us how to get out of the summer exercise slump. Get Out of Your Summer Slump originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Thursday, August 26th, 2010 at 05:00:23.Permalink | Comment | Email this Avoid Weight Gain in College When I was in college, I never woke up late for class and scarfed stale, cold pizza as a quick breakfast. I never spent an entire day in my dorm room watching soap operas without once getting up. I also never gained 5 pounds of pizza-beer blubber during my first semester. Okay, it's possible all those things are true, but it's been so long that I've decided to rewrite my own history. If you're going to college this year, you've got a lot on your plate and exercise may not be a top priority, but it's a necessity if you want to manage your weight, reduce stress levels and give your brain more power for all that studying. If I could change one thing about my college experience, it would be my exercise habits (or lack thereof) for my first couple of years. Oh and I would probably do something about my grades and all. There are ways to avoid weight gain, but one thing you can do right now is take a look at your schedule and figure out how you can squeeze in some exercise. Some ideas: Join the student fitness center - If you have a fitness center on campus, chances are you can get a discount membership or, in some cases, workout for free. Don't forget to check into local gyms. Many may offer student discounts as well. Look for ways to move more - Could you jog, inline skate or walk around campus before or between classes? What about P.E. classes? You might be able to sign up for something active and get credit for doing it. Exercise in your dorm room or apartment - There are plenty of body weight exercises you can do to work your body whenever you have time. This Boot Camp Circuit Workout is intense, requires no equipment and can be done just about anywhere. What about you? Are you going to college and, if so, what are your plans for keeping your weight in check? If you've been there, did you gain weight? Leave a comment and tell us about your college experiences.Avoid Weight Gain in College originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 at 05:00:18.Permalink | Comment | Email this Exercise of the Week: Ball Walks The exercise ball is probably my favorite piece of exercise equipment. Its ball-like quality is what makes it kind of awesome because you can sit on it, lie down on it and roll on it. You can lift weights on it or work your abs or increase your balance (or all three at the same time, in some cases). Despite its awesomeness, the ball is also the one piece of equipment that gets the most dubious looks from my clients. "You want me to sit on that while I lift weights?" is a question I hear frequently. Yes, dear client, and that's only the beginning. When I get that you-must-be-crazy look, I know it'll be tough going, so I start with easier moves to get people a little more comfortable using a big, squishy ball during their workouts. This ball walk is a great choice, not just for beginners, but for anyone who wants a simple, yet effective, core exercise. Walking your feet out in and while rolling on the ball helps you get used to the instability and, if you do a few reps, you'll notice your abs get a great workout. It helps to do this move next to a wall the first time around, especially if you don't have great traction on the floor. Slippery feet can cause falling, swearing and, possibly, the firing of trainers. Ball Walks For this exercise, you sit on the ball and slowly walk all the feet all the way out until you're in a tabletop position. Then you walk back up and do it again for 1-3 sets of 10-15 reps.Exercise of the Week: Ball Walks originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Tuesday, August 24th, 2010 at 05:00:35.Permalink | Comment | Email this Vote in This Week's Poll: Does your spouse/partner have different eating and exercise habits? While I've sworn off training couples in the same session (which is almost always a disaster), spousal issues almost always crop up with my married clients. One person (usually my client) is trying to lose weight while the other one isn't, which leads to stress, tears and impromptu counseling. I'm no marriage counselor, but I can listen, nod my head, make sure they keep exercising and occasionally say, "I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure that threatening divorce unless she starts exercising isn't a great idea." Just some of the things that can happen in relationships include: Sabotage - I have one client who's husband regularly brings home sweets he knows she can't resist and then pretends it was an accident ("There's a supersized Snickers in the fridge? How did that get there?") Lack of Support - I once had a client who's husband gave me the stink eye every time I showed up for a session, thinking it was a waste of money. He even watched from the doorway, making snide comments about his wife's form. My response was to teach his wife a few kickboxing moves that would really get his attention and...okay, actually I just turned up the music until we couldn't hear him anymore, but I did kind of want to kick him. Excessive Force - In this case, it was the client who was the problem, trying to force his wife to exercise. He set up a personal training session for her as a 'gift' but, from the look on her face, I would imagine she gave him her own little gift after I left the awkward session - and I doubt it was all wrapped up with a bow. What about you? If you're in a relationship, are both of you on the same page when it comes to eating and exercise? Is one of you on a completely different planet? How do you handle that? Vote in this week's poll and leave a comment telling us about your experiences. What's New in Fitness Apps 25 years ago, going out for a run meant strapping on my walkman and popping in my favorite mixed tape. Remember having to fast forward through songs until you got to your favorite one? If you do, welcome to the Old People Club. These days, an iPhone is my walkman of choice and, with all the fitness apps available, I don't have to listen to my own music or make up my own workouts. Today, I'm highlighting a few apps I've tried recently: Lolo Burn - I love running apps and Lolo burn offers interval workouts in a unique way. Not only do they include music that changes to match your running pace, but you can actually change the pace at any time during the workout if things move too fast or slow. There's a coach who offers a few motivational pep talks throughout the workout and the screen shows the intervals as well as your speed, calories burned and incline (if you choose the treadmill option). There are lots of workout options for both walkers and runners and the music is pretty decent. It's a little pricey at $4.99, but worth checking out if you like interval training. Authentic Yoga - This yoga app, which features Deepak Chopra, is great for quick yoga workouts if you're on the road or if you work at home, like I do, and can easily bust out a few yoga moves in the comfort of your home office. The app includes instructional videos of the poses and the workouts themselves show pictures of each pose with audio instructions. It's not exactly like following a video, but it's simple to use and, at $1.99, reasonably priced. Tap & Track Calorie, Weight & Exercise Tracker ($3.99) - I haven't tried this one, but a client recommended it to me, raving about huge nutritional database and how easy it is to keep track of food and calories. She loves that it works offline and that she can track her daily intake, calorie needs, exercise, BMI and weight and she can also add her own foods and recipes. What about you? Come across any good fitness apps lately? Leave a comment and tell us about it.What's New in Fitness Apps originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Friday, August 20th, 2010 at 05:00:51.Permalink | Comment | Email this Staying Committed to Exercise Committing to exercise is a lot like committing to a marriage - well, except that exercise won't wine and dine you with a dinner and a movie, nor will it ever take out the trash. However, like marriage, you have to work at your exercise relationship, figuring out how to keep it going day after day. That sounds like a lot of work, but you do have a few resources to draw from if you're tempted to skip your workout: Habit - If you workout every day at the same time, your body eventually understands that this is what it's supposed to be doing. Let your body lead the way before your mind can talk you out of it. Discipline - There are a lot of things you do each day purely out of discipline. You may want to sleep in and take the day off, but you go to work. You may want to go to bed without brushing your teeth, but you do it anyway because you know it's the right thing to do. Drawing on that sense of responsibility can help you get past the hardest part of exercise: Getting started. Inspiration - Who do you admire when it comes to exercise and health? Think of that person and what they're doing to stay healthy right now. If they can do it, you can do it. Competition - Imagine all the people working out at the gym right now. They're sweating, they're lifting, they're working and, if you don't join them, they're going to beat you. Sometimes, you only need one of these things to get going. Other times, you have to dig deep, relying on more than one motivational tool to get you past that first hump. What about you? How do you stay committed to exercise? Leave a comment and tell us what drives you to keep working out.Staying Committed to Exercise originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Thursday, August 19th, 2010 at 05:00:05.Permalink | Comment | Email this |
