Everyone knows the benefits of frequent and consistent exercise, but not everyone has the time or resources to head out to the gym several times a week. Another problem that not only a great deal of people have, but I’m willing to bet most people have when it comes to exercise is not knowing how to start. When someone doesn’t know how to start doing something, chances are that person isn’t going to make it a priority to learn how or just throw themselves into it, regardless of the fact that they know it is good for them.
Luckily, the folks over at Sears Blue Crew HQ have put together an extremely simple exercise guide full of basic, but sometimes overlooked tips on how to create a dedicated, motivating and inspiring workout space in your own home.
Let’s face it, not everyone has the time to drive to the gym, work out and then drive home (or wherever they may need to go) afterward. After all that driving, the time really adds up and it can become more of a commitment than you were hoping for. Furthermore, a lot of people simply have no interest in joining a gym, regardless of how accepting, accommodating, or convenient that gym may be. By creating a home workout space, you have a dedicated space you can work out freely in, without having to take more time out of your day than you need to. You also have the freedom to decorate your space to match your taste and add little things that will make your workout experience more enjoyable. Your surroundings have a lot to do with your mood and by adding small, personal touches to your decor, you’re guaranteed to walk into that space whenever you want and immediately feel refreshed, at ease and ready to begin your workout. According to the Sears Blue Crew HQ, you want to make sure your space is safe, pleasant, roomy and entertaining.
But all of the decorating, accommodating and endless music selections mean nothing without the right equipment. The Sears Blue Crew HQ has also laid out what equipment is used most often in workout spaces and what you’ll need to exercise. Of course, the best equipment for you is the equipment you wil use, so think about what you like doing and also be sure to have some variety in routine–and the equipment to make it possible.
Floor mats are perfect for stretching, yoga, Pilates, or old-fashioned push-ups and sit-ups. Look for non-slip, easily washable surfaces.
Free weights are dumbbells and barbells for strength training. They are excellent because they allow a full range of notion, but get some training so you use them correctly. Also, they tend to be quite loud when dropped on the floor, so purchase proper weight-lifting mats to protect your floor and lower the noise level.
Weight systems sometimes called home gyms, provide a variety of strengthening exercises without the noise of dropping heavy weights. They can take up a fair bit of space, so be sure to measure your area before you buy. They also greatly increase the load on your floor system, so be sure you have the structural support for it.
Punching bags offer a great combination of aerobic workout, upper body strength building and stress relief. Get some training if you’ve never done bag work before, to avoid hurting your hands. Hang your bag securely in a way that won’t send vibrations through the whole house. Freestanding bags are also available, and you can set them up in an out-of-the-way corner of your home.
Treadmills are a long-standing favorite. Good models have a variety of programmable workouts and an incline feature for added exertion. Look for higher horsepower in the motor and a sturdy frame. Treadmills need 6 feet of clearance behind them, in case of unexpected dismounts.
Ellipticals give a good cardio workout with less impact on your knees – and your home. Most have reversible direction, and the better models offer an incline feature to maximize your workout. Like the treadmill, you need clearance around them for safety.
Exercise bikes are no-impact and take up the least space of the cardio machines, because you don’t need safety space behind them. Like the others machine styles, they have a variety of programmable workouts. They also don’t cause much vibration and so can be put on almost any surface.
Rowing machines give great low-impact, full-body and cardio workout. Proper technique is important, so read the manual or get some help before you start. Foldaway models make this an ideal machine for multi-purpose spaces.
Looking to recharge your body and mind? On Wednesday, August 11th, join Urban Girl Squad for a night of mingling and working out at Exhale! From 6:30PM – 7:30PM, we’ll have an exclusive discussion with a top Exhale ‘Nutrition + Wellness’ coach who will speak about achieving balance in our lives. During this session you’ll have the opportunity to have your nutrition questions answered and mingle with other amazing moms.
We’ll then enjoy an exhilarating 60-minute Core Fusion class, one of Exhale’s signature classes, from 7:45PM – 8:45PM. Core Fusion incorporates elements of core conditioning, Pilates, Yoga, the Lotte Berk Method and interval cardio training. The class is a complete mind body experience with upbeat and inspirational music.
And of course, no Urban Mom Squad event would be complete without a fantastic gift bag and raffle prizes!
At this event you’ll meet new moms in NYC and receive:
A full-length Core Fusion class ($35 value) and mind and body tips from an Exhale ‘Nutrition + Wellness’ coach
Gift bag with Exhale beauty products ($50+ value)
Gift certificates for a FREE future class at Exhale and 25% off a therapy at Exhale’s spa
A raffle with a prize of five free Exhale classes ($157 value)
Special discounts at the Exhale boutique
Sign up now for this special experience exclusively for Urban Mom Squad. * Please note that socks are required for this class.
Fast Facts:
Date: Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Location: Exhale
150 Central Park South
New York, NY 10019
About Urban Girl Squad Amanda Hofman created Urban Girl Squad, a community-based social group for women in their 20’s and 30’s in New York City, in January 2008. Urban Girl Squad creates opportunities for these women to try new things, spend time with friends, and meet new people. Our events include food and wine tastings, beauty and fashion nights, dance and fitness classes, sports events, cocktail parties and more. We provide special, discounted access to the city–you’ll meet store owners and designers, taste gourmet food and drinks, receive personal attention from popular venues, and score some amazing gift bags. The welcoming atmosphere at our events makes it easy for members to attend on their own or with friends!
Whenever talk about your health starts, someone is always quick to point out that if you hit the gym a few times a week, your health could greatly improve over all. This belief has been reinforced throughout the years and because of it, more and more people are getting out there and hitting the gym whenever they can. But a new study suggests that if you work out at the gym every day, but also spend a good amount of your day sitting down, going to the gym is in fact doing very little to decrease your risk of death.
The study was conducted by Alpa Patel, a researcher at the American Cancer Society (ACS) and his colleagues. They analyzed 123,216 participants (53,440 men and 69,776 women), all whom has no history of cancer, heart attack, stroke or emphysema. The participants were followed for 13 years, from 1993 to 2006.
The study found that women who reported more than six hours of sitting a day (outside of work) were 37% more likely to die during the 13 year time period the were studied than women who sat fewer than three hours a day. The men who were studied were 18% more likely to die if they sat more than six hours a day (also outside of work) than those who sat fewer than three hours a day. These results remained virtually unchanged after the participants adjusted their physical activity level.
Patel said of his research that several factors could explain the positive association between time spent sitting and higher all-cause death rates, saying “prolonged time spent sitting, independent of physical activity, has been shown to have important metabolic consequences, and may influence things like triglycerides, high density lipoprotein, cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, resting blood pressure, and leptin, which are biomarkers of obesity and cardiovascular and other chronic diseases.”
This study does not seem to bode well for me and people like me, who work very long hours in front of a computer (while also sitting down) and work out a few times a week.
Lululemon Athletica is celebrating their community of faithful yogis by hosting a national outdoor yoga event called Salutation Nation.
Salutation Nation will take place at participating Lululemon Athletica stores across North America where a complimentary yoga class fit for all levels will be held on August 7th from 9am to 10am (in all time zones.) Keep in mind not every Lululemon Athletica store in the country will be hosting a Salutation Nation event, so to make sure your local store is before you head on down with your yoga mat in tow, check out the list of locations or call your local store ahead of time.
Practicing yoga by yourself is all well and good, at least when you have a good grasp on what you are doing, but being a part of a group greatly benefits everyone involved. Yoga classes can be a lot more expensive than we’re prepared for, so for Lululemon Athletica to host this event, and also make it completely free, is great for every yogi living in a community with a participating store. This is a fabulous way for Lululemon Athletica to not only celebrate their community, but also bring them together to celebrate each other.
Check out the promotional video for Salutation Nation below and don’t forget to head to your local participating store on August 7th at 9am.
I just recently began going to a gym fairly-regularly. Before just a month ago, I had never really put much emphasis on staying fit. As a plus-sized woman in my early 20′s who is also a smoker and a techie, not to mention I consume way too much caffeine, I am so not the candidate to be preaching about staying fit or how important it is. I am however, realistic.
Now, more than ever in recent years, I am experiencing a great deal of stress. There are some personal aspects of my life that bring on a good amount of daily stress, as well as a great big financial burden that has become my life. Put them together and add a good 12 hours a day, frequently more, in front of a computer and you basically have one of those Jiffy Pop containers on the stove that at any minute will erupt and start sending popcorn flying out every which way. So me and my partner joined a gym with our two very good friends.
With just a few workouts in, mostly me on an elliptical machine for an hour at a time as I zone out to televisions that are positioned from the ceiling or focusing on absolutely nothing but the decibel level of the music blaring from my headphones, I feel a lot different.
No, I am not in peak physical condition and it isn’t even a goal of mine to lose any weight at all. I’m comfortable with my weight and while it would be a healthy move to lose a few pounds, I refuse to believe I’m at a terrible risk for anything at my current weight. No, with just after my first hour on the elliptical machine I knew very well why I was going to keep up my gym-going efforts. I felt refreshed and my stress levels went way, way down.
A study back in 2007 has already proven that those who are physically fit produce less chemicals in the body that have been linked to damaging inflammation in adults who are stressed. In short, exercise makes you less-stressed and the less-stressed you are, less damaging chemicals will be released throughout your body and the healthier your heart will be.
In addition to reducing your stress, people who work out two times a week also have lower cholesterol and are at less risk of diseases like diabetes. These findings are more than enough motivation for anyone to start getting out more and begin getting just a little more active.
Get out of the city this summer with Urban Girl Squad! On Sunday, August 8th, Outdoor Bound will be leading us on a five-mile hike in a series of trails in a hilly area known for its numerous lakes and impressive views. There are also opportunities for bouldering, if you are up for it! Enjoy magnificent scenery along the hike and gorgeous vistas from the tops of three mountains. We’ll eat lunch and rest at a stunning lake.
Over four hours, we will gain 1,300 feet in elevation. You will sweat, and the trail will be rocky, so join us if you’re in adequate physical strength. You’ll be rewarded for your efforts with a wine tasting at a real farm winery in New York’s Hudson Valley. You will sample Chardonnays, Cabernet Franc, barrel fermented reds and delicious fruit wines including Hard Apple Cider from the local vineyards. Every wine is produced in a “limited edition” with almost every bottle spoken for as soon as it’s made. There is also a wonderful cafe, where you can order delicious food prepared by a CIA-trained chef.
There is very limited space in this event. We’ll provide the transportation — so sign up today for this fantastic opportunity to get out of the city!
Departure Time: 8:00 AM. Meet at 7:45 AM for check-in. Return Time: Approximately 6:00 PM Departure and Return Location: 73rd and Broadway, Northeast corner (in front of Apple Bank). Subways 1, 2, 3 to 72nd Street. Bring: Backpack, your lunch and two liters of water. Wear: Hiking boots or trail shoes, swimsuit if you care to swim, weather-appropriate athletic clothing.
About Outward Bound
Outward Bound is an education-based adventure company that offers numerous group activities that provide a safe environment for people to develop new skills, aspire to new challenges and attain greater health and awareness. These opportunities include unique international excursions, outdoor fitness programs, youth development programs, corporate team-building activities and a variety of single and multi-day excursions.
Fast Facts:
Date: Sunday, August 8th, 2010
Location: New York Hudson Valley
73rd Street and Broadway (Northeast corner)
New York, NY 10024
About Urban Girl Squad Amanda Hofman created Urban Girl Squad, a community-based social group for women in their 20’s and 30’s in New York City, in January 2008. Urban Girl Squad creates opportunities for these women to try new things, spend time with friends, and meet new people. Our events include food and wine tastings, beauty and fashion nights, dance and fitness classes, sports events, cocktail parties and more. We provide special, discounted access to the city–you’ll meet store owners and designers, taste gourmet food and drinks, receive personal attention from popular venues, and score some amazing gift bags. The welcoming atmosphere at our events makes it easy for members to attend on their own or with friends!
Have you wanted to give back lately? Urban Girl Squad is thrilled to announce its first fundraising event! On Tuesday, May 18, 2010, Urban Girl Squad is hosting a yoga class at Pure Yoga to support Gilda’s Club, the organization founded by Gilda Radner that provides free support for cancer patients and their friends and family.
At the event, you’ll invigorate your mind and body in an open-level vinyasa yoga class run by Pure Yoga, the city’s most luxurious yoga studio featuring the city’s best instructors and beautifully-designed practice rooms. After the yoga class, you’ll enjoy a reception with light food and snacks where you can talk to your yoga instructor and meet the other women in the class.
At this event, you’ll receive:
The opportunity to support Gilda’s Club programs for cancer patients and their communities.
An exclusive 1 hour yoga class at Pure Yoga. You can’t take a class at Pure Yoga without being a member, so enjoy this special opportunity!
A gift bag with Pure Yoga passes and Pure Yoga gear including a tank top, tote bag and water bottle.
The opportunity to participate in a silent auction with amazing prices including spa packages, gift certificates and private yoga lessons.
The first Gilda’s Club opened its doors in New York City in 1995, which was named in honor of Saturday Night Live comedian Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer in 1989. Gilda dreamed that all people affected by cancer, as well as their families and friends, would have access to the same kind of emotional and social support that she received during her illness. Completely free of charge, Gilda’s Club encourages a sense of “expertise” among members, and emphasizes community-building, collective wisdom and shared experience. Gilda’s Club has helped change the lives of tens of thousands of members, restoring a sense of control and enriching the entire family. Gilda’s spirit lves on at every Gilda’s Club.
About Urban Girl Squad Amanda Hofman created Urban Girl Squad, a community-based social group for women in their 20’s and 30’s in New York City, in January 2008. Urban Girl Squad creates opportunities for these women to try new things, spend time with friends, and meet new people. Our events include food and wine tastings, beauty and fashion nights, dance and fitness classes, sports events, cocktail parties and more. We provide special, discounted access to the city–you’ll meet store owners and designers, taste gourmet food and drinks, receive personal attention from popular venues, and score some amazing gift bags. The welcoming atmosphere at our events makes it easy for members to attend on their own or with friends!
Dr. Al Sears, M.D. is an ACE-Certified Fitness Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist and an author of 14 books on health and wellness. In his most recent book, P.A.C.E. The 12-Minute Fitness Revolution, Dr. Sears disputes modern exercise advice we’ve all gotten before from several different sources and that advice has become the norm. Luckily Dr. Sears saw this tradition of bad advice going around and not only took it upon himself to dispute it, but he also proved how and why his own method of exercising works–the same advice he gives his very own patients–and made it available to the public.
Dr. Sears’s PACE program is based on exercising in short bursts of high intensity to burn fat and keep it off. Just after reading his guest article published here on Woman Tribune, I was astounded to find out how and when we really burn fat and that when you do long-durations of cardio and marathon running, you are actually hurting your heart and lungs.
If you’ve ever been given bad fitness advice, and it seems like most everyone has, you definitely need to be introduced to P.A.C.E. The 12-Minute Fitness Revolution. Lucky for you, we have five copies to give away!
Blog about this giveaway with a link back to both this giveaway post and Dr. Sears’s article.
Remember, we are giving away give copies of this book to five different winners, so spread the word!
This giveaway ends Friday, April 30th at 11:59PM EST. This giveaway is open to all US residents over the age of 18. The winners will be contacted by email and have 48 hours (2 days) to respond with their mailing address. If I don’t hear back from the winners within that time, another winner will be picked.
This is a guest post by Dr. Al Sears, M.D., an ACE-Certified Fitness Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist and author of 14 books on health and wellness, including P.A.C.E. The 12-Minute Fitness Revolution.
A cover story in TIME magazine tells you exercise won’t help you lose weight.
In the article, a professor from Louisiana State University says, “…for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless.”
If you’re a regular reader you may already recognize the ignorance of this professor’s statement.
What is he missing?
Well, it depends on what type of exercise.
My rebuttal to this ignorance is going to take awhile, but bear with me, this is important.
Conventional exercise, like aerobics, jogging, and marathon running are not the best exercises for weight loss. That type of exertion actually trains your body to make and store more fat.
When you exercise for long periods at a time, like most people do when they go to the gym, you push your body into its “fat burning zone.” Most fitness gurus tell you to get into your fat burning zone and stay there for as long as you can take it… but that’s a problem. You don’t want to burn fat during exercise.
Burning fat during exercise tells your body it needed the fat. This trains your body to make more fat for the next time you exercise.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t use exercise to lose fat. In fact, it’s one of the most effective tools you can use to hit and maintain your ideal weight. I use it myself and I recommend it to my patients.
However, if you want to burn fat and keep it off, exercise in short bursts of high intensity. This is the basis my PACE program.
How does it work? It has to do with what your body uses for fuel during exercise. For the first two or three minutes of a workout you burn ATP, your body’s cellular energy source. Then you start burning carbs from muscle tissue. After about 20 minutes you switch to fat.
Exercising for short periods will use these carbs during exercise. Then you start to burn fat after your workout–while you replenish the carbs.
This is known as your “after burn.”
Researchers at Laval University in Quebec divided participants into two groups: long-duration and repeated short-duration exercisers. They had the long-duration group cycle 45 minutes without interruption. The short-term interval group cycled in numerous short bursts of 15 to 90 seconds, while resting in between.
The long duration group burned twice as many calories, so you would assume they would burn more fat. However, when the researchers recorded their body composition measurements, the interval group showed the most fat loss.
In fact, the interval group lost 9 times more fat than the endurance group for every calorie burned. Doesn’t this defy the laws of physics? No, it just illustrates that exercise continues to affect your metabolism after you stop. The short bursts stimulated a greater after burn.
You might think burning fat during exercise makes sense. But your body will adapt to any routine you give it, including exercise. And if you burn fat during a workout and you do that workout consistently, your body will make sure you have new fat to burn each time you go to the gym.
After a while your body becomes efficient at building and preserving fat necessary for long aerobic sessions in preparation for the next endurance workout. In doing so, it sacrifices muscle and preserves fat.
So don’t bother trying to use this strategy to lose body fat. Your body will fight you int he effort and you can only do it by sacrificing lean tissue like muscle and internal organs.
Durational exercise tells your body to build fat. That’s how your body adapts to this kind of activity. Then, if you stop your cardio routine, you’ll put on even more fat very rapidly. This is common as your body gets into the routine of making the extra fat.
It’s an endless cycle. And eventually, everyone stops doing cardio. Many just get bored. But many find they have to stop cardio because this unnatural activity has caused degeneration of their joints.
And another point: If you persist through middle age and beyond, cardio accelerates some very negative effects of aging. It lowers testosterone and growth hormone, boosts destructive cortisol levels and robs you of muscle, bone and internal organ mass and strength.
But short-during exercise–like PACE–actually increases levels of growth hormone. Researchers from Loughborough University in Leicestershire, England tested growth hormone levels in sprinters and endurance athletes. On average, the sprinters had 3 times as much growth hormone as the endurance runners.
The biggest point they miss is this: The most important changes from exercise occur after, not during, the exercise period. The way you exercise affects your metabolism for several days. The important changes begin after you stop exercising.
This is good news. It means all you have to do during your exercise is stimulate the adaptive response you need–like reducing your need for fat or building reserve capacity in your heart. Your body will continue making the important changes afterwards–while you rest.
You don’t need to go to the gym to get started. Even if you’re out of shape you can start with a challenge that’s within your reach.
Let’s take walking for example. This is the easiest way to get started if you’re de-conditioned or facing a physical challenge.
Here are a few points to consider. When you’re walking, you need to start at a comfortable pace and slowly speed up until you feel your heart rate increase. When you feel this extra bit of exertion, maintain it until you start to feel winded. Then stop and catch your breath. Take a few minutes to recover and focus on your breath until you’re breathing normally. This will be your first “set.”
It may look something like this: You put on a comfortable pair of walking shoes and some loose-fitting clothes. You start off on the sidewalk or on a quiet street. You could also go to the gym and work on a treadmill.
You warm up by walking at a normal, comfortable pace for 1 to 2 minutes. Then you slowly start to walk faster. As you increase your speed, pick a target and then maintain it. This is a little subjective, so you’re going to have to get a feel for it.
For example, when you start off walking at a normal pace, imagine your top walking speed and then work back from there. So tell yourself, “I’m going to walk normally and then increase my speed by about 15%.” Then hold that speed and maintain it for a few minutes.
If you don’t feel like that increase is giving you a challenge, go up a notch until you’ve increased your speed by 20 to 25%. Then hold that speed and maintain it for a few minutes.
This is how you gauge your exertion level. You know you’re getting close when you feel your heart rate go up. And when you feel this extra exertion, look at your watch and see how long you can sustain it. If you can do it for 2 to 3 minutes, great. If not, it doesn’t matter. Just follow this pattern.
After you’ve challenged yourself for a few minutes, stop and rest. Ideally, you should feel winded. You should be breathing heavier than you usually do and you should feel your heart beating faster. Now begin your recovery period. Allow your heart rate and breath to return to normal.
When you’ve completed your first set, try another. At this point, repeat your first set without increasing your intensity. If you want to ramp up the challenge, increase the amount of time you walk at a faster speed.
By walking and first gauging your exertion capacity, you can do a productive PACE routine at your own level. it doesn’t matter how quickly you can walk. Even if your top exertion speed is just about your normal walking speed, you can give yourself enough of a challenge to expand your lung volume and build reserve capacity in your heart.
This gradual build up in cardio-pulmonary power will get you to higher levels and extend your endurance. Little by little, you’ll become more and more conditioned and better able to handle more intense challenges.
When you feel you’ve improved your exercise capacity–or if you want to start with something more challenging than walking–use this same formula with swimming or biking. Both give you a good heart and lung workout.
Swimming is helpful if you have a disability as the water’s buoyancy will take the strain off your joints and make it easier to move. Biking is also very effective for de-conditioned beginners and you have the option of doing it outside or in the gym.
Like walking, take it slow and evaluate your exertion level. Don’t strain yourself. Take small, deliberate steps and stay with your program. Within the first week, you’ll start to see progress.
By gently encouraging your heart and lungs to maximize their output, you’ll be able to improve right away. What’s more, you’ll be able to successfully start a productive PACE routine, no matter what your age, condition or personal history.
As you progress, do less walking and put more focus on swimming and biking. And when you feel ready, try some of the basic routines in your PACE book. Once you’ve made headway with your heart and lungs you’ll be able to increase your challenge and activate your native fat burner.
With a sufficient challenge, you’ll start to burn fat after your PACE routine. This fat burning will last as long as 16to 24 hours after you finish. But your first goal will be to build cardio-pulmonary power by establishing a PACE routine that accommodates your current situation.
This in itself is a major victory. A lot of folks can’t get past the false assumption that they’ll never be able to do it. With PACE, you never have to make excuses, as you can always find a routine that perfectly matches your current level.
About Dr. Al Sears, M.D.
Dr. Sears is the author of 14 books on health and wellness, including P.A.C.E. The 12-Minute Fitness Revolution (Wellness Research & Consulting, Inc., January 2010), in which he disputes modern exercise advice and sets the record straight, proving that long durations of cardio and marathon running are actually bad for your heart and lungs. In addition to being Board-Certified by the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine, Dr. Sears is an ACE-Certified Fitness Trainer and a Certified Nutrition Specialist. For more information, including several videos demonstrating the simple recommended exercises, please visit www.PaceRevolution.com.
I have never been a big exerciser; well, not in the sense of exercising merely for the sake of exercising. I need to feel like I’m going somewhere; like I’m accomplishing something. Sure, you may say that the fit body I can show off would be an accomplishment, but I need that feeling of accomplishment to come directly after working my ass off. The time that is needed to be put into a regular workout regime is what has always deterred me; and I’m willing to bet I’m not alone. I know that there are a great deal of people out there who go gaga over fitness and love working out at the gym whenever they possibly can, but for me, fitness and working out has always just made me feel like gagging. Needless to say, I’m always looking for quick, easy ways to exercise that involve something fun.
Fitness balls look fun. I can just imagine myself trying to get my pleasantly plus-size body to balance on one of them. I’m sure I’d have a blast–and no, that isn’t sarcasm. Growing up in a family very devoted to the military because of my aunt’s active participation, go-getter attitude and devotion to her military career, I remember doing sit-ups with her right before she had to perform her annual physical training test. One thing I always noticed–pain. Pain in my back that made me want to howl. So I was pretty psyched when I found out a study was performed on how well fitness balls increase the productivity and results when implemented into a fitness routine; particularly when doing traditional sit-ups and crunches.
The study was done by researchers at the Department of Kinesiology at Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. They found that adding a fitness ball to your abs workouts improves the flexing of abdominal muscles by 24-38% over traditional exercises done on the floor. And how did they come to this conclusion? Participants in the study were fitted with electromyographic equipment that registered heightened activity in upper and lower abs as well as in the obliques.
Certified yoga and fitness ball trainer Suzanne Deason said, “Abs workouts using a stability ball engage smaller core muscles that more traditional forms of exercise don’t. Those smaller muscles help you keep your balance on the ball. You’ll sculpt all the muscle groups in the abdominals–particularly the transversus for a flat stomach; they’re sometimes missed in regular sit-ups–as well as the obliques for a whittled down, small waist; and the outermost muscle, the rectus.” And as for the pain felt in the spine doing traditional sit-ups and crunches, she said, “Because of the ball’s soft surface, you don’t feel pain on your spine as you might when doing lying-down exercises. The support gives you the sense that you’re not working as hard as you actually are; you can probably do many more sit-ups on the ball than you’d be able to do on the floor.”
Performing ab crunches on a fitness ball is one of the most effective ways to strengthen, flatten and tone abs. Doing the exercise using a fitness ball eliminates the impact of a hard surface on the spine, which helps you perform the movement more precisely and also helps increase lower back strength, support the spine, promote better posture and prevent lower back injury.
So how do you perform these ab crunches? Follow these steps!
Begin in Positive Seated Posture; roll out until lower back is resting comfortably on ball.
Place feet flat on floor, shoulder-width apart.
Position hands behind head to support its weight, elbows pointed directly out to sides.
Raise held even with torse and gaze straight up.
Inhale deepyly; on exhale, contract lower abs.
Hold the flex and inhale; on exhale, slowly curl torso forward, flexing middle and upper abs to raise chest up and toward pelvis. Allow head to follow chest. Do not force or pull head forward. Allow abs to do the work.
Raise chest until you feel abs completely contracted; hold for 3 to 5 comfortable, deep breaths.
Release slowly, allowing head and chest to drop back down to torso level. Breathe.
Repeat 10 to 12 times. Add more repetitions as you become stronger.
As for where you can get yourself an anti-burst fitness ball, check out your local sporting goods store or Sports Authority and Dick’s Sporting Goods from anywhere between $20 to $40.
Sexuality is something to be celebrated and explored and we hope to help you do just that with the articles and reviews we publish in our love and sex category.
Everyone knows the benefits of frequent and consistent exercise, but not everyone has the time or resources to head out to the gym several times a week. Another problem that not only a great deal of people have, but I’m willing to bet most people have when it comes to exercise is not knowing how to start. When someone doesn’t know how to start doing something, chances are that person isn’t going to make it a priority to learn how or just throw themselves into it, regardless of the fact that they know it is good for them.
Whenever talk about your health starts, someone is always quick to point out that if you hit the gym a few times a week, your health could greatly improve over all. This belief has been reinforced throughout the years and because of it, more and more people are getting out there and hitting the gym whenever they can. But a 
Lululemon Athletica is celebrating their community of faithful yogis by hosting a national outdoor yoga event called 
Dr. Al Sears, M.D. is an ACE-Certified Fitness Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist and an author of 14 books on health and wellness. In his most recent book, P.A.C.E. The 12-Minute Fitness Revolution, Dr. Sears disputes modern exercise advice we’ve all gotten before from several different sources and that advice has become the norm. Luckily Dr. Sears saw this tradition of bad advice going around and not only took it upon himself to dispute it, but he also proved how and why his own method of exercising works–the same advice he gives his very own patients–and made it available to the public.
I have never been a big exerciser; well, not in the sense of exercising merely for the sake of exercising. I need to feel like I’m going somewhere; like I’m accomplishing something. Sure, you may say that the fit body I can show off would be an accomplishment, but I need that feeling of accomplishment to come directly after working my ass off. The time that is needed to be put into a regular workout regime is what has always deterred me; and I’m willing to bet I’m not alone. I know that there are a great deal of people out there who go gaga over fitness and love working out at the gym whenever they possibly can, but for me, fitness and working out has always just made me feel like gagging. Needless to say, I’m always looking for quick, easy ways to exercise that involve something fun.
