If you want a fit, toned body, get up early to exercise.
Try an early morning boot camp class.
Run or walk with a friend.
Get to the gym or fitness center before work (hey, they have showers, and you’ll free up the bathroom at home for someone else).
You’ll start your day by boosting your metabolism, you’ll have more energy through the day, you’ll be motivated to fuel your body with healthy foods – and your evenings will be free for friends and family.
Do you want a better looking behind? Start working on your rear view now and you’ll have great buns for spring and summer.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, arms at your sides.
Lift your booty 3 to 6 inches off the floor by tilting your pelvis up, squeezing your glutes (buttocks), and tightening your abdominals (stomach). Do the movement slowly and with control, focusing on the muscles.
Hold that position for a few seconds, and then slowly lower down one vertebrae at a time.
Go for 2 sets of 12 repetitions each.
Got the basic move mastered? Increase the challenge by balancing one ankle on top of the other knee or by extending one leg out straight during the lift (alternate sets from one side to the other).
If you’re new to climbing, call your local rock climbing gym or club and ask about lessons. Make sure you can also rent the necessary equipment. Grab a friend or two – remember how people used to do things together (besides eat)? Have a climbing wall party and invite a bunch of people to try it with you. Even if you don’t fall in love with it, you’ll be introducing the idea of “activity as fun” and one or more of your friends may fall in love with it.
Climbing is a great workout for your legs and your upper body. Plus, you’ll end up – on top of the world!
It takes a lot of practice to become an Olympic athlete, and maybe some inborn talent. But you can always work to improve your personal best in whatever activity you choose for fitness.
Do you play basketball? See how many freethrows can you shoot in a minute – then challenge yourself to increase that number.
Do you like to run? Can you add another block or 1/10th of a mile in the same time?
Do you swim? Challenge yourself in your favorite stroke, and your least favorite stroke.
Hula hoop? Add five minutes.
Lift weights? Try adding 10% to the weight, or adding another set.
Keep a record of your fitness accomplishments – just a note on your calendar will remind you that you are an athlete!
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we have a very important exercise and calorie chart. The first two entries are for reference. Although they’re good activities for Valentine’s Day, too – just not as thematic.
Activity * Calories Burned/Hour
Aerobic class * 422
Running * 363
Dancing * 320
Dirty dancing * 640
Sex * 258
Great sex * 516
Proposing * 302
Seeing an old boy/girlfriend while looking good * 192
Seeing an old boy/girlfriend while looking bad * 292
Waiting for a first date * 182
Waiting for a blind date * 232
Stolen kisses in a broom closet * 202
Stolen kisses in a broom closet while your date is knocking on the door * 404
Fighting with your soon-to-be ex * 346
Makeup sex * 516
During this year’s Super Bowl extravaganza (it’s not just a football game anymore), plan to be a bit more active. Spend the pregame time playing touch football outside.
Divide into two evenly matched teams. Have one person “hike” the ball to someone who can throw it to another team member. The defending team tries to catch the ball, or tags the receiver to end the play. It’s not very complicated, but it moves fast – and that’s the point! Break a sweat with some touch football before the game.
Snow and rain are not an excuse – wear appropriate clothing and enjoy the fresh air. (Seriously, there’s nothing like touch football in a couple of feet of snow – exercise plus fun!)
Having guests for the game? Invite them to dress for touch football. Don’t think you like football? Pretend you’re a Kennedy, and play with heart.
It doesn’t take hundreds of crunches to get rock-hard abs. By standing up straight (and sitting up straight) and pulling your abs in tight, you’ll give them a workout all day long. And we all know that 16 hours of holding your abs in is a lot more of a workout than 5 minutes of crunches.
The best solution is to do the crunches AND pull your abs in all day. Try it like this: When you sit and stand, imagine there’s a string attached to the top of your head pulling your whole body up. See how your hips automatically tuck under and your tummy sucks in? For comparison, slump down and see how your stomach pooches out. Lovely, eh? You know what to do – sit up straight! Use those abs!
It will take a while to train your body how to sit and stand correctly. But keep it up and soon it will become second nature. You’ll look younger, thinner, and have great abs!
There’s a certain elegance to the foxtrot and the waltz, and there’s nothing sexier than a good tango!
Besides the social benefits, ballroom dancing is a great workout. Just look at the contestants on Dancing With The Stars – they all get more fit and more lean through the season. You may want to take lessons first. It’s a fun way to reconnect with your partner (just think – dinner and dance lessons every week!), as well as get some exercise.
Besides, when you go out, you get to dress up! And when you get home, you get the extra payoff from that tango!
No matter how small your living space is, you need an area solely for exercise.
Your exercise space doesn’t need to be large. It can be the space you need for a yoga mat next to, or at the end of, your bed. It can be the space in front of your television, where you have a few square yards to follow a fitness video. It can be in front of your couch, because your hand weights are stored nicely under your couch.
A sudden urge to exercise will be long gone by the time you clear enough space in which to break a sweat. So keep a little floor space clear! Keep your equipment ready to go!
The problem is that clutter is very crafty and eventually infiltrates everywhere, especially your personal gym space. There are millions of Stairmasters and treadmills out there buried under piles of clothing and old books. Put your clothes away, and find a shelf for your books.
Take pride, put things aside, and never let clutter inside.
Most of the US has experienced lots of winter weather so far this season. Extra cold in the south, extreme cold in the north, snow where it’s not normal, and lots of snow over and over again where it’s not unusual, just… a lot. But fitness is not just for nice days.
Foul weather is no excuse for not working out. Use the weather to help you mix up your routine. Walk on a treadmill, take a spin on a stationary bike, jog on a mini-trampoline, jump rope, do some basic calisthenics, or drive to your local mall for an indoor power-walk! The most important thing is to find an indoor option – or two or three – that you enjoy.
When the weather clears and the season changes, you want to emerge fit and fabulous, not flabby! Keep it up no matter what the weather report says. Become your best!
