Instead of just going along steadily on the elliptical workout, add squat intervals to your cardio to really give your legs a workout. Here's how:
- Hop on the elliptical and warm-up for five minutes.
- Start pedaling backwards.
- Keeping your back straight and shoulders square, slowly let go of the hand rails.
- Once you feel comfortable, sink into a partial squat (not a full squat, just about three-fourths of the way down) while continuing to pedal. You'll know you're doing it because your thighs should really start burning.
- Try and hold the squat for 20-30 seconds. Work your way up to 60 seconds.
- Now pedal normally for a three minutes and repeat the squat intervals throughout your entire workout.
Fit's Tip: If you find yourself losing balance, you can lightly hold on. Just remember: The more you use your arms to hold on, the less of a workout you're getting.
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Water is considered essential for all areas of life, and staying hydrated when exercising is important especially in this Summer heat. How much do you know about the water you drink? Take this quiz and see.
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If finding the time to head to the gym is stressing you out then this roundup of studies from WebMD will please you. See, the thing is, it's not always quantity that matters, but the qualitity. And in the case of exercise the old adage is true, "something is better than nothing." Here are highlights:
- A study published by the American Journal of Sports Medicine in 2006 showed that short walks after dinner were more effective than long exercise sessions in reducing the amount of fat and triglyceride levels in the bloodstream after a hearty meal.
- Research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health showed that short bouts of exercise helped lower blood pressure as well as shave inches off the hips and waistline.
There's more so read more
While I didn't actively avoid tomatoes during the salmonella scare, I am quite happy the FDA has finally given raw tomatoes the thumbs up. To celebrate my favorite fruit disguised as a veggie, I thought I would share five things ways tomatoes benefit your health.

- Blood Pressure: Eating tomatoes for eight weeks was found to reduce blood pressure in people with mild hypertension. So eat some tomatoes to help your heart chill out.
- Ketchup: Cooking tomatoes increases their lycopene content, and America's favorite condiment, ketchup, is no exception. However, organic ketchup has three times the amount of the antioxidants than its conventional counterpart.
- Cancer: Tomatoes have been shown to decrease the risk of pancreatic cancer as well as breast cancer.
There are two other reasons to eat tomatoes, so read more
If you're working on strengthening and toning your upper back and shoulders, this exercise has your name on it. You'll need a set of dumbbells and a sturdy place to sit.

To find out how to do this exercise, read more
Even though you're not supposed to have favorites when it comes to Yoga poses (since all poses are seen as mentally and physically beneficial), I can't help but say a little internal "Yay!" when an instructor does Wheel pose in class. I assume you probably have a favorite pose too. Check out what
it says about your personality, according to
Gaiam Life.
I always assumed that celebrities were encouraged to lose weight and be thinner, but here's a surprising turnaround. In a recent issue of Us Weekly, it was reported that Megan Fox was "ordered by her director to pack on 10 or more pounds." She said "I'd lost a lot of weight and got really scrawny, but I was told I had to put on a size." Apparently in order to be in Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, she needs to look more muscular.
So the actress has put herself on a diet of sweets (including red velvet cake), and she's also eating later at night to help her gain weight. To bulk her muscles up, her man Brian Austin Green is acting as her trainer, making her do "man workouts" including push-ups, dips, and pull-ups. Now she boasts that she's really strong. Good for her.
I am all for seeing a curvier, stronger woman on screen. I think it'll help send a more positive message to young women that super-skinny is out.
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