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How Often Do You Exercise at Home?

FitSugar — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:00:00 PST

There are many benefits to working out at home. With your own home gym, you never have to wait in line to use your equipment, it's conveniently open 24 hours a day, you don't have to waste time in the car getting to it, you don't have to worry about strangers' germs, and you're in charge of the TV. So when it comes to working out . . .

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4 Reasons to Add an Exercise Ball to Your Home Gym

Leta Shy — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:58:44 PDT

The exercise ball may occupy a lot of room in your home gym, but it's one versatile piece of equipment. Find out how to get the most out of your exercise ball below.

A healthier seat: Ditch your normal seat on the couch and sit on an exercise ball instead. Using a ball to sit helps correct your posture, tones your abs, and encourages you to stretch, all of which sounds a lot better than the lower back pain that too much sitting on the couch can cause.

Routine shakeup: Adding an exercise ball to your normal mat routines can shake things up and challenge you. For example, you can plank using an exercise ball at your feet to make holding your pose that much harder, or sit or lay on your exercise ball while you execute arm exercises. Even just practicing your balance by kneeling on the exercise ball can help you tone and whittle. Need some ideas? Try these amazingly effective ab and butt workouts using the exercise ball:

Find out how to do the plank pike and the hamstring curl using an exercise ball with this advanced exercise ball workout video.
Skip boring crunches and do this ball pass ab exercise instead.
Challenge your core and balance with this single-leg squat, done against a wall using an exercise ball.
Lie on the ball and work your arms with this chest press move.

Read on for more reasons to use an exercise ball.

Insanity's Shaun T's Last-Minute Diet and Exercise Tips

Leta Shy — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:34:46 PDT

Shaun T, the personal trainer who's motivated millions with his at-home workouts, knows how to get people in shape in a short amount of time. After all, his Insanity workout program promises incredible results in just 60 days of sweating and jumping in front of your TV.

With Summer a mere few weeks away, we spoke with Shaun about how to get in shape for anything - whether it's a beach holiday, wedding, or event - when you've only got a little time. Find out his recommendations below!

Watch your drink calories: "Don't drink your calories. That's the number one rule of thumb: not to drink your calories. It will eliminate so many calories in your body. Everybody knows that sugar that's not burnt off eventually turns into fat," says Shaun, who's also holding live workouts nationwide to promote his partnership with Powerade Zero. Shaun recommends portion control and cutting the amount of sugars and carbs in your diet in half, but "still ensure you have enough energy during the day," he says.

Kick it up a notch: "If you're a person who works out at the gym, try to take [fewer] breaks," Shaun recommends. "If you're a weight lifter, while you're not doing weights, try to do some different cardio exercise in between to try to ramp up the calorie burn."

Keep reading for more of Shaun T's last-minute diet and exercise advice!

4 Time-Saving Tips For a Healthy Lifestyle

Leta Shy — Thu, 24 May 2012 13:18:40 PDT

Summers can be incredibly busy - between shuttling kids to and from activities to planning and going on vacation, all the activities that come along with the season can leave you pressed for time. Luckily, we've got a few suggestions for how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, even if you've only got minutes to spare.

Total-body in 20: Breaking up your workout in just 10- or 20-minute increments ensures that you'll break a sweat and burn calories without having to devote too much time out of your day. Even more efficient is making sure that your workouts target all areas of your body. For short workouts that you can do anywhere, check out our fast full-body workouts.

Home cooking: It's easier to cook healthily if you've already done the legwork. Shop for produce and other groceries at the beginning of the week so you can plan every night's dinners - check out one of our healthy dinner plans for the week here. You can also store individual servings of smoothies or sauces (using an ice-cube tray!) in your freezer to have at hand while whipping up a meal.

Read on for more time-saving tips!

The Rise of Weight Watchers in the 1960s

Annie Scudder — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:00:42 PDT

This week on Mad Men's "Dark Shadows" episode, Weight Watchers serves as a type of therapy for Betty Francis, who can definitely use it. Boredom, jealousy, and insecurity dominate Betty's life as a 1960s housewife on her second marriage, and she's turned to bags of Bugles to pass the time. Now determined to lose the weight, the former model turns to a new diet plan gaining popularity with women like her, Weight Watchers. Considering Betty's mother-in-law already tried to push diet pills on her, which contained amphetamines at the time, the group meetings are the responsible approach to weight loss for Betty Francis.

If you think Weight Watchers was a phenomenon of the '80s or remember Duchess Sara Ferguson as its spokeswoman in the '90s, you may have been surprised to see Betty attending meetings way back in the '60s. Jean Nidetch, the founder of Weight Watchers, got the idea for the weight-loss method after struggling herself to lose and keep off weight with diets and pills. Jean, who had weighed as much as 214 pounds, lost 20 with a diet prescribed by the New York City Board of Health, but couldn't keep it off. So in 1961, she decided to hold meetings with other women facing the same issues with weight at her home in Queens, NY. By Oct. 1962, she had lost 72 pounds.

Thanks to her success, Jean's meetings took off, and she went from having them every week to multiple times a day. She soon recruited other group leaders, like the one we saw running Betty Francis's meetings, who had previously lost weight with the program and continued to keep it off. In 1963, Jean and her husband Marty incorporated the business, and by 1965, they exported the franchises to Canada, Puerto Rico, Great Britain, and Israel, with 102 in total. Changes would come in the '70s, with a psychologist coming on and exercise being introduced, and in 1978 the company was purchased for $100 million by another brand featured this season on Mad Men: H.J. Heinz.

In 2010, Weight Watcher's founder published her autobiography, The Jean Nidetch Story: An Autobiography, which came after her 1972 book The Story of Weight Watchers. The autobiography is described as the story of Jean's "personal struggles, rags-to-riches rise, and sunny, can-do attitude." If only Betty had a hint of a sunny disposition. Instead, her all-consuming jealousy is casting dark shadows.

Photo courtesy of AMC

How to Establish Financial Independence

Kiplinger — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:15:54 PDT

Becoming completely financially independent can be scary, but it's also very liberating. Kiplinger gives advice on how to establish your financial independence.

Not only is it difficult for us twentysomethings to wholeheartedly embrace adulthood, it's often also a challenge for our parents to let us go. Baby-boomer parents are generally known for mollycoddling their children, even after we move out of the house and into our own adult lives. Some parents have shown up for their kids' job interviews, and others have called up human resource departments at their adult kids' workplaces to complain about bad performance reviews or to negotiate salaries on behalf of their children.

They may mean well, but such extreme helicopter parents are actually hindering their children from growing into independent adults. "If a child is receiving too much help, then they have no incentive to succeed or become independent," says Erin Baehr, of the financial planning firm Baehr Family Financial, in Stroudsburg, Pa. "They may also be setting themselves up for some possible financial trouble down the road."

We certainly don't want that. At the same time, as young adults, we shouldn't be so dead set on finding our independence that we end up punishing ourselves by turning down valuable financial guidance and support from Mom and Dad.

So how about meeting in the middle? You can stay open to your parents' assistance but also set limits on how involved in your life you want them to be. For example, when it comes to parental career advice, Marty Martin, a financial psychologist at Aequus Wealth Management Resources, in Chicago, suggests you say, "Mom and Dad, I would really appreciate any advice you may have before I go to my job interview, and I will contact you after it happens. But I really need to do this on my own."

Read on for more.

From the Community: Tank Top Arm Workout

Fit Community — Sat, 12 May 2012 15:45:02 PDT

Reader FitFabCities has a tank top workout for you to do at home - all you need is a pair of weights! She shared it with us in our FitSugar Community.

With Spring here and Summer around the corner, what could be better than a printable workout designed specifically to help you get tank top arms? I love this season's sleeveless tops and maxi dresses, but after a long Winter of sweaters and long-sleeve blouses, my arms could use a little toning. (Truth be told, I'm pretty self-conscious about my upper arms so I love exercises that focus on shaping my shoulders and triceps.) Add this workout into your regular cardio routine or some lower body strength work (like the Perfect 10 Lean Legs Workout). All you need is a pair of dumbbells and you'll be sporting fabulous toned arms in your favorite outfit this Spring and Summer!

Happy Workout!

You can get the printable version with exercise descriptions and tips here.

Share your own workouts, find a new one, or just get inspired in our FitSugar Community!

11 Ways to Love Yourself More

Laura Marie Given — Wed, 09 May 2012 03:05:52 PDT

There's no magic recipe for self-confidence, but there are certainly a few everyday habits that can set you on the right path. Whether you're stressed, overcommitted, bored, or simply insecure, we've come up with some quick tips to help you boost your self-esteem and maintain a positive attitude. Struggling to feel good about yourself? Here are 11 simple ways to love yourself more:

Surround yourself with positive people. Moods and attitudes can be contagious, so if you're hoping to boost your self-esteem, it's important to keep confident company. Steer clear of the Debbie Downers: people who are constantly rattling off their insecurities will only prompt you to acknowledge yours.
Be a planner. Organization is key to feeling good on a day-to-day basis, so do what you need to do to stay on top of your schedule. Rushing around, running late, and missing deadlines puts you on the fast track to anxiety, but you can avoid these common culprits by simply tackling your to-do list.
Make time to do the things you enjoy. To be your best self, you need to set aside plenty of time for the hobbies and passions that fulfill you. Whether it's long walks, a good book, or a few minutes of art each day, you need to prioritize the simple pastimes that put you at ease.
Get plenty of Z's. If you're exhausted and run-down, your mood - and your confidence - is sure to plummet. You need energy to be social and productive, so try to avoid burnout by balancing your work with plenty of R&R.

Keep reading for more confidence-boosting tips.

Long Commutes Are Detrimental to Your Health, Study Says

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:14:05 PDT

Working a nine-to-fiver is mandatory for most people, and unfortunately, a long commute often comes with the territory. According to a study published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, those who travel 16 or more miles each way weigh more and have higher blood pressures than those with less than 10-mile commutes.

Of the almost 4,300 residents from Dallas and Austin involved in the study, researchers discovered that for every 10-mile increase in driving distance, the commuter's BMI (body mass index) rose .17 units. People with lengthy commutes are nine percent more likely to be obese, either because they didn't exercise as much, are eating fast food while driving, or they're not getting enough sleep because their long commute forces them to wake up early.

Weight isn't the only thing affected by a long drive to work. Spending that much time in the car, especially stuck in traffic, also makes a person tired, moody, and stressed out, which is one reason 52 percent of those in the study with a longer commute suffered from high blood pressure.

So what's a commuter to do? Quitting your job is obviously not an option, and if working at home part-time isn't feasible and neither is finding a job closer to where you live, keep reading to learn what commuters can do to avoid weight gain and other health issues.

Don't Throw That Food Out! How Leftovers Keep You Healthy

Michele Foley — Thu, 03 May 2012 03:05:33 PDT

Living alone, I've perfected the art of cooking for one - that is, until recently. Thinking of new ways to save on money and time while also sticking to a healthy diet, I now always prep more food than I need for one meal. Keep reading to find out why you should always put a little extra in the pot when cooking.

You'll eat more healthy home-cooked meals: When coming home late, cooking is the last thing on most people's minds. But too many nights of takeout taught me I needed a new game plan. Making a few extra helpings of dinner when I do cook means that regardless of how hectic a night is, I still come home to a nutritious meal I prepped from scratch. It also means I get a nutritious lunch the next day since I don't have to buy takeout while at work. If cooking is still new to you, try our tips for making healthy meals at home.

You'll have more time to work out: If I have a laundry list of things to do during the week like grocery shop or cook, the first things to suffer is my exercise time, which seems to be a common thread amongst all my friends. I've now gotten into a Sunday habit of making a big one-pot meal or roasting a chicken that I can eat throughout the week. With less time spent cooking, grocery shopping, and cleaning up during the workweek, I've freed up more time for evening gym sessions. Here are some recipes for healthy one-pot meals that taste better the next day, and five recipes to make from leftover roasted chicken.

Are you a fan of leftovers? If not, check out these tips for cooking fast, healthy meals on the daily.