FitSugar

New Runners Be Careful

FitSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:45:00 -0800

If you're not normally a runner but have decided to take it up once the weather turns, congrats, just be sure to be careful.

This is because new runners are more likely to ignore foot and ankle pain and are at higher risk of injury since beginners or average runners take nearly twice as long to finish the same distance and also tend to weigh more than experienced runners, leading to more stress on feet and ankles.

This is not meant to discourage new runners but to serve as a friendly reminder: If you're thinking about taking up running this Spring, wonderful, just be sure to listen to your body and pay attention to any aches and pains. You may need to start with shorter runs, give your body a rest, and/or see a doctor so you can avoid injury and keep with it in the long run, pun intended.

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Backpacking: The Essentials

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 10:15:00 -0700

If you love to camp, you'll love backpacking. Basically instead of packing all your stuff in your car and driving to your campsite, and enjoying nature with people all around you, you pack all your gear into a backpack and hike to a remote and way more private location. No neighboring campers playing acoustic versions of their favorite Metallica tunes until the wee hours of the morning.

I would start off slowly and just do an overnight trip. There is a lot less food and water to pack if you are only going for an overnight. I tell you though, chances are high you are going to love it and start planning longer and longer trips. Serious backpackers go for weeks at a time.

Before heading out, it's a good idea to get a book on the basics of backpacking like Backpacking: One Step at a Time ($18.05). It'll give you life-saving tips on how to enjoy yourself in the wilderness, and how to have the least impact on the environment.

Having good gear is essential and you'll need lightweight hiking boots (sneakers are not sturdy enough when you're carrying extra weight on your back), and a good sized backpack. Since you're carrying all your stuff, you want to carry only what you NEED, and you want to get lightweight versions of everything. You'll need a lightweight tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad. You'll also need enough food for your trip as well as layers of clothes - warm stuff because it can get cold at night.

Want to see what I pack? Then read more

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Class Act: Vinyasa, Power, Mixed. What's it All Mean?

FitSugar — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 03:30:00 -0800

When checking out the yoga class schedule at your local gym or studio, your brain can get all twisted up trying to figure out which class to take, and you haven't even stepped on a mat yet. Allow me to explain.

Vinyasa or Flow - Usually a fast paced class, the instructor plays music and makes up the sequence, like a choreographed dance.

Beginner - This is a perfect class for someone who's just starting out. It's usually an hour or less and paced much slower.

Power - This is fast-paced, difficult, and based on Ashtanga Yoga.

Mixed - This could either mean "mixed levels," for both beginners and experts, or it could mean a mix of different postures taken from different styles of Yoga. I'd call and ask just to make sure.

Hatha - Literally means "sun moon" and is usually slower and more gentle.

DVD Review: Cardio For Beginners

FitSugar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0700

I was looking for a way to get my heart rate up on a rainy day and didn't feel like hitting the gym. So I popped in Cardio for Beginners ($15). It consists of two 10-minute sessions, two 20-minute sessions, and a 5-minute stretching session at the end, so you can mix and match workouts depending on how much time you have. If you've ever done a cardio DVD like Cardio Sculpt or taken a low-impact Jazzercize class, then this video will seem all too familiar to you. It encompasses all the basic aerobic and dance moves like marching in place, knee ups, hamstring curls, squats, kicks, jumps, V-steps, and the oh-so-popular grapevines.

While I definitely got my heart rate up moderately, worked all my muscles, and liked how the instructor was encouraging, she was just a little too peppy for my taste. To be honest, it felt like a fitness video for a kid or an elderly person, since the moves were so basic and the three women in the video had perma-grins for the entire workout. So I must say, I agree with the title. This is an exercise DVD for the ultimate beginner or someone recovering from an injury. However, if you've been exercising for a while, I don't think this video is worth your time or money.

To see a video clip of Cardio For Beginners, read more.

DVD Review: Element Pilates Weight Loss For Beginners

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 03:30:00 -0700

Although I shy away from DVDs with "weight loss" in the title, this one looked so appealing, I couldn't resist giving it a try. Element: Pilates Weight Loss For Beginners ($15) did not disappoint. Hosted by Brooke Siler of Re:Ab Pilates studio in New York, this 51-minute video splits its time between Pilates mat work and "cardio" moves, all filmed soothingly by the seashore.

Rather than explain the moves in the moment, Siler delivers directions via a voiceover. But I can't complain, since the voiceover is one of the most detailed and helpful I've ever heard. You could pretty much follow the entire workout without ever looking at the screen, allowing you to focus on maximizing the moves. She offers constant reminders - at just the right times - for what you should be pulling in, tightening, or thinking about, yet the reminders never feel repetitive.

For details on the workouts, read more.

I prefer to start with the prep and mat workout, which is fairly low-impact yet lively and varied. It really is a perfect introduction for beginners, but veterans won't be bored, especially if you use the workout to ease into the day. The different variations on the rollup move were particularly challenging.

The "cardio" portion isn't cardio the way you'd think; rather than get your heart rate pumping, you're working on midtempo moves mostly from a standing position. But for Pilates, it does feel like a moderately high calorie burn, and it's a great way to get moving after the more focused mat work. I've done both portions a number of times and will definitely keep this one around. Interested? You can get the DVD on Amazon for $7.49.

DVD Review: Shiva Rea - Flow Yoga for Beginners

FitSugar — Thu, 22 May 2008 13:00:00 -0700

If you've always wanted to experiment with Flow Yoga, you're going to love Shiva Rea's DVD, Flow Yoga for Beginners ($15). This DVD is all about creative, fluid movements, and it's full of inspired, rhythmic music with heavy beats and gorgeous scenery in the background.

I love that Shiva Rea begins this practice in a seated position, to give you a chance to slow down your body and mind, so you can prepare yourself for complete awareness. She starts with series of slow movements, called Foundation Flow, to warm up your body and get you connected to your breath, which is so important for your focused yoga practice.

The other sections include Backbend Flow, Flexibility Flow, Standing Pose Flow, and finally Savasana. Each section is about 10 to 20 minutes long, so you can do the entire 70 minutes at once or choose the ones you have time for. The sequence of poses are very slow and gentle, so you'll learn about proper alignment in each pose, which is so important for beginners. I really enjoyed this DVD and felt extremely relaxed and calm afterward. If you are ready to try and flow, you can buy it here.

Swimming Plan For Beginners

FitSugar — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:00:00 -0800

I am a fan of the Couch to 5k program for helping people get up off their couches and out onto the streets. I also like the Beginner Bike Plan for preparing folks for endurance biking. Now I bring you a plan to get you in the pool, since swimming indoors is a great Winter workout.

Swimming, like running and biking, takes time to build up the endurance and strength needed for lengthy workouts. With running, the first benchmark is a 5k, and with swimming it is a swimmer's mile, which is 1,650 yards (1,500 meters), not 1,760 yards like a normal mile.

I found this wonderful program created by Ruth Kazez. Her Zero to 1650: A Mile in Six Weeks plan is totally doable, all it needs is you . . . and a pool.

To see an example of the workout you should do three times in your first week at the pool, just read more.

Distance	Rest	Repeat	Total
100 yards	12 breaths	4 sets	400 yards
50 yards	8 breaths	4 sets	200 yards
25 yards	4 breaths	4 sets	100 yards
		Grand Total	700 yards

Most pools are 25 yards long, so this workout would be 14 laps, or 28 lengths. Doable, right? Each week you add 50 to 200 yards to your workout. You slowly build up your endurance. Breaks in between swim sets are generally part of a swimming fitness plan. Plus, this is similar to the beginning running programs that mix walking with running.

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Strike a Yoga Pose: Beginner's Gate

FitSugar — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 04:00:00 -0700

Seated postures are great for meditation because they are easier to hold than some poses (like Half Moon pose), and because you are so grounded, they instill a sense of calmness.

This pose called Beginner's Gate also opens your hips and hamstrings, and allows you to practice lengthening your spine and sitting nice and tall.

Sanskrit Name: Parighasana
English Translation: Cross Beam of a Gate Pose
Also Called: Gate

Want to know how to do it? Then read more

Sit on your mat and straighten your right leg out to the side.
Now bend your left knee and bring your left toes as close to your body as possible. If you can, press the arch of your foot against the curve of your bum.
Very Important - If your left knee is in any pain, straighten out your left leg, and bend your knee, but this time bring your left foot in towards your right inner thigh (going in the opposite direction you just tried).
Now press your hands together in front of your heart. Relax your shoulder blades back and down away from your ears. Ground firmly with your pelvis, and if you can, try to tuck it in slightly. Bring your ribs in too, lengthening through your spine and following your breath.
Stay here for 5 or more breaths, and then switch sides.

Beginner's Gate will prepare you for the full expression of the pose, where you lean over to your straight leg and rotate your chest towards the ceiling. (Look for it next Monday).

Runner's World Beginner Program

FitSugar — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:15:00 -0800

If there is more than one way up the mountain, there is definitely more than one way to begin a running program. I am a fan of the Couch to 5k plan that Cool Running created that prepares you for a 5k in eight weeks, but what if you want a plan that gets you to the 5k mark a few weeks earlier? Runner's World has a plan that will get you up and running a 5k in as many weeks. The Beginner 5k Plan is a little more flexible and a little less structured. You start with 20 minutes of walking or cross training, so if you want to add a little running your first day out it is up to you to motivate yourself to pick up your pace. The plan does have you moving in some way, shape, or form six days a week and this consistency will definitely keep you on track.

Check out the plan here and get running! Don't let those lame Pearl Izumi ads keep you from hitting the streets.

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DVD Review: Element Yoga for Beginners

FitSugar — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 08:45:00 -0800

Last night I convinced a good friend of mine to do a new DVD that I had to review with me. As it was called Element: Yoga for Beginners ($10.09) I knew she would give me some good feedback on what she thought about the DVD since she is a yoga newbie. Being an avid PopSugar fan, she was excited to learn that the Anusara instructor in the video, Elena Brower, had taught yoga to celebs like Christy Turlington, Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Watts, and Eva Mendes.

Overall, the reviews from both of us were two thumbs up. The poses move slow enough that she was able to look up and figure out what the heck "opening her heart" meant, while fast enough that it was not too slow or boring. There is a strong focus on breathing technique and linking your breath to your movement. My friend loved that Brower was not too crunchy (part of why she's avoided yoga in the past), but she also was not some bubbly instructor only hired for her good looks - in other words, it was evident she was a reputable yoga instructor so it was a good balance. What's more? My friend called me this morning to tell me that she's sore and she's keeping the DVD for herself.

I am especially partial to promoting the sale of this DVD since for every four DVDs that are purchased, Arbor Day Foundation will plant one tree in a national forest.