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Michelle Obama Hula-Hoops to Health

FitSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:00:36 -0700

The secret to Michelle Obama's slim waist? Hula-hooping! The first lady hosted a Healthy Kids Fair on the White House South Lawn this week to promote her ongoing message that Americans need to get healthy.

Among the attendees were chefs and nutritionists who prepared lunch while also passing along the valuable lesson of healthy eating. Afterward, the kids and Michelle completed an obstacle course, hula-hooped, and tried double-dutch jump rope.

The first lady managed to swivel the hula-hoop around 142 times before it fell!

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Get the Bod: Padma Lakshmi

FitSugar — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 03:30:40 -0700

Former model, cookbook author, and host of Top Chef Padma Lakshmi has got it going on.

After checking out the image of her in Allure's naked truth photo essay, it is hard to believe she gains 10 to 15 pounds when filming a season of Top Chef. When filming the competitive reality cooking show Padma eats a lot of food. Food flavored with fat, often extra fat, to make it taste good. She recently told the New York Times that keeps two dress sizes on set to accommodate her changing body.

Learn how she whips herself back into shape after five indulgent weeks of filming, when you read more.

Padma is a fan of boxing. It's part of her regular workout when not on the set. When traveling or filming, she keeps a jump rope in her suit case so she can fit in cardio when she has time. A firm believer in taking the stairs, Padma also works her upper body in a daily 90-minute fitness routine.

Food, is a different story. When on the set, she cuts herself some slack since she knows the weight gain is inevitable. Post filming she goes on a serious detox. Padma cuts out alcohol, cheese, and red meat until she is back to her normal weight. That has got to take some serious discipline, but if I were going to be seen naked in the pages of Allure, I would probably remove cheese from my meals for a while.

Katy Perry Jumps Onstage and Off

FitSugar — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:00:29 -0700

Katy Perry looks amazing in her various bikinis. What's her secret? According to a recent interview with Cosmo, her favorite way to exercise is jumping rope. Not only does it burn calories - 295 per 30 minutes - but jumping rope also helps build bone-mineral density and makes your body stronger.

It's a simple and inexpensive way to get your heart rate up; use it as your main form of cardio or to warm up before strength training. Katy even jumps rope as a warmup before shows. Since this little gadget is so portable, you can pack it in your gym bag, suitcase, car, and even your purse and always have a way to get in a good workout.

Jumping Rope vs. Jogging

FitSugar — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 04:30:00 -0800

Jumping rope may seem like a boring way to work out, but it offers so many benefits. It's inexpensive, you can do it anywhere, it builds bone density, and it increases fat loss. I'm seeing more and more people jumping rope instead of jogging, so I was wondering how the two compare. If you're curious too, take this quiz to find out.

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Get in Gear: Jump Ropes

FitSugar — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:00:21 -0800

Whether you're an exercise newbie or a fitness buff, jumping rope is a great option for fun, quick, and effective cardio. Though a jump rope is one of the simplest pieces of equipment available, shopping for one isn't easy because they come in various lengths and the quality can differ depending on materials used.

You'll find that ropes differ in handle size and cord weight; I recommend staying away from ropes made of cloth or leather. Generally, beaded ropes are supposed to give you the best aerobic workout. Speed ropes are the lightest type of rope, but I've found they can be difficult to control when you're a new jumper. I prefer slightly heavier ropes made of plastic.

See some jump rope options and learn how to determine the proper length of your jump rope when you read more.

While standing on the center of the cord, the handle tips should reach your armpits. If the handles are up by your ears, the rope is too long for you! You can also jump with your rope to determine if it's the proper length: If the cord doesn't touch the floor, the rope is too short; if it lands in front of you, it's too long. All of the ropes featured below are adjustable, so you can shorten the ropes if needed.

5 Reasons to Jump Rope

FitSugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:30:00 -0800

Very inexpensive, relatively easy, and extremely effective, jump roping is one of the best pieces of fitness equipment to have on hand. It takes up no room in your travel bag, and because it gets your heart rate up in no time, it's great for those times when you can only squeeze in a quick workout.

Men's Health shares my love for the jump rope and counted the ways in which it's awesome, although the magazine didn't include one of my favorite parts of jumping rope - it's so much fun! Here are five reasons why the guy's mag is a fan of jumping rope (I bet they think it's a blast, too).

Cost: A mere $15 or so will get you a jump rope that lasts for years. Compared to other cardio equipment, there's no contest in which gets the most bang-for-your-buck.
Portability: Inside, outside, on a flat roof, in your hotel room, on the backyard deck - you can jump rope anywhere that has high enough ceilings.

To see three more reasons jump roping is great, read more.

Strength gain: Jumping rope helps build bone-mineral density and makes your body stronger.
Improved coordination: The more often you jump, you'll notice you're able to jump longer without tripping. Setting your own jumping pace challenges your coordination.
Fat loss: Jumping recruits nearly every muscle and the efficient cardio exercise promotes fat loss.

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Travel Tip: Stash a Jump Rope in Your Trunk

FitSugar — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:30:00 -0800

It is not uncommon to be driving to your destination this holiday season, which means more time sitting in the car and less time walking or exercising.

One thing that I always make sure to have in my trunk for long car rides is a jump rope. My family tends to stop frequently while on road trips, so at each rest stop I like to do a mini jump-rope session (five minutes or so). Now that I have kids, I bring jump ropes for the girls too, so that they can burn some energy while mommy is burning calories. Plus, then I won't feel so bad indulging in a piece of pie (or two) once I get to my destination.

Fit's Tip: Jessica Simpson got great results from jumping rope, so it's worth a shot!

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Get Motivated: Jump Rope Video

FitSugar — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 02:00:00 -0800

Jumping rope is all the rage these days. It is a quick way to burn some calories! Sugar user EllaBella shared this great music video full of fanciful jump rope moves! I watched it and was so inspired. Hopefully it will get you moving too! So get out your jump ropes and practice your moves!

Jessica Simpson Gets Into It With InStyle

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 23:30:00 -0700

Jessica Simpson shows off her hot bod on the upcoming cover of InStyle. She has been working hard in her workouts with trainer Harley Pasternak, creator of 5-Factor Fitness and Diet Plan. She has managed to tone up her entire body, but maintain her feminine curves. Here's what she had to say about exercise and diet.

On her rope jumping skills: I am not a good jumper, all right? I’m horrible at skipping rope. I can’t get the rhythm of it. And it makes me so darn out of breath. It’s so hard, it kills me. When we do interval training, Harley makes me do six sets of 100 throughout a 45 minute workout. It gets your heart rate up real quick.
On food, dieting and indulgence: I let myself taste what I want. I have a couple of indulgent bites, and then I’m satisfied. I don’t want to say I cheat because that is so annoying – to say that having a piece of bread is cheating. That’s such a bad word when it comes to food. Just eat it! And do an extra mile on the treadmill.

To learn more about the 5-Factor just read more

The 5-Factor Plan is a workout plan as well as a diet. The workout combines both strength and cardio in each session of less than an hour, 5 days a week. You start with 5 minutes on a treadmill, bike or elliptical and finish with a cardio cool down as well. In between warm up and cool down is serious amounts of strength training with dumbbells and a bench or an exercise ball, with bits of cardio added in as well.

The 5-Factor Diet is a fairly uncomplicated regimen of 3 meals and 2 snacks daily, consisting of: low-fat protein, fiber, healthy carbs and fats, and a sugar-free drink with every meal (yep, that could be a diet soda or my beverage of choice - water). The diet also includes a cheat day once a week, just to keep it real. Plus, Pasternak says if you follow his plan you will see results in five weeks.

Bauer-Griffin

Get It Up - Your Heart Rate, That Is: Jumping Rope

FitSugar — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 04:00:00 -0700

Chances are high you jumped rope as a kid and here's a chance to workout with your inner child! Seriously, jumping rope is a great way to get some serious cardio action.

Here's a routine to try, it builds on itself and the changes up in time will keep you interested and your body guessing what is coming next. Timing yourself when you are jumping rope will motivate you to compete with the time. How many jumps can you jump in 30 seconds? See if you can top that number in the next round.

To see the workout, just read more.

Jump time in seconds	Rest time in seconds
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Total Minutes - 16:35

Looking for a longer workout? Add some strength training and repeat the jump rope series.

If you don't have a jump rope, just substitute jumping jacks. Your cardiovascular system won't know the difference.

Fit's Tip: Jumping rope really works your calves so make sure to stretch them after doing a jump rope workout. Here's an easy calf stretch you can do anywhere - all you need is a wall.

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Jump time in seconds	Rest time in seconds
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Jump time in seconds	Rest time in seconds
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Jump time in seconds	Rest time in seconds
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