FitSugar

Fit Find Faves: Summer Swimming FUN

FitSugar — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 11:45:00 PDT

When I was young the swim club opened on Memorial Weekend, and then I was at the pool on any day that wasn't stormy. I was checking out the recent Fit Finds and I saw all these wonderful things for working out at the pool or chillin' on the beach, so I wanted to share them with you.

I love the sporty bikini that SU3 found, complete with cover up shorts. I feel more comfortable with my bum covered playing paddle ball on the beach!!! Hollywoodjess found a bunch of swimming accessories to make every lap count!!! I am loving those polka dot hand paddles. Talk about working your arms and back with style.

Check out what other Sugar users are bookmarking as Fit Finds. Chances are high you will find something to satisfy the happy, healthy you. If you want to lean more about bookmarking in the Sugar pages, read my buddy geeksugar's excellent tutorial.

If you find anything out there on the web that helps you stay happy and healthy, do bookmark it and share it with us.

How to Start: Work Up to Swimming a Mile

FitSugar — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 01:00:43 PST

If trying a triathlon is one of your fitness goal for 2011 don't be intimidated by the swim. I know many experienced runners and cyclist who harbor deep fears of the swimming. While getting your heart rate up in the water is completely different than sweating it out on land, running/biking and swimming complement each other nicely. Running and biking work the legs, swimming works the upper body, and all three build your cardio endurance. If you're ready to make friends with the pool, I have found a great beginner program to get you swimming a mile in six weeks.

Ruth Kazez's endurance building program, Zero – 1650: A Mile in Six Weeks, is to swimming what the Couch to 5K program is to running - I love fitness workout analogies.

Swimming, like running, takes some time to build up the endurance needed for lengthy workouts. With running the first benchmark is the 5k, and with swimming it's a mile, which I learned from Kazes is 1650 yards (1500 meters), not 1760 yards. Curious to see what the first workout looks like? Then

read more. Here's an example of the workout for the first week, which you should complete three times in seven days. 4 x 100 yards – rest for 12 breaths (total = 400 yards, or 16 laps* in a 25 yard length pool) 4 x 50 yards – rest for 8 breaths (total = 200 yards, or 8 laps) 4 x 25 yards – rest for 4 breaths (total = 100 yards, or 4 laps) Total: 700 yards *A swim coach at Equinox schooled me that a lap is the length of a pool in swimmer speak. I had previously thought it was there and back, but no. A lap is a length. I feel that twenty-eight laps are totally doable, right? Remember, that you take breaks between to catch your breath, which is similar to taking walking breaks when starting a running program. After swimming 100 yards, you take a rest to take 12 breaths. Then you repeat swimming 100 yards three more times, with breaks, until you complete the set. Each week you add 50 to 200 yards to your workout to slowly build up endurance and conquer the mile! Who's ready to take the plunge?

Get It Up, Your Heart Rate That Is: Swimming Sprints

FitSugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 05:30:00 PDT

Many of us are starting to move our workouts indoors. Temperatures are cooling off and daylight is becoming increasingly limited; the days are going to get even shorter. One way to move your cardio inside is swimming and here is a fun workout to try. Sprinting intervals are not just for running; they're great for the pool too. I suggest adding some sprints into your swimming workouts to keep things fresh and challenging. Check out this simple workout and try it next time you head to the pool. Better yet, print it out and use it as your excuse to head to the pool. I have even added some kicking sprints to target your legs too.

To see the workout, just

read more. Warm up: 100 yrds Freestyle - easy 50 yrds kick Freestyle 50 yrds kick Backstroke 50 yrds kick Breaststroke 100 yrds pull* Freestyle The Main Event: 200 yrds Freestyle Sprints 8 x 25 yrds alternating Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly*** (rest :10)** 200 yards Freestyle Kick Sprints 4 x 25 yrds Freestyle kickboard sprint (rest :20) 4 x 25 yrds Breaststroke (rest :20) 200 yards Freestyle 100 yards Breaststroke Cool Down: 50 Backstroke 50 pull Freestyle 100 Freestyle - easy * Pull: Hold a buoy with your legs and use only your arms to swim ** Rest the listed amount between reps/laps ***If you don't swim Butterfly, substitute Freestyle This workout is 1650 yards, a mile. A swimmer's mile is 1500 meters, or roughly 1650 yards - 66 lengths in a 25 yard pool. Fit's Tips: If you are new to swimming check out this beginner's program to get you from sitting on the side of the pool to swimming a mile.

Cardio Workout: Swimming

Susi May — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 01:41:17 PDT

I know many runners and cyclists, who though tempted by the lure of mixing it up in a triathlon, ultimately skip these races because they're intimidated by the swim. Not only is swimming in open water scary, unlike running, it is also considered a skill sport, similar to tennis or golf because technique is so important. If you feel less than confident in the pool, taking lessons to hone your stroke is helpful; I did it and learned so much. Do know that long sessions of laps might not necessarily be the best way to train. Many tri coaches recommend sprint interval training in the pool to challenge your speed, before tiring and losing your hard earned technique.

Here's a workout I have been doing lately. It is mostly freestyle, but I like to add a little backstroke to work the opposing muscles.

Check out the workout.

Yoga Class: Studio vs. Gym

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:03:11 PST

With all the New Year's resolutions floating around, if "trying yoga" is on your list, you're probably wondering where the best place to practice is. With yoga's increased popularity, just about every gym offers yoga classes on their schedule in between Body Pump and Spinning, but there are also studios on every corner that teach yoga exclusively. Keep reading to find out which place you'd prefer getting your Down Dog on.

Price

Studio: Purchase single classes at a drop-in rate that's about $12 to $25 per class (depending on the length of the class), or you can buy a group of classes at a slightly cheaper rate. Some studios also offer monthly or yearly memberships, so classes are even cheaper, but this only pays off if you go a lot.
Gym: Many gym memberships include classes in the monthly or yearly fee, so yoga classes at gyms might be significantly less expensive than at a studio.

Continue reading to learn how studio's and gym's compare when it comes to atmosphere, convenience, and teacher qualifications.

Breathe Deeply, Improve Your Running

Susi May — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 02:40:24 PST

Breathing. You're doing it right now without even thinking about it. Put a little thought into the action, and you just might find yourself soaring through your next tempo run. When you're going the distance running, swimming, cycling, and even rowing you need to power your muscles with fresh oxygen. To do this, you need to breathe deeply. Unfortunately, most of us are just breathing into our chest and not fully utilizing our lungs. Cross-training with the noncardio workouts of yoga and Pilates can help. Along with strength and flexibility, these forms of mind-body exercise help you learn to breathe deeply and effectively.

Basically, your lungs are just a bit smaller than your rib cage, but we all tend to breathe in just the top third of the lungs. One reason is that, like all muscles, the intercostals, which run between the ribs, can get tight and inflexible, limiting the expansiveness of your lungs. With a little training and some stretching, you can breathe to your full potential and increase your endurance.

Learn a supersimple breathing exercise, simply read more.

On a Tight Budget? Get an Affordable Workout, Courtesy of Your Neighborhood

Heather Dale — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 02:02:35 PDT

Often times when the sun is shining, the last place I want to be is inside a gym. I'd much rather go for a run, a bike ride, or strap on my rollerblades. Another option? Utilizing the great fitness amenities my neighborhood has to offer: public tennis courts, calorie-burning steps, swimming pools, football stadium stands, and even a public track to use when training for marathons.

Here's how to find some inexpensive fitness gems in your neighborhood:

Swimmer's Guide: Use this amazing website to access an entire database of public pools across the US (and the rest of the world!). Learn whether pools are indoor or outdoor, their length, and if they have special rates.
Find a Court: Just enter your zip code and Find a Court will pull up a list of all the tennis courts in your area. You'll be able to see how many courts the facility has, whether there are lights or a pro shop, and if it's a seasonal court.
World Stadiums: Search your city to see if there are any stadiums where you could either use the track for running, or the bleachers for climbing or running up.

Source: Flickr User Dru Bloomfield

Nutrition Myths That Can Cause Weight Gain

Shape — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 04:04:23 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

Myth: Going Vegan Will Make You Lose Weight
"While various research shows that vegetarians and vegans, on average, consume fewer calories and less fat than omnivores (a 2009 Oxford study found that vegetarians weigh 3 to 20 percent less than their meat-eating counterparts, and a National Cancer Institute study found that subjects who consumed four ounces or more of red meat weekly were 30 percent more likely to die of any cause than those who ate less), these numbers may be misleading," says Rania Batayneh, MPH, a certified nutritionist and owner of Essential Nutrition for You.

Going vegan solely for weight loss can backfire, big time. If you aren’t vigilant with a vegan diet, it’s easy to lack in vital nutrients, vitamins, and proteins, which give you energy and help keep your metabolism stoked. Many first-time vegans may also find themselves reaching for more processed foods like vegan cookies, chips, or even ‘ice cream’ more often with such a restricted diet, and many end up packing on the pounds instead.

If you do decide to adopt a vegan diet, be sure to keep the ‘treats’ to a minimum and plan balanced meals (we love ‘Domestic Vegan’ Diva Jessica Olson’s tips for "going veg"). "Aim to get about 10 to 20 percent of your calories from protein (or about 1 gram per kilogram of body weight), replacing animal protein with healthy plant proteins, like those found in beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy products," Batayneh says. "And, whether you are vegan or not, eating more green, leafy vegetables is great for your health and your waistline."

See which other diet habits may also being causing weight gain after the break!

Easy Ways to Double Up on Workouts

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:03:07 PST

Some days one workout just doesn't seem like enough. If you feel like getting in double the workouts, either to increase your calorie burn, to work different muscles, or just because you love exercising, here are some easy ways to make it happen.

Bike to your 90-minute yoga class.
Hit your gym's pool to swim laps for 30 minutes and take a Body Pump class afterward.
Go for a run outside or on the treadmill and then grab your dog (or a friend) and take a walk around the neighborhood.
Take a hike and every 20 minutes go through these six tree stretches.
Do a strengthening DVD in the morning and hit an evening spin class.
After Zumba, head home and do this Full-Body Circuit Workout With Weights.
Go through a strength training routine using an exercise ball and after dinner, head out for a night of dancing (or a dance party in your living room).
If there's snow, go snowshoeing or cross-country skiing and stretch in front of the fire when you get home.

Make sure doubling up on workouts doesn't leave you fatigued, unreasonably sore, or low in nutrients. You might need to increase your calorie intake, lower the intensity or duration of your workouts, and get more rest. Varying your workouts is also a must to avoid overuse injuries.

Will You Be Working Out Before Your Feast?

Susi May — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 02:55:26 PST

The holiday season officially kicks off tomorrow with the Thanksgiving feast. The days and weeks that follow are full of parties, sweet treats, and spiked punches. I don't think it's fair for anyone to attempt to lose weight when foodie festivities abound, but maintaining your weight - that's a noble goal.

For me, exercise is key for balancing out all my indulgences. I like to kick off T day with a workout, be it a Turkey Trot or a vinyasa yoga class. Many gyms offer special classes designed to fire up your metabolism before the upcoming meal. The amount of calories burned in your workout will probably not offset your entire meal, but every little bit counts, and the workout might just keep you more accountable when you scoot your chair under the table.

I am planning a workout at my sister's gym in Minneapolis - a 30-minute weight circuit followed by 30 minutes of swimming. What about you?

Flickr User pixonomy