FitSugar

Can You Do That?

FitSugar — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 02:00:00 PDT

I recently stumbled across this commercial for USA Weightlifting. I think it's cute and motivational. I'm personally impressed with the you-go-girl mentality of it, especially since weightlifting is such a man's world.

You all know that strength training is super important. So why not start lifting today?

The Final Say in the Light Weights vs. Heavy Weights Debate

Shape — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:47:20 PDT

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

You've always heard that when it comes to building muscle mass, heavy weights are preferred over lighter weights. But a new study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology has found that isn't always the case. In fact, you can build just as much muscle by lifting lighter weights. If you do it right...

10 Health and Fitness Myths You Still Believe

The key is working the muscle to total failure or exhaustion, says Michele S. Olson, professor of exercise science at the Human Performance Laboratory of Auburn University Montgomery and the star of the workout DVD Perfect Legs, Glutes and Abs.

8 Reasons Why You Should Lift Heavier Weights

"Failure, in this sense, is a success," Olson says. "If you work your muscles, on each set, until you cannot execute another repetition with appropriate form, the heaviness of the weight becomes less important."

Find out exactly what a "light" weight is after the break!

6 Best Ways to Flatten Your Belly By Summer

Prevention — Mon, 07 May 2012 04:33:32 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

By the Editors of Prevention

A toned, flat tummy is a goal many of us strive to achieve in time for bathing suit season, but endless crunches and ditching all your favorite foods until July 4th isn’t the right-or fun-way to do it. A sculpted core and trim tummy can be attained by incorporating small changes into your day, like holding in your abs while you walk and adding the right healthy fats to your diet. In our lean belly guide, you’ll get diet and exercise tips that will help you eliminate hard-to-reach ab flab and reveal a sculpted, sexy midsection. Here, learn 6 ways to flatten your belly by summer.

Make Time For Cardio
If you want to burn the most belly fat, a Duke University study confirms that aerobic exercise is the most effective in burning that deep, visceral belly fat. In fact, aerobic training burns 67% more calories than resistance training or a combination of the two, according to the study.

Top 10 Reasons Your Abs Exercises Aren’t Working

Fight Fat With Fiber
For every 10 grams of fiber you eat daily, your belly will carry almost 4% less fat. Thankfully, there are more enjoyable ways to increase your fiber than scarfing down a box of bran flakes: Two apples, ½ cup of pinto beans, one artichoke, or two cups of broccoli will all give you 10 grams of belly-flattening fiber.

More flat-belly tips after the break.

4 Reasons to Stick With Pilates

Leta Shy — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:15:09 PDT

Fad workouts come and go, but Pilates continues to be a favorite among Hollywood starlets and well-versed fitness fanatics. What's to love about the exercise? Check out these four reasons to do Pilates below.

Complementary workout: Whether you are a hard-core swimmer or a bootcamp devotee, incorporating Pilates into your workout routine helps keep your muscles loose and flexible, important for staying injury-free, and allows your body to recuperate while still working your muscles.

Lengthen and strengthen: The oft-quoted promise that Pilates and other studio-based exercises will make you look long and lean may be a stretch, since there's no physical way to actually make your muscles longer or leaner. But regularly practicing Pilates can help you combat muscle bulkiness. "In Pilates you stretch the muscle to its full extension, then contract it," says celeb Pilates trainer Nicole Stuart. With weights, however, "you are using your muscles against the resistance of that weight you are holding. So while you're lifting the weight you build and expand your muscle. You are adding a layer of muscle and reshaping."

Read on for more reasons to do Pilates after the break.

Alessandra Ambrosio's Secret to a Feel-Good Pregnancy: Staying Fit

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:47:23 PDT

Victoria's Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio is loving the third trimester of her second pregnancy and has no complaints. Without experiencing the usual discomforts of pregnancy, she told People magazine, "I feel really good. I love this pregnancy. It's been really easy. I haven't gotten really nauseous or anything." The VS Angel's secret to feeling great is keeping up with her fitness routine. She says,

"I've been very active. I've been exercising. I've been going for walks and doing yoga. Playing with my daughter all the time gets me in good shape I guess."

Alessandra practices yoga to stay in shape while she's modeling, but it's also an excellent way to stay strong, limber, and calm when you're a momma-to-be. While it's so important for an expectant woman to stay active during her pregnancy, here are some things to keep in mind during each trimester to ensure your fitness routine promotes a stress- and injury-free pregnancy.

First Trimester
Even if you were exercising regularly before becoming prego, it's important to get the OK from your doctor or midwife before continuing. If running, swimming, biking, hiking, strength training, and doing yoga were part of your routine, go ahead and continue those workouts, just modify the intensity as needed. Now is not the time to do anything new or more intense fitness-wise (it's best to wait till after baby to start training for that marathon). Avoid contact sports or activities that put you at risk for falling such as rock climbing or horseback riding.

Early pregnancy symptoms such as nausea, sore breasts, extreme fatigue, the need to hit the bathroom more often, and hunger cravings can get in the way of your workouts, but it's important to listen to your body. This might mean walking instead of jogging, taking more breaks, snacking during workouts, or taking entire days off to nap instead. Your body is busy at work growing that little one, so don't worry about toning down your routine. Most women start to feel better in the second trimester, so look forward to working out more regularly then.

Continue reading to find out tips for exercising in the second and third trimesters.

From the Community: Everything You Need to Know About CrossFit

Fit Community — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 01:22:23 PDT

FitSugar reader meetcasey interviewed CrossFit expert Robert Sax, owner of the CrossFit Amped Gym, and posted the Q&A in our Get Fit For 2012 community group. Check out what Robert had to say about this rising fitness trend!

Meet the Expert: Robert Sax

Can you begin by telling us a little about yourself?

I am 27 years old and a Capricorn (yes, that’s the goat). I’m originally from Portland, ME (the first Portland), and I currently live in Bellevue, WA. I graduated from Springfield College in Massachusetts with a BS in exercise science. I own CrossFit Amped, coach during the day, fight crime at night, and occasionally put down an entire jar of fresh-grind almond butter. Mmmmmm, fat!

What is CrossFit?

Textbook definition: it is constantly varied functional movements executed at a high intensity. CliffsNotes version: constantly changing workouts that involve body weight movements, gymnastics, aerobic and anaerobic training, Olympic lifting, power lifting, strongman movements, and anything else my twisted mind can conjure up! It is a universally scalable platform for exercise that allows any man or woman of any age and ability level to participate. I have worked with every walk of life and haven’t been stumped yet. In fact, I am currently coaching two men who are deaf, which was a challenge at first because of the amount of detail needed to comprehend and apply to certain movement patterns. Now it is no problem. In fact, I’ve learned some sign language because of it!

Learn more about what a CrossFit workout is and how it can change your body after the break

Swimmer Natalie Coughlin on Pilates, Plums, and Backstroking For Gold

Susi May — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:05:50 PST

Swimming always makes a splash at the Summer games, and Natalie Coughlin did just that in Beijing by becoming the first American woman to win six medals in one Olympics. A serious foodie as well as a gold medalist, Natalie took time out of her intense schedule to talk about her plans for London and how cooking calms her.

Natalie's training day starts with a 4:30 a.m. wake-up, and she's at the pool by 5 a.m. for a Pilates warmup, two hours in the pool, followed by an hour and a half of weight lifting. Impressed not only by the early morning start, I was also curious about her predawn power breakfast. She told me Bircher muesli is her go-to breakfast, explaining that it's "a really delicious uncooked oat, soaked overnight in orange juice and orange zest with dried plums." (Get Natalie's muesli recipe here.)

But wait. There's more. Natalie works out twice most days. Her second go-round involves a pool workout before heading off to the weight room for power circuits. The day sounds exhausting to me, and Natalie assured me that she certainly sleeps well and is not much of a napper; her head hits the pillow around 10 p.m. most nights, with an occasional early night when needed.

Keep reading to see what Natalie says about the upcoming London games.

Life as a Stuntwoman: A Sneak Peek Into Luci Romberg's Fit Career

Fitness Magazine — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 04:01:27 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Fitness Magazine here on FitSugar!

Whenever the latest blockbuster hits theaters, we rush to our seats to watch stars pounce from vehicle to vehicle, race through a collapsing building or barrel under a semi-truck. With all this action, we often forget that someone other than the superstar is actually performing these stunts. Sometimes celebs, like Tom Cruise, are fit enough to do their own moves, but most often a professional is called in for the job. Enter Luci "Steel" Romberg, a professional stuntwoman and freerunner, who has been in top films like Green Lantern, Zombieland and Terminator. We caught up with the super-fit daredevil to find out how you get into a less-than-mainstream career and what keeps her always coming back for more.

Most people don't think of "stuntwoman" when plotting out future careers. What made you pursue this path?

I was a gymnast all through college, and a national champion my senior year at Texas Woman's University. I was a kinesiology major, but there just wasn't really anything else I wanted to do. I could have been a professor, a physical therapist, a coach or a handful of other things with my degree, but none of them appealed to me. One day one of my teammates came back from acting in LA, and she just convinced me to give it a shot. When I first got there, I had no idea what being a stuntwoman actually entailed. I was just so pumped on the idea of it that I knew I had to at least give it a try. I've been lucky enough to stick around.

What's a typical day like when you're hired for a film?

There is no typical day. Sometimes it's really exciting and you're working right away, doing anything from falling down a flight of stairs to rolling under a semi-truck, and other days you spend the day waiting around to see if they're going to get to your segments. It's definitely exciting though, I love that I don't know what to expect when I go into work.

More about Luci after the break.

Get the Bod: Tips from Madonna's Trainer

FitSugar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 04:00:00 PDT

Madonna is one fit woman. From injecting vitamins to building a gym 20 yards from her home, she's got her eye on health. To be Madonna's personal trainer must not be an easy task since I am guessing it takes a lot to keep ahead of Madge in the gym. Her current trainer, Tracy Anderson (who also trains Madonna's pal Gwyneth Paltrow), has recently disclosed to the Daily Mail some of the tricks she has up her sleeve for keeping A-listers fit.

For highlights on what Tracy suggests her clients do in the gym then

How to start: First make sure you have 30 minutes of your favorite songs on your iPod. Then find yourself a treadmill. Sprint for one song, skip for one song, and gallop for one song. Work up to a 30-minute work-out. Then move on to toning (below). Start with 10 repetitions and work up to 100 - these should be done every day. If in any doubt about your health, always check with a doctor.

Toning Exercises:
Arm Raise: Using 3lb weights, stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Slowly move arms together straight up into a V above your head. Elbows and wrists are bent slightly. Then gently lower your arms back down to your sides and without pausing go straight back up again. Work up to 100 reps.

Single arm overhead pulse: Using 3lb weights, stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides. Raise one arm above your head with your elbow slightly bent and then straighten your arm completely over your head. Pulse like that, up and down. Work up to 100 reps on one side and then the other.

Ballet Grand Plies: Stand with heels together, toes slightly apart. With a straight back, bend at the knee as low as you can, then go back up again. Work up to 100 reps.

Abdominal Crunches: Lie on the floor with arms at your side, your legs in front of you. Raise yourself slightly until you feel a "crunch" in your abs and then lie back down. The key here is to do it with your legs straight out in front of you, as that will really work your stomach without bulking it up. Work up to 100 reps.

Piking: Lie flat on the floor, arms at your sides. Lift straight legs up to ceiling to 90 degrees and then gently lower. Without pausing, lift them back up again. Your upper body should remain flat on the ground. Both arms and legs should be straight with your toes pointed. Work up to 100 reps.

Advanced Piking: Lie on the floor, legs straight out in front of you with your arms on the floor stretched out over your head. Hold onto a 3lb weight and bring your hands up to meet your legs when you raise them to a 90-degree angle and lower your arms and legs back down to the floor at the same time. Both arms and legs should be straight with your toes pointed. Work up to 100 reps.

Source

These Weights Don't Go in Your Hands

FitSugar — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:30:08 PDT

Being in the last few weeks of my pregnancy, I have to confess that I haven't been keeping up with my kegels. Early in my pregnancy, new moms urged me to keep my pelvic floor strong, but distracted by the impending appearance of my new little one, exercising this area has not been a top priority. That is until now.

Helping a fellow instructor out at a postnatal yoga class over the weekend, I heard tales of new motherhood that both shocked and intrigued me. I felt like I was in junior high having a secret meeting in the bathroom with my girlfriends about tampons, complete with blushing. One woman admitted that she's had a real problem with incontinence ever since giving birth. After reading all the reviews on Amazon, she ordered some vaginal weights. She explained the weights go inside you to more effectively work your pelvic floor. From a strength training standpoint, that makes complete sense. I mean, if you want to tone your arms, lifting dumbbells is more worthwhile than lifting air. But seriously - vaginal weights?

Learn if they are safe when you

According to a few scientific studies, some evidence shows that using vaginal weights (also called vaginal cones) helped with urine leakage better than no treatment at all. Advocates are in favor of these weights because once they're in place, it's easier for a woman to learn to isolate and train her pelvic floor muscles. They even come in different sizes (just like dumbbells). How fun! Once your muscles become strong enough with small weights, you can graduate to heavier weights, although I'm sure you're not about to brag to your friends about it like you do in the weight room.

Using these weights is safe, as long as you follow the instructions. Only keep them inserted for 15 minutes at a time, and properly wash them when you're done. It's not recommended to go out and order yourself a set without talking to your doctor beforehand. They first need to assess that you have what's called stress incontinence, which is due to weakened pelvic floor muscles. Vaginal weights may not help with other types of incontinence.

Wow. Leaking breast milk I'm prepared for, but leaking urine? That's not something I'm ready to sign up for postpartum. And since I'm not too keen on sticking anything where I just gave birth, I'm all about doing good old-fashioned kegels on my own. If you're curious about these weights, check out the different kinds below, and then talk to you gyno about them. If you've used vaginal weights before and feel like sharing, we'd love to hear about your experiences.

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