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Get Physical: At Home Partner Circuits

FitSugar — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:30:00 -0700

Everyone has a bit more time on the weekends, so it should be easier to rope in a buddy to do alternating cardio circuits with you. Exercising with a friend can not only keep you on track, but it doubles the fun too. Here's how to create a circuit plan for you and your buddy.

Create a plan by picking a type, or types if you're so inclined, of cardio and a time limit – somewhere between two minutes and five minutes works best.
At home, I have an elliptical so we use it for our alternating cardio times (plus it acts as our timer), but you could use a wide variety of cardio elements to alternate with your strength training moves. Here are a few examples:
- Jumping rope (or pretending to if you don't have the rope).
- Running around the block, or to the corner and back.
- Step ups onto a stair, stool, or chair.
- Jumping jacks
- Climbing stairs

There's a bit more to planning, so

Working on Your Partner to Work Out

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:00:00 -0800

I have been asked repeatedly for ways to motivate husbands, boyfriends, partner, lovers to get interested in fitness. If you're reading FitSugar, chances are high fitness is a priority for you, but here are some tactics to get your significant other to work out.

Join a gym together. Tell them you really want to stay fit, and that you need their support to do it. Most gyms offer a deal if you join with a friend.
They may need a little push to get them to the gym, so ask if they can meet you there after work. Tell them you're doing weight training and you really need a spotter.
If you have a dog work the K9 training angle and tell them that all the dog training books recommend that you walk your dog for at least an hour everyday.
Do something active together that's fun, so it doesn't seem like exercise. Go hiking, play tennis, go swimming in the gym pool, or plan a weekend ski trip. Try to do a fun physical activity together at least once a week.

Want to see the other ideas? Then

Get Physical: The Push Up Challenge

FitSugar — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 03:30:00 -0700

Next time you are watching TV with your honey or a friend, try this fun way to workout during the commercial break - I call it the push-up challenge. It takes at least 2 people since you switch off, but there is no reason you couldn't include more people in the challenge.

Here's how to do it:

You simply hold the plank position while your buddy does three push-ups. Then switch roles. Keep alternating in this fashion for the entire commercial break. Really! It is fun and it keeps you moving.

The benefits:

Builds a sense of camaraderie.
Builds upper body strength.
Keep you from becoming a total couch potato.

Fit's Tip: If you want to do the unmodified push-up, meaning not on your knees, you actually have to do "real" push-ups, even though they are hard and really suck.

Get Physical: Couples Boxing

FitSugar — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 03:30:00 -0700

Boxing, for the ladies, is definitely "hip" right now. If you and your man want to push the envelope and your comfort zone, take a look at coed/couples boxing as a way to get physical together. You can master your left hook, your jab and your trust issues all in the ring.

Setting boundaries is an important part of any loving relationship, and rules are equally important when a couple enters the ring. Safety rules that dictate how coed pairs fight vary from gym to gym, and couple to couple. At some gyms, women are allowed to hit much harder than their male sparring partners. In other gyms, men are not allowed to hit women at all. It might seem like the men are getting the short end of the workout stick since they are not fighting to their full potential, but men definitely get a workout as they bob and weave defensively.

The actual punching time in the ring is just one part of the workout. Like all good boxing regimens, there are multiple elements to training for coed boxing - think Rocky and Million Dollar Baby. There is jumping rope, speed drills, bag punching and strength training.

If you don't want to spar with your man, you can still take coed boxing classes with him. Many gyms offer coed classes with only same sex sparring at the end of the workout. You can exercise together, hitting punching bags side by side and cheering each other on, but never enter the ring together.

If working out in the ring sounds like fun to you check out this directory at Boxing Gyms for a boxing gym near you. Remember keep it clean and have fun, but don't knock yourself out.

Source

Get Physical: Find a Trail and Go Snowshoeing

FitSugar — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 07:00:00 -0800

Ok, so you and your honey decided to make a date to get out and enjoy winter this weekend. You're going snowshoeing. Cool. OK, so how do you figure out where to go?

You can ask your local gear store, the place where you bought or rented your snowshoes, or ask a trusted nature friend to point you in the right direction.

Maybe you're planning a day trip a few hours away and want to find some new trails. Check this out. Find a trail using this website from Tubbs.

You can also tell folks about trails you've enjoyed on the Tubbs site.

It's great that the snow has finally come. It actually feels like winter now. So get out of the house and get into the snow.