Monday, May 10, 2010

Health & Fitness Health :Fact vs. Fiction

Your heart, your brain – your entire body – benefits from exercise. In this chapter, we’ll bust the exercise myths that hold you back and help you set goals.

The Basics

There’s no need for a grueling gym workout. Learn the benefits of dancing, gardening, and more.

Health experts advise 30-90 minutes exercise daily. Is that realistic for you? Find out if 30 is enough for you.

If you want more flexibility, we’ve got the tips. These 18 moves will stretch all major muscle groups

Your Body

Sure, exercise makes you sweat. But working out is worth the effort. Here are seven good reasons to just do it. Click here to get started.

Research shows: couch potatoes have more belly fat. What’s the cure? Read on.

She’s battling high blood pressure with the perfect program. See the secret to her success in this video.

With this quick tool, you get a body mass index (BMI) number – an indicator of your body fat. Are you overweight? Find out.

You may be toned and tight, but can you carry a 60-pound suitcase downstairs? Learn about functional fitness.

If you’ve got mummy tummy, we’ve got ideas on losing those post-pregnancy pounds.

Your Mind

Boost brainpower, melt stress, and more – all with 20 or 30 minutes of daily exercise.

Working out makes you smarter, happier, and sharper. Find out the brain benefits of exercise.

When the world’s gone mad and stress is bad – exercise! Click here for stress-easing tips.

You’ve heard of runners’ high? It’s the truth – exercise lifts your spirits. Read on to learn more.

Truths & Myths

We’ve all heard it – no pain, no gain. Learn what’s real -- and what’s not -- about exercise.

Most beginners are prone to mistakes. Don’t let them derail your efforts.

Starting your day with exercise sets the day’s pace -- in ways you might not expect.

Blaming your metabolism for weight gain? You might be right. Learn more about metabolism – and how to pump it up.

Starting to work out? Focus on getting fit, not reducing fatness, experts say.

When it comes to working out, guys and girls are from different planets. Read about the fitness attitudes of the sexes.

Six Tricks to Double Your Calorie Burn

A plateau is a lovely thing when you get to it after hiking all day. It's not, when describing your fitness efforts!

Plateauing means that despite dragging your body to the gym every day, it's gone into slacker mode. Your weight won't budge, your muscles go on hiatus. Bikini season is only three months away. This is no time for your workout to conk out.


Enter The Hollywood Trainer, Jeanette Jenkins, with jumper cables. "People get into an exercise rut," says Jenkins, whose students have included Queen Latifah and Christina Applegate. "You can go to the gym for 30 minutes and burn 300 calories. Or go and burn 600. You can literally double the amount."

Here, she shows six ways to do that——techniques she perfected for her new super fat-blaster DVD, "Bikini Boot Camp." "In my other DVDs, even I dilly dallied—I put down the weights, took a little breather. But on this one, there's not a moment to think about resting. It's boom, boom, boom, next, next, next. We maximized the calorie burn for the time spent. And you can definitely do that with your own workout."

1. Combine upper and lower body: For example, instead of standing there doing biceps curls with dumbbells, add simultaneous stationary lunges.

2. Shuffle with your walk: During a 30-minute power walk, include 5 intervals of side shuffles lasting 60 seconds to 2 minutes each.

3. Insert cardio blasts: Instead of resting or texting between sets on the weight machines, do 25 to 30 jumping jacks, alternating knee lifts, or front kicks.

4. Wear a weighted vest: This will double your burn while walking, hiking, running, or taking a cardio class.

5. Do drop sets: For weight training, start off each set with the heaviest amount you can lift for 10 to 15 reps; then drop the weight 50 percent and continue to 25 reps.

6. Bump up your weights. While taking a sculpting class, push yourself to use 2 to 3 pounds more than you normally would. "It will make an incredible difference," says Jeanette.