Memorial Day is right around the corner and that means one thing: summer is almost here. But rather than just trying to lose weight and get skinny for beach season, this summer I’d urge you to focus on getting strong — and healthy instead. Here are four reasons to get strong (not skinny!) for summer: To read more click here!
Michelle Spindler
5 Reasons to Do Push Ups Everyday
There aren’t many exercises that engage every muscle in the body, burn significant calories and tone up the abs quickly. Fortunately, push-ups are one of those moves that provide major benefits without taking too much time to actually do. This all-in-one move strengthens the core, upper body and quads, and will leave you feeling like you got a killer, total-body workout in just a few minutes of action. Here are five reasons to incorporate push-ups into your workout every day: To read more click more!
6 Steps to Form a Fitness Habit
I could easily spend hours building a case for why it’s vital to make fitness an integral part of your daily routine. However, I’m also under no illusions. The thought of maintaining a regular workout regimen can seem both daunting and downright exhausting if you’re not in the habit of doing so. So, what’s the most straightforward approach to changing your view of exercise from a torture tool to a lifestyle staple your body will crave? I’m glad you asked! Simply start by developing your own “workout game plan” with realistic goals, a structured schedule and long-term sustainability. Then, once you’ve determined how to proceed, you might just surprise yourself by successfully putting that plan into action. I should know. Almost a decade ago, yours truly decided that healthy and active living would become a permanent commitment — a decision I’ve yet to regret! The following strategies proved highly effective for me, so here’s hoping you’ll find them equally useful in your own pursuit of habitual and sustainable fitness. To read more click here!
17 Exercises To Shape and Tone Your Booty
When it comes to getting fit and toning your body, who doesn’t want to shape their booty? The backside is one of the most challenging areas to tone and sculpt, but never fear — we’ve got a booty-firming workout you can implement at home, the gym, a park or just about anywhere. Some of these may call for working with a partner for safety or spotting. And if you do all of the exercises listed, you’ll want to start with the lower number of suggested reps. But watch and learn, then try these — you’re sure to feel your booty burn (and take on a great shape)! To read more click here!
5 Food “Rules” That Just Might Make You Happier
Are you ready to eat your way happy? Here are some whole-foods approaches that could improve your health and your mood. 1. Eat like the Greeks. One longitudinal study looked at several thousand people to see if there was a correlation between depressive symptoms and diet over time. After seven years, they found that those who followed a Mediterranean diet (essentially veggies, fruits, whole grains and fish) were less likely to show depressive symptoms compared to those who didn’t eat the diet. To read more click here!
28 Eating Secrets To Help You Lose Weight
Just by making small changes you can get in control of your eating and lose weight. The 28 tips we’re sharing with you were used by members of the LIVESTRONG.COM team to achieve and maintain their goal weight. Believe it or not, these minor tweaks and adjustments to your lifestyle can add up to a big calorie savings (and money savings) and help you reach your goals. Ready to start enjoying healthy eating? Here are 28 practical tips that can help you lose weight and even save you money. To read more click here!
7 Tips to Get The Most Out Of Your Workout
I was recently watching a TED talk given by Dan Gilbert called “The Surprising Science of Happiness,” where Mr. Gilbert points out that too many options actually lower our level of contentment about any given thing. One of the greatest kettlebell trainers of our time, Pavel Tsatsouline, mentioned how in Russia, there are two choices for coffee, with or without milk. When a Russian then enters a Starbucks with a full menu of coffee derived beverages, overwhelmed, he leaves with nothing. Exercise is the same way for many people: spoiled for choice with no real direction, they often choose to do nothing. To read more click here!
Spice Up Your Workout With These 6 Jump Rope Tricks
When I say jumping rope is an amazing workout, I really mean jumping rope is an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G workout! And bottom line, there aren’t a ton of do-it-anywhere workouts that can easily torch 10+ calories a minute and get your body into phenomenal shape like jumping rope can. Plus, jumping rope is fun! That said, if your routine consists of endless bunny hops, jumping rope can get a little boring — the epitome of fitness blasphemy in my book! Here’s a tip: When it comes to starting a fitness journey and even more importantly, maintaining an active lifestyle, you should take special care in picking physical activities and workouts you enjoy. That strategy alone is key to guaranteeing that you reach your goals. So for all you little jump rope bunny-hoppers out there, here are six simple tricks to spice up your next jump rope workout. These will make your routine much more fun, engaging and will help ramp up calorie burn. To read more click here!
The Only 8 Moves You Need For Toned Arms
Here are the basic strength-building movements you should memorize and use for a lifetime. To read more click here!
9 Better-For-You Potato Chip Swaps
Potatoes are definitely America’s favorite vegetable. And, generally speaking, we like our potatoes fried. According to the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association, the potato chip was invented in 1853 and has been America’s number-one snack food for more than 50 years. In 2011, Americans ate 1.5 billion pounds of potato chips — that’s about four pounds per person. And while there’s nothing wrong with potato chips once in a while, there are some healthier chip alternatives on the market. But whatever you choose, how much you eat still matters. “While some alternative chips may offer more varied nutrients and special ingredients like flax or chia seeds, at the end of the day, a snack food is a snack food. Whether you’re eating bean chips, carrot chips or potato chips, you still have to watch portion size, calories and sodium,” says Caroline Kaufman, M.S., RDN, nutrition expert and blogger at CarolineKaufman.com. Here are nine better-for-you chip options and how they compare over typical potato chips. To read more click here!
10 Tips To Make Sure Your Workout Happens
We all want to work out on a regular basis, but when fitness time is competing with work, household chores, events with family and friends or just the comfort of your bed, it can be really hard to make that goal a reality. However, with the right mindset and just a bit of planning and prep, you can make sure that your workouts happen. To read more click here!
The 20 Minute Total Body Cardio Workout
When it comes to cardio, sometimes it seems like we’re stuck between a rock (thetreadmill) and a hard place (spin class). Both are effective, but both can get boring, fast. Fortunately, there’s a better way to burn calories without even stepping foot in a gym. Say hello to high-intensity bodyweight exercises. In this 20-minute video, Dana McCaw, certified trainer and Grokker expert, shows you how to perform a variety of exercises that work your entire body, burn major calories, and make you break a serious sweat—without any weights or equipment. You’ll start with a quick lower-body warm-up before moving into two rounds of five heart-pumping moves, from front lunges to lateral hops, that target evey muscle in your body, from legs to abs to back. Ready to feel the burn? Just press play. To read more click here!