LIT Method's Low-Impact High Intensity Workout Review

This is all you need!

Have you ever suffered from decision fatigue trying to find an online workout to stream? The struggle is real. From pilates and PiYo to HIIT and BBG, there is an endless supply of choices.

That's a good thing...and a bad thing.

It's great in that you can, literally, do any workout anywhere in the world. It's a negative when you try to consider all the options you can choose from. You might be 15 minutes into an online workout before you realize it's too hard, not hard enough or a complete waste of your time.

7 Ways To Burn Calories Without Hitting The Gym

The warm summer months are perfect for sneaking in exercise without even trying. Take advantage of the outdoors, pools and playgrounds to burn some extra calories. The great thing is that moderate exercise is the best way to improve your fitness level and burn fat. Click HERE to learn more.

How To Love Exercising...Even When You Hate It

Even when I was fat, I loved to exercise. A good workout produces chemicals, called endorphins, that make you feel better. 

If you absolutely dread the thought of exercise, there are some tricks to help you learn to love it more. 

• Listen to a book or podcast on your iPod while walking or running. They key is to allow yourself to listen to them ONLY while working out; not in the car, at home or at the nail salon. This will get you excited about your workouts. A long power walk while listening to a book becomes an indulgent retreat. Listening to Stieg Larsson's Dragon Tattoo trilogy had me pushing my hour-long power walks to 90 minutes or two hours when I was trying to lose the baby weight. A good story makes time fly.
• If you're at the gym, download some favorite TV shows or movies on your iPad. Sign up for Amazon Prime and watch whatever you like  (assuming your gym has WiFi) while doing your cardio. Currently, I am catching up on season 2 of the The Americans on Amazon Prime when I do my cardio workouts. This is an easy way to, again, enjoy every minute of your workout.
• Think of it as an indulgence. Just like a massage, facial or visit to the nail salon, exercise is a brief moment during the day when you focus solely on yourself. You're not folding laundry, running errands or doing office work. You're doing something for you. And it's awesome.
• Focus on how good you will feel AFTER your workout. This takes some energy but it works. When you're dreading that trip to the gym or power walk, remind yourself that you will feel a million times better after your workout. This simple act has gotten me out the door. And the thing is, it's not hooey. You really will feel a million times better after your workout. 

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Putting The 7-Minute Workout Into Action

So Monday was all about getting caught up in the buzz of the"7-minute workout".

Guilty.

But I did more than blog about this new fitness discovery.  I actually did my own version at the gym. 

Here was my Monday plan:

• Thirty minutes on the stepmill.  I love it because I can read and work up a good sweat.  I have to do so much homework for my "day job" that if I can multitask and do my Rangers/Cowboys/Mavs/Colonial/Nelson/Whatever homework while exercising, I am a step ahead. 

• Following that, I did (most of) the exercises suggested by the American College of Sports Medicine in their sample workout: 

Photo: American College of Sports Medicine

1. Jumping jacks Total body

2. Wall sit Lower body

3. Push-up Upper body

4. Abdominal crunch Core

5. Step-up onto chair Total body

6. Squat Lower body

7. Triceps dip on chair Upper body

8. Plank Core

9. High knees/running in place Total body

10. Lunge Lower body

11. Push-up and rotation Upper body

12. Side plank Core

• I followed their practice of performing each exercise for 30 seconds followed by a 10 second transition time to the next exercise.  It totaled, yes, about seven minutes per circuit.
• I did not have a chair, so in place of Step Ups (#5), I did reverse side angle lunges.  In place of the Triceps Dips on a Chair (#7), I did simple floor dips with bent legs.
• I performed this routine twice. 

You know what, I feel like I got a workout.  As I write this at 9am Tuesday morning, I'm a little sore, especially in my upper body.  I attribute that to the push-ups (#3) and push-ups with a twist (#11). 

The thing is, those 12 exercises are not the end-all/be-all.  You can do a variety of exercises for a quality full body workout.  Any health and fitness magazine can suggest some great exercises for you to do. 

The key was the intensity and the speed at which I did the work.  There was no dawdling.  The workout was quick, intense and challenging.   It's a good option but, like I reiterated Monday, not the only way to go when it comes to getting in shape.

Fitness Friday: 30 Minutes of Exercise Will Change Your Life

"I don't have enough time."

"It just takes too long."

"It will mess up my makeup."

All of the above are excuses I, myself, have said in the past and have heard from others for not exercising.

BullS!$&.

You DO have the time.  You can NOT afford not to exercise and focus on yourself for just a bit every day.  All it takes is 30 minutes and it will change your life.  I promise.  Look at some of the activities that count as exercise:

• A brisk walk
• 30 minutes on the elliptical, stepmill or treadmill - I use this to catch up on my reading 
• A half an hour of yoga or pilates
• A run 
• A bike ride 
• Dancing with your kids 
• A cardio/weight training workout from the Nike Training Club app - I love this, they don't pay me to promote it, it's a genius workout class on your IPad.  I blogged about it here.
• Vigorous forms of housework and yardwork

I recently did a story for CBS11 on fitness trends in 2013 and the cool thing is that getting in great shape doesn't require hours at the gym.  If you combine cardiovascular exercise with weight training, you get a ton of bang for your fitness buck and can get in and out of the gym in half an hour to 45 minutes.  You will have to work hard, at a higher perceived level of exertion (about a 6-9) but it's time efficient and effective.   Check out the story and accompanying blog post for specific classes and trends.

The Center for Disease control recommends, at the bare minimum, 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week and muscle strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week to work all major muscle groups.  The CDC offers a great infographic that explains all of this wonderfully.

More than anything, getting active for 30 minutes a day works wonders for your brain, as well as your body.  It clears your head, gets the blood flowing and actually energizes you.  Make that commitment.  If you're just starting out, try the following exercise regime for 5 days:

• A brisk 30, minute walk
• 30 minutes of yoga 
• 10 squats, 10 pushups (on knees or feet), 10 situps, 10 tricep dips, 10 jumping jacks.  Repeat this sequence 10 times
• 30 minutes on an exercise machine: elliptical, stepmill, treadmill, stationary bike 
• 30 minutes of pilates

You can download pilates and yoga programs on ITunes.  I like Exercise TV pilates and Pocket Yoga. 

Get moving.  It will change your life.  It doesn't take a ton of time and it will help you rock your weight loss resolution in 2013.

How to Get Great Arms With Just A Few Moves

Staying in shape not only improves your appearance but also helps you keep up with the kid.  Who knew!

We all did. 

Perhaps I didn't know just HOW important staying strong for a little one was.  From picking her up and putting her down to leaping up from a sitting position to chase her, I've learned the hard way that one must be physically ready to handle a kid.  My arms were sore the first few weeks I had Jordan because I wasn't used to carrying a child in so many different positions.  I've also dealt with a sore back because I wasn't ready for all the lifting associated with moving her around the house.  Instead of complaining about it, I'm proactive in my exercise routine to combat any muscular weaknesses.

But enough preaching.  Onto specifics.  A Facebook friend asked me to share my arm workout after seeing this recent picture.

My arms are not as "cut" as they could be.  I tend to carry fat just below my rear deltoids and above my triceps.  I'm benefiting from a good pose here (and not benefiting from a bad shirt that makes me look pregnant).  Regardless, my arms are pretty strong after a lifetime of lifting weights, practicing yoga, taking pilates and riding horses (an excellent full-body toner).  If I was more diligent with my diet, I would have that true "cut" look you see so many really lean women possess.