Training

by Michelle Sutton-Kerchner This holiday season, protect your year’s worth of fitness efforts. Don’t let your waist go to waste … You worked hard all year to create a healthier lifestyle. Don’t let the holidays sabotage your sweat. This is the season to rally your efforts, not succumb to eggnog. Enter the new year in impressive shape. You’ll be that much closer to reaching your 2019 new year resolutions! The Workout Buddy Keep the festive mood going even during exercise by buddying up for the holiday season. Enlist your friends to commit to a fitness schedule with you. After all, it is the season to connect with friends and family. Time can be the most precious holiday gift of all. And time spent helping each other reach fitness goals delivers a priceless gift: better health. Exercising with others is especially helpful during this hectic, often stressful time of year. From commiserating on hosting blunders to managing an extra set of reps, holiday workouts with friends are a multitasking wonder. Knowing a friend is relying on your workout motivation, and perhaps your sage tips on turkey basting, helps maintain accountability to fitness goals.   If you are feeling blue about a …

by Michelle Sutton-Kerchner This holiday workout gets it done. If you cannot manage any other exercise, do this … Holidays mean hectic days. Often, the workout is the first thing axed. Combined with the onslaught of festive meals and treats, your healthy lifestyle is in danger. Preserve it with a powerful routine that fights back. Gingerbread men, beware! Focus on Weightlifting With big dinners on the calendar and sweets continuously at your disposal, you need to maximize your caloric burn, right now. Weightlifting bulks up your ability to burn calories all day long. A pound of fat burns about two to three calories daily. A pound of muscle burns seven to 10 calories a day. Which do you want working for you as you sip that hot cocoa with extra marshmallows? Yep– get lifting! Aerobic workouts are effective at burning calories and stress, so definitely include some heart-pumping exercises in your fitness program. However, to combat those holiday splurges in minimal time, be sure to hit the Fitness Floor. Aim for Heavy Of course, you cannot begin weightlifting at the level of a champion bodybuilder. However, according to studies, most individuals lift too light. Muscle growth cannot be stimulated without …

Along with a healthy diet, a commitment to fitness helps prevent type 2 diabetes. Here’s how …

by Michelle Sutton-Kerchner Know how to recover from a workout. Hint: It does not involve binge-watching … It takes more than a heart-pounding workout with plenty of sweat to get in shape. Sure, that covers the basics. However, the sophisticated exerciser knows (and everyone eventually learns) success requires some nurturing. Here are the rules for fitness engagement—and disengagement. Work Hard You’ve probably already got this. Give it your all on the Fitness Floor or in the studio or pool. Max out your reps, weights, and duration. Accomplish the healthy exhaustion happily associated with a well-done workout. Long after you stop exercising though, your body continues to perform. Tender muscles and minor stiffness indicate you are working hard behind-the-scenes to deliver sculpted muscles and increased stamina (for future, now you may feel like flopping down on the couch). Help make fitness happen with active recovery days. Rest Well The most effective fitness programs include recovery days. Give your body the opportunity to capitalize on all the good stuff you prompted during your workout. On these days, avoid intense physical activity. This allows repair of the muscles and tissues that were broken down during exercise. Some interpret an easy day as laziness …

Unhealthy cholesterol levels? Improve them, and your overall health, with a little sweat …