Exercise of the Week

 

Photo Credit

This weeks exercise is the wall sit. I chose this exercise in particular because not only does it work the biggest muscle in the body, it's something that can be done while doing something else such as reading a book or watching tv. The convenience of the wall sit is a good reason to try it out in itself.








Wall sits work the quadriceps, which helps to burn the most calories since they are the biggest muscles in the body. Doing sets of 30 seconds for 10 minutes is a good way to start out and keep increasing the time. 

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How to do proper wall sits:

 1. Stand in front of a wall (about 2 feet in front of it) and lean against it.
2. Slide down until your knees are at about 90-degree angles and hold, keeping the abs contracted, for 20-60 seconds.
3. Come back to start and repeat, holding the squat at different angles to work the lower body in different ways.
4. To add intensity, hold weights or squeeze a ball between the knees.

More is Less

When considering weight loss and maintaining good health, one thing that immediately comes to mind is food. Food consumption is a direct reflection of how a person looks and feels physically. One might assume that eating less would be more beneficial, but there is plenty of evidence, as well as my personal experience that says otherwise. While eating less might help for short term weight loss, cutting too many calories could end up causing even more weight gain.


Although I wouldnt recommend eating the burger pictured above at any given time for any reason, there can be some benefits to eating smaller meals more frequently. Instead of eating one or two big meals a day, eating four of five smaller meals has been shown to be beneficial for better health and weight loss.

A good blog to also check out and consider is the Developmental Man which doesnt only benefit men but women as well. They talk about the benefits to eating 6 meals a day and I couldnt agree more with what they have to say. You can take a look at that here.

A few years ago when I tried losing weight, I found that eating approximate every two hours was a good way to speed up my metabolisim. Whenever I eat big meals once or twice a day, I have a tendency to feel more tired, causing me to not want to work out or move as much as I would with the smaller more frequent meals.

Exercise of the Week:

 

Exercise doesnt always have to be something as obvious as going to the gym and picking up some weights. Instead, think of something like cleaning the house as a way to get some excersize and tone muscles. There are ways that you can enhance your "cleaning workout" by remembering to do certain things. For example, if you are loading and unloading the dishwasher, maintain good posture as you are bending and straightening and keep your abs tight. In doing this, you are working to tone your stomach. This next one might work the best if you have kids that you have to pick up behind, but could also work for a messy adult. If you find that you have to pick up items off the floor to clean, do some squats when you are picking up the items off of the floor, and make sure to tighten your butt on the way back up.

 

 

The same rule about abs applies with vacuming or sweeping. Just being conscious of your muscles to put a little extra strain on them will contribute to burning more calories doing somthing that you do (or should do) on a pretty regular basis. Follow my blog to see what the next workout will be.

Workout of the Week



As mentioned before, with busy schedules, it is hard to fit in a workout at a gym. People tend to forget that there are things in your daily life that can count as cardio and can make differences in your health. Making a conscious decision to use the stairs instead of catching the elevator is a great way to start. Whether it be at school or otherwise, Taking the stairs burns far more calories than standing on an elevator for a few seconds.

Taking the stairs is a great wayto prevent health problems that come along with inactiviity such as obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. For those people that are big consumers of modern conveniences such as cars, elevatos, escalators, and computers, going a full day without any cardio might be very common. By choosing the stairs, you are able to incorporate cardio into your daily life without having to change very much. 

Picture of the Day


The fruit pictured here is called Garcinia cambogia. Recently it has become very popular among celebrities as well as anyone trying to lose weight. I found it on groupon for really cheap so my sister and I decided to give it a try. I've been taking it for about three days so far but havent seen any changes yet. I have been working out about every other day and eating somewhat smaller portions than I usually do. My plan is to give it another week or two and see if there are any changes.

I've read quite a few reviews on the products that contain the fruit extract and have come to a general consensus about what I've read: It does help to suppress appetite (which I have also found to be true) It works best if it is accompanied by some kind of work out regimen. It is important to read the label because if there is lower than 60% per serving of the active ingredient HCA, it is more than likely not going to work at all.  The ingredient HCA is hydroxycitric acid and basically what it is supposed to do is prevent carbohydrates from being stored in the form of fat. It also suppresses hunger and makes you full for longer periods of time. It can be taken in pill form about 30 minutes before each meal.

About this Blog

Being a young girl with a busy schedule, it's hard to focus on health and make healthy decisions as far as eating or exercise. There are constant temptations and limited time to stick to strict diets and commit to regular exercise. Throughout my college experience so far, I have come across certain things that I have noticed have helped me keep on track.

I am an English major at Indiana University South Bend, and I've had my ups and downs when it comes to fitness and weight. Nobody is perfect, but I feel that it's important to feel good about yourself as well as stay healthy now in order to minimize health problems in the long run. My sister is a personal trainer and also helps me to make better decisions and gives me tips that I wouldnt otherwise consider.

I've noticed trends of what works or doesnt work for me, and although everyone is different, they may be useful. Small, simple changes have potential to make the biggest changes in overall health.