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Showing posts from June, 2013

How to Find a Perfect Running Partner

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Running with someone is incredibly motivating. But what if your guy or BFF is the hare to your tortoise, or vice versa? Here’s how to make any partnership work. Sync Your Schedules. If you’re the faster runner, align one of your regular or easier days with her harder or longer workout. But don’t discuss it—it’s not nice to proclaim that you’re “taking it easy” if she’s struggling to keep up! Meet and Greet. Do an easy warm-up together, then go your separate ways (and paces) during your workout. Meet up afterward to talk about your run. If your friend is faster, join her for her cooldown. Grow Your Circle. Go together to a group run (they are often hosted by local running stores). You’ll still be holding each other accountable, you won’t have to be the newbie alone, and you’ll each log a quality session with athletes at your own level . photo: IStockphoto/Thinkstock Published on June 14th, 2013 Written by: Cindy Kuzma Women's Health Magazine

Why Surfer Chicks Have Amazing Bodies

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The key pillars of fitness that help give competitive surfers an edge—muscular endurance, balance, core stability, and total-body strength—can help you score a bangin’ bod even if you have no plans to hang ten. Just practice a few of these land-based moves from Rocky Snyder, author of Fit to Surf: The Surfer’s Guide to Strength & Conditioning. Heart and Lungs Pro move:  Tread water, then rush to catch the next big wave. Steal it:  Add 30-to 45-second high-intensity intervals eight to 12 times throughout a steady-state cardio workout. Legs and Butt Pro move:  Keep a low center of gravity to stay up on the board. Steal it:  Do as many staggered squats (one foot in front of the other) as you can in 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat eight times, alternating your leg positions in each set. Arms Pro move:  Paddle like crazy. Steal it:  Do straight-arm pulldowns with a cable machine or resistance band; pull the handles from high in front of you down to your thighs. Core Pro mov

How Yoga Can Help You On the Job

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Every time you speak up in front of your boss, your mind zeros in on all the ways you might mess up. Sound familiar? There’s a simple way to keep your cool:  Practicing 20 minutes of Hatha yoga  before a big presentation can reduce anxiety and help you focus , according to a new study published in Journal of Physical Activity and Health. For the study, researchers conducted two experiments with 30 undergraduate women. In the first experiment, participants were shown a series of arrows on a screen and asked to press the button that corresponded with the direction the arrow pointed. On the first day of this test, the participants did no physical activity beforehand. On the second, they did a 20-minute treadmill workout, and on the third they did 20 minutes of Hatha yoga, a broad term used to describe any kind of yoga that incorporates physical postures and deep breathing (Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and Iyengar are all considered forms of Hatha yoga). In the second experiment, participants were a

4 Moves to a Flat Belly

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The body part you can’t stomach? Your stomach, according to our poll. Tighten and trim your waistline with these four ab-sculpting moves from trainer David Kirsch. Stability-Ball Jackknife Position your hands shoulder-width apart on the floor and place your shins on a stability ball. Your body should form a straight line from head to heels (a). Keeping your back flat, slowly bend your knees toward your chest (b). Pause, then return to start. That’s one rep. Do 15 to 20. Stability-Ball Hand-Offs Grab a light dumbbell in your right hand and position your shoulders on a stability ball, feet flat on the floor. Form a straight line from knees to shoulders and lift the weight above your right shoulder (a). Raise your shoulders, bring the weight to your left thigh, and grab it with your left hand (b). Reverse the move to return to start. Do 15 to 20 reps on each side. Reverse Oblique Crunch Lie on the floor with your arms at your sides, palms down, legs raised, and knees slightly bent (a). Li

The New 5K Trend: Glow Runs

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On your mark… Get set…  Glow ! That’s the idea behind  the newest 5K trend: glow runs . Imagine dressing up in head-to-toe neon, accessorizing with glow sticks, blinking lights, and neon paint, and heading out to jam to awesome music with friends. It sounds like a pretty awesome party, right? That’s what a glow run is—you just get your exercise in, too! Glow runs are offered by a variety of companies in cities across the country. They’re held at night—typically starting between 8 and 9:30 PM—so you can get the full glow effect. They usually kick off with a 5K run or walk—some feature fancy lighting effects and black-light tunnels along the course—and end with a big dance party at the finish line. “Come ready to have a good time and be decked out in neon,” says Caitlin Patrick, event director for  Glow Run 5K . Celebs like Seth Rogen and Vanessa Hudgens have gotten in on the action, too—Rogen participated in an  Electric Run  at the end of last year, and Hudgens hosted Los Angeles’ firs

Yoga Poses That Put You to Sleep

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Ever lay in bed at night, only to find that you’re wide awake? You may count sheep, or toss and turn while your mind keeps churning away about your day, to-do list, and all the shut-eye you’re missing as each second ticks by. But there’s a more productive way to snuggle into bedtime and  sleep better : These 5 simple  yoga poses  will relax your body and mind so that you can slip into a peaceful and well-deserved slumber 1. Reclined Spinal Twist Begin lying on your back with both legs straight. Bend your left knee into your chest and give it a good squeeze with your arms as you lengthen your lower back. Keeping the knee bent, drop it over to the right and extend your left arm flat onto the ground in line with the shoulder. Place your right hand above your left knee and give gentle pressure as you keep the lower back lengthening. Try your best to drop the left shoulder completely to the ground. Hold for 8 breaths then come back to center and switch sides. 2. Reclined Big Toe Pose A + B

5 Exercises to Try On The Beach

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Want to look better in your bikini—without leaving the beach to hit the gym? Throw on some sneakers and get moving!  You burn almost twice as many calories working out on the sand as you would doing the same routine on a firmer surface , according to a study recently published in the  Journal of Strength Conditioning and Resistance . Challenge yourself with these super-simple exercises from Chris Clark, certified beach boot camp trainer and co-founder of Tiger Athletics, a fitness studio based in Plymouth, Minnesota. The beach crawl How to do it:   On soft, dry sand, lower into a  plank position . Then crawl forward on your hands and feet for 30 to 60 seconds. Why it works:   The slippery sand destabilizes your hands and feet, activating your hamstrings and glutes. Try it sideways or backward for an extra challenge. 10-20 Drill How to do it:  On a stretch of soft, dry sand near the water, take 10 quick running steps, followed by 20 slower running steps. Then jog back to the starting po