Jenn's Losing It

Here’s a 15 minute lower body workout.  Click here for printable version Diagonal Leg: Targets abs, obliques, butt, quads, hamstrings, calves ·          Lie face up on the floor with knees bent, keeping your feet flat with your hands on the floor by your hips ·          Lift your hips off the floor and tuck your left foot under your right thigh (left knee should be pointing left) ·          Keep your hips lifted during the whole time, bring left knee out to un-tuck your foot, then extend your leg diagonally up and to the left ·          Return foot to tucked in position.   Do 20 reps, then switch sides and repeat. ·          Do 2 sets Side-Lunge Butt Kicker: Targets abs, obliques, butt, quads, hamstrings ·          Stand with feet hip-widt...

A new Harvard Medical School study of 50 premenopausal women suggests that excess belly fat can actually RAISE your risk of osteoporosis.   Extra weight was always thought to be a protector of your bones, well not anymore!   Researchers in the study measured both fat deposits (the amount of fat in women’s bones) and bone density.   What were the findings? Women who carried fat on their hips had normal bone fat and bone density.   The ones with a little extra in the midsection had more bone marrow fat and lower bone density.   This puts those ladies at a higher risk for osteoporosis.   Doctors have known for a long time that extra belly fat can increase your risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.   The same inflammatory effect that can up your risk for those diseases can also be linked to a decrease in bone density.

Feeling guilty that you can’t squeeze in the time for a full blown workout?   No problem.   Here are three workouts that practice the less-is-more formula. Four to Six 30 second sprints 3 days a week = daily 30-60 minute runs So why does this work?   Sprinters improve their speed, fitness and body composition.   This cuts your fat mass by 12%.   This is nearly the same amount of steady runners in a small fraction of the time. Standing Core Exercises = Upper and lower body workout plus and abs routine A lunge done while raising and lowering a medicine ball were shown to flatten your abs just as well as doing sit ups so why not do a near total body workout and get it done all at once? 10 minutes of moderate jump roping = 30 minutes of jogging Jumping rope engages and firms more butt and leg muscles than your run around the block!    Jumping rope burns around 13 calories per minute, if your aiming for approximately 120-160 turns per minute.

Next time you pack your gym bag, don’t forget your protein!   Consuming 18 grams of protein 20 minutes prior to your weight lifting session may help boost the calories you burn over the next 48 hours.   This awesome information was found by some research from Michigan State University in East Lansing.   So aim for a protein rich meal of around 125 calories.   Try Fage Total Blueberry 2% yogurt or two Cabot 50% Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese Snackers. Now start boosting that calorie burn!

Here's 10 more ways to burn off those calories! 1.       Clean your wheels.   Skip the car wash and not only save $12, but you’ll burn off some calories doing it yourself!   In just 31 minutes of washing, waxing and drying your car you’ve worked your way to smoking hot. 2.       Have a “stairing” contest.   Set aside 15 minutes, stand at the bottom of the stairs and do super fast step ups.   Use the same lead leg for 30 step ups, then switch to the other leg.   In between sets do 10 incline push-ups with your hands on the stairs.   Repeat this three minute cycle five times. 3.       Start kidding around.   Log in to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America website ( BBBS.org ) and volunteer to be a buddy to a young girl in need.   Take her to the park and bring yourself back to the good old days and do some cartwheels for 10 minutes, swing on the swings for 21 ...

Try these out and in case you couldn’t guess after reading….number 6 is my FAVORITE!! 1.        Get into the swing of things .   Take your stress out at the driving range.   Just 62 minutes at the driving range burns those calories away.   Ready to take on 9 or 18 holes…skip the cart and walk.   You’ll burn 50% more calories per minute. 2.        Meet in a dark alley.   Bowling Alley that is.   In 90 minutes of fun with your friends you’ll roll off 200 calories, skip your light beer-you can do it in an hour! 3.        Go Green.   Ride your bike to run your errands.   In just 23 minutes of peddling or 4.6 miles you burn off those 200 calories! 4.        Strike a pose.   Try Vinyasa yoga.   This type of yoga moves you fluidly from pose to pose, burning more than 7 calories per minute.   29 minutes….200 calories GONE!...

Good Posture = Confidence?   According to a study done by Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois that is the truth!   Check out these tips for keeping the slouch out of you day! 1.   Spot check your stance every hour or so.   So what that means is make pretend you have a book on your head and sit up tall.   Pull in your belly button one inch toward your spine.   Imagine you are squeezing something between your shoulder blades. 2.   Build your mid back muscles.   Weak back muscles (rhomboids) are one of the main reasons for hunching.   These muscles keep your should blades in place preventing hunching.   Try this move to get a strong and sexy back: a.   Lie face down on a mat with your arms by your side b.   Squeeze your shoulder blades together c.   Lift your chest and arms off the floor and hold for 2 seconds d.   Do 3 sets of 10 reps 3.   Adjust your seat.   Watching TV?   Try sitting on a stab...

So can firming your body also give you a beautiful mind?   At the Brian Research Centre in Canada they followed women who did a total body weight training routine once or twice a week over a period of one year.   What happened at the end of that year?   Those women who participated scored up to 13% higher on mental attention tests than those who took body weight only exercise classes.   When you learn proper lifting form and techniques it stimulates your brain function which is pivotal to improving concentration and memory.   To keep the challenge going, bump up the pounds you’re lifting once you can ace two sets of eight reps at your current weight. Keep getting smarter with those workouts hot stuff! J