Jenn's Losing It

iStock/Thinkstock What if you could work off that slice of pizza without doing a single squat? Good news: You can.  You can burn more than 40 calories per hour just by standing , according to a new study at the University of Chester in the U.K. In a small study of 10 office workers, researchers asked the volunteers to stand up while working for at least three hours each day for a week. They found that standing raised their heart rates just enough that they burned an extra 0.7 calories per minute, or 42 calories per hour. It might not seem like much, but standing for three extra hours a day during the work week adds up to 630 calories burned! So aside from hiding your chair, how can you log more standing hours? First, ask your company if they’ll allow you to buy or build a  standing desk . If not, you can always try these simple tweaks to get off your butt for at least three hours every day and  stand up for your health : Stand up while watching your favorite fall show....

1. Just Show Up On low-energy days, head to the gym with the promise that you can leave after you finish your warmup. "Tell yourself you'll just do the Dynamic Warmup," says Rachel Cosgrove, author of The Female Body Breakthrough and creator of the  Look Better Naked  fitness program. "Once you get to the gym and get your blood pumping, chances are you'll finish your full workout. Ninety percent of the time, my clients do." 2. Play the Percentages Have your body-fat level measured early in the program and then toward the end to gauge your fitness progress. "You'll actually have numbers that you can shoot for, and something that you can definitely measure, as opposed to, 'I just want my abs to look better,'" says Tim Kuebler, a certified trainer in Kansas City, Missouri. A body-fat percentage from the high teens to the mid-20s is considered healthy for most women (ranges vary by age), according to the American College of Sports Medicine....

TWO RUNNERS WALK INTO A BAR... No, this isn't the beginning of a tired joke, it's an increasingly common real-life occurrence. And research shows that, once inside, those avid runners—and other frequent exercisers—tend to accrue bigger tabs than the average bar patron. Picture the Cheers gang clad in head-to-toe sweat-wicking spandex. A 2009 study from the University of Miami found that the more people exercise, the more they drink—with the most active women consuming the highest amounts every month. It's a peculiar phenomenon that has had scientists scratching their heads since 1990, when research first pinpointed the alcohol-exercise connection. But they expected that, at some point, the script would be flipped—that the biggest boozers would exercise less. Never happened. Instead, this landmark 2009 analysis of more than 230,000 men and women revealed that, on average, drinkers of both genders and all ages (not just wild twentysomethings) were 10 percent more likely...

Dustin Hoffman’s  Tootsie  interview isn’t the only thing going viral right now. Exercise is trending across the U.S. , according to new research published in the journal  Population Health Metrics . For the study, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) tracked the exercise habits of 3.7 million adults across the country for more than 10 years. Researchers found that the number of women who met the recommended exercise guidelines (150 minutes per week) rose by four percent nationwide—compared to the one percent increase for men. The West, Midwest, and South—which had low exercise rates early in the experiment—showed the most improvement. The results suggest that public health initiatives effectively encouraged more people to exercise in these areas, says lead study author Christopher Murray, MD, director of IHME. Ready for the bad news? Despite the fact that many counties reported higher exercise rates by the end of the study, Murray says obesity rates did...

Use these secrets to peel off pounds! Fire up your metabolism with intervals, one study found that doing 10 four minute speed bursts with two minutes of slow walking or cycling after each (60 minutes total) three times a week upped the body’s ability to use fat as fuel during exercise by 25% after six weeks.  “Shoot for an eight or nine on an intensity scale of one to ten, when ten is an all out sprint” says lead researcher Christopher Perry Ph.D., an exercise physiologist at the University of Guelph in Canada. Jot down meals and moves.  People who used an online weight control program were more likely to lose pounds when they regularly recorded their weight loss, calories consumed and activity.   Sleep off the flab, getting between six and eight hours of shut-eye a night helped dieters shed more weight in a recent study from Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon.  “Plus consistently increasing your sleep, even if only by 30 minute...

Because most jobs require less physical activity than they did 50 years ago, we’re missing out on roughly 100 calories of daily burn, which may be expanding our waistlines, new research from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge found.  Male up for that fat-melting deficit with some sneaky strategies: Copy Documents burn 16 calories Stand while filing burn 21 calories Tidy your cubicle and water the office plants burn 26 calories Take the stairs instead of the elevator burn 37 calories TOTAL 100 CALORIES BURNED based on a 140 pound woman performing the activity for 10 minutes Fitness Magazine October 2011

The secret to sculpting a sleek body may be a little friendly competition, according to a study from Michigan State University in East Lansing.  When paired with more capable virtual opponents in a workout video game, study participants stayed in plank position 24 percent longer than they could when matched up against equally fit fellow exercisers.  If your partner is better than you, you tend to raise your own goals to match or even outdo that person, says Deborah Feltz PHD, the  lead study author.  No pal to push you?  Working out with even an unfamiliar person or group can subconsciously spur you to try to impress them, Feltz says.  Join a new gym class or running club and choose the next level up to ensure that you bring your A game. Fitness Magazine October 2011

Before signing on the dotted line and joining a gym, here are four questions worth asking: What’s the vibe inside the club?  Take a tour and pay attention to the noise level, cleanliness and smell.  If the clientele is intimidating or the gym is packed during the hours you’d normally be there, chances are you’ll skip your sessions. How important are extras?  High tech equipment, fancy shampoo and free babysitting can raise fees, but if you are more likely to visit the club, then they are worthy of additional expense. Is  a free trial option?  Managers are under pressure to bring in clientele in January, they’ll often give you a free week or even waive the sign up fees.  Ask about incentives at the end of the month too when they are scrambling to meet quotas. Do you have to sign a contract?  Your circumstances can change in an instant, so start with a month to month deal if possible.  Generally you’ll need to give 30 days’ notice to cancel your...

Roll over stability balls, a new study shows they’re not the only way to firm your belly.  When Northern Illinois University researchers sized up ab moves done on an inflatable disc, stability ball, Bosu Trainer and bench, the discs took first place activating 24% more muscle fiber than the others.  Researchers say balancing on the discs 13inch surface had a tightrope like effect.  Better yet. At under $25 the disc was the cheapest solution tested! Prevention Magazine 2008

This is part five of a five part series to give you some workouts to partner up to get the most out of what you're doing. If you like to bike... Focus on targeting your hips, glutes and legs with endurance based strength moves as well as core stabilizing exercises.  How this benefits your next cycle session? More pedal power and fewer aches and pains when you log extra miles All you need is a stability ball to get this workout going. Jump Lunge : targets glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves Lunge forward with left left, bending left knee 90 degrees, keep knee directly over ankle From here jump forward 4-6 inches without switching legs, using arms for momentum Stand up, do 5-10 reps, then switch sides and repeat Ball Back Extension : targets low to mid back, core, glutes and hamstrings Lie down with your belly over the ball, feet hip width apart, legs extended and feet anchored to the bottom of a wall Lift your chest off the ball while raising both arms out 45 d...

Looking to lose?  Follow the 48 Hour Rule Every exercise routine should include rest days, just make sure that you only take one at a time.  A study at the University of Missouri-Columbia found that after two consecutive days off their running wheels, rats began to show an increase in belly fat.  If squeezing in a full workout the day after your dayoff seems unlikely, even just a few minutes of cardio, such as climbing stairs or walking can make a difference. Fitness Magazine July 2007

So we all hate that guys can drop weight and tone up like it's no big deal, so why not steal some of the strategies that make it work for them.  Here they are: Have a one tracked mind: Guys have a one track mind..when it comes to fitness, that works!  Women tend to pick all the vices they have to work on all at once, no wonder we fail!  So pick your worst diet habit and pair it with your most challenging fitness goal and make them your mission for the next four weeks.  Act oblivious: Men don't worry about what the random Joe on the street thinks of their body.  I know that can be hard to adopt, so find some workout clothes that make you feel uber confident in so that when you're running or taking that class you can focus on that instead of what you look like. Grunt, groan and sweat:   All that noise you hear from the next treadmill over signals the intensity that he's working out.  Guess what?  That guy is on to something!  Basically y...

Part three of four series on how to work those trouble zones! Butt Who doesn't want an amazing rear view?  Here are two exercises to get you toned in all the right places. Swinger (Targets butt and hips) Start on the ground on all fours, for extra counterbalancing support, prop your left hand up on fingertips and bend left elbow slightly Extend right leg behind you at hip level, toes pointed, then keeping your hips still, bring it directly out to the side Hold for 1 count, return to start Do 8 reps, switch sides and repeat, do 2 sets Perky Pendulum (Targets back, butt and hamstrings) Stand with feet together, arms by side Extend right arm (parallel to the ground) and right leg (as high as you can) behind you, rotating your body slightly so that your right hip faces up, with your foot flexed, extending your arm diagonally up in front of you Slowly hinge hips to tilt torso forward, keeping right leg lifted behind you and reaching left fingertips toward the ground ...

Part two of a four part series on how to work those trouble zones! Belly Muffin top is not a phrase any of us EVER wants to hear.  So here are two workouts aimed at toning up and slimming down your waistline. Fallen Triangle (Targets shoulders, abs, obliques and inner thighs) Start on the ground in a full push up position.  Balance on your hands and feet with arms extended making your body into a straight line from head to heels Move into a side plank, shifting your body weight to your left hand and rotating your body to extend your right arm directly up, palm forward, as you bring your extended left leg under torso and to the right.  Pulse left leg up and down 1 inch 5 times Tightening Tilt (Targets shoulders, abs, obliques, butt and legs) Stand with your heels together, toes turned out, arms by sides Bring bent knee out to your side at hip level, touching toes to left knee, as you raise extended arms out to the side at shoulder level, palms down Ke...

Part One of a four part series on how to work those trouble zones! Back of Arms Lets face it having your arms wave back can be heart breaking.  Here are two workouts aimed at tightening that skin in the back of your arms and a few other places too! Spider Man Press Up (Targets chest, triceps, abs, obliques, butt and hips) Start on the ground in full push up position, balancing on hands and feet with your arms extended, your body will form a straight line from head to heels. (Make it easier by doing this move on your knees) Bring a bent right knee out to side at hip level as you bend your elbows 90 degrees, keeping your arms tucked close into your ribs, so that you touch your right knee to your elbow. Press up and return to start Do 8 reps, switch sides and repeat.  Do 2 sets. Sunburst Slimmer (Targets shoulders, chest, back, triceps, abs and butt) Start on ground on all fours, then extend your right leg behnd you parallel to the ground, toes pointed Bending ...

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse showed for the first time that the "talk test" is an accurate gauge for your exercise intensity.  When treadmillers in the study reached the stage of where they needed to take a breath every few words during a conversation, "they were in their ventilatory threshold, the point at which could be very difficult to maintain that level of exertion for too long", says John Porcari Ph.D.  When you are in this high intensity zone, lactic acid begins to build in your muscles and your body fatigues faster.  If you can barely utter a full sentence then you are at the right intensity to squeeze more minutes from your cardio session. Fitness Magazine July/August 2011

People overestimate inclines by about 19 degrees, shown by new study done by Ohio State University at  Mansfield.  Make tackling those hills feel easier with these strategies for clearing your mental hurdles. Picture Perfect :  If you visualize yourself conquering that hill on your route, chances are by the time you actually get there to hit the hill, you'll breeze thru it easier because your brain has already done the mental workout. Get A Closer Look :  Your brain can't read depth as well from a distance, Dennis Shaffer, Ph.D, associate professor of psychology says.  Just keep reminding yourself as you work up the hill, that the hill will shrink with each step you take and make the task not seem as daunting. Break It Up :  When you hit the incline, talk yourself thru it, set small goals such as running strong from this light post to the next.  Once you've completed that goal, set the next.  Before you know it you're at the top! Fitness Mag...