Daily Health Workouts

Ways to Shed Fat and Have Fun

08:31

Bust out of your rut and try these fat-blasters on for size!

Sure, having to walk your four-legged friend will get you moving and burning calories, but there’s more to it than that. Studies show that having a pet helps relieve stress, a major contributor to your expanding waistline due to cortisol – the hormone released into your bloodstream in response to a fight-or-flight situation. Getting out with your furry companion is a great way to get a double dose of fat-fighting activity.

body workout

4 Lab-Tested Fat Loss Tips

08:29

Study #1: Get out of the zone.

Exercisers often stay within 60 to 70 percent of their maximum heart rate – also known as the “fat-burning zone” – in order to burn a higher percentage of calories from fat. Problem is, your calorie-burn total will be lower than if you were to up your intensity – and when it comes to fat loss, the quantity of calories burned is more important than the type.

Case in point: when Australian scientists manipulated the genes of mice to only burn fat (the goal of staying within the fat-burning zone), unused carbohydrates were stored as fat – basically reversing their efforts altogether.

health tips

Fuel Up For A Healthy Pregnancy

08:28

Jamie shares her tips for eating well through pregnancy.

In Oxygen’s October issue, my article “Get Your Body Back” erroneously stated that when I was pregnant I was “eating for two” when, in fact, I believe you need to watch what you eat and not indulge too often.

Here’s my advice for eating well during your pregnancy:

Continue to eat clean just as you did before, but be sure to increase your calories by about 300. It takes a lot of energy to create a baby.
Choose omega-3 eggs and fish (some safe choices are salmon, trout and anchovies) because they are high in DHA, which is important for healthy brain development for your growing baby. For vegans, seaweed is also high in DHA.
Eat lots of iron-rich vegetables, meats and fish. Women can often be deficient in iron, and it’s not only important for your baby’s brain but is a key component of hemoglobin as well. It helps red blood cells deliver oxygen from the lungs to tissues throughout the body.
Some foods to avoid include alcohol, caffeine, unpasteurized milk and soft cheeses like Brie and Camembert, raw seafood, fish high in mercury like shark, swordfish and king mackerel, and artificial sweeteners since the evidence isn’t conclusive whether or not it affects a growing baby.
Finally, drink lots of water. It will help you avoid constipation and hemorrhoids as well as support elasticity of the skin. The recommendation is to drink at least 64 ounces or eight glasses of water a day.

Read all about Jamie’s path to post-baby workout success (and her get-back-in-shape 15-minute circuit) in Oxygen’s October issue on newsstands September 16!

health tips

Are you addicted to exercise?

08:26

Exercise is great for the mind, body and soul, right? But what happens when it starts to take over your life? PT Marisa Branscombe ponders the dangerous effects of too much exercise

Are you addicted to exercise? Fitness tips

Photolibrary

Exercise is generally accepted as a positive behaviour associated with enhanced physical and psychological wellbeing. But is it possible to do too much exercise? So much that it takes over your life?

body workout

Abs - the ultimate workout

08:26

If you’ve spent the last decade crunching to coax those elusive abs out from under your spare tyre, it’s time to listen up. Crunches alone will not miraculously melt away your middle. (Here’s why you should get up now. Before it’s too late!)

Abdominal Training

Abodminal Training

Thinkstock

Without a concurrent HIIT program to burn the blanket of body fat enshrouding your six pack, the fat will remain and, as the muscle beneath it develops, you may look bulkier.

The problem with crunches, apart from big questions about their role in vertebral degeneration, is that they focus almost exclusively on rectus abdominus (the exterior abdominal muscle).

If your goal is a strong, toned tummy you need to be optimising your workout time with exercises that blast your entire core, not just the outside. Contrary to common belief, the core is not a single muscle or organ, but comprises pelvic floor muscles, external obliques, internal obliques, rectus abdominus, multifidus, erector spinae and transverse abdominus (TVA). Got that?

Plus: Lower back carpet burn is not a good look.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) plus Isometric Abdominal Training (IAT)

Short, sharp, intense bursts of cardio rip the fat right off the top of your abs, while the strategic series of static muscle contractions in IAT will give you more precision than Michelangelo’s David.

body workout

6 exercises for quads & hamstrings

08:25

There are six exercises in this combination routine. The first four exercises focus on your quads, and the remaining two are hamstring focused. Single-leg exercises have been added for added leg muscle stimulation, and improved stability while using dumbbells. These moves engage the smaller muscles, promising balanced growth and development.

The rules

If…you want to build muscle

Do… 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps of each exercise, resting less than 60 seconds between each set

If…you want to build strength

Do…4 to 5 sets of 6 to 8 reps of each exercise, resting 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

If…you want to lose fat

Do…4 to 5 sets of 12 to 15 reps of each exercise, resting 30 seconds between sets

Workout: Nichelle Laus; images: Dave Laus; Model: Martini Brake

Newer
Stories

Older
Stories

Ways to Shed Fat and Have Fun

Bust out of your rut and try these fat-blasters on for size!

4 Lab-Tested Fat Loss Tips

Study #1: Get out of the zone.

Fuel Up For A Healthy Pregnancy

Jamie shares her tips for eating well through pregnancy.

Are you addicted to exercise?

Abs - the ultimate workout

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) plus Isometric Abdominal Training (IAT)

6 exercises for quads & hamstrings

About me

Follow Us

Labels

recent posts

Blog Archive