By Pamela Hernandez

Whether it comes from a workout or simply stepping off the curb the wrong way, a lower body injury is bound to occur at some point or another in our athletic lives. Injury, of any kind, can be extremely frustrating. Some injuries can be mild, like an ankle sprain, and simply require a few days of rest. Others, like a broken foot, can mean weeks off your feet.

Our bodies feel the effects of not working out very quickly. While your body does need extra nutrients to heal, it’s often not as many as you burn with your workout. Energy goes down and we can feel more “jiggly” and less strong. When we’re sidelined we can also feel the effects mentally, not only losing the post workout endorphin rush but also a part of our routine and identity.

The good news is, unless specifically forbidden by your doctor, there are exercises and activities you can do to keep working without aggravating conditions such as plantar fasciitis or a sprained ankle. The following exercises are my top picks for those fighting a lower body injury. Just remember, when healing especially, rest is important, too. Take your intensity and frequency down a bit until your body is ready to take on more.
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A video of Justin Bieber and Mike Tyson boxing is creating quite a buzz around the Web. And it has us wondering what exactly the young singer’s fitness routine is.

Rumors have circulated that as the teen star matures in his career, he seeks out new role models such as Tyson and fellow pop star Usher. With these new friendships come new activities, such as boxing sessions as Tyson’s personal gym.

This seems to fit Bieber’s personality as fitness has always been a part of his life despite a busy schedule. The singer has managed to stay in tip-top shape by making time for his workouts even though the past few years have been a whirlwind of concerts, video shoots, and countless TV appearances promoting his music.

After releasing his first album, Bieber went straight to performing his hits around the world, and was on and off tour for about a year. Globetrotting is just a part of Justin’s life and he has had to make adjustments to accommodate his hectic lifestyle. In order to do so, the star hired personal trainer Dolvett Quince to keep him in shape for his most recent tour; Quince is now a trainer on The Biggest Loser.
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By Pamela Hernandez

When we say weight loss what we really mean is fat loss. We want to workout and eat, in most cases, to get lean and carve lovely muscular curves. Many try to slog it out on the treadmill or elliptical trainer for hours on end to burn fat. I believe there are much more efficient, and entertaining, ways to burn calories and create a lean physique.

Ready to break out of your cardio machine routine? Try one of my favorite (and highly effective) fat burning workouts.

Squats: Weight training will always top my list of fat burners. Your resting metabolism can stay elevated for up to 48 hours after strength training, meaning more calories burned while you sleep or sit at your desk. Squats are at the top of my list because they use all of the big muscles of the legs and there are endless variations to keep you from getting bored. My favorite is the overhead squat, engaging muscles from top to bottom.

Boxing: I have no desire to hit someone but when I want to work up a sweat I love hitting the bag or putting on my Tae-Bo video. Your core and legs (remember big muscles burn more calories) provide power to your punches while increasing your heart rate more quickly than the treadmill. If you really want to sculpt tank top ready shoulders and arms, trying shadow boxing with weighted gloves or light dumbbells in hand.
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This spring, Cary Williams-Nunez and her husband Angelo Nunez will hit the road to tour schools in ten cities for their Knocking Out Obesity Tour. In its second year, it’s something that Cary worked hard to bring to life.

It was initially something she thought about in 2007 and took a few years to put all the pieces in place to make it happen. She is a boxing star in her own right, and co-owns Primetime Boxing with her husband. They put down their gloves and last year turned some of their focus to being part of the solution in the childhood obesity epidemic by completing their first Knocking Out Obesity tour.

This spring, The Nunez’s Knocking Out Obesity tour will visit another ten cities, including three elementaries and seven middle schools. Their stops will include Chicago, Buffalo, Birmingham, New Orleans, four cities in Texas, and DC, where she’s hoping to score some face time with Mrs. Obama.

They start by looking at the list of top 25 fattest cities, that publishes annually, and then select 10 cities to visit. Then, they choose one school in each city. They primarily visit middle schools, with some elementary, and try to schedule with their PE classes. The response?
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Muay Thai

If you watched The Biggest Loser last season, you may have noticed that the emphasis in the gym was on martial arts. With trainer Cara Castronova‘s background as a 2 time Golden Gloves boxing champion and trainer Brett Hoebel‘s emphasis on Capoeira, as well as many past BL contestants who ha vediscovered a love of Muay Thai boxing, the exercise workouts were definitely not typical. What was the reason that these two completely different forms of martial arts were chosen?

At first glance, these two forms of martial arts have almost nothing in common. Muay Thai is an ancient form of combat fighting that utilizes all of the limbs, plus elbows and knees, in striking. Commonly called The Art of Eight Limbs, this stand up form of martial arts combines elements of boxing as well as stand up clinch techniques, as opposed to boxing which uses two (hands) and other forms of martial arts which utilize four (hands and feet).

Most competitive forms of marital arts place an emphasis on conditioning, and Muay Thai is no exception. Designed to help increase endurance for ring competition, most Muay Thai classes incorporate shadowboxing, jumping rope, running and often weight training. A cornerstone of Muay Thai training is working pad rounds, in which a student works one on one with a coach in hitting specially designed pads, called focus mitts. The focus mitts are created to absorb impact and help a fighter learn to hit correctly without harming their training partner.

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