Every body is different, so to come up with fitness guidelines that work for everyone is tough. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the minimum recommended amount of exercise for a healthy adult is 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise most days of the week and this 30 minute guideline is the one that fitness experts use as a baseline to ensure exercisers are working hard enough to see results, especially beginners who are new to exercise. But what does that actually mean, and how do you know if you are doing enough?

The 30 minute rule refers to cardiovascular exercise (running, walking, biking, etc.) as the guidelines for strength training are working your major muscle groups 2-3 times a week, on nonconsecutive days. Your strength training, however, can work into your 30 minute rule as long your intensity is high enough. (More on that later.)

The 30 minute rule sounds pretty cut and dry, but you actually have a lot of leeway. Most days of the week means 4-6, as everyone needs at least one rest day per week, but you can play with the 30 minute recommendation. Those 30 minutes can be done all in one shot, or you can break it up through out the day. Two 15 minute sessions, or three 10 minute sessions are shown to be just as effective, but it is not recommended to do anything shorter than 10 minutes for the full benefits.

Those minutes don’t mean much, however, if you aren’t making them count, which brings us to your intensity level. Intensity is a little more subjective, but the most important component to seeing results.

Actress and former Sports Illustrated cover model Brooklyn Decker has to be in swimsuit shape year round, but most of us only start to think bikini when the weather starts heating up. You can use Decker’s fat-burning secrets to shape up fast and feel confident on the beach this summer.

Decker has always been very vocal about her health and fitness, admitting that while she is blessed with good genes, she really has to work to keep her body in top form. Busy just like any Hollywood actress, Decker fits in dancing, running, and kayaking as exercise. Married to tennis star Andy Roddick, Decker has an athlete’s mentality, focusing on how strong she feels as opposed to how thin she looks.

“She is very coordinated and likes to push,” says her trainer Jade Alexis, who also worked with Decker to produce a workout DVD for Elle Magazine. ”Brooklyn works hard and has fun while she’s at it.”

How can we learn from Decker’s routine? Alexis reveals that the secret to a strong, lean and feminine physique starts with a balanced, healthy diet.

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by Arleigh Aldrich

New studies conducted by Canadian researchers have found that those with type 1 diabetes may have an easier time managing their blood sugar levels if they lift weights before doing cardiovascular exercise.

Type 1 diabetes patients suffer from deficiencies in insulin, which the body needs to turn food into fuel. Without insulin, glucose from food remains in the blood and can cause harm to other organs in the body. Insulin can be regulated in type 1 diabetes patients through insulin injections or pumps. Only about 5% (1.3 million) of American diabetes patients suffer from type 1. Patients with type 2 diabetes account for the majority of diabetes patients in America. Those with type 2 produce insulin, however the body does not respond to it. Insulin must be injected directly into fat under the skin for the blood to absorb it.

Muscles utilize sugar fast in highly aerobic exercise, depleting blood sugar levels quicker than non-cardio workouts. What the experiment found was by lifting weights first, blood sugar levels remained above the minimum threshold for someone with type 1 diabetes. Furthermore, levels remained above the threshold for longer periods of time after the workout was completed.

Dr. Ronald Sigal is a lead author on the study and endocronologist at the University of Calgary in Canada. Sigal told Reuters Health, “It’s important to define the best way for people with type 1 diabetes to exercise so that blood sugar doesn’t drop too low, yet they can still reap all the benefits of aerobic exercise.”

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Last year, the organizers of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival announced they will be having two concerts over consecutive three-day weekends this year, April 13 to 15 and April 20 to 22. There’s good reason: last year’s festival sold out its 75,000 tickets in six days.

Before the announcement, this year’s roster fueled wild speculation, with detailed investigations on tour schedules for suspected artists to see if they were open on those dates. Now that the lineup has been announced, here’s a workout playlist from some of those who will be performing:
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Usually when you make New Year’s resolutions, you are looking forward. But when you are trying to put together a workout playlist, you have no choice but to look in the rear-view mirror.

Here are some of the hottest songs from 2011 that charted on Billboard and a few that caught the critics’ attention as well. Of course they also have to be inspiring when you are ready to sweat.

Hottest Songs of 2011 Workout Mix

1. LMFAO – Sexy and I Know It

2. Foster the People – Pumped up Kicks

3. Lykke Li – Get Some

4. Foo Fighters – These Days
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