People wanting to get the most out of their workouts have been asking for some time when the best time of day to exercise is. They wonder if waking up at the crack of dawn to exercise is better than fitting your fitness in right before bed. According to celebrity nutritionist and fitness trainer Diana Le Dean, when you exercise might not matter.
A recent article in the New York Times suggests that it may not be best for people to exercise right before going to bed. Le Dean feels that could be true for some individuals, but not for others. She said that the time of exercise is dependent on personal preference, and jokes that’s the reason gyms are open so many hours.
“Exercising before bed could cause people to find it difficult to sleep. It could also help you sleep very well by decompressing work from the day,” Le Dean said. She said that she personally prefers to exercise before bed because it allows her to “let out frustrations and worries.”
Read Full Post >
Everybody wants to be fit, but let’s face it; making a commitment to an exercise program can be a mega time-zapper. The good news is, if you learn to exercise smarter you can still get amazing results in a very short amount of time. If you commit to a well-designed circuit-style workout that overloads all of your major muscles, works large muscle groups with compound movements and keeps your heart rate elevated the entire time then you can get fit, lean and strong exercising just 30 minutes, three days a week.
If weight loss is a concern, as long as you keep moving quickly from one exercise to the next to keep your heart rate elevated you don’t need to run a single lap or put in any extra cardio time either. That’s because hormonal changes occur with circuit-style resistance exercises that create a fat-burning environment (1). For the best weight loss results you will of course also need to watch what you eat. A “clean cuisine” style diet is your best bet for healthy, long-term weight loss.
As for picking the best exercises, I prefer a “full fitness fusion” approach that fuses a variety of exercise disciplines and focuses on full body moves rather than isolation exercises. If you want to get fit fast you will get much better quicker results doing compound exercises like push-ups as opposed to an isolation exercise like biceps curls. As with anything, the smarter you work the less time you need to spend and the better your results will be.
Read Full Post >
The bathroom is not at the top of the list when you think of places to exercise. In fact, it’s probably not on the
list at all. But maybe it’s time for that to change.
We all visit the bathroom, and a fast workout while
you’re in “the loo” can be the perfect way to break up your day. We’ve come up with a list of five simple moves you can do in the bathroom to fit in a quick workout and boost your energy. Pick one or all and get moving during your next bathroom break, even if for just 5 minutes. This, of course, will work best if you’re in a private bathroom, that is, unless you want to lead a class of bathroom exercisers with your coworkers!
Read Full Post >
It may be the middle of winter but that doesn’t mean we’re not envying for a tighter backside in time for spring. With skinny jeans and leggings still all the rage, I bet there isn’t a woman out there who’d turn down the opportunity to perk up her curvy assets. While there’s no “magic trick” to firming up your backside, there are plenty of moves you can do to sculpt lean muscles and burn a little fat at the same time.
This week’s Saturday Drill is packed with exercises that focus in on your backside and make your skinny jean dreams a reality: Six moves that require no equipment, and can be done in the comfort of your own home.
Each exercise is listed with a recommended repetition count, but complete more if you’re wanting more of a challenge. As well, complete the entire circuit 2-4 times all the way through to reap even more benefits. You could also incorporate cardio into this routine by jumping rope or running in place for 60 seconds between each move.
Read Full Post >
