24 September, 2010

10 Fun Ways to Burn 250 Calories

Filed under: Weight Control and Dieting,Working Out — Joanne @ 5:16 am

A pound of weight is 3,500 calories, and ideally, you’ll be getting rid of this amount by reducing your body fat. Therefore, you’ll need to burn 3,500 calories in a certain period of time to lose one pound, and certainly not by starving yourself. When we put it this way, doesn’t it sound totally possible for you to do?

Of course! It’s just a matter of limiting your food intake to a level that still allows your body to acquire enough nutrients to survive healthily, and increasing your physical activity to burn the calories. So how do you do it?

Here are 10 things you can do to burn a whopping 250 calories, without prolonging your regular exercise workout. To be most effective, we recommend you incorporate these activities into your daily routine, to keep you moving throughout the day, rather than simply replace what you already do. But don’t worry, you won’t even know that you’re “exercising”!

1.There’s nothing more rejuvenating than a delightful canoe trip on a lake in the woods, especially with Mother Nature showing off her fall colours. Row for about 30 minutes to check out the changing scenery, then take a break and enjoy!

2. Stressed out? If you’ve got a punching bag or some pads lying around for a partner to hold, it’s time you beat the cr*p out of them! Pound and kick that frustration into oblivion and you’ll be burning 250 calories in about 26 minutes.

3. Take the plunge. Enjoy the freedom of gravity in the pool and do continuous laps, in your choice of style, for about 28 minutes.

4. Head outdoors for a walk. But you don’t have to go for a walk with the intention of burning calories. Instead, think of it as a way to relax and check out what’s happening in your neighbourhood. You can even make it a date, since talking and laughing will only improve the rate you burn calories. Alternate between strolling for short periods of time and walking briskly for longer periods for a total of 25 minutes, and you’ll understand why it’s considered one of the best forms of exercise – without seeming too much like one.

5. Hit the dance floor for an hour.

6. Playing pool doesn’t seem very challenging, but it can burn 250 calories in 80 minutes.

7. Take your time at the grocery store on your next shopping trip. Make sure you’ve got everything on your list to fill your cupboards and fridge. Spend 70 minutes to burn 250 calories.

8. Hit the pavement on your bike. Stick to smooth concrete for 40 minutes or venture onto rougher terrain through the grassy hills at a fraction of the time.

9. Most babies love being pushed around in their strollers, and so will your arms, buns, thighs and core. Can you go for an hour?

10. This one’s a bit of a stretch – can you watch tv for 4 hours straight? And no snacking!

(These figures are based on a woman of average weight. You’ll burn more calories if you weigh more.) For more great ideas, talk to us, your dedicated personal trainer in Toronto!

16 September, 2010

6 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

Filed under: General Health,Weight Control and Dieting — Joanne @ 5:51 pm

Personal Trainer Toronto believes that to increase your overall fitness and burn fat, we need to help you boost your metabolism. By boosting your metabolism, you’ll be able to burn more calories, even when you’re resting.

So how do you boost your metabolism, you ask? It’s all about a healthy diet and exercise regimen. Here are 6 things that you can do:

1. Don’t Starve
Starving is one of the worst things you can do to your body. It messes up your metabolism, causing it to do the opposite of what you want: slow down. Because you aren’t eating enough, your body tries to hang on to fat reserves that can be used as energy later on, making your body burn fewer calories at all times.

That’s why you must eat enough, even if you’re on a “diet”. Some experts recommend eating several smaller meals throughout the day (roughly every 3-4 hours), so your body never goes into starvation mode.

2. Start Your Day Right With A Great Breakfast
Another cardinal rule. Your metabolism is generally at its highest in the morning. If you skip breakfast, you’re doing your body a disservice by depriving it of energy that it requires. As a result, your blood level sugar drops and your metabolism slows down. You need breakfast to give it that much needed boost and keep it revving throughout the day. You’ll also be providing your body with something at the right time so that you won’t be starving hungry a couple of hours later, when your blood sugar level is so low that you’ll be easily tempted by high-glycemic index foods like cookies and chocolate.

3. Build Muscle
Muscle burns more than twice as many kilocalories per day than the same amount in weight as fat. Muscle is also denser, so a pound of it takes up less space than a pound of fat. Build more muscle, and you’ll boost your metabolism because it’ll need more energy for maintenance. Plain and simple.

And since we’re on the topic of muscle, don’t forget to eat a sufficient amount of protein, since protein not only plays a vital role in building and maintaining muscle, it also can help release glucagon, a hormone that is instrumental in stimulating the burning of fat for energy and boosting the metabolism.

4. Enjoy the Cold
Colder days are soon to come, which is a good thing for your metabolism! Shivering helps the body stay warm and keeps the metabolism going.

5. Stop Drinking Alcohol
When you drink alcohol, your body processes it first, ignoring everything else consumed. That means that all the other calories you consume will be stored as fat rather than being burned. And because alcohol has absolutely no nutritional benefits but is still loaded with calories, avoid it like the plague if you’re trying to boost your metabolism and improve your fitness.

6. Drink Some Green Tea
 Research has shown that green tea can have a positive effect on the metabolism, indirectly promoting the burning of fat.You’ll probably need at least 3 cups a day to take advantage of the benefits, though.

10 September, 2010

The Perfect Squat

Filed under: Abdominals,Muscle Training — Joanne @ 12:09 am

Looking for an exercise that’ll work your core, thighs and butt? Try some squats.

Yes, yes. We know that you already know what a squat is, but are you actually doing it right? Do you perform it in a manner that maximizes the benefits of the exercise?

Watch the video to find out how to perform the perfect squat. You can do it with or without weights. Trust us, if you incorporate a couple of sets of these the right way into your strength training regimen, you’ll notice a huge difference in your core and leg strength.

1 September, 2010

The Cool Down

Filed under: Working Out — Joanne @ 10:56 pm

Cooling down, much like warming up, is an essential part of any workout. The cool down segment of a workout allows your body, and mind, to transition from an exercising state (that is often quite stressful) to something more sedentary and relaxed.

Ideally, you’ll want to wind down your workout with less intensive exercises for about five minutes. For example, if you’ve been running, you’ll need to slow your pace down to a jog then walk. If you’ve been doing cardio kickboxing, march on the spot or step from side to side. Five minutes allows the temperature of the body and muscles as well as the heart rate to slowly decrease, which is better since a rapid decrease can shock the body. Circulating blood also slows down, allowing the muscles to eliminate waste products (i.e. lactic acid) that may have accumulated during the more intensive part of your workout and preventing blood from pooling in the legs (possibly leading to nausea and dizziness).

Once your heartbeat has slowed down and and you’ve cooled off, it’s time to stretch.

Research has found that the best time to improve flexibility and enhance your recovery is during this time. Skipping stretching regularly can reduce flexibility in under a month, so it’s absolutely imperative that it’s part of your cool down.

Our certified Personal Trainers know the importance of cooling down and stretching. They’ll help you perform exercises to adequately cool you down and improve flexibility.  You’ll also notice that you’ll be less stiff and sore the next day!