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Finding Time for Fitness

5 Tips for Finding Time for Fitness

Busy, busy, busy! Our days are jam-packed with meetings, appointments, and responsibilities. Finding time for fitness is virtually impossible.

We’re so concerned with everyone else that we don’t really look out for ourselves. In fact, we may have every intention of getting in a quick workout. But that intention does nothing but remain an intention.

There are those who have no problem setting aside a specific amount of time for exercise every day. Then there are those who sacrifice their work out to meet the needs of others.

If you’re having a little trouble finding time to workout, I hope you find these tips helpful.

Tip #1: Use Your Lunch Break

Regardless of where you work, you get some type of lunch break. If you’re a teacher or you work in an office, chances are you might have a tendency to work through your lunch. If you’re a stay at home mom or homeschooling parent, your lunch may be surrounded by little ones of a place of solitude. If you work from home, you might forget to take time for your lunch, but we’ll address that another day.

However, you can sneak 15 to 30 minutes of fitness into your day by splitting your lunch break in half. Take the first half to work out. Take a brisk walk around the building (or outside, if the weather permits). Find a quiet space to do some yoga or pilates. Do a couple of my six minutes workouts.

It doesn’t really matter what you do, just get moving for half of your lunch break, then eat a light, sensible lunch before heading back to work.

Tip #2: Have a Walking Meeting

We sit down A LOT when we’re at work.

Instead of sitting in the conference room or the classroom when it’s time for your team meeting, why not take it outside and have a moving meeting.

Research indicates that exercise stimulates your mind, so you may come up with solutions to a couple of problems while you’re moving. Plus getting as little as thirty minutes of daylight can help improve your sleep.

Tip #3: Skip the Elevator

Taking the stairs is one way to add a little more fitness into your day.

Waiting for the elevator – and the subsequent ride to your floor – wastes some really awesome calorie-burning time.

By simply taking the stairs instead of riding that elevator, there’s no telling how many extra calories you can burn each day. You can even incorporate some strength building by taking the stairs two or three at a time. Doing so is very similar to doing a set of lunges.

If you work in a high-rise office building, it might not be feasible for you to take the stairs the whole way. Consider taking the elevator a portion of the way and walking the rest of the way.

Tip #4: Skip the Email

It is so easy to shoot an email to a colleague while you’re sitting there working on a project.

However, walking from your workspace to their workspace does two things: 1) It allows you to get a little more exercise into your day. 2) It helps build a relationship by adding human interaction.

Tip #5: Take the Scenic Route

Another way to sneak some fitness into your day is to go out of your way to complete daily tasks.

Walk to the restroom that’s on a different floor or section of the building instead of the one that’s really close to your workspace. Park in the space that farthest away from the door. Take the long way back fo your desk after a break. Do everything you can to sneak a little more fitness into your day.

Don’t forget to hop on that scale today and see where you are. If you didn’t lose anything, but you maintained where you were last week…that’s a major win!

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Eight Gliding Disk Exercises

Eight Gliding Disk Exercises

In my last video, which was posted AGES ago, I told you about the five things you absolutely must-have in your home gym…which is simply the place where you get fit at home. Today I’m going to talk about 8 gliding disk exercises that you can do at home.

There are two upper body exercises, three lower body exercises, and three core exercises. Even though we’re will target specific body regions, so to speak, you will be able to feel all of these exercises in your core. For that reason, it is very important for you to keep your core engage while you are performing these. In order words, suck in your gut like you’re trying to get your belly button to meet your spine.

This video is actually first in a five-part series, so let’s get to those exercises. The asterisk (*) in the options indicates the option featured in the video.

Upper Body Exercises

Wax On/Wax Off

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your hands
  • Transfer weight to left hand and both feet
  • Draw a circle on the floor with the right hand
  • Return to starting position
  • Options:
    • Stay on one side to complete continuous reps
    • Alternate arms*
    • Rest on knees instead of remaining on your feet

Plank Push-up

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your hands
  • Slide right hand out to the side while performing the down phase of a push-up
  • Slide right hand back to the center while performing the up phase of a push-up
  • Return to starting position
  • Options:
    • Stay on one side to complete continuous reps
    • Alternate arms*
    • Rest on knees instead of remaining on your feet

Lower Body Exercises

Gliding Jacks

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your feet
  • Slide right hand out to the side
  • Slide right hand back to the starting position
  • Options:
    • Stay on one side to complete continuous reps
    • Alternate legs
    • Move both legs out and in at the same time*

Knee Tucks

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your feet
  • Bend both knees simultaneously and slide them toward your chest
  • Return to starting position
  • Options:
    • Slide knees to the center toward the chest*
    • Alternate knees to right elbow then left after returning to starting position
    • Slide knees to the right-start, center-start, left-start, center-start, and repeat

Mountain Climbers

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your feet
  • Bend your knees and slide them toward your chest and back one at a time
  • Options:
    • Slide knees to the center toward the chest one at a time*
    • Slide R knee to L elbow then L knee to R elbow

Core Exercises

Up/Down Plank

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your feet
  • Bend right arm and left arm to lower into elbow plank
  • Straighten arms to return to straight arm plank
  • Options:
    • Start in elbow plank and transition to straight arm plank
    • Start in straight arm plank and transition to elbow plank*
    • Perform a push-up while in straight arm plank, then transition to elbow plank

Inchworm

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your feet
  • Keep your legs straight and slide your feet as close to your hands as possible
  • Walk your hands out to the starting position
  • Repeat
  • Options:
    • Slide legs forward and slide legs back
    • Walk hands toward feet and slide legs back
    • Slide legs forward and walk hands out*

Sliding Side Crunch

  • Sit in a “mermaid” pose with right leg in front
  • Extend right arm to the floor with a gliding disk under your hand
  • Slide to the right, maintaining your balance
  • Return to starting position
  • Switch to the left side

The Next Steps

In the coming weeks, I will post four different Tabata style workouts based on these exercises.

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Reasons to Get Fit at Home

4 Reasons to Get Fit at Home

We’re one week into the new year! If you drive past any gym or fitness facility, there’s one thought that probably crosses your mind…”There’s a TON of people in there!!!” A lot of people resolve to lose weight or to get fit when January rolls around. But losing weight and getting fit are among the top 10 resolutions that are broken.

Why? Mainly because people who haven’t been to the gym in a long time decide to go several times a week. Unfortunately, some don’t really know what they’re doing. Others become intimidated. In both cases, they stop going.

There’s nothing wrong with a gym membership. In fact, if you have the money, like working out in the company of others, enjoy the variety of fitness classes that are offered, and have the opportunity (and discipline) to go on a regular basis then a gym membership is perfect for you.

However, if you’re pretty much starting at the beginning, here are four reasons you may want to get fit at home.

Convenience

Getting fit at home gives you the opportunity to exercise when you want.

Most fitness facilities aren’t open 24 hours. Even when there’s a gym that is open for 24 hours, you typically can’t access all areas and programs whenever you want.

When you get fit at home, you can work out at a time that works best for you.

Comfort

Sometimes working out in public is a little unnerving. You may get the sense that people are watching you and judging you.

Truthfully, they’re probably not paying attention to you. People go to the gym to work out, but that still doesn’t stop you from feeling as though the eyes of others are upon you.

Getting fit at home eliminates those feelings of discomfort because you can more than likely arrange things so that you are working out alone – without an audience.

You can get fit at home!

Privacy

Fitness centers are definitely not private.

You could bump into virtually anyone at the gym. Your kid’s teacher. That weird person you dated once. The neighbor you’d rather avoid.

Getting fit at home preserves your privacy because no one knows that you’re exercising except for you.

Affordability

Gym memberships cost money. There are some places that have a sliding scale, so you can pay what you can afford. But you still have to pay. Some people can budget for that. Others don’t have money to spare.

Getting fit a home helps you save money while working on that new healthy habit.

Don’t forget to hop on that scale today and see where you are. If you didn’t lose anything, but you maintained where you were last week…that’s a major win!

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Create Habits Not Resolutions.

3 Reasons to Create Habits Not Resolutions

It’s the start of a brand new year, and there are tons of posters and ads with the slogan:

New year! New You!

There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it makes perfect sense to want to start fresh when the year resets…especially if the previous year wasn’t all that great.

However, a common mistake that many of us unwittingly make is making resolutions instead of creating new habits.

To get the most out of 2020, I’m going to share three reasons we should focus on creating habits instead of making resolutions.

Reason #1: Resolutions are Simply Decisions

Most resolutions don’t take a great deal of careful consideration. They’re just decisions.

We simply look at our current situation and decide that things need to change. If we gained weight, we make resolutions to eat better or to lose weight. If we loathe our jobs, we make resolutions to take some course or do something to make sure we’re not stuck in that place for long.

The challenge with resolutions is the fact that a decision doesn’t imply a commitment or include a plan. In fact, we can easily change our minds and rescind the resolution.

Reason #2: Creating a Habit is Like Setting a Goal

It takes time and intentionality to create a habit.

Of course, some habits are formed by people avoiding something on a daily basis, but even that process takes place to over time. It’s not like someone wakes up, decides to stop smoking and kick that habit in one day.

I’m sure there are some who have quit cold turkey or go from zero to 60 when it comes to creating new habits, but for most people, it’s a process that’s not too different than the SMART goal-setting process.

Ensuring that the new habit that you are creating is smart, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound will lead you to be far more successful than if you simply made a resolution.

Reason #3: Habits are Trackable and Measurable

Resolutions are all or nothing. Either you do the thing you resolved to do, or you don’t. There’s no middle ground. There’s little room for improvement. There are no steps to success; it’s either done or it’s not.

Creating a habit isn’t like that, especially if you use the SMART goal-setting process. As you’re creating a new habit you can set yourself up for success by building short term goals or checkpoints within your long-range goal.

That way you’ll have a lot of small successes that will serve as encouragement and inspiration as you continue toward making that habit part of your new daily routine.

Next Steps

If you’re ready to transform your resolutions into habits, you can sign up for my free email course! In a few days, you’ll be well on your way to creating a life-changing healthy habit. Just complete the form below and click the box in front of “5 Steps to Creating a Healthy Habit!”

It’s the first Wednesday of the year! Hop on the scale and determine your starting point. This is the perfect way to track your new habit!

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Meal Prep vs Meal Planning

Meal prep vs Meal planning. What in the world do either of them have to do with getting fit?!?!?

In a word: everything!

Eating properly is crucial if we intend to be successful in our fitness journeys. But eating properly is time-consuming.  Despite that fact, we still do our best to eat healthily. We head to the grocery store and buy fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains. But we still don’t eat differently. Why? Because either there’s no plan or we didn’t prepare anything.

Incorporating meal planning and meal prep into your daily schedule will allow you to revolutionize your eating habits. But a lot of people tend to ask, “Which one should I do? What’s right for me: Meal Planning or Meal Prep? What’s the difference?”

We’ll tackle all of that today.

What is Meal Planning?

Meal planning is simply planning what you’re going to eat during a specific amount of time. This could be done for a family or an individual. 

The benefits of meal planning are that it decreases the chances of overeating because you can log your meals into your calorie count as you plan them so that you know precisely where are you are on a given day. 

The drawback is that some people think it is too restrictive, but it’s not. Nothing is set in stone. As long as you switch foods with similar calorie counts you’ll be perfectly fine. Especially if you maintain the nutritional content. 

What is Meal Prep?

Meal prep is simply preparing your meals in advance. It could occur in different forms. 

  • You could actually take one day a week as a single person to cook large meals. Then place those meals in food storage containers. You’ll have lunch and dinner prepared for the remainder of the week. 
  • You could prep ingredients for different meals. Suppose you want to eat a fresh veggie salad for dinner every day. However, you have no interest in chopping up vegetables before work each morning. You could take one day to chop all of your vegetables. Then place them in individual airtight containers in the fridge. When it’s time for you to assemble the salad, just take out those containers. 
  • You could take some time on Sunday afternoon to assemble a week’s worth of breakfast and lunch for the members of your household. Simply make sure that everything is clearly labeled so picky eaters and folks with food sensitivities don’t get the wrong lunch.

The benefits are that it saves a great deal of time. Plus it helps you maintain proper eating habits by allowing you to control your portions. 

A major drawback is that it can be very time-consuming.

Which Works Best?

Here’s where we tackle the question of Meal prep vs Meal planning.

There are those who think meal planning is the way to go. They’re the type of people who feel that a solid plan is all they need to be successful.

Other all but swear by meal prep. They consider it a lifesaver and feel that they lead much more productive lives because of it. 

I firmly believe that meal prep and meal planning work best in concert with one another. Both are essential for your fitness journey. In fact, they are opposite sides of the same coin. Ideally, one would plan the meals and snacks prior to preparing those meals and snacks.

Prepping meals without planning when those meals will be consumed results in a lot of wasted food. You know what you’re going to eat, but you just don’t know when. As a result, you forget the food is in the fridge, and it just ends up getting tossed. 

Planning meals without prepping means you’ll be spending a whole lot of time in the kitchen. That may be okay for some folks, but I don’t have that kind of time.

Next Steps

If this is new to you, it might be a little intimidating. The idea of sitting down and organizing what are you going to eat and when you’re going to eat it can be very overwhelming, but that’s why I’m here. I have created some amazing free resources to help you get this all figured. I’ll walk you through that next week!

Hopping on the Scale! 

Don’t forget to hop on the scale and see where you are this week. Remember: if you were able to maintain and not gain, that’s still a win!

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Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight

Four Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight

Weight loss! It’s one of the many positive side effects of getting fit. However, you may get to a point where you’re doing everything you know to do, but the scale never changes. If you’re facing that right now, please know that there are specific reasons you’re not losing weight.

For several weeks, I’ve hopped on the scale every Wednesday, and I can honestly say that the numbers on the scale have been consistently inconsistent. Sometimes the number goes down by two pounds one week, but the next week it goes up by 1.5 pounds. Since I’ve also been counting my calories, monitoring my water consumption and tracking my exercise, I’ve noticed some interesting trends.

I’ve come to realize there are four distinct reasons why my weight fluctuates from week to week. Because you’re on this fitness journey with me, I’ve decided to weigh in on why we’re not losing weight.

Reason #1: You’re Not Eating Enough

Logically speaking, if you want to lose weight you should eat less, but when it comes to the human body nothing is logical. Calories are energy, and we all need a basic amount of energy to simply get going. Though it may sound hard to believe, not eating enough can actually cause you to gain weight. You can’t run on empty; no one can. If you consistently consume fewer calories than your body needs, it will simply “hold on” to what you’ve eaten, storing it for later because it’s not sure when the next round of energy (meal) is coming.

The amount of calories you need to consume depends on how much you weigh and how active you are. In short, the more active you are, the more you’ll need to eat. Healthline.com has a Calorie Calculator  that will show you how many calories you should consume on a daily basis to maintain your weight, to lose weight, or to lose weight fast. However, it’s important to note that all calories aren’t created equally.

Reason #2: You’re Not Eating The Right Foods

You know that you’re consuming the proper amount of calories, but you’re still not losing any weight. Maybe it’s time to look at what you’re eating. What you’re eating is another factor that comes into play where weight loss is concerned. Suppose you wanted to consume 300 calories for breakfast. You could have (Option A) one scrambled egg and a cup of rice, (Option B) one glazed doughnut, or (Option C) a vegan omelette with a side of berries.

Certain foods such as raw fruits and vegetables help expel waste from your body. The more of those foods you eat, the more you’ll be able to lose unnecessary waste in your body.

Reason #3: You’re Not Drinking Enough Water

You may have heard that water flushes out impurities. That means water helps eliminate toxins from your system, toxins that could be causing you to hang on to extra weight.

If you’ve ever attempted to drink the recommended amount of water for your weight, you’ve probably wondered about a few things. Like why you have to pee ALL the time, why your pee super dark, or why it smells, it’s because of the impurities or toxins that are in your system. If you stick with it, you’ll notice that you will have to use the restroom less and your urine will become more clear. The more clear your urine is, the least toxic it is.

Did you know that water can serve as a natural appetite suppressant? Drinking water before a meal causes you to feel somewhat full prior to taking your first bite. If you sip water between bites during a meal you will end up eating less. In both cases, the end result of drinking more water would be weight loss.

Reason #4: You’re Exercising Enough

You may already know that there are some amazing things that happen when you exercise: your metabolism increases, you burn calories and your bowels are stimulated. All three of those amazing things provide solid proof that exercise is the most effective avenue for losing weight.

Even so, there are times when you getting your workout in every day and working up a good sweat, but nothing is happening in terms of weight loss.

During those times, it is imperative to reassess your exercise regime. If all you do is cardio, it might be time to do some strength training. If you take a thirty-minute walk every day, it might be time to up the ante by transforming that walk to a jog. Making even a very subtle change to your workout schedule can result in a couple lost pounds in one week.

What now?

If any or all of those reasons you’re not losing weight resonate you’re probably thinking, “What in the world am I supposed to do now!?!?!”

My free email course, 5 Steps to Creating a Healthy Habit will lead you through everything you need to do.

Hopping on the Scale!

Don’t forget to hop on the scale and see where you are this week. Remember: if you were able to maintain and not gain, that’s still a win!

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How to Know You’re Fit

How to Know You’re Fit: Five Ways

Since I keep asking people to get fit with me, and many have joined me on this fitness journey, I figured it’s time for me to weigh in on what “fitness” means and identify how to know you’re fit.

Fitness can be defined as “the condition of being physically fit and healthy”. However, that definition does very little to help you understand what fitness truly means because both “physically fit” and “healthy” could mean totally different things to different people.

To make sure we’re on the same page, the Get Fit with Charity definition of fitness is:

being in good athletic condition;
being physically, mentally and emotionally strong;
being relatively free from injury and illness

There are tons of ways to determine if you’re fit, but I’ll weigh in on five of them…the last one will probably surprise you!

#1: You embody the components of fitness

There are five main components of fitness:

  • Cardiovascular Endurance – exercises like running, swimming, dance fitness, etc.
  • Muscular Strength – how much weight a person can lift or carry
  • Muscular Endurance (i.e. how long [in repetitions or time] a person can sustain an exercise involving specific muscle groups,
  • Flexibility (i.e. the range of motion of a person’s joints)  and
  • Body Composition (i.e. the amount of fat vs. muscle that a person’s body has.)

You know that you’re fit when you notice improvements in any of those areas. Perhaps you notice that you’re not breathing heavily after a brisk thirty-minute walk. Maybe you’re able to move a forty-pound box from the floor to the table with no problem. It’s possible that you can reach down and touch your toes for the first time in five years or you’re able to hold a forearm plank for nearly a minute. It’s possible that some of your favorite clothes are a bit loose on you because your body has gone through some positive changes.

#2: You look forward to your workout

I’m sure you remember what it was like before you started your fitness journey. “Working out” wasn’t part of your vocabulary. You didn’t care to spend your free time getting sweaty, but things have changed. Now you’re excited about taking that walk, going for a swim, or heading to your fitness class. You know that there may be a little discomfort, and there are TONS of other things you could be doing right now. You’re exercising for you. When your workout becomes your happy place, you know you’re fit.

#3: You have more energy

Energy produces energy! In other words, incorporating more movement into your day and working out more gives you increased stamina. You might still get a little tired at work between 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm, but you won’t wake up tired. You might even start replacing that morning cup of coffee with a morning run because you realize the run actually clears your head and prepares you to face the day at work. When you no longer wake tired and you feel more energized than you’ve felt in a good long while, you know that you’re fit.

#4: You’re more cognizant of what (and when) you eat or drink

Something pretty amazing is going to happen to you as you’re trucking along on this fitness journey. You’re going to be more mindful of what you eat and what you drink. That’s a sure sign that you’re fit because non-fit people typically don’t take their food and beverage choices into consideration. When you decide to avoid consuming a particular drink because you’ve realized that it zaps your energy or you make a different meal choice because you want something that’s both filling and healthy, it’s pretty safe to say that you’re fit!

#5: You realize that you’ll never arrive

As strange as it sounds, you know that you’re truly fit when you realize that fitness isn’t a destination. It’s a journey. Our lives are similar to the ocean. There’s high tide (i.e. time when we’re in the best athletic condition), and there’s low tide (i.e. times when we’re emotionally week). Then there’s the occasional squall, like when an illness or injury comes out of nowhere and sidelines us for a bit. Being fit means that you understand that you will never arrive at a state of ultimate fitness. You will ever and always strive to be the most fit you that you can be.

Putting It All Together

It’s crucial for me to stress that this information on how to know you’re fit should be seen as building blocks or sequential steps. You don’t have to master one area and then move on to another area; each area can stand on its own. Although these indicators are connected, they aren’t interrelated in the sense that it’s all or nothing. You can have success in all five areas at the same time or you can shine in a few areas.

Hopping on the Scale! Don’t forget to hop on the scale and see where you are this week. Remember: if you were able to maintain and not gain, that’s still a win!

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Four Benefits of Tabata Training

4 Undeniable Benefits of Tabata Training

If you’ve been checking in for the past few weeks you know that I’m a huge fan of both Body Weight Training and Tabata Training. I almost got a bit carried away last week and went into information overload. Then something occurred to me! I could continue that conversation by weighing in on the benefits of Tabata Training.

Although there are countless benefits of Tabata Training, I will only focus on four that simply cannot be denied.

Benefit #1: Improves Aerobic and the Anaerobic Energy Systems

Aerobic means “with oxygen”. The aerobic energy system requires blood or oxygen to operate. Aerobic exercises are typically continuous, repetitive movements that greatly benefit the heart.

Anaerobic means “without oxygen”. The anaerobic energy system doesn’t require blood or oxygen to operate. Anaerobic exercise typically includes intense physical activity, and usually can’t be done for a long period of time.

Tabata Training allows you to activate both systems simultaneously so that you improve both your endurance level as well as build muscle.

Benefit #2: Easy to Customize Workouts

One Tabata round is four minutes long. It consists of eight 20-second rounds that are each followed by a ten-second rest period. You can do one exercise for all 8-rounds. Or you could do four rounds of two different exercises. You could even opt for two rounds of four different exercises…it’s all up to you.

Tabata workouts are extremely easy to customize. If you know you’re only going to have to exercise for 20 seconds, that really opens up tons of possibilities. You can include exercises that you either don’t like or you can’t do for a long period of time.

Benefit #3: Experience “After Burn”

Like other forms of high-intensity interval training, Tabata Training works on the theory of EPOC (excess post oxygen consumption). In other words, once the workout is complete, your body still continues to burn calories.

Admittedly, it’s a bit more technical and scientific than that. However, to help put this in perspective, other forms of exercise don’t work that way.

When you’re done running, you stop burning calories. The same goes for swimming and other forms of cardio (aerobic) based exercise form.

Since Tabata Training activates both the anaerobic and aerobic systems, it allows the body to respond differently to exercise.

Benefit #4: Burn Tons of Calories

The average person burns about 100 calories per mile, so if someone were to run for 20 minutes, they could burn up to 200 calories, provided that they were able to run ten-minute miles. However, that same person could burn about 15 calories per minute when participating in a Tabata Training workout.

In other words, a twenty-minute Tabata Training workout could allow someone to burn 300 calories during that workout out. T

he key to burning more calories lies in the intensity of your workout, so be sure to give your all during the twenty-second exercise round, so you can burn the most calories possible.

Talk is Cheap

You’ll be able to find several Tabata style workout video on the Get Fit with Charity YouTube Channel. I want you to experience the benefits of Tabata training first hand.

I can’t wait to start working out with you!

Hopping on the Scale! Don’t forget to hop on the scale and see where you are this week. Remember: if you were able to maintain and not gain, that’s still a win!

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High-Intensity Interval Training vs Tabata Training

HIIT vs. Tabata Training

Today’s Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in will be a little different. I will be talking about HIIT vs Tabata (or High-Intensity Interval Training and Tabata Training).

A couple of weeks ago, I talked about my specialty area: Bodyweight Training.  Tabata training is my preferred method for incorporating bodyweight exercises. People are often confused when we talk about Tabata training. Most of them have never heard of it. Some of them even ask me how Tabata Training is better than High-Intensity Interval Training, and they typically walk away. They say that they prefer High-Intensity Interval Training, and Tabata Training sort of sounds like a gimmick to them.

What is High-Intensity Interval Training?

High-Intensity Interval Training or HIIT is a form of exercise that’s gained quite a bit of popularity lately. In short, HIIT is exactly what it sounds like, but it’s easier to explain by breaking it down.

The word “intensity” refers to the amount of force, strength or effort it takes to do something. In terms of exercise, there are low, moderate and high intensity levels.

“Low intensity” exercises require minimal effort. They can be done for prolonged periods of time without leading to exhaustion. Things like walking or dog or pushing a sleeping baby in a stroller. On a scale of 1 to 5, low-intensity exercises would definitely be a 1.

“Moderate intensity” exercises require a little more effort, but why still aren’t that strenuous. A brisk walk or a light jog would fall in this category; these are exercises that you can do for a while. However, you would have to pace yourself, so you don’t tire out too easily. Moderate intensity exercises would score a 3 on a 1 to 5 scale.

“High intensity” exercises require all of your energy and effort. Since you give your all during these exercises, you won’t be able to perform them for very long. These are difficult exercises, like burpees or mountain climbers. They would be the highest on the one to five scale.

An “interval” can be defined as a space or span of time. So interval training is an exercise form consisting of an exercise period (or interval) immediately followed by a resting period. The intervals repeat in an AB pattern.

Putting It All Together

High-intensity interval training alternates between strenuous exercise and rest for specific periods of time.

Generally speaking, the resting interval in HIIT is a bit shorter than the exercise interval. That’s because it gives the body just enough time to recover but not enough time to relax. There is no specified amount of time for HIIT intervals. One can exercise for 40 seconds and rest for 20 seconds. Or you could do a 60 second “on” and 30 second “off” workout or some other combination. The key to maximizing your HIIT workout: make sure you’re able to go all out during the exercise interval. That’s where Tabata Training comes in.

What is Tabata Training?

Tabata Training is a HIIT format adapted from a 1996 study conducted by Dr. Izumi Tabata and a group of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. The results: workouts with short bursts of high-intensity exercise had better effects than workouts with longer moderate-intensity exercises.

A Message from Dr. Izumi Tabata

In the featured video clip, Dr. Izumi Tabata said, “Tabata Training is a form of high-intensity interval training which enables us to improve both aerobic and anaerobic cardiac systems simultaneously.” In other words, Tabata Training allows you to strengthen your heart and develop your muscles in less time than a traditional workout. However, Dr. Tabata stresses that the exercise interval should bring people to the point of exhaustion for them to receive maximum benefits.

Dr. Tabata stated that when the papers were published in 1996 and 1997, he expected that high-level athletes would participate in the training. He was surprised that many members of the general population are creating their own Tabata workouts.

What’s the difference?

I want to recap the common questions associated with HIIT and Tabata Training are:

  1. What’s the difference between Tabata Training and HIIT?
  2. Which method is better: HIIT or Tabata Training?

There’s really no way to answer those questions because (1) Tabata Training is a form of HIIT, so there’s no difference between the two. Beyond that (2) HIIT and Tabata Training follow identical formats of exercise/rest/repeat, so it’s not possible for one to be better than the other.

Perhaps a better question is: what is the most effective form of HIIT? The answer – without a doubt – would be Tabata Training!

Hopping on the Scale!
Don’t forget to hop on the scale and see where you are this week. Remember: if you were able to maintain and not gain, that’s still a win!

Click to join “The REAL Get Fit With Charity” Facebook Group!

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3 Tips for a Guilt-Free Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday! So I thought I’d weigh in on how to handle birthday treats. That way you’ll have a guilt-free birthday when you’re on your fitness journey.

When you’re younger, birthdays are the best! There are parties with your school friends. Parties with your other friends. Family celebrations. And TONS of presents.

When you’re older, birthdays sort of lose their pizazz! They do nothing more than remind you that you’ve gotten year older.

That’s why I did some research several years ago and discovered a bunch of places to go for free stuff on your birthday. Then I looked a little deeper and found even more free stuff for your birthday.

I joined pretty much every birthday club on my lists…and a few more. As a result, I have nearly twenty birthday coupons to redeem and most of them are food-based. I’ve been struggling with how to celebrate my birthday responsibly without overindulging in sweets and other foods that I probably shouldn’t be eating.

Even though you may not have as many coupons to redeem, I’m sure you can probably relate to the challenges associated with food-based birthday celebrations – whether you’re celebrating your own birthday or the birthday of a friend or loved one.

I’ve come up with three tips for guilt-free birthday celebrations.

Tip #1: Allow Yourself to Celebrate

Healthy eating doesn’t have to only consist of fruits and vegetables. It’s okay to eat sweets and not so healthy foods…on occasion. If you have a ton celebrations to attend or coupons to redeem, simply set some limits and decide what will and will not do. Giving yourself permission to celebrate actually releases you from guilt and enables you to truly enjoy your day!

Tip #2: Pace Yourself

Although your birthday only happens once a year, you can redeem some of your coupons up to four weeks after your birthday! That means you won’t have to cram all of those desserts and free meals into one day. You can space them out over a month, so that you’re still able to maintain a sensible eating plan and avoid feeling guilty.

Tip #3: Share Your Gifts

Let’s be real for a minute. One person doesn’t actually need to consume five free desserts, three free drinks, two free meals and three free appetizers on their own. That’s a ton of calories – most of which will do more harm than good. If you share your treats with friends, you’ll have the opportunity to have a totally guilt-free celebration and still enjoy your special day.

Hopping on the Scale!
Don’t forget to hop on the scale and see where you are this week. Remember: if you were able to maintain and not gain, that’s still a win!

Click to join “The REAL Get Fit With Charity” Facebook Group!

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