5 Things You Can Do To Lose Weight Faster

November 4, 2010 | 1 Comment

Do you exercise fast and furious to lose weight but are getting slow results?

There have been times for me, while doing some killer workouts, that it seemed my results were going in the wrong direction.  Sometimes it was because I hit a plateau, but other times it was because of other things I was doing throughout the day that was making me sluggish and keeping me from putting in the full effort of which I knew I was capable.

If you are in such a situation and would like to step things up a bit, here are five simple things you can add to, or take from, your daily routine so that you can get the body you want even faster.

  1. Drink coffee before your early morning workout. Drinking a cup of coffee (preferably with little to no cream and sugar) just one hour before your workout will help you burn more calories.  The caffeine will awaken and energize you so that you can exercise harder and faster.  It just may be the momentum you need to squeeze in an extra set of reps resulting in more calories burned.
  2. Give up energy drinks, soda, and, yes, even Gatorade. With the exception of perhaps a couple brands of energy drinks, these drinks are loaded with empty calories.  Meaning, they have no health benefits whatsoever.  They may give you energy at first, but then you crash because of the high levels of sugar and are left feeling drained.  As for Gatorade, I cringe when I see my children’s coaches telling them to drink this so-called thirst quencher that is loaded with wasted calories.  Unfortunately Gatorade is also loaded with sodium which makes your body retain water and which makes you even more thirsty.  Therefore you want to drink what?  - More Gatorade!  Green tea or water with a lemon wedge, sugar free, would be a better choice as a thirst quencher.
  3. Do interval training, such as Tabatas. Interval training consists of bursts of high intensity exercises with a short rest period in between.  While the words “high intensity” may scare away some people, the good news is that you get your workout done in a shorter amount of time (15 to 20 minutes).  For some reason, not quite understood, this type of workout burns more calories then would be burned in 40 minutes of cardio.
  4. Do body weight strength training exercises. Not daily, but 2 or 3 times a week.  If you are limited on time and can only do one, push ups are an excellent choice.  Aim for three sets of 15 reps.  Though some may disagree as you can read here, I still believe weight training increases the amount of calories you burn.
  5. Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep nightly. We hear this quite often these days, but we do burn lots of calories when we get an adequate amount of sleep.  This is by far the most important on this list, as lack of sleep results in stress, lack of motivation, and it ages us faster.  All of which hinder our weight loss progress.

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Posted by Julie | Filed Under Blog, Weight Loss 

Getting A Whole Body Workout With Sandbags

August 25, 2010 | 2 Comments

I’m always on the lookout for more effective whole body workouts that can be done in shorter amounts of time. And with sandbags, I’ve found exactly that!

Sandbags are probably the most odd object you could add to your fitness routine.  They are awkward to lift because of shifting sand which alters its form as you lift.  They are difficult to grip and even more difficult to keep in control.  And since the bag has movement, the lifter is forced to constantly adjust her/his body to accommodate the awkward weight of the bag. But because of all of this, sandbags will work your body differently, and more effectively, than any barbell.  Sandbags will cause your body to use more muscles, expend more energy, and burn more calories.  Sandbags will challenge the entire body.

There are so many exercises you can do with a sandbag too. You could do … squats, lunges, jumps, situps, and clean and jerks. You could hoist the bag over your head or give it a bear hug and run up a hill. Try jogging, climbing, dragging, and throwing. Or just try getting off the floor with the sandbag in your arms. Use it with your Gymboss Interval Timer (it’s an affiliate link) by setting your timer for several rounds of two intervals.  For instance, do 15 rounds of two intervals. The first interval could be 50 seconds of pushing as hard as you can, and the second interval could be a 10-second rest.

How To Make A Fitness Sandbag for $20

So now you are probably wondering where you can buy such a wonderful bag. You can purchase sandbags over the Internet, such as the Ultimate Sandbag. You will spend anywhere from $100 to $200, and you will have a pretty darn nice bag.  Or you can make your own, to suit your own needs, for as little as $20.

Pictured here is a sandbag I made using nothing more than a durable duffel bag, play sand, quart-sized Ziploc bags, and duct tape.  (The sand in the pictures is blue only because that is all my local Wal-mart had in stock.  Regular play sand will be cheaper.)

Make sure to use a good quality duffel bag which can hold the weight of the sand.  The Army Surplus Store is a good place to look for one.  Also, if the bag has straps or buckles that could hit you in the face as you lift, you should cut them off.  Some people prefer not to have any handles on the bag at all.  This will make gripping the bag even more difficult, resulting in greater grip strength for your hands.  Certainly something to keep in mind when making your sandbag.

Doubling the Ziploc bags, I filled the bags each with 3 cups of the play sand.  Removing most of the air from the bags, I sealed the inner bag and folded it inside the outer bag.  I then sealed the outer bag and reinforced the seal with duct tape.  Finally, I placed all bags inside the duffel bag.  (Be sure to use the strongest Ziploc bags you can find and reinforce them well with duct tape.  These bags will be thrown, dropped, and turned upside down.  They may break if not put together well.

Some people prefer to fill a single Contractor trash bag with sand and place it inside the duffel bag, which is another good option.  I prefer to use Ziploc bags so I can easily, without mess, increase or lighten the weight whenever I want.  Be sure, though, not to pack your duffel bag too tight.  You want it to be loose to allow movement while you lift.

The end result … a sturdy 25-pound sandbag for under $20 that works just as well as any $100 bag.

You can make the bag how heavy you want.  It is recommended that women use a 15-45 pound bag.  Most men, however,  would prefer to have a  much heavier bag.

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Posted by Julie | Filed Under Blog, Full Body Exercises, Strength Training, Weight Loss 

Tabata Training Burns Fat Faster

June 18, 2010 | 1 Comment

Tabata is a high-intensity interval workout which is said to dramatically burn fat, build muscle, and increase aerobic as well as anaerobic capacity (as much as 14% and 28%) in as little as four minutes a day.

Sounds too good to be true?  Well, it is not as simple as it sounds.  While Tabata can be done in a short amount of time and it does produce amazing results, it was originally created with Olympic athletes in mind and it is not easy … not even for the best athletes.  Tabata workouts may be brief, but they are also intense.  In fact Dr. Izumi Tabata (one of the creators of this burning workout) himself gave this important warning:

“High-intensity exercise cannot be prescribed for individuals at risk for health problems or for obese people who are not used to exercise.”

A Tabata workout consists of 8 rounds of short 20-second bursts of intense exercise followed by a brief 10-second period of rest.  The exercise itself can be anything such as jumping rope, squats, burpees, sprints, pushups, situps, etc.  The key is to go all out for 20 seconds and then take a 10-second rest period (which only allows a partial recovery), and then repeat 7 more rounds.  In the video above by BodyRock.TV, Host Zuzana is demonstrating jumping rope using the Tabata protocol.  To keep track of your timing, you may want to invest in a Gymboss Interval Timer (using my affiliate link) such as the one Zuzana is using.

Studies have shown that this particular pattern of short, intense intervals can increase metabolic rate significantly for hours after you finish the workout.   Which means Tabata, when done correctly, is very effective for burning fat due to the effects on the metabolism.

Here’s how to perform a Tabata workout using a Gymboss interval timer:

  1. Pick an exercise of your choice.
  2. Set your Gymboss to 00:20 and 00:10 on auto mode for 8 rounds for any body weight exercise.
  3. Do as many reps as possible in 20 seconds.
  4. Repeat seven times.

    5. If you would like to increase your workout even more, pick another exercise and do another 8 rounds.

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Posted by Julie | Filed Under HIIT, Tabata Training 

5 Easy Core Exercises That Absolutely Work

May 23, 2010 | Leave a Comment

Here are some simple core exercises from Chalene Johnson that will make you stronger in just a few minutes a day. No, you don’t have to get on the floor and do those boring crunches that so many of us hate. These are fun exercises you can do right in front of your TV that will give you amazing abs! And these exercises will burn calories too.


A strong core will help your body age well, so it is crucial to start working on it now. So, give these a try and let me know what you think. Have you already been doing these or similar exercises, or are you still doing sit ups?

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Posted by Julie | Filed Under Blog, Celebrities, Fitness, Strength Training 

Roller Derby … For Women Who Want To Feel Powerful

September 14, 2009 | 4 Comments

Official poster for Whip It
The main reason why I choose extreme kickboxing as my main form of exercise is because it makes me feel powerful and strong. But I don’t think there are too many sports for women that will make one experience more power than what is experienced with roller derby.

Roller Derby is a “going for the gold” type sport.  In this sport, the skater is moving at amazing speed putting up a fight to get through the Pack which may result in anything from bruises to pain and broken bones to the feeling of strong inner strength.

An American-invented contact sport, according to the Derby Dolls website (a roller derby league in L.A.), roller derby was created in 1935 by Leo Seltzer.  A match is composed of two teams with five players each … four Blockers and one Jammer … which face off against each other.  The Blockers skate together to form a Pack.  A Jammer from the opposing team fights her way through the Pack scoring points if she succeeds plus earning more points when she laps the team.

In the 70’s, roller derby was played to sold-out crowds across the U.S., and it has made a comeback in recent years.  But with the movie Whip It coming to theaters on October 2 with Ellen Page (Juno) playing the leading part, I expect the sport will take off even more so.  Director Drew Barrymore … yes, besides playing a role in the movie, she was also the director … has shared these motivational thoughts about the leading role in Whip It:

“I believe that girls can do it all.  . . . finding your inner strength, believing you can do what boys do, and figuring who you are along the way.”

In case you think this is the sport for you (remember it is extreme), Derby Dolls has provided on their site a list of roller derby leagues.  Hopefully, you can find one in your area.

I think it would be a blast to watch the Derby Dolls live in real action, but for the time being I’ll have to settle on YouTube.

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Posted by Julie | Filed Under Blog, Celebrities, Sports, Strength Training 

Venus de Miles Bike Ride For Women Only

August 27, 2009 | 2 Comments

Today is the last day to register for the second annual Venus De Miles women’s-only bike ride to take place in Colorado (near Denver) on August 30, 2009.

Run by women for women of all skill levels, the Venus de Miles road ride offers three different bike courses from which you can choose from:

(1) a 35-mile jaunt through scenic countryside,
(2) a bit more challenging 50-mile course, or (3) a tough 65-mile climb through Jamestown.

If you miss the registration deadline, there is still a possibility you can get in as they are allowing late registration up until the day of the event (at a slightly higher fee of course).  But be aware that they are capping this year’s ride at 1500 riders.  Your registration fee also gets you a free T-shirt, lunch and beer after the race, a celebration in the park with prizes plus activities such as massages, mini-facials, yoga, and more.  But your registration not only benefits you, the rider.  This bike ride is in support of Greenhouse Scholars, an organization providing mentorship and scholarship to high-performing, under-resourced students.

If you want to attend, you can find more details for the Venus de Miles bike ride here.  Or you can find updates on the Venus de Miles blog.  Everyone is a winner on this ride, so get your Trek bike dusted off and loaded in the car.

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Posted by Julie | Filed Under Blog, Events 

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