Twinkie’s Challenge: Exercise Regularly

We’ve all been told that we are supposed to exercise on a regular basis, since it’s healthy for us. But why should you and I exercise on a regular basis? Is the effort worth the sacrifice?

I am challenging each of you to make exercise a part of your life, and I suggest you check out some of the benefits that are associated with regular exercise.

Define “Regular Exercise”

In order to benefit from regular exercise, you need to start somewhere. What’s considered “regular exercise”? In general, adults need to exercise for about three to five times a week, for 20 – 40 minutes.

Health Benefits of Regular Exercise

There are plenty of reasons why you should take on this challenge of making exercise a part of your life. I will list some of the top benefits of exercise, just to give you some encouragement and to help you get started.

•Increased Energy

Do you notice that you are lethargic and too tired to exercise? If you are already tired, I don’t blame you for dreading exercise. Interestingly enough, if you just push through that first workout,  you will notice an amazing boost of energy!

•Muscle Strength

If you want to burn more fat in any given moment, you need to gain lean muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn which leads to less body fat.

•Live Longer

According to a 20 year study, regular exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of dying prematurely. This isn’t a surprise considering all of the health benefits associated with exercise.

•Reduce The Risk of Breast Cancer

Studies show that when women exercise, two ovarian hormone (Progesterone and Estradiol) levels are lowered in the body. This is a very good thing, since an excess of these hormones have been linked to breast cancer tumor production. This means that by regular exercise, you can reduce the risk of breast cancer by up to 60% – if this isn’t a reason to exercise, I don’t know what is!

•Lose Excess Fat, and Keep it Off

Exercise increases your metabolism which helps you burn more calories throughout the day – long after your morning run (or whatever you decide to do). Exercise will help you reach and maintain a healthy weight.

•Clears Skin

Exercise is a great way to remove toxins from your body, which occurs when you sweat during exercise. Exercise is a natural detox for your skin, which helps you get rid of acne. Your skin increases the natural production of collagen, which is an all natural anti-aging benefit!

•Increase Cardiovascular Efficiency 

The stronger your heart is, the more blood can be pumped through your heart with less effort.  This is a very good thing since strengthening your heart with regular exercise will decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease in the process.

•Lower Blood Pressure

If you need to reduce your blood pressure, you need to start an exercise program (which this challenge should be the perfect opportunity to start, right?). All forms of exercise has been shown to be effective in lowering blood pressure.

•Strengthens Bones

Increase your bone density by choosing an active lifestyle! If you include cardiovascular exercises and weight training (nothing too intense, mind you…), it will help promote bone formation which will delay bone loss. Increase bone mass has been shown to protect against osteoporosis, which is bone loss associated with aging. As you get older, keep on moving!

•Prevent (or cure) Depression

You don’t need (in my opinion) antidepressants to help with your depression. First of all, they don’t fix the problem. Second of all, they are actually harmful to you and your mental health. Thirdly, study after study has proven that exercise reduces the symptoms of depression and promotes mental health. Exercise for 30 minutes just three to five times a week to experience significant improvements. This is something the drug companies don’t want you to know…since we all know how exercise can be cheap or even free.

•Reduce Stress Hormones

Is stress affecting your health? Sounds like you need to exercise (and perhaps resolve the issues causing the stress!) . Sometimes we can’t easily resolve the cause of the stress, but it’s good to know that regular exercise has been prove to reduce the amount of stress hormones in your body. Less stress hormones means lower blood pressure and a healthier you.

• Prevents Illness

Are you sick all of the time? Maybe you need to jump start your immune system, which will help reduce the amount of illness you will have to experience. Regular exercise is a great way to rev up your immune system

•Reduce the Risk of a Stroke

Exercise may reduce the risk of total, hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes – according to research data.

•Better Night’s Rest

Exercise has been shown to help you get to sleep at night. So long sleep apnea!

•Increase New Brain Cells

Did you know that exercise actually stimulates the formation of new brain cells? Research has shown that the area of the brain that forms the new cells is responsible for learning and memory development.

•Lower Cholesterol Levels

Do you have high cholesterol, and need to lower it? Exercise has shown to have a direct effect with influencing blood cholesterol levels by decreasing LDL (bad) cholesterol and increasing HDL (good) cholesterol.

•Prevent Diabetes

Studies have shown that exercise, combined with a healthy diet, can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by up to 60%! Considering how dangerous diabetes can be, exercise and a healthy lifestyle should be a no brainer.

Ok everyone – it’s time for you to take this challenge seriously. Do this for you. Do this for your own health, and take charge of your life. Make the choice today to make exercise a habit…you won’t regret it.

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

Tags: blood pressure, cancer, cholesterol, Depression, Diabetes, energy, exercise, Fitness, immune system, muscle, prevention, strength, Twinkie's Challenge, Weight Loss

Get in Shape with Circuit Weight Training

Circuit Weight Training

Circuit weight training is one of the most beneficial forms of cardiorespiratory training.  It’s an exercise program that combines resistance training with cardio by performing a series of exercises one right after the other with minimal rest.

Circuit training is a great exercise that is time efficient and can help you reach your fitness goals!

Weight Loss Benefits

Circuit weight training  allows for you to develop lean muscles, which helps you burn calories both during and after you exercise, helping you become more efficient with losing weight.

Too many of us – mostly women – have this fear of lifting weights because we associate weights to “bulking up”. If your health goal is to lose excess fat, make sure that you just lift smaller weights during Circuit Weight Training and for only two or three times a week. Incorporate cardio on the days that you aren’t weight training, and this will help you burn fat and develop long and lean muscles.

Build muscle strength

If you enjoy weight training but dislike traditional cardio workouts, circuit training would be ideal for you. If your goal is to gain muscle mass and “bulk up”, then you would choose heavier weights than those who are just trying to lose weight.

You may consider doing about 12 repetitions for each exercise in the circuit, and do a total of two or three complete circuits. If it takes you about 20 minutes to complete two circuits, then you are done with the workout.

When incorporating Circuit Weight Training into your exercise routine, make sure you start with lighter weights and move your way up. Many of the exercises (see below) require balance, and proper form is extremely important.

How to Incorporate Circuit Training

Typically, an exercise program with circuit weight training would look something like this:

• Warm up/Stretch (5-10 minutes)

• Cardio (5-10 minutes)

• Circuit Weight Training (15-20 minutes)

• Cardio (5-10 minutes)

• Cool down/Stretch (5-10 minutes)

As you can see, I have included time for you to warm up, cool down, and stretch. It’s important that you do this with any weight training program to reduce the risk of injury and provide you with a more effective workout.

Here’s an example of Circuit Weight Training:

1. Ball dumbbell chest press

2. Ball dumbbell row

3. Standing dumbbell curl

4. Standing overhead dumbbell press

5. Step-ups (with balance)

6. Dumbbell triceps extension

7. Rest

8. Repeat exercises, completing the circuit a total of 2 – 4 times, or however many circuits you can complete in about 15 or 20 minutes.

Important: Make sure that you aren’t rushing yourself during each of the exercises – proper technique is critical in preventing injury and maximizing results.

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

Image Credit: menshealth.com

Tags: Circuit Training, exercise, Fitness, strength, Weight Loss

Develop a Strong Core

Your core provides the foundation for movement throughout your entire body. The core muscles consist of the abdominals, hips, and lower back.

Benefits of a Strong Core

In addition to having a firm midsection, there are plenty of reasons why you should work on developing your core muscles.

Lower back pain affects nearly 80% of the adult population, which often times is a result from having weak core muscles. It makes logical sense to assume that if you strengthen your core muscles, you will decrease back pain. According to researchers at the California State University, people who followed a ten week core workout program experienced 30% less back pain compared to before they started the program.

A stronger core means you can lift heavier weights. Your core helps to support your spine, which allows for your entire body to be more structurally sound and more stable for lifting heavy loads.

Weak core muscles will cause you to have a forward lean, so strengthening your core will help with creating better posture.

A Canadian study (with more than 8,000 participants!) showed that in over 13 years, those with the weakest abdominal muscles (part of the core!) had a death rate of more than twice that of the people with the strongest abdominals. Interesting.

Exercises to Strengthen your Core

I don’t recommend crunches, especially if you are trying to obtain a flat midsection. Researchers at the University of Virgina found that you would have to do 250,000 crunches to burn just one pound of fat. I’ll let you do that math on that one. Bottom line, crunches aren’t going to give you a six pack. For the midsection and strong core of your dreams, stick to core exercises that work multiple muscle groups for maximum results.

I have listed some exercises that will strengthen your core. Pick a couple of them to add to your exercise routine, and enjoy the benefits of a stronger core!

• Plank – Start to go in a pushup position, but bend your elbows and rest your weight on your forearms. Allow your body to form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles (don’t elevate your glutes). Hold this position for 30 seconds, as you contract your abdominals. You can also try doing the side plank for variation and strengthening side muscles.

• Prone Cobra – Lie down with your stomach on the floor with your legs straight and your arms next to your side with palms down. Raise your head, chest, arms (thumbs pointing up towards the ceiling), and legs off of the floor by activating your glutes and lower back muscles. Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds.

• Swimming – Try swimming free style to strengthen your core, in addition to your entire body.

• Leg Lowering Drill – Lie down on the floor, face up, with your arms straight out in a “T” shape. While keeping your feet together, raise your legs while slightly bending your knees. Slowly move your feet down as close to the floor as you can. Touch the floor and raise your feet back into the starting position and repeat for desired repetitions. Be sure to press your lower back into the floor as you perform the movement, to prevent arching your back.

• Russian Twist – Sit down on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hold your arms straight out in front of your chest with your palms together. Lean back, so that your torso is at a 45 degree angle to the floor, or half way down to the ground. Rotate slowly as far as you can to the right, then slowly rotate as far as you can to the left. This is a great workout that emphasizes your obliques.

• Yoga- There are plenty of yoga positions to try, but most of the focus on strengthening your core.

• Overhead Dumbbell Side Bend – Stand up straight and hold a pair of dumbbells over your head, with your arms straight and in line with your shoulders. Slowly bend directly to your left side as far as you can, without twisting your upper body. Pause before returning to an upright position, then bend to your right side. Alternate back and forth for desired repetitions.

• Hip Crossover – Lay on the floor, face up with your arms straight out from your sides (palms facing up), making a “T” shape. Raise your legs off the floor so your hips and knee are bent 90 degrees. Slowly move your legs to the right as far as you can, without lifting your shoulders off of the floor. Slowly reverse the movement and move your legs to the left. Continue to alternate for desired repetitions.

Bonus Tip: To help promote a flat stomach, avoid processed sugars.

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

Tags: Abdominals, Core, exercise, Fitness, Health, hip, lower back, muscle, strength

Workouts for your Baby

It’s never too early to exercise, right?  Your baby will benefit from exercise, just as much as you do! Babies need to work on building strength, and your little bundle of joy is going to need your help getting there.

Tummy Time

This helps your baby build a strong core, which strengthens your baby’s stomach, back, and neck muscles.

Why it’s Important: It’s important that your baby’s core muscles are strengthened so that if your baby is ever in a dangerous situation (such as face down and not getting enough oxygen), your baby will have the ability to roll over.

Lifting

Let your baby learn how to lift objects with varying weight and size,  such a baby’s rattle, toy keys, or Alphabet blocks. It will be a fun way for your baby to learn how to hold objects as well as build strength in the arms.

Why it’s Important: Building strength in the arms is an important step for your baby, which helps your little one push up and eventually crawl!

Kicks and Swatting

This is a fun way for your baby to build flexibility and coordination. Babies are naturally flexible, but it still takes work to build dexterity and stability. Kicking a targeted object is a good way to help your baby understand depth perception as well as cause and effect.

Why it’s Important: Kicking and swatting helps to increase leg strength and muscle control which eventually leads to crawling.

Twisting and Bending

Allow your baby to gently stretch since this is a great way for baby to gain flexibility and coordination which helps provide precise movement.

Why it’s Important: This will help your baby roll over from one side to the other.

Sources: Parenting.com

Your baby is just like you when it comes to getting bored with the same workouts. Switch things up and keep it interesting and fun for your baby!

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

Tags: Baby, baby yoga, crawling, exercise, Fitness, flaxible, Healthy, lifting, mom, muscle, strength, tummy time, workout

Why you should give Yoga a try

There is a lot of hype about Yoga, and the health benefits of doing Yoga on a regular basis. I have been a bit reluctant to try it out for several reasons. First of all, I like to do cardio works outs that make me sweat (funny how I used to not like that part of exercising), and something where I feel like I am burning a ton of calories and making some progress in my weight loss or maintenance. I tend to do exercises like running, swimming, and the elliptical machine. After those work outs, my body just knows that it worked out. This again shows me that I am making some progress, and I feel good about what I have done. So now back to Yoga. When I think of Yoga, I have to admit, I thought it was just a little boring and maybe a little too easy?

I went to my first Yoga class a couple of months ago. Let’s just say all of my previous thoughts about Yoga were pretty much dissolved. I realized I wasn’t nearly as strong as I thought, and by the end of the class, not only did I sweat because of the amazing workout, but I was calling myself a “pansy” for not being able to do some of the “simple” and “boring” moves that I thought Yoga was all about. By the next day, the way my whole body felt, I knew this was something my body needed and wanted more of.

Not to my surprise, I wanted to do some more research on the benefits of Yoga.

Flexibility

I thought this was a bit of an obvious find, but still wanted to mention it. Not a lot of exercises will help with flexibility like Yoga does, and I believe that by gaining some more flexibility with Yoga, it will help out with your other exercises that you are doing. Worried you aren’t flexible enough? No need to worry. Do the poses the best you can, without causing yourself pain. You will soon find poses you couldn’t do, with time and practice, eventually you can do them. Everyone is at a different level, and you don’t need to feel like you have to be a pro your first time around.

Strength

If you want and all over toned body, Yoga is for you. Remember how I said I felt like a “pansy” after Yoga? There is a good reason for that. You have to use your muscles for the poses, and if you aren’t strong enough just yet, you can be by doing yoga on a regular basis. If you can’t do the pose yet, don’t worry. Keep practicing on a regular basis, and you will find you can start doing poses you couldn’t do a month ago. You can see your progress right before your eyes! If it makes you feel any better, there were strong guys in the class who were still struggling with some of the poses, which leads me to my next benefit of  Yoga.

Balance

Yoga will help you with your balance, which is one of the reasons some guys who were very strong still had some struggles- they were learning how to balance their bodies, and use their muscles in ways they never had to before. You will notice the more you practice these poses using your balancing techniques, you will start to get a little better and better with each practice.

Reduces Stress

Even though your first Yoga experience may be more difficult that you could have imagined, it might just surprisingly be quite relaxing all at the same time. If you are in a class setting, usually the Yoga instructor will put on some soft and relaxing music, and may even dim the lights (depending on type of Yoga). With Yoga you get to focus on breathing, flexing, relaxing, holding positions, all at the same time. If you ever have a tough day at the office, Yoga might be a good way to relieve the stress, which is obviously something good for your body-inside and out.

“Where can I do Yoga?”

-If you have a gym membership, that might just be a great place to start. A lot of gyms will have Yoga classes, as well as others like Spinning, Aerobics, and Dance. Find out what classes your gym offers, and if you are new to Yoga, feel free to talk to the Instructor before or after class and let them know if you have any questions, or if you need help with some of the poses.

-You might want to try a Yoga Training DVD, which is great because if you want something convenient, you can do this in the comfort of your own home. It can be like having your own personal trainer at whatever time of day you want to do Yoga.

-The Internet not only has plenty of reading material on Yoga, but it also includes Yoga videos. Try doing a search on Yoga in your Search Engine, or even go to a site like YouTube for Yoga instructional videos. Just realize the instructor may not be licensed, but still may know what they are talking about. Take it for what it is.

If you haven’t already given Yoga a chance, I urge you to now. If you are already reaping the many benefits of Yoga, feel free to comment about your experiences with Yoga.

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

Tags: benefits of yoga, burn more, calories, cardio, dance, elliptical, every day life, exercise, flexibility, gym, gym membership, gymnastics, Healthy, motivational, personal trainer, progress, running, Skinny, spinning class, stay active, strength, sweating, swimming, toned body, training dvd, Weight Loss, working out, Yoga, yoga poses