Although most places will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, there are many fitness options for friends and family to enjoy before heading home to eat the turkey.
*** As seen posted on
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Stay Fit on Thanksgiving in the DC/NOVA Area
http://www.examiner.com/x-26225-DC-Group
Thursday, November 12, 2009
The Truth Behind Reebok Easytone Shoes
You've probably seen the ads on TV of an attractive fit woman talking about a new fitness shoe while the camera zooms in on her legs and butt. The somewhat sexy ad is for Reebok's new Easytone Shoes.
As a fitness professional myself I should tell you not to fall for the gimmick too quickly. Although wearing the shoe may create some tone in your legs due to the balance pods on the sole, the reality is, you need to exercise in order to get toned legs. Just walking in the shoes during a normal day won't get you the results you hope for when watching the women in the commercials.
Strength training, cardio workouts, and healthy eating are what make people fit and toned. A shoe, like other fitness gimmicks, only contributes to a small portion of it all. So if you decide to buy the shoes, think about starting an exercise program that includes more than just walking. Then having a firm butt and legs will actually become a reality.
(This article was also posted by me on http://www.examiner.com/x-26225-DC-Group-Exercise-Examiner)
Monday, November 2, 2009
Lifting Heavy = A Toned and Sculpted Body
I’ve heard clients say it, friends ask me, and even myself at one point have asked, how do I get toned arms? The names Kelly Ripa and Michelle Obama have been mentioned once or two hundred times. I guess one of my pet peeves is the misconception women’s fitness magazines make. They post an article stating things like “5 Exercises for Sculpted Arms,” but then they show a skinny girl lifting only 3-5 pound weights. In my opinion, the only reason anyone should be using 3-5 pound weights is
a) You are a child.
b) You have a recent injury.
c) You are very frail either due to age or some other circumstance.
So that leaves most of us over the age of 15 or so banned from the use of 3-5lb weights.
Ladies, men have already figured it out, why can’t we? If you want toned and sculpted arms, you need to lift heavy! Not too heavy where you can barely lift it at all, but that by the last 2 or 3 reps of a set of 12, you’re really struggling to lift the weight.
Now you never want to compromise form for any exercise. I always tell my clients that I put them at a weight I think they can lift 12 times but it doesn’t have to be in a row. Sometimes when I’m lifting heavy and I get to about 8 or 9 and I feel my form lacking, I stop, take a deep breath, roll my shoulders back and continue.
A good rule of thumb – if you think you can do more than 12 in a row, up the weight.
I recommend men and women to do 3 sets of 12 for each exercise. You can do 1 set and take a minute break then do the next, or you can do what’s called super-setting.
Super-setting – Performing back-to-back exercises of opposing muscle groups with minimum rest in between. For example, you could do 1 set of bicep curls followed by 1 set of tricep extensions and repeat 3xs. This will guarantee you worked those two muscle groups well and by super-setting you save time, which is something we all love.
So ladies, get rid of those 3-5 lb weights and start lifting those 12, 15, 20 lb dumbbells. You’ll feel strong and look cut.