Yesterday I was on a complete workout high. I did an hour cardio-pump class in the morning and hour and a half of level three yoga at night. I felt great. I woke up today feeling pretty sore, but accomplished. Just as I was putting my sneakers on to go running I was watching The Today Show and Kathie Lee and Hoda were talking about how your body needs to rest in between work outs for maximum results. I looked at the segment as a blessing and sat my butt back down. Turns out, there is such thing as over working out and more isn't always better.
According to a study published in The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, if you overtrain, you'll start lacking results. Depending on how much you normally work out, three to five days per week is enough allowing your muscles to recover in between. For the best results, switch between strength training and cardio workouts.
In other words, I needed to take a break and allowed myself to. For me, working out is of course about the results, but it's also about the mental break. I love the increased energy I get from a good work out and the way it clears my mind.
After a failed attempt at trying to prevent myself from over-indulging in the Thanksgiving feast my family had yesterday, I of course feel the need to hit the gym. However, I'm going to start trying to incorporate pilates classes into my weekly workouts. Of course I want to burn off the stuffing (my brother, sister and I prefer Stovetop over homemade), but a strong, yet lean-toned body is my overall goal and the results of a recent study prove pilates is the way to go.
In a recent study done by Dr. Julie Kloubec with Bastyr University in Kenmore, WA of 50 physically active people, half took pilates twice a week for an hour each time and the other half maintained their regular gym routine for a total of 12 weeks.
I love going to the gym, but sometimes get stuck in a rut doing the same routine over and over so I'm constantly looking for new exercises to do to keep my workout interesting. Working my abs is my favorite part (I hate cardio) so I thought I'd share this fit tip with you. Your abs are made up of four main muscle groups and in order to have a completely toned stomach, you need to target them all. Celebrity trainer to Anne Hathaway and Heidi Klum, David Kirsch gave me the scoop on how to get killer abs.
Start off by doing a set of basic crunches to get your core warmed up, then begin focusing on your obliques. ”Lay on your right side with knees bent, right arm on the floor in front of you, left hand behind your head,” Kirsch explains. ”Crunch, lifting your knees straight up and bringing your left shoulder toward them; pause, lower and repeat.”
There are certain songs that completely enhance my mood and make me want to hit the gym. I love to run to house music and lift to hip hop. No matter what, I need to have something constantly on that makes me want to dance. Studies prove that the rhythmic speed of your tunes influence your athletic performance.
Fast-paced music is great for cardio (it makes sense that I like to run to house music). The best pump-it-up music should be between 120-140 beats per minute. If you really want to check to see if you’re maximizing your playlist for your workout routine, simply count the beats in the song or you can use a Windows BPM calculator.
