Workout Tips and Fitness Advice

1. @BornFitness – Adam Bornstein is the former editorial director of Livestrong.comand former fitness editor of Men’s Health. He tweets quick fitness advice, tips and articles and encourages his followers to ask questions so he can help them live healthy and strong.

2. @MyTrainerBob – Bob Harper of The Biggest Loser, is a New York Times best-selling author who will hold you accountable by calling you out on your excuses and procrastination. He tweets the hard truth, encouragement and video workouts you can do at home or at the gym.
3. @ChrisFreytag – Chris Freytag is an author, trainer, health coach and a contributing fitness editor for Prevention magazine. Follow Chris for supportive coaching, healthy recipes, intense workouts and all-around inspiration for life.

By implementing plyos into your cardio and strength routines, you’ll help transform fat into lean muscle while increasing your heart rate and burning calories.

• Resistance: You have to apply an appropriate resistance to build muscle.  The amount of resistance should be above what one is accustomed to in everyday life.  Add this resistance by using weight machines, free weights, cable machines, various weighted tools or even your own bodyweight.
• Balance: Make sure to work the entire musculoskeletal system, to avoid postural and strength imbalances and injury. Work several muscle groups at once when possible.
• Rest: Rest between sets of exercise for about 60-90 seconds giving your muscles a chance to recover before you attempt the next set.  Also, rest 48 hours between bouts of weight training if you are sore.

Technology can get a bad rap, often blamed for the increasingly sedentary lives many people are leading. But your phone, tablet and television don’t have to be a license to sit still. They can actually be used as motivators to get and stay fit. In fact, in a global survey of exercisers, Life Fitness found that exercisers that use technology to support their workouts consider themselves to be more successful at achieving their weight and fitness goals.  Try one of these tech-driven tools to lead a healthier life:

Heart Rate

A heart rate monitor can be a great tool for monitoring workouts. Most cardio machines feature an embedded heart rate monitor that clearly displays how hard the body is working. You can also wear a heart rate monitor for indoor and outdoor workouts. To effectively us it, it’s important to know your maximum heart rate. This is the highest number of times your heart can beat in one minute and offers a key figure in determining training intensities. Using heart rate to create interval training sessions or steady-state workouts, can strengthen the heart and improve cardiovascular fitness.

Wearable Fitness Tech

One of the biggest trends in fitness technology is wearable monitoring devices. They come in the form of bracelets or clips and go beyond classic heart rate monitors. Meant to be worn at all times, these devices can measure movement, calories burned, heart rate, sleep patterns, skin temperature and even blood oxygen levels. Most also sync with mobile apps to help you track these vital statistics over time. Investing in these tools and seeing results over time can be a huge motivator. Some of the most popular wearable fitness devices include the Nike+ Fuel Band, Core 2 from Body Media, Fit Bit Flex and Jawbone UP.

Healthy Eating Apps

With the advent of apps that support meal planning, nutrition tracking and calorie counting, it’s never been easier to eat right. Find tools that fit with your lifestyle to educate yourself about your food and take steps towards a healthier diet. Not sure how healthy that granola bar really is? Apps like Fooducate will analyze the nutritional content of a product and give it an easy-to-read grade of A – F.  Meal tracking has been a long trusted technique for improving eating habits, and it’s even easier today with apps like Lose It!, which features a rich database of foods to help you count calories and even sync with Life Fitness cardio equipment.

Social Accountability

One of the greatest fitness benefits technology can provide comes through social accountability. With just a few clicks you can join an online community like Spark People or LFconnect to connect with others trying to get fit. Apps like Fitocracy and Teemo add a sense of gamification and competition with your friends. You can even take your accountability to the next level with GymPact, which charges you real cash every time you miss a scheduled workout.

These fitness tips are brought to you by The Fitness Outlet, a specialty fitness equipment retailer for fitness facilities and homes nationwide.  For more information about fitness equipment or for additional fitness advice visit our Website ,  follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook Fan Page!

While the temperature may have plummeted to half of what it was in the summer, fall is not the time to hibernate or put away your running shoes. It’s the month of gratitude after all, so lace up and be thankful that you can still run outside and participate in one last race or fun run this November, and even December. Whether you finish a 5K in 18 minutes or you aspire to run it without walking, grab your cold weather gear and squeeze in one last race.

Try a Mud Run. It’s not a dirty little secret; mud runs bring back the kid in you. Mud runs are like playgrounds for adults with obstacles, physical challenges and lots of mess. You can get dirty with your friends, do a tough workout and feel like a warrior when you finish. The courses can involve climbing over old cars, jumping over fire, balancing across a log, crawling under wire, slogging through waist high mud puddles or scaling over walls. And in between you are most likely jogging through uneven terrain and conquering some hills. Tap into your sense of adventure and embrace the camaraderie of these challenging and fun courses. As intense as they sound, they aren’t about winning; they are about accomplishing.

Do a Turkey Trot. Many communities have Turkey Trots or Thanksgiving-themed runs. Challenge yourself to a 5K and burn some calories before you feast on mashed potatoes, gravy and pumpkin pie. Or, find a Thanksgiving-themed fun run or walk you can do with your kids and relatives.

Run for a cause. If you missed the Turkey Trot, consider a Reindeer Run or any charitable holiday run. Many 5Ks and 10Ks support wonderful philanthropic causes. Find a race in your area and not only will you be advocating for your own health, you also will be advocating for a good cause. It is the season of giving after all.

These fitness tips are brought to you by The Fitness Outlet, a specialty fitness equipment retailer for fitness facilities and homes nationwide.  For more information about fitness equipment or for additional fitness advice visit our Website or  follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook Fan Page!

Valentine’s Day might be in the rear view mirror, but you don’t have to stop planning fun dates with your loved one, like sweating it out together at the gym. Exercising with a special someone is not only a way to partake in some friendly competition, but a way to stay accountable to your training goals.

Lift and spot. Whether at the gym or at home, strength training is an important part of a healthy workout routine and is often more effective when done in pairs.  Lifting weights with a loved one should reflect the strengths of your relationship, too, because the best weight lifting partners are trustworthy, accountable and motivating. You can spot each other with the heavy weights, help each other with form and encourage each other to reach your goals.

Set the pace. Go for some interval training, partner style. Whether indoor on treadmills or outdoor on the road, map out the number of intervals, time of each workout and breaks for recovery. Then, cheer each other on. Interval training in pairs is a great way to stay motivated and improve cardiovascular fitness levels.

Stay by each other’s side. Pick a cardio machine, such as the elliptical or treadmill, and work out side by side. But work at your own speed, intensity, desired incline and resistance level, so you can enjoy the company and a workout individualized just for you.

Class it up. Take turns signing each other up for classes to take together. Trying various classes can help push past your comfort zones, work different muscles groups and keep your workout routines interesting. Plus, classes allow for different fitness levels with modifications and the freedom to choose an appropriate intensity level.

These fitness tips are brought to you by The Fitness Outlet, a specialty fitness equipment retailer for fitness facilities and homes nationwide.  For more information about fitness equipment or for additional fitness advice visit our Website or  follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook Fan Page!

You have decided to seriously invest in your health and hire a personal trainer.  It’s a great idea to have a dedicated fitness expert in your corner that can give you advice, keep you honest and produce results. Picking a trainer that can help you overcome your physical and emotional obstacles isn’t always easy. Be smart about your investment and take the time to choose your trainer wisely with these tips from The Fitness Outlet:

Do the research. Don’t settle for the first trainer you see when walking through the gym door. Chemistry, education and skill set is important. The trainer you choose should meet your needs in motivational style, training techniques and price. Referrals can be a good assessment of a trainer and always make sure they are certified by an NCAA accredited organization.

Make it a two way street. Like any relationship, communication is important so let him or her know your goals and discuss your weaknesses and strengths.  Give your trainer the opportunity to push you and test the limits without pushing you over the edge. Be willing to work hard and follow their advice, but also be open about your lifestyle and schedule so he or she can make realistic recommendations.

Schedule a review. After the first month, take time to evaluate your progress.  Are you happy with the environment?  Do you find the trainer’s advice and expertise helpful? Are you dreading every session or do you come ready to take the challenges ahead?  Do you feel comfortable asking your trainer questions about your body and health? Truthfully answer these questions and discuss issues with your trainer before continuing the program.

Take a look in the mirror. A trainer is there to motivate and teach, but you have to do the work.  Sometimes lack of results or motivation can be due to internal issue that need sorting. Like all good relationships, if you carry too much baggage, it will be hard to sustain. Take a look inside for things holding you back from success before giving up on a trainer.

These fitness tips are brought to you by The Fitness Outlet, a specialty fitness equipment retailer for fitness facilities and homes nationwide.  For more information about fitness equipment or for additional fitness advice visit our Website or  follow us on Twitteror join our Facebook Fan Page!

Stamina. Optimize your cardiovascular strength so you can schuss all day. Higher elevations and cold weather put extra strain on your lungs, so do some interval training on a treadmill or elliptical machine to challenge your heart rate and improve your oxygen intake capacity. Begin with at least 3 days a week for a half hour and increase the time, frequency and intensity over time so you are in prime condition to conquer the mountain.

Core. Core strength is key for skiing. A tight, stable core allows you to control your movements with more precision. Simple exercises such as bicycles on the floor, back extensions and full body roll ups or crunches on an exercise ball will benefit your core and therefore your skiing abilities.

Balance. All Carvaholics know where to find their CM (that’s ski slang for Center of Mass). Improve reaction time and agility by taking advantage of the balance-training aids available at the health club or for the home, such as a Bosu ball. Begin by balancing on one foot and progress up to balancing on the Bosu ball itself.  Take it a step further and try squats and plyometric drills on the Bosu ball.

Flexibility. Yoga not only keeps you limber but improves your mental focus and breathing techniques. Yoga can help protect against injury by addressing muscle imbalances and improving flexibility, so try out a beginner-level class and work your way up. The positive influences that yoga can have on your skiing (and other athletic activities) may surprise you.

These fitness tips are brought to you by The Fitness Outlet, a specialty fitness equipment retailer for fitness facilities and homes nationwide.  For more information about fitness equipment or for additional fitness advice visit our Website or  follow us on Twitteror join our Facebook Fan Page!

1. Live by the 90/10 rule. 90 percent of the time, focus on maintaining healthy habits and allow indulgences only 10 percent of the time. It’s not what you do once in a while that counts; it’s what you do most often.

2. Aim for an hour a day but never miss more than two days in a row of exercise. Follow the two-day rule. Something may come up that makes you miss exercise on a particular day, but don’t let it happen more than two days in a row. Commit to never letting more than two days pass you by without exercise.

3. Find a substitute for weaknesses. With a simple Google search you can find healthier options for the most tempting treat.  For example, if you love ice cream, try Greek yogurt with fresh berries and walnuts instead. Or if you love salty chips, try some homemade popcorn for a healthier substitute. It’s okay to enjoy temptations here and there, just not daily.

4. Use monitoring tools. Determine what monitoring tools you want to use to track steps taken, calories burned, heart rate  zones and workouts. With all the different high-tech tools available in today’s market, it’s never been easier to keep track,        pin-point strengths and weaknesses and monitor progress.

5. Cross train. Unless you are preparing for an upcoming competition or race, train for overall health and include cardio, strength and flexibility in your routine.Don’t get stuck in a rut of steady state cardio.  Add in intervals, hills and speed to challenge the heart.  Work muscles with functional strength training at least twice a week.  Also consider taking a yoga class or make a habit of stretching.

6. Be prepared.  It takes planning, but travel with healthy snacks and always have water on hand. Set the refrigerator up on Sundays for a week of healthy choices. Extreme hunger is the enemy of making bad choices and overeating so have healthy snacks like nuts, apples, carrots or homemade granola bars at the ready for when hunger strikes. Also, don’t go anywhere without water. You should be drinking it all day long.

7. Check your attitude. If thoughts are positive, actions are more likely to be positive too. Stop negative thoughts in their tracks and focus on small wins and progress.