Exercise.com Workout

Get The Most Out Of Your Gym 

Time is a precious commodity. These 5 strategies will help you get the best results in the gym in the shortest amount of time.

1. Introduce Intervals

Interval training has been shown to burn significantly more calories than traditional workouts in the same amount of time.

During the intense intervals your goal is to get your heart rate up to 75 – 95% of your max heart rate and alternate these intense intervals with rest intervals between 55
-75% of your max heart rate, depending on your level of fitness.

Calculate your target heart rate here

Try these heart pumping strength moves between sets:
Burpees
Mountain climbers

2. Add Super Sets

Super sets shorten your overall workout time by minimizing the time you spend recovering. Instead of resting between sets to let fatigued muscles recover, super sets alternate between exercises that work different muscle groups.

Try these sample super sets to ramp up the calorie burn and shorten your workout
time.

60 Second Plank, 15 Cable Side Squats, 15 Shoulder Presses,
15 Rows, 15 Exercise Ball Chest Presses, 15 Bosu Ball Squats

3. Hydrate Properly

Dehydrated muscles don't work as effectively or as efficiently. Hydrate properly before going to the gym/during your workout and you'll be able to work harder and get more from the same workout.

4. Listen to Music

A 2005 study found that people who listened to music while exercising lost more
weight and maintained a high level of motivation than people who did not. Get the
most from your workout by listening to some inspiring tunes!

5. Stage your Equipment

Try to limit yourself to exercises that use the same size dumbbell or piece of
equipment to cut down on the time spent gathering what you need between exercises. Grab the equipment you need and have it handy so you can power through your sets.  

Dena Stern is the Content & Community Manager for Exercise.com. She works with a highly trained group of nutritionists, trainers, yoga and Pilates instructors and athletes to provide the best information, tools and motivation related to personal fitness

Exercise for Better Sleep

Adults who experience regular insomnia may improve sleep quality and mood by incorporating regular aerobic exercise into their lifestyle habits.

Regular, deep sleep is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, and individuals who sleep well feel better, are more equipped to handle stress and have an easier time controlling hypertension and diabetes.

As you age, you can expect your sleep patterns to change. Unfortunately, one of the results of that change is often an inability to fall asleep or stay asleep, resulting in chronic insomnia. While medications can help insomniacs improve their sleep patterns, drug interventions leave patients open to undesirable side effects and potential drug interactions with other medications. Luckily, new research from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine indicates that regularaerobic exercise could improve sleep patterns better than most other strategies.

The Research and Results

Researchers led by Dr. Phyllis Zee recruited 23 sedentary adults, 55 years or older with chronic insomnia symptoms marked by trouble falling asleep and impaired daytime functioning. The women were separated into a physical activity group and a non-physical activity group. The women in the physical activity group exercised once or twice a day for a total of 40 minutes of aerobic activity a day, four days a week for 16 weeks. The women worked at 75 percent of their max heart rate while choosing from at least two modes of exercise activity - walking,stationary cycling or using a treadmill.

The non-physical activity group participated in recreational or educational activities three to five times a week for 45 minutes at a time. These activities included options like cooking classes and museum lectures.

Both groups in the study received information on proper sleep practices like sleeping in a cool, dark and quiet room, setting up a sleep schedule and not staying in bed if you can't fall asleep. The group that participated in the exercise intervention experienced significant improvement in sleep quality, elevating their self-reported status from "poor sleeper" to "good sleeper." They were also happier, more vital and experienced less daytime sleepiness than their non-physical activity counterparts.

The Takeaway

When you're perpetually sleep deprived, it's hard to keep a positive attitude and it's easy to start skipping workouts and turn to junk food to help you stay awake. If you find yourself in a cycle where you exercise less frequently because you're so exhausted from a lack of sleep, you could be cutting off your nose to spite your face. Exercising can give you an instant energy boost and prepare your body to shut down later, ultimately improving your sleep and giving you even more energy for your next workout.

Laura Williams writes about exercise and fitness for Exercise.com in her column “Exercise Science”. She has been published in many fitness publications and is earning her master’s degree in Exercise Science.

Can Yoga Help My Low Back Pain?

Back pain can impair everyday life by making tasks difficult. Yoga can help build strength and relieve pain.

Back pain has become an epidemic in the US. 80% of the population will report back pain at some point in their lives, and we spend about $16 billion a year to treat it. Pain in the low back is especially common for many reasons, some of which are outlined below. Can yoga help with this pain? Absolutely!

Low Back Structure

What is it about the structure of the lower back that would put it at such particular risk for pain? Some of it has to do with the shape of the spinal bones, or vertebrae. The spine is made up of 24 vertebrae, plus a sacrum and a coccyx (tailbone). Those 24 vertebrae all have different shapes in relation to the bones above and below, and this means they will have more or less movement available, depending on what part of the spine they are in. For example, the cervical spine, also known as the neck, is extremely mobile in many directions, but the thoracic spine (where your ribs are) is not (and for good reason: there are important organs in there, like your heart and your lungs!). 

The lumbar spine, also known as your lower back, is also very mobile like the neck, but at the same time it supports the weight of the rest of the torso. This makes it especially prone to injury: if we overstretch the muscles, and then bear too much weight (say, bending over to pick something up) this can put too much pressure on the low back as a result.

What Causes Low Back Pain?

In addition to the structure of the back, there are other parts of the body that might contribute to pain in the lower back as a result of our daily habits. Sitting for a long time in a car, or at a desk, will tighten the hamstrings on the back of the thighs, and tight hamstrings set up a line of pull into the buttock muscles and into the low back.

As if this wasn’t bad enough - when we sit with our upper body hunched forwards, it pulls on the muscles of the lower back, which can then become stuck that way, or “locked long.” These muscles then have a very hard time contracting again, which can lead to discomfort. These are just a few possible reasons – there are certainly more!

How Does Yoga Help?

Beginning a yoga practice will help to clear up some of the muscular issues addressed above – the hamstrings will get a chance to stretch, and the back will get to contract properly and regain its essential tone. In addition, strength and flexibility will be brought to the rest of the body, and there will be a greater integration of all musculature as it works together to support you!

Try this basic yoga pose to release tension in your lower back: Child’s Pose

Warning: this opinion is not for those suffering from vertebral disc issues or muscular/tendon/ligament problems. It assumes a basic level of good health

Sarah Court is a featured yoga and exercise columnist on Exercise.com. She teaches weekly Yoga Tune Up® and Vinyasa classes at various locations in Los Angeles, and trains yoga teachers in anatomy and in Yoga Tune Up® across the country. She’s been featured in the New York Times and as one of nursingschool.net's 100 Incredible Yoga Teachers Who Blog.

The Skinny on Fat

Although many people have demonized fat, it is a necessary part of a balanced diet.

Fat is one of the three macronutrients (along with carbohydrates and protein) and is therefore an essential part of the diet. Fat, unlike carbohydrates and protein however, has over twice the calories for the same amount (9 versus 4 and 4), which is why many still shy away from high-fat foods - a high-fat food is in fact a higher calorie food.

Fat is Not the Enemy

While it is true that fat is higher in calories than carbs and protein, it is also true that fat has many benefits, such as providing twice the energy of carbs and protein, insulating the body against temperature extremes, protecting against shock, and maintaining cell membranes. And depending on the type of fat you eat, you may be protecting your heart.

Types of Fat

There are two types of fat: saturated and unsaturated, and the difference lies not only in their molecular structure, but also in how they function in the body. Saturated fats (and trans fats) are the unhealthy fats that are linked with the onset of chronic diseases like high cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes. Unsaturated fats are the “heart-healthy” fats and help lower blood levels of “bad” cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and also provide phytonutrients.

Saturated Fat
Saturated fats are the fats you want to limit in your diet. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), you should limit your saturated fat intake to 7% of total calories in a day, which for someone on a 2,000-calorie diet is about 15 grams. Saturated fats raise blood levels of “bad cholesterol,” contributing to high cholesterol and high blood pressure. It also causes plaque formation in your arteries, which can lead to a heart attack. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature (butter, cheese, lard, animal grease) and are found mostly in animal products.

Trans-fats are another type of saturated fat, but these are man-made fats. Trans-fats start out as unsaturated fats and are converted into saturated fats in order to increase the shelf life of the food. (Solid fats last longer than liquid fats.) Trans-fats are found in foods containing “hydrogenated oils.” Check the ingredient list of a product for hydrogenated oils to see if the food has trans-fat, as opposed to reading the nutrition label. A nutrition label can say “0 grams,” but foods are legally allowed to say “0 grams” as long as the food has less than 0.5 grams of trans-fat per serving. Trans fats are most commonly found in margarines and high-fat snack foods that stay on the grocery shelf for months.

Unsaturated Fat
Unsaturated fats, including mono- and polyunsaturated, and also Omega-3 fats, are “heart-healthy” fats that lower the body’s “bad” cholesterol and also lower blood pressure. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature (oils-canola, olive, soybean, peanut, etc.) and mostly come from plant products like nuts, seeds, avocado, and soybeans. Omega-3’s have gained popularity in recent years because of their additional heart-health benefits. Regular consumption of omega-3 fats (found in salmon, mackerel, anchovies, herring, tuna, soybeans and walnuts) help prevent blood clots, protect again irregular heartbeats and also decrease inflammation in the body caused by eating saturated fats.

Jennifer Page is a registered dietician. She completed her internship at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Jennifer recently developed and implemented a program to help new mothers lose pregnancy weight through healthy eating habits and physical activity. The program is part of a Harvard University research project. Jen loves to jog (but not so much in the middle of Boston winters). Jennifer is a featured columnist on Exercise.com.