Search results matching tag 'lose weight'

Hit the hills: Anna's walking tips

Anna — Wed, 30 May 2007 10:00:00 GMT

It's a gorgeous day here in Guleph!

And one of the best things about this weather is that it inspires us to get outside and to get moving. Even if you were sluggish, and a bit more lethargic than you should have been over the winter months, this weather will beckon the worst couch potatoes outside to the sun - even if it's just for a walk.

Speaking of walking, it's important that you keep good posture in mind when you hit the pavement, beach or hiking trail. You can injure yourself if you don't practice safe walking posture. For those of you looking to shed some of that excess winter weight, here are some of my favorite safety walking tips that I share with my clients:

Proper posture - don't slouch as you walk, it puts excess strain on your lower back and shoulders. Instead use this time to be mindful of proper posture - head forward, chin up, shoulders up and comfortably back.
Tackle some hills - walking is an excellent way to get the blood circulating in your legs and entire body, but if you want to kick things up a notch add some resistance by tackling some hills on your walking route.
Get your whole body involved - don't just let your arms hang limp at your sides, get them pumping to the rhythm of your pace. Maybe even add some wrist and ankle weights for resistance.
Wear sun protection - sunglasses to protect your eyes and apply a sunscreen that's at least 30 SPF, 30 minutes before heading outside.
Stay hydrated - your water bottle is your hiking best friend. Remember to stay hydrated during your workouts.

Stroke your metabolism fires

Anna — Tue, 29 May 2007 10:00:00 GMT

We all know that the key to losing and maintaining a healthy body weight is your metabolism. The speed of your metabolism will determine how fast your body is able to burn calories. So obviously a faster metabolism has its benefits. The body is like a furnace, and you can think of your metabolism as the fire that fuels that furnace - a hotter fire will burn calories faster.

So how do you stoke the metabolism fire? Try 'Anna's 4 Metabolism Stoking Tips' on for size:

Weight train - if you don't figure any resistance training into your weekly workouts you're missing out. Think of it like this - the more muscle mass you have in your body, the faster and more effective your metabolism will be.

Eat small, frequent meals - Eat every 3 hours, and keep your meals small and healthy (roughly 400 calories).

Water, water, water - is your best friend, and you should drink at least 8 to 10 glasses a day - more if you work out. It keeps you hydrated, stops you from eating when you think you're hungry, but are actually just thirsty.

Stop dieting - it's confusing your body. Kick the fad diets and just aim to maintain a healthy, balanced eating plan. You should be incorporating lean protien (chicken or turkey breast, fresh fish, lean beef) and complex carbohydrates (whole grains like brown rice, couscous or quinoa and fresh fruits and veggies) into every single meal.

Tone those glutes!

Anna — Mon, 28 May 2007 12:54:00 GMT

Good Monday morning Fitness Gear 101 readers. I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful weekend, I know I did. Even though it was a gloomy one I still got in a day of shopping in with my favorite girls Michelle and Marlo, which meant a few hours of walking, that's roughly 150 calories burned (hey, hey)! And I got in a night of dancing as well, which means I shook nearly 550 calories off!

Speaking of burning calories, my female clients are always asking what the best activities are for toning the butt (or the glutes) and hips? Well Oxygen Magazine released a list of their Top Butt Blasting Moves and I'd like to share their top 5 with you:

Rockclimbing - burns approximately 850 calories
Inline skating - burns roughly 875 calories
Mountain biking - shreds roughly 780 calories
Kickboxing - sweats off roughly 700 calories
Boxing (in the ring) - blasts approximately 865 calories