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Here’s to National Cycling Month

May 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

While some celebrate Cinco de Mayo, others celebrate Cycling de Mayo!  May is National Cycle month, so Live Fit Daily is going to take a look at a few benefits of cycling….

  • Cycling is  a Low Impact Sport
  • It  builds cardiovascular strength and muscular strength
  • It is fun and can be social
  • It can reduce back pain, by strengthening the small muscles that support vertebrae.
  • It can burn anywhere from 150-450 calories.
  • Improved lung capacity

To see more benefits, read this article from Essortment.com and this article from Lifetwo.com

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To Zumba or Not to Zumba

April 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

For those of you who know me, you know I will immediately say, Yes–you should Zumba!!  But wait, what is Zumba?  Zumba is a cardio dance, exercise class.  Don’t let the word dance scare you away.  You will learn 2-4 moves a song, which is just enough to get you moving without getting lost!  Why Zumba?  Let’s see if I can give you just a few good reasons…

1. Fun!!  That sounds so generic, but it is the bottom line.  Zumba was created to be a fun format of group exercise.  In fact it is so much fun, you don’t feel like you have been exercising for a full hour!

2. Great Calorie Burn- I wear a calorie counter/heart rate monitor watch during my classes, so I would say the average participant burns anywhere from 400-500 calories per class.  Again, that is for the average person.

3. Music–The music is Hot, Hot, Hot!  Think Salsa meets HipHop!

4. Cross Work- Is that an official term?  No, but  I do like to use it!  Zumba is not only a good cardio workout, but also focuses on working your core.  Many moves are presented in a way to target your abs.  In some of my classes, we will do a squat track or an abs track just to shake up the work out a bit.

So, those are just a few reasons to dance your way into a Zumba Class.  Go to www.zumba.com for a class locator.

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Exercising on the Road

April 22, 2010 By 1 Comment

And we are off and running…

So, this weekend I went on a mini-vacation to a friend’s wedding.  As I packed, I made sure to pack my workout clothes and running shoes.  I just knew that I would hit the ground “running” or even head to the local YMCA.  The weather decided not to cooperate and the cute, historic downtown shops called my name.

Has this happened to you?  Great intentions, but time runs out?  I have put together a couple of great exercises to take on the road.  You can do these in your hotel room, the living room of your condo or even outdoors.  These will see you through your trip until you come back to your weekly routine.

1. Pushups–I know, it is the dreaded word.  However, these are a great way to tone up the chest, shoulders and arms.  And guess what?  There are several ways to do these.  You can do them on your toes, or you can come to your knees.  Both will give great results.  Try two sets of 10 each.

2. Lunges–Yes, this is probably the best exercise you can do for impressive results.  Stand with both feet together.  Start with your right leg and step out front, keeping your knee at a 90 degree angle.  Make sure that you step long enough for your knees not to hang over your toes.  Bring your foot back to original position.  Move to your left leg.        This is 1 rep.  Repeat 10 on each side.  This will target your quads and glutes!

3.  Abs- Let’s target that core!  One of my favorite ab exercises is the Plank.  This is best done by locking in your core and holding for at least 30 seconds.  Again, you can come to your knees for this, if being on your toes is too intense.  No need for 100 crunches; get up on those toes and hover!

There you go–Just a few exercises to get you through your weekend and the yummy Wedding Cake too!

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