Fitting fitness in is always more fun when you’re trying new workouts. Guest blogger, Jamie DeSanto, tells us about CrossFit, a fitness routine that’s gaining in popularity because of it’s holistic attributes.

Simply put, CrossFit is everything! It’s strength, endurance, cardio, you name it. It’s about being so in shape that you can handle any physical obstacle that comes your way.

This type of training regimen is used by elite military and police units, mixed martial artists and professional athletes.  What might surprise you, though, is it’s also the type of training regimen used by grandfathers battling heart disease!

The key to CrossFit is a holistic approach to fitness. As much as bodybuilders with a gross amount of muscle mass are avoided, so are the marathon runners with zero muscle mass who are only fit to run long distances.

It stresses not only cardiovascular endurance but also strength, speed, balance, stamina, power, coordination, flexibility, agility and accuracy in repeating movements and processes. This form of complete fitness is not only prized in elite athletics and military operations, but in everyday life as well.

Think about it, how often does anyone need to run 26.2 miles? Only when they run a marathon, of course. Now think about the fitness required to carry your three-year-old for an extended period of time at the fair when she’s decided she’s had enough.

CrossFit achieves this complete level of fitness through interval training. What this means is there’s a focus on variance instead of repetition in each session.

Rather than just running or weight training, there’s an emphasis on activities that grow the 10 general physical skills listed above (flexibility, agility, etc.). This means activities such as gymnastics, throwing medicine balls in addition to lifting weights, and mixing in sprinting with distance running. This works to develop both aerobic and anaerobic fitness levels, when in past training programs, the two were considered mutually exclusive.

In addition, CrossFit dispels the myths of fad diets as a path to fitness. It prescribes well-rounded nutritional practices, including fat, proteins and carbohydrates. Without the proper fuel in your system, you won’t be able to keep up with even a lower level training regimen, and are only doing yourself harm.

The key here is that a good diet and a good fitness level are much better to overall wellness than a fad diet that might cause someone to lose weight, but not in a sustainable or healthy manner.

Finally, CrossFit is as right for grandfathers with heart disease as it is for champion martial artists. That’s because CrossFit’s lack of specialization, focusing on all areas of fitness, means that it’s just a matter of adjusting the level of intensity for the appropriate party. The grandfather and the martial artist have the same core needs, just like everyone else, it’s simply a matter of degree.

About the Author

Jamie DeSanto is a writer for Online Nursing Programs where you can browse the best online nursing programs in the country.

Have you tried CrossFit? How was it for you and can you add anything to this post?

We’re more overweight and less fit than 25 years ago, according to Statistics Canada. It could be from the rise of technology and convenience but whatever the reason, we need to move more and eat more healthy foods. Here are a few ideas for the busy person.

A few recent Live Lighter guest posts have revolved around fitness, like fun workouts you never heard of and can proper athletic gear improve performance? but after reading some startling statistics, I wondered if these posts were actually useful.

Did you know, again according to Statistics Canada, that active leisure time has been steadily dropping since the ’80s? For instance, in 2005, just 49% of women were active during their down time. This year, that number dropped to just over 30%.

So instead of just saying, we need to be more active in our leisure time, here’s a few practical ideas in how to fit fitness into your busy day:

1. Commit to being more active! By simply setting the intention that no matter what, you’ll be more active in your day, then you’re already 50% there.
2. Set realistic goals. Look at your available time in a week and schedule some workouts in. Try for 1 hour slots, three times a week for full strength-training and cardio workouts. If this just isn’t possible, then read on!
3. Step up your game. Are you completely inactive? Then try walking for 15 minutes a day and eventually increase it up to 30 minutes or walk up hills. Are you already walking half an hour a day? Then increase it up to 1 hour or if you lack the time, try doing lunges while you walk – hey, you may look funny but when I do it walking with my friend, we get a good giggle out of it (by the way, laughing hard strengthens your abs and burns calories!). If you’re already jogging 30 minutes, try interval training by sprinting for one minute and walking fast for three minutes.
4. Crank up the tunes. Basically what we’re trying to do here is motivate you into putting more effort into your physical time so that you’re using your limited time more effectively (without hurting yourself). Fast-paced music calls out to your body to go with the beat. Try it!
5. 5 minute strength-training. When you just can’t seem to get in even 30 minute walks or jogs, then try 5-minute sessions of push-ups, crunches, plank positions, chair dips and squats during the commercials of your favourite TV program.
6. 2-3 minute strength-training. When you just can’t get motivated while you’re resting in front of the tube, try tying exercise tubing around your staircase and when you pass it, do a set of triceps extensions, bicep curls, rows or leg lifts. Try getting at least 2-3 sets of each exercise in before you hit the sheets.
7. A few more 2-3 minute strength-training ideas. When you’re doing dishes, why not do a couple of squats? At work and before lunch, walk up and down a couple of sets of stairs (if you have them).
8. Use your down time wisely. Next Saturday, plan a hike with your family or friends, or go alone! Pack your backpack to the hilt so you can add a couple of extra pounds to step up your game. Make sure you have some high-quality fuel to keep up your energy with a healthy lunch and snacks.

It’d be great to get that full hour, 3 times a week but it’s just not possible for some people. As long as you’re doing something when you can, you’re improving your health. Hopefully the above suggestions will help the time-crunched folks out there.

That takes care of the physical fitness aspect but as we all know, nutrition is just as important to getting healthier and stronger.

Fitting Healthy Eating In

Organize and prepare some healthy snacks. This way you’re not grabbing unhealthy options when you’re hungry and you can keep your metabolism up. And you’ll keep your body from going into starvation mode, which stores fat.

• Healthy snacks that last are a combo of protein and good carbs. Even the healthiest carbohydrates burn in your system more quickly than protein. By adding protein, you’ll feel fuller longer.
• Plan & prepare your meals ahead of time. I like to do this over the weekend. On Friday, I take 15 minutes to scan my healthy recipe books for a couple of meal ideas. Then I write out a grocery list, filling in the rest of the meals with easy options, like tuna salad sandwiches and carrots. Saturday is shopping day. Sunday is when I make 1 or 2 of the bigger meals, doubling the recipes when I can so I can freeze them to conveniently grab during the week.
• Bake healthy, high fiber treats. Ah, it’s so easy to buy that cheap chocolate bar when you’ve got the munchies, isn’t it? One way to stop this is to use your Sunday prep day to make a batch of healthier treats to freeze and have handy when you’re hungry. Here’s a recipe for my healthy carrot love muffins and Hannah Keeley’s black bean brownies (which taste BETTER than traditional brownies, if you ask me).

If you’d like more healthy snack ideas, try these Live Lighter recipes and this gamut of healthy recipes (which includes a ton of raw food dessert recipes)!

Stay tuned for more fitness posts like this one next week when we find out about a new type of workout people are raving about, CrossFit. And in a few week’s time, “Top 15 Functional Exercises.”

Do you have any tips in fitting fitness and healthy eating into a busy lifestyle?

Editor’s Note: Are you bored with your fitness routine? In today’s guest post, Julia Hammond shares with us 5 little known workouts guaranteed to add a little fun and excitement to your physical life!

You’ve done aerobics (if you’re being honest, you might have worn a spandex leotard and leg warmers at one time…thanks, Olivia Newton John).

You’ve spent time on the treadmill, the Stairmaster, the standing bike, and every other medieval torture device created to inspire weight loss and shape your posterior.

You may have even tried lifting, although watching the guy next to you bench his own body weight while you can barely lift the bar (by itself) leaves you a bit down-hearted and unmotivated.

But every new trend eventually loses its appeal (some quicker than others) and you are once again left wondering if there will ever be an exercise program that actually holds your interest.

Fortunately, there is a whole world of workouts that can turn things around for you, so here are a few you might want to try:

1. Zumba. If you thought dance was not a viable method of exercise, try one of these high-octane, Latin-inspired classes. If you make it to the end without collapsing or suffering dehydration, you’re in better shape than you thought. Zumba is a fast-paced and fun way to get your body moving and lose a few pounds. And the best part is, the booty-shaking moves translate well to the dance floor, so you can show off your smokin’ new bod at a local salsa club.
2. Bikram yoga. Okay, yoga is hard enough in a 70-degree room. How do people do it in 100+ degrees? Fun may not be quite the right word for this intense workout, but the heat will loosen up muscles you didn’t even know were tight and you get the added benefit of sweating out tons of toxins. You’ll leave one of these hot-house sessions feeling like you’ve just had a killer massage in a steam room. In short, it’s like being reborn.
3. Kettlebell. If you haven’t heard of this workout, it can be best described as aerobics with weights. But there’s a lot more to it. The sessions involve standard moves like squats and lunges for the legs and curls and raises for the arms (just to name a few). But what makes this form of exercise really unique and effective is that you use momentum to lift the weights (strengthening and lengthening at the same time) and it concurrently works your core. It’s like many workouts in one and you never have to do old-school crunches again, which is really all that’s required to entice most people.
4. Aerobic striptease. Carmen Electra brought the pole to the American home, but there are plenty of videos that will help you tone and tighten while you shake your money maker. In all honesty, it’s not as raunchy as you might expect. Most of the moves are more like choreographed dancing, especially if you opt for the Vegas Strip video from her series. At the very least, it’s a way to loosen up with your gal pals at a bachelorette party (although it’s also a darn good workout).
5. Insanity. Their mantra is “dig deeper” and what that requires is 60 days of total-body training during which you will burn 1,000 calories an hour (in daily hour-long sessions). No weights and no gimmicks make this exercise program appealing, but don’t think it’s easy. Interval and resistance training (not to mention the supplemental diet) will get you looking like a muscle-beach regular in just two months. It’s like having a personal trainer (or drill sergeant) at your disposal and everyone who tries it swears it delivers amazing results.

About the Author

Julia Hammond is a writer for the popular health website Nutritionist World where you can find a nutrition degree program or browse career listings in the health and fitness industry.

Have you tried any of these workouts before? What did you think of them?

You’ve heard of couples yoga, but Rebecca and Donovan take it to a whole new level!

These two performers almost made me blush with their sensual dance using yoga postures. Watch their grace, beauty and strength in this 4 minute video:

I wonder if this will inspire my Honey to start yoga?

Are you an exercise phobe looking for an activity that doesn’t seem like work? What if I told you that I knew of a low-intensity, highly effective workout that if practised, would give you the long, strong and lean body of a dancer or gymnast?

Developed by Joseph Pilates in the 1920’s while incarcerated in a WWI German internment camp , Pilates is a series of muscle strengthening floor exercises. Many people like this form of exercise because there a very few repetitions, easily preventing boredom. And, you barely break a sweat!

Pilates is based on a holistic perspective and is a mind-body method that requires slow and controlled movements. The participant purposefully moves in and out of poses, strong from their core, concentrating on contracting and stretching the necessary muscles to perform each exercise.

In Pilates, the only equipment you need is your own body weight and a mat. But if you want, the exercises have several variations based on your experience level. More advanced movements incorporate weights and resistance bands.

Besides the improved posture, probably the biggest selling feature for me is the meditative benefits. The methodology, or as Pilates called it, Contrology , has 6 founding principals : centering, control, flow, breath, precision and concentration. Since regularly incorporating Pilates into my weekly routine, it has quickly become an essential method to manage my stress.

So, if you haven’t tried Pilates yet, what are you waiting for? And if you have, tell us about your experiences in the comment section.

A strong core is integral to any health plan. It is the foundation of any fit body, making everyday movements a cinch while improving your posture, breathing and preventing injury.

If you’re looking for the most effective way to a toned stomach, then try the plank. It’s a challenging exercise but it works all of your core (and more) at once, and gets easier over time.

Check out this Expert Village video (2 ½ minutes long) for the plank. It includes variations as well so that you can increase the difficulty as you strengthen your core:

The plank is one way to measure fitness levels . Can you hold the plank for 60 seconds? Go ahead – try assessing your core strength !

For those of you who are short on time (like me today!), grab your mat and exercise ball. Try this fabulous, highly efficient, 15 minute workout. Just don’t forget to fill up your ball so it’s nice and firm – it really helps!

Courtesy of our friends at SparkPeople.com and, of course, YouTube:

Last week, Metro News published a great article submitted by the editors of alive.com . Covering the most popular workout faux pas, here they are compliments of Alive Magazine (topped with Live Lighter commentary:

1. Talking while working out . This is true for medium to intense workouts. Your heart rate should be at a level where your breathing is somewhat laboured and conversation difficult to maintain. However, for your light workout days, grab a buddy and yap till you come home!

2. Training without purpose. Alive Magazine says fitness goals are imperative as they motivate you to train with purpose and determination. When you’re just starting out, however, I think it’s more important to just get in the fitness habit. Which means no pressure! When you’re ready, meaning, when you get bored, then it’s time for some serious intentions.

3. Avoiding training beyond your comfort level. 90% of us do not train hard enough and the remaining 10% train too hard. In that 90%, though, there are folks just taking up the healthy habit. If you’re just starting out, don’t listen to these Alive.com guys. It’s in The Secret to Making Healthy Living Easy – just keep doing whatever you want to do physically, just as long as you do something everyday.

4. Doing the same old thing. Physiologically speaking, it takes the body about 8 – 12 weeks to adapt to a new stress. If you want to reach your fitness goals, you have to gradually add new or different stress to break down tissue. It’s also my 6^th Step to Getting a Bodacious Beach Bod in Time for Summer .

5. Training only certain muscles. Who wants strong, lean thighs and flabby, chicken arms? Alive Mag says that it’s common for people to train only what they see, so they often forget about the back of the body (calves, hamstrings, back, triceps, etc.). Something else I’ve noticed is that many people have favourite exercises (the easy ones that work on muscles already developed) and dislike the harder ones (the exercises they need to build their underdeveloped muscles).

6. Slouching. Any fitness professional will tout the importance of maintaining proper posture in every exercise. Actually, it is important to hold a neutral spine in EVERY movement you make to build or maintain core muscle strength and avoid hurting yourself.

7. Breathing improperly. This point fits in with the above slouching point. When you’re core muscles are flexed, your breathing becomes a little deeper and intentional. Alive gives some good advice, “A good breathing pattern starts with an inhalation through the nose (while keeping your shoulders from lifting up toward your ears), filling the chest and then the belly. Exhale through your mouth, releasing all the air from your belly.”

8. Not knowing when to stop. There’s good, healthy pain (when you break down muscle tissue) and then there’s bad, physiotherapy-worthy pain. Find your perfect pain level.

9. Building up too quickly. Alive suggests that your workout program be progressive so that your body slowly adapts. Apparently, this is especially important for the connective tissue around the joints because it is unable to handle too great of a load.

10. Making exercise too much work. Make exercise easy and fun. It’s that simple. You have a mind, creativity and choices so stop making excuses and just get out there and get younger, stronger, healthier and smokin’ hot!

Thanks to Alive and to the Metro for the great list of common workout no-no’s. Do you have any to add?

If you liked this article, you might enjoy these Live Lighter posts:

7 Tips for Effective Workouts
The Best Workout Video Ever!
How to Get a Bodacious Beach Bod in Time for Summer
15 Practical and Easy Health Tips
Five Steps to Losing 25lbs in 3 Months

No matter how much you try to fool yourself, physical activity is a basic element of health. Is there anyone left that believes you can have health without physical activity? My own personal belief is that everyone has their own optimal levels of activity, but nevertheless, all the literature I’ve come across all agrees you need it to live a healthy lifestyle and get the full benefits of health.

The good news is that you don’t need a lot of physical activity in your lifestyle, as long as it is consistent (everyday) and for at least ½ hour. As you get more fit, you’re going to WANT more physical activity (it may be hard to believe, but it IS true). But for now, why not get the maximum benefits from a minimum amount of time? The following tips will help you put a little more ooomph! into your physical activity.

Here are 7 tips for making the most out of your workout time:

1. Breathe. It is the one thing we do most often without even thinking about it. While this unconscious behaviour helps us survive, it also creates problems for us. We forget how important oxygen is to our systems! We all need oxygen to function optimally: mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally/socially. There’s different ways to breathe for different activities, for instance, the general rule for breathing in weight training is breathe in through the nose when you contract the muscle. When moving the muscle back to the start position, breathe out through pursed lips.
2. Watch those physical fitness DVDs a few times before trying them out. It takes awhile to learn something new and people often quit soon after they start because they just can’t “do it right”. While many learn better by doing, there’s something to be said about giving your full attention to a lesson. Before you even try the exercises yourself, sit back and ingest the instructions first (heck, why not make it extra fun: grab some popcorn – it’s great fiber!).
3. Learn proper technique. The above tip will help you practice proper technique which is using the correct posture and therefore muscles to perform each exercise. Good form makes for a more an effective and safe workout. Many videos these days have bonus features which give you tips – watch and listen to these first and you’ll be sure to get the techniques down more quickly.
4. Forgive yourself… for not performing the exercises in perfect form. Your muscles (especially the ones needed to make most of these moves graceful) are not yet developed. But every time you do the movements to the best of your current ability, even if you can’t feel it working, your muscles ARE getting stronger. In no time, you’ll be outperforming those energetic and sometimes annoyingly motivating video instructors.
5. Challenge yourself when you’re ready. You’ll know you’re ready when you start getting bored with your routine – your body will automatically start craving challenge and carving out a more perfected movement. Really concentrate on the muscle contractions or shake things up trying something new. Do whatever you need to do to keep things fresh in your healthy living routine.
6. Get a poster of the human muscular system. Visualization is a powerful tool for athletes, so why not try it out for yourself? Using imagination in your fitness routine may be harder than you think but a muscle chart will help you do this. Study the muscle groups or have the poster hanging in your workout area. You can then imagine your own muscles contracting as you pump that iron…or squeeze those buttocks in yoga, tense your abs in pilates, etc.
7. Use mirrors. Sometimes you need more than imagination to help keep good form and contracting those muscles. If you don’t have a personal trainer or a faithful friend to watch when you’re using improper technique, try doing your workout in front of some mirrors. Eventually, your muscles will start to show and ripple beautifully as you move and you won’t need extra assistance, like a muscle chart, friend or mirror!

Try some of these tips and let me know if it helps. Then keep trying them for another month and you’ll have a new story to tell. If you persist, I guarantee you’ll be satisfied with the results. Not only will you have a smokin’ HOT body, feeling your own physical strength does wonders for self-awareness and self-confidence.

Just in time for your New Year’s Resolutions!

Strengthening your core muscles are important because all of your movements are supposed to originate here. Strong core = excellent balance.

Here is the first video in a series of Pilates for Beginners. This exercise is called the Front Support Stretch and reminds me of the plank , my favourite core move.

For now, concentrate on perfecting your technique, but remember to have fun!