What's your favorite Cardio?

Do you even have a favorite cardio? I really used to pretty much hate all things cardio. I like the weight training and used to tolerate the cardio because I knew it needed to be done. Sometimes I can find one I tolerate more than others, sometimes it's just the specific results I like and deal with it. Recently I've found some I actually look forward to, but more on that in later issues. There are so many choices, and I think I've tried them all. Classes, dvd's, cycling, walking, stairs, ellipticals, and even running. They all have great benefits, some work parts of your body better than others. Some are easier on certain joints than others. Some you just hate less than others :)

Are you a class person? Most people either love classes or hate them. I don't love them, but if you do, there's a lot of energy and support there. There are so many options: from dance to spin, from body pump to yoga. Find your favorite instructor and type of class and jump right in. You'll have fun and might make a few new friends too!

Not a class person? Still like the energy of dance, step or other aerobics? If you prefer to go it alone, you can rent dvds, check them out at the local library, search youtube, check out donated ones at thrift stores, even borrow a friends to see if you like it. I prefer the try-before-you-buy option because you never know whether you're going to like it enough to stick with it. The benefit of this is you can do it in the privacy of your own home, any time of day or night that works for you.

Machines? Bikes, Ellipticals, Stairs and Treadmills oh my! Of course bikes will focus on your legs, stairs will focus on your legs and butt, ellipticals can be whole body trainers if you use the arms too, and treadmills give you the option of a walking or running program, flat ground or incline. Pick your focus and what works best for you and hit the machine of your choice. Switch them up, even split your time between 2 different machines for variety and maximum muscle confusion.

Take it outside! If you don't have a machine at home, or access to one at the gym, you can bike, walk or run outside. You can climb stairs anywhere they have them. I haven't seen elliptical options, but that's just about the only one that doesn't translate!

And can I suggest you check out HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training or sprint interval training) as part of your cardio protocol. 20 minutes max for an all day calorie after-burn. Can be done with any type of cardio, and there are different kinds. NOT to be done on weight-training days and generally not more than 3 times/week depending on the type you choose.

REST DAY! Take one! You will get better results if you do...

Product Recommendations: Lose It App for iphone/ipod touch

I've reviewed several products lately, some free, some not, and thought I'd share my thoughts about some of them. We'll start with the totally free :)

The Lose It app for the iphone/ipod touch is a completely free program that helps you keep on track for weight loss or maintenance. I've spoken about food diaries before, they are one of the best tools for assessing and tracking your progress, and I've rarely seen any long-term success without them.

The Lose It app has a robust database of pre-programmed foods and the ability to add your own custom foods and recipes. There's also a database of exercises so that you can log in your activity level. You will enter in your current and goal weight and how fast you want to lose and it will give you a calorie budget for the day. Logging your food and exercise will automatically update your budget in real time and allow you to see how much more you can still eat that day and stay on track. There are daily and weekly reports, which can be emailed to you, with lots of pretty graphs if you like that sort of thing (I do, especially when they go the direction I want them to). A friend feature allows you to add friends to help with motivation and accountability.

The only downside I see to this program is that it does require an iphone or ipod touch as there's no current ability to use the web to enter the data. The web will allow you to view the reports and there's a forum group where you can connect with other users for motivation and support.

If you have an iphone or ipod touch, give this program a try...it's totally free and not a trial version either.

Switch it up

Plateaus are no fun and maintaining continual progress is hard work. Doing this without additional calorie reduction is challenging, especially because our calorie needs keep declining proportionately with the scale. Now that's depressing! So, let's not cut calories just yet, since we all like to eat - well, at least I like to eat.

Exercise should be the cornerstone of any weight loss strategy, and fitness progression correlates quite nicely. Changing your exercise routine every 4 - 6 weeks will result in muscle confusion which will keep you progressing through those inevitable plateaus, and result in greater fitness gains. Switch from the treadmill to the bike, or the elliptical to the stairmaster, something different but still challenging. Also, make sure it' something you don't completely hate too, there are so many options that there's no sense at all in dreading this portion of your workout.

Now, cardio burns calories DURING exercise, but weight training continues to burn calories AFTER exercise, so make changes to your strength training routine as well. For this, you can increase weights or reps, or do something completely different. Anything that tells your body "oh...this is new".

Change is good, so keep moving and have fun!