Get Stronger, Run Faster

If you're a recreational runner and are looking to improve your speed, pick up some weights.

According to a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, female runners who strength-trained improved their 3k run times by 29 seconds compared to those who did not use weight training.

Both groups took part in identical 100-week endurance running programs, but the strength-training group supplemented their running with 3 one-hour workouts per week in the weight room.

The exercises included squats, calf raises, hip flexion/extensions, hamstring curls, seated rows and bench press. They performed three sets of five repetitions of each exercises and weights were increased when the subjects were able to perform six repetitions of an exercise.

The group that did not do any strength training was able to improve their times by an average of 77 seconds after 10 weeks, while the group that supplemented with workouts subtracted 106 seconds from their times.

This by no means means that you should trade in your running shoes for free weights but it definitely suggests that supplementing with weights is, as Martha Stewart would say, "a good thing!"

Weekends Are Dieters' Nightmare!

You always knew it but now it's been proven.

Weekends are a dieter's nightmare.

According to a study at Washington University School of Medicine, most dieters give up their strict eating regime once the weekend arrives and they eat more fat on Saturdays than any other day of the week.

Researchers further found that people will lose weight during the week and either stop losing or even gain back weight during the weekend. People in the study didn't always realize they were eating significantly more food on weekends.Make sure to keep a close eye on what you're eating and try to fit in at least one workout on weekends to avoid sabotaging your weight loss goals.

Men Are From Mars, Women Are ... Out of Luck

We've previously blogged that research proves it is harder for women to lose weight.

Men typically have greater percentage of upper body strength and a larger percentage of muscle tissue throughout their entire bodies than women.

This extra muscle helps raise their metabolism and results in a faster rate of weight loss than women typically experience.
Women are also genetically designed to store more fat to help in child-birth and they also need extra fat to help their reproductive organs to function properly.

Knowing men and women are made differently, it also makes sense that they should exercise differently.

Here are some tips for women to help fight their genetics:
1) Put greater effort into lower-body strength training. You should strength train all muscle groups 2 to 3 times a week, but since our largest muscles are located in the lower-body, building the larger muscles will speed up your metabolism.

2) Choose running as your primary cardio exercise (as long as your joints will allow). It's your best bet for cardiovascular conditioning, fat burning, and total use of those large lower-body muscles. If you can't run, try a brisk walk.

3) Don't use food for comfort. I don't know one woman who has not turned to chocolate or some other high calorie food after a hard day, but fighting those urges and choosing other ways to lighten your mood will get you to your goals faster.

5) Do regular cardio workouts. Try to fit in five to six workouts a week. Once you've developed a habit, you'll find that you'll stop thinking of exercise as a burden.

Using these tips will definitely make you a more efficient fat burner and the men at the gym may start asking you for advice on how they can get a better workout!

Don't Get Burned: Avoid the Fat-Burning Zone!

Why is it all those machines at the gym encourage us to work within the fat burning zone? It's been proven that the body burns a greater percentage of calories from fat, rather than carbohydrates, during these low-intensity / fat-burning zone workouts as opposed to high-intensity workouts.

For example, a 130-pound woman burns 50 percent of her calories from fat during cardiovascular exercise when her heart rate remains between 60 and 65 percent of her maximum heart rate.

The percentage of fat calories burned drops to 40 when her heart rate is within 80-85 percent of her maximum heart rate during cardiovascular exercise, according to the manual.

There’s just one problem: People who want to lose weight should be concerned with calories, not fat. It doesn’t matter if the calories come from fat or carbohydrates.

So the next time you're at the gym, forget about all those pre-set fat burning zone options on your cardio machine and get your ass in gear. Presuming you're in good health, choose to go at a relatively high intensity for 30 - 60 minutes and you'll burn 10-15% more calories and make your workout more efficient.

No Time to Work Out?

Think you’re too busy to exercise? It's probably the most common excuse, albeit a fairly genuine one, that non-exercisers use.

So we at EverythingFit thought we'd give you a few tips to help you fit exercise into your daily routine.

Studies show that just 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening is basically the same as one 30-minute session as far as the physiological benefits of the exercise.

Of course, people should have a balanced exercise program incorporating strength training, cardiovascular conditioning and flexibility exercises, but these can be broken up and done at different times throughout the day.

Try to fit in 15 minutes of resistance training every morning. You can focus on one muscle group per day and do 1-3 sets of exercises for that muscle group (if you do less reps, you can do more sets or you can do less sets and add a couple of different exercises to hit different parts of the same muscle). If you do these exercises in quick intervals with little rest in between, you will also elevate your heart rate and burn more calories.

Don't worry if you don't have any equipment at home. Push ups, squats, lunges, sit ups, etc., can all have impressive results on the body without the need for any equipment.

During lunch, you can also try to get out of the office, especially in the summer, and go for a brisk walk for 15-30 minutes.

In all the exercises you do, try to raise your heart rate to 70 % to 85 % of your maximal heart rate. The simple equation for determining your maximal heart rate is 220 minus your age. Multiply this by 70% and 85% to determine your optimal heart rate range or zone. Tour heart rate needs to be elevated for 20 to 30 minutes before you get the health benefit from it.

In the evening, when you have had your meal and are relaxing in front of the TV, try to fit in some flexibility exercises. Stretching is calming and a perfect way to end your day.

The weekends can also be a good time to add in some extra exercise. Go for a family walk or bike ride or get out in your backyard and do some gardening. Believe it or not, even small things like gardening or even house work will have a positive effect on your health.

Remember that consistency is crucial. If you can keep up an easy routine in the long-run you will see much more positive changes than if you try to take on a more ambitious program and give up sooner.