Easy Simple and No Gym Required!!!

Once again I have found a great article on MSN that inspired me! I don't need a gym membership to be a lean mean sexy looking machine!!! So here it is... simple easy moves to get your body looking AMAZING!!! Try them... I know you will like them! (if not at least the results!!!)

Let me know how it goes!!!

The Equipment

A kitchen timer, or a clock with a second hand that you can easily see, and either a staircase or an 8- to 12-inch step (beginners use a one-level step, advanced exercisers, a two-level version).

The Routine

Warm up for 5 minutes by marching or jogging in place. Then do the five exercises, devoting 1 minute to each. Rest for 1 minute and repeat the circuit. Beginners: Do three complete circuits. Advanced: Do five complete circuits.

The Schedule

Do this workout three times a week, on nonconsecutive days. Once a week, skip the timer and do 10 reps of each exercise, concentrating on form.

A Cardio Kick to Boost Your Metabolism

Canadian researchers report that intervals of high-intensity physical activity are necessary to burn body fat. In fact, their findings suggest that spurts of intense exercise are nearly 900% more effective than the slow-and-steady approach in reducing fat.

You can experience the difference yourself, using aerobic exercise equipment such as a stationary cycle, stairclimber, elliptical stepper, or treadmill. First, warm up by going at about half-speed, or 50% of your perceived maximum effort, for at least 3 minutes. After that, begin a sequence where you go close to all-out for 5 seconds, then slow to your warm-up speed for 10 seconds, then follow with another 5-second spurt near maximum. Repeat the fast-slow-fast cycle as many times as you can, up to a maximum of about 10 minutes. Once you have a sense of the time frame, you can count to yourself instead of watching a clock. Finish with a cool-down, gradually slowing your pace for several minutes or more.

Do this 5 x 10 workout three times a week to start. Over time, you can add intervals until you're exercising for a total of 20 minutes, including a 5-minute warm-up and a 5-minute cool-down.

With the 5 x 10s, you take your metabolism and energy to a whole new level. Don't be surprised if you feel more alert and alive after this workout.

Elbow-to-Knee Sit-Up

A. Lie on floor with knees bent, feet flat on floor. Place hands behind head and lift head and feet a few inches off floor, pointing elbows toward knees.



B. Contract abdominals and rock up so elbows meet knees and you're resting on your "sitz" bones, literally the bones you sit on. Hold for a second, then lower. Keep head and feet off floor during entire minute. If this is too challenging, keep midback on floor and lift hips and shoulder blades to bring knees and elbows together.

Works: Abs

Why It Works

Bringing elbows to knees forces you to coordinate your upper and lower body, increasing abdominal strength and body awareness.

Mountain Climber



Works: glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, core, chest

Assume a push-up position, with hands flat on floor beneath shoulders and feet hip-width apart, balancing on toes. Bend left knee and plant ball of left foot beneath torso, as shown. Spring off toes and raise hips into the air, switching legs, so left leg is extended and right is bent. Repeat, alternating legs.

Why It Works

This oldie-but-goodie keeps your heart rate high, cranking up your calorie burn to melt fat.

Step-Up



Works: glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, core

Stand in front of step or staircase with feet together, arms at sides. Place left foot solidly on step, keeping head up and abs tight. Lift body onto step, raising right knee until thigh is parallel to floor, as shown. Hold for a second. Lower right foot to floor behind step, then left. Repeat with right foot and raise left knee. Continue alternating legs.

Why It Works

In addition to mimicking real-life demands, such as climbing stairs, the step-up forces you to engage your core; raising the knee challenges your balance.

Rotating Side Lunge



Works: glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, core, chest

Stand with feet hip-width apart, arms extended at chest level, hands clasped. Take giant step to left, rotating upper body toward left. Bend left knee and lower hips, keeping left knee over foot, as shown. Press into left foot to return to starting position and repeat. Do a full minute, then switch sides.

Why It Works

This move forces you to balance and coordinate your upper and lower body while moving side to side. "It's a great exercise for strengthening muscles that often go underused in daily life," says Hendrickson.

Push-Up



A. Place hands on floor beneath shoulders and balance on toes, feet hip-width apart. Bend elbows out to sides and lower body almost to floor, as shown. Keep abs tight and body in straight line from head to ankles.




B. Rest knees on floor, keeping toes tucked, and push back up, as shown. At the top of the movement, straighten legs and repeat.

Works: chest, shoulders, triceps, core

Why It Works

This hybrid of the standard push-up and the less-demanding knees-down version allows you to quickly build upper-body strength, for a flattering figure.

http://health.msn.com/fitness/womens-fitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100205714&page=3

Working out and still not seeing results?!?

I found this article "Live the Fat-Buring Life" on MSN and thought it was a great way to make sure you can get the most from every work out! Some of the article has been changed and I have added the highlights.
For the complete article, you can check it out here: http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100204558&page=1

When you work out and the pounds still don't come off, it can be incredibly frustrating. But what you may not know is that certain habits and physical changes can undermine even the most scientifically proven weight loss strategies, especially after you reach the age of 40. When Australian and UK researchers reviewed nearly 100 studies on exercise and weight loss, they discovered why those extra pounds won't budge despite your best efforts. These four targeted fat-fighting tips are the key to turning the tide — so your body will finally shed the weight.

1. Make Some Extra Muscle

Lift weights three times a week

It's the fastest way to build muscle and get results when the scale is stuck. "Research shows that regular strength-training can increase your resting metabolic rate by up to 8%," says Wayne Westcott, PhD, fitness researcher in Quincy, MA, and author of Get Stronger, Feel Younger. In one 8-week study, women and men who did only cardio exercise lost 4 pounds but gained no muscle, while those who did half the amount of cardio and an equal amount of strength-training shed 10 pounds of fat and added 2 pounds of muscle.

Rest less

If you already strength-train, shorten the time you linger between sets. "Taking a brief, 20-second break after each set burns extra calories and accelerates metabolism more than waiting the standard 60 to 90 seconds, studies show," says Westcott.

Do double-duty moves

Trade exercises that isolate a single muscle, such as biceps curls, for multijoint, multimuscle moves like chest presses and squats. "The more muscles you engage at once, the more calories you'll burn," he says.

Break up your meals

If you're losing weight (and therefore muscle) by cutting calories, eating five small meals instead of three large ones helps keep metabolism high. Spreading calories throughout the day "keeps blood sugar levels even and controls the release of insulin that can cause your body to store more calories as fat," says Leslie Bonci, RD, MPH, director of sports medicine nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "And every time you eat, your metabolism speeds up to digest the food."

2. Outsmart A Plateau

It's a common scenario: The first 10 or 20 pounds come off easily, but then the scale won't budge. Plateaus can happen in as little as 3 weeks, find Drexel University researchers. As you drop weight, your body doesn't have to work as hard simply because there's less of you to move around, says Michele Kettles, MD, medical director of the Cooper Clinic in Dallas. That means your workouts produce a smaller calorie burn. For example, if you weigh 180 pounds and lose 35, you'll melt about 100 fewer calories in an hour-long cardio class — which can slow down further weight loss. And as you get older, injuries or arthritis can make it difficult to do vigorous, high-impact activities that help compensate for this calorie deficit.

Simple Strategies

Get your heart rate up

Watching TV or reading while you exercise can lower your workout intensity — and your calorie burn. Instead, pay attention to your pulse, suggests Kettles. For best results, stay between 60 and 80% of your maximum heart rate. To estimate your MHR, subtract your age from 220. Then multiply your MHR by 0.6 for the lower end of your target heart rate zone and by 0.8 for the upper end. For example, if you're 40, aim for 108 to 144 beats per minute. (For easier tracking, invest in a heart rate monitor.)

Diversify

The more comfortable you become with a routine, exercise class, or fitness DVD, the less effective it gets. To continue to lose weight, you need to challenge your body in new ways. "Even replacing one exercise can create enough of a surprise to keep results coming," says Kettles. Try this: The first week of every month, do a new upper-body exercise; the second week, a new lower-body one; the third, a new abs move; and the fourth, a different type of cardio (cycling instead of walking, for example).

3. Be A Stealth Calorie Burner

It may happen subconsciously, but studies show that some people move less after they begin an exercise regimen. When women and men, average age 59, started to work out twice a week, their everyday activity decreased by 22%, according to research from the Netherlands. The reason for the slowdown, experts speculate, may be postworkout fatigue or the perception that if you exercise, you can afford to skimp on the small stuff. Wrong! Little activities such as standing instead of sitting, fidgeting, and walking more throughout the day can add up to an extra 350 calories burned per day, according to Mayo Clinic studies. Other research shows that a decrease in these everyday actions may shut down an enzyme that controls fat metabolism, making weight loss tougher. And even daily half-hour to hour-long workouts aren't enough to turn it back on.

Simple Strategies

Track nonexercise activity

Record your daily step counts with a pedometer on a couple of days when you don't work out. Then calculate your average (add up your daily totals and divide by the number of days tracked). If you don't maintain at least this level of activity every day, your fat-burning ability will decline. For instance, if you normally log 5,000 steps a day but skip half of them on days you work out, it could slow weight loss by up to 50% — even though you're exercising.

Post reminders

One study showed that signs encouraging people to take the stairs increased usage by 200%. To motivate yourself, stick notes on your bathroom mirror, microwave, TV remote, steering wheel, and computer that simply say: Move more!

Set up weekly physical outings

You'll be less likely to blow it off if you make a commitment to someone else. Plan a hike or bike ride with your family, help clean out a friend's garage, or volunteer to walk your neighbor's dog.

4. Halt Hunger Hormones

When 35 overweight women and men started exercising, researchers found that some of them compensated for their workouts by eating as much as 270 extra calories a day — negating more than half of the calories they burned, according to a study published in the International Journal of Obesity. "Some research shows that exercising regularly can trigger the release of ghrelin, an appetite-stimulating hormone meant to protect the body from losing weight too quickly," says Bonci. To make matters worse, appetite also appears to increase as you approach menopause because of declining estrogen levels, according to animal studies.

Simple Strategies

Snack before you sweat

"Exercising on an empty stomach lowers blood sugar, which can increase your appetite and set you up to overeat afterward," says Bonci. To ward off postexercise hunger, have a light (about 100 calories), carbohydrate-rich snack, such as 4 ounces of yogurt or a banana, 20 to 30 minutes before you work out.

Write before you eat

Keeping a food diary is a proven weight loss tool, but don't wait until after your meal. "When my clients record what they're going to eat, it puts their dietary habits on pause long enough to decide if their food choices are really worth it," says Bonci.

Time your meals

If possible, schedule your workouts before a meal. In studies where meals were served 15 to 30 minutes after exercise, participants ate less than those who had to wait an hour or more to eat.

Sip often

People who drink water regularly eat nearly 200 fewer calories daily than those who only consume tea, coffee, or soda, reports a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study. Bonus: Make it ice-cold water. German researchers found that drinking 6 cups of cold water a day raised metabolism by about 50 calories daily — possibly because of the work it takes to warm the fluid up to body temperature. And every little bit helps!

Make the scale move!

Your Fat-Burning Game Plan

Every day:

Wear a pedometer.

Eat five minimeals (300 calories each).

Log your food choices before you eat.

Drink at least six 8-ounce glasses of cold water.

Three times a week:

Lift weights, doing multimuscle moves such as chest presses. (For free routines, go to prevention.com/dumbbellworkout.)

Rest no more than 20 seconds between sets while strength-training.

Whenever you exercise:

Snack before your workout (see Step 4 for suggestions).

Schedule exercise before a meal so you eat within a half hour of finishing your workout. Track your heart rate during cardio.

Weekly:

Change one move in your workout routine every Monday. For example, swap push-ups for chest presses one week, lunges for squats the next, and so on.

Plan an active outing such as hiking.

I hope this helps some of you. I know I need to change what I am doing to get the scale moving!

Keep active and be strong! Your life and loved ones depend on it!