Fitness-related stories
Beyond Squats and Lunges: Part 1
Fitness, Your Personal Trainer: Joe Dowdell
Photo 1: Model Traci Copeland and photo courtesy of Wilhelmina Models
I'm sick of classic lunges and squats, what else can I do for my legs?
I've decided to break this up into two responses. This week, we'll tackle the lunge portion and next week the squats. That being said, instead of just throwing out either of these exercises, why not try adding some variety to these traditional movements? There are many different forms of the lunge, such as the reverse lunge, lateral lunge, walking lunge, skater's lunge, etc.
In addition, you can also utilize a slide board, especially with the reverse or lateral versions in order to add a different stimulus to the movement pattern. If you don't have a slide board, you can place a small hand towel under your sneaker and perform them on a wood floor.
The Exercise Prescription: Perform three sets of 10-12 reps per side. Make sure you take three seconds to lower yourself, pause slightly in the bottom position and then take one second to return to the start position. Perform all reps on one side and then switch legs.
Here's how to do the moves:
Has Your Hard Work Paid Off? Show Us The Results!
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Should Yoga Qualify as an Olympic Sport?
Photo: Yoga with April
Isn't yoga based on a philosophy emphasizing being uncompetitive? "Its initial intention was to be an inward experience, a path to enlightenment. Competitive yoga takes this spiritual element away," said April Martucci, a Manhattan-based yoga instructor. "I also think once you present it as a sport, less people will do it because they'll feel intimidated, and say, 'I could never do that.'" Tom Larkin, owner of Sanctuary for Yoga, Body and Spirit in Nashville, Tennessee said this Olympic quest isn't being taken seriously by many yoga enthusiasts. "Most of our students and fellow teachers find it to be completely ridiculous," he said.
I'm definitely in Martucci's camp. But not all yoga practitioners agree. "I think it could get the attention of all sorts of people who might not necessarily be drawn to traditional yoga, like young adults who want a physical outlet but aren't into conventional sports, or those that tend to be bookish. It could also attract people who previously viewed yoga as being just for wimps and nerds," said Paula Heitzner of Nyack, New York, who's been teaching classes that incorporate her own unique blend of yoga styles for 40 years.
Shake Weight: Gives You a Total-Body Workout in Six Minutes?
Fitness, Reviews & Products, We Tried it
The men's commercial, seemingly aimed at wannabe bodybuilders, asks, "Would you like to get your arms ripped? Your shoulders pumped and your chest sculpted ... Do you hate working out for hours at the gym with big, bulky equipment, or boring, slow dumbbells?"
The Shake Weight for women commercial, meanwhile, is aimed at fans of Michelle Obama's arms. "Work out your entire upper body in just six minutes a day," the ad touts. "You'll get arms you'll be proud to show off. Feel free to go sleeveless."
The commercials go on to explain these claims are possible because of "dynamic inertia." The manufacturers assert that if men use the Shake Weight for just one minute it's equivalent to doing 240 repetitions of regular weight-lifting. For women, the commercial explains, "Scientific studies at a prestigious University prove that the Shake Weight increases upper-body muscle activity by 300 percent compared to traditional weights." All that for a price tag of $19.95 (plus shipping) for the ladies' version or $29.95 (plus shipping) for guys.
Exercising At Night: Just As Effective?
Photo: Corbis
And, as it happens, the evening is actually a great time to exercise. So tell us, when do you work out? Are you an AM exerciser or do you wait until the evening to get your fitness routine in?
Gym Excuses: Which Ones Do You Use?
Hitting the gym, getting your workout on, or sweating it out are all great in theory. But while our minds and fitness conscience tell us to head for the nearest treadmill, the little devil on our shoulders may have something less strenuous in mind. We turned to Twitter to find out your favorite ditch-the-gym excuses.






Read any good Tweets? Give us a shout on Twitter and let us know all about it!
Leslie Sansone
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Weight Loss, All Workouts
Leslie Sansone believes that walking -- a simple activity that almost anyone of any fitness level can do -- can lead to weight loss and a healthier, more active lifestyle. The perky, energetic mother of three aims to show everyone that, regardless of your current size, you can change your life.
Walk At Home is a system that allows you to choose the number of miles you want to walk without leaving your living room. Levels range from gentle to Power Walk, but all of your muscles are engaged in the activity to give you more of a workout than you'd get by taking a stroll. Sansone says that walking will not only help you lose weight but also help to combat the illnesses associated with obesity -- all from the privacy of your home.
Want to start a walking plan? Try AOL Health's beginner's walking tips.
Kettlebell Workout
There are numerous benefits from kettlebell workouts. Training with kettelbells builds strength without adding bulk by allowing users to develop lean muscles. Kettlebell workouts also increase explosive power, agility and stamina. Those who want to outfit their home gym without too much expense often turn to kettlebells, too. Just one or two kettlebells can replace tons of other equipment like weights, barbells, dumbbells and cardio machines.
Kettlebell workouts are effective for toning the entire body because multiple muscle groups are engaged throughout each exercise. These workouts can be customized to different fitness levels, but beginners should work with an experienced instructor to make sure they are using correct form. Like any other piece of exercise equipment, kettlebells that are used incorrectly can cause injuries.
Basic kettlebell moves include the swing, high pull, snatch, overhead press and Turkish get-up. Classic kettlebells can be purchased online and range in price from $47 to $218 each.
When you're ready to begin using kettlebells, you can pull together your own kettlebell workout.
Gmap Pedometers
That's right, using Gmap pedometers means you don't actually need to wear a pedometer to know how long you've walked or how many steps you've taken.
A marathon runner created the Gmap pedometer to assist with training, which might be why the tool is so easy to use. Runners, walkers or cyclists can enter their zip code and zoom into street level. Next, they can plot their workout route -- whether they want to travel in a big, looping circle or a simple out-and-back course.
Unlike other online tools, Gmap pedometer can report your distance traveled, calories burned and elevation differences.
If you find a route that you love, you can save it to use again or you can print your map and take it with you. Those who might be on long runs can leave printouts for their family members so that they know where to find them if they're not back by an appointed time.
If you're not feeling the high-tech Gmap pedometers, you can stick to the basic waist or shoe pedometer that are slipped on your waist (or shoe) and track each step. Shoe pedometers are a little more accurate than traditional pedometers and can track basketball jumps or jumping rope.
Of course Gmap pedometers are not the first online health calculators; but, if you choose to use one, the key is finding the right one you'll use regularly.
Do you want to amp up your exercise routine and monitor your progress? Studies have shown that pedometers are effective in increasing your workout productivity.
Gym Pet Peeves: What Drives You Crazy?
Hauling your cookies to the gym is tough enough without the added stress of irritating workout habits from other gym-goers. From awkward staring to uncleaned exercise equipment, see what gym and workout pet peeves drive the fine folks on Twitter a little bonkers.





Read any good Tweets? Give us a shout on Twitter and let us know all about it!
Weight Lifting
Just like any other time you start a fitness program, you'll want to start out slowly.
First, you'll need to start with one or two sets of eight to 12 repetitions. If you're older, injured or unsure of your strength you can do 10 to 15 reps with less weight. When you can lift a weight eight to 12 times and it gets harder to lift during the last rep, you'll want to add a little weight and decrease the reps.
Even if you're a seasoned weight-lifting veteran, alternating the workouts is key. You shouldn't do arm workouts and shoulders exercises on consecutive days. You should avoid working on legs consecutively, too. It's important to vary how you're focusing on strengthening different muscles. For instance, you may want to start by isolating the shoulders. At your gym you can do an overhead press, lateral raise or front raise to work on this body part. Start with two sets of eight to 12 repetitions.
Other parts of this workout might include strengthening the chest via the bench press, chest press machine or push-ups. You can work on your back as well in a seated row machine. To build your biceps you can work on bicep curls, hammer curls and concentration curls using hand weights. As for the triceps? You can do tricep extensions.
As you alternate days to work on your lower body, you can try squats, lunges, leg-press machines, deadlifts or calf raises. As for the abdominals, there are always crunches, oblique twists and pelvic tilts.
If you begin your weight training regimen at your health club, the fym should have staff to supervise and answer specific questions.
Now that you've got your weight-lifting routine set, check out That'sFit's cardio workouts.
Falling Off the Fitness Wagon
The Good, The Fat and The Hungry, Motivation
Photo: Bitman, Flickr
Fell off the wagon. Slipped off the wagon. Jumped off the wagon. Which one sounds more innocent? Then that's the one I am. No matter which one you picked, they all end off the wagon, which is right where I am. Running is something I used to do. P90X is something else I used to do. I haven't done either in nearly a month.
It started with the ending of Jake, the trainer. Our sessions began later and later and at some point, he just got too comfortable. Maybe it was just being in my home but either way, it wasn't working out for me anymore, literally. Jake was the glue that held my fitness together. If I didn't do anything on my own in between, I was guaranteed three days with him which would more than make up for anything I missed. But even after I let Jake go, I continued to work out and run. For a little while.
I guess not having anyone's eyes on me and my scale made way for complacency. I have been quite comfortable -- actually, way TOO comfortable. Oh, the creative ways I've justified this spell of laziness would both astound and amaze! I've sat on my couch with my feet up and come up with a new reason almost every day: My body deserves a break to my body needs to rest. I'm on a streak but this is certainly not a winning one.
How to Keep Your Independence As You Age
Photo: Getty Images
Men and women become less fit as they age, according to a new report in the October 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
This should come with a big "duh". But it also comes with some good news.
First the not-so-good news. "The U.S. population is aging and is becoming more obese and sedentary", the authors tell us. No surprise there. But it's a vicious circle. Cardiorespiratory fitness of both sexes declines with age: two of the best indicators of cardiorespiratory fitness are body composition (fat vs. muscle) and physical activity.
The more fat you've got and the less active you are, the higher the chances of disease, not to mention the ability to function independently.
And by the way, the decline gets worse after age 45, and it's worse for men than for women.
What to do, what to do?
Researchers from the University of Houston studied about 20,000 women and men between 20 to 96(!) in a study called the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study between 1974 and 2006. The 30 years of data collected on such a large group of people offer some strong take home messages for anyone who wants to age well. (Here comes the good news.)
Paula Radcliffe Says She Gets Better with Age
Derartu Tulu with Paula Radcliffe at the finish line of the ING New York City Marathon Photo: Mike Stobe, Getty Images
Conventional thought has us believing the aging process is all downhill, but not so according to three-time ING New York City Marathon winner Paula Radcliffe. "In some ways you get better with age," she told BBC Sport last week. "Things like endurance and mental strength, if anything, get stronger."
On the eve of her thirty-sixth birthday, Radcliffe managed to place fourth yesterday in the race's fortieth running despite inflammation in her right hamstring that had her sidelined for two weeks leading up to the event. Meb Keflezighi, the men's winner is 34. The women's race was won by 37 year-old Ethiopian Derartu Tulu.
Get More Energy: Five Tibetan Rites Giveaway
Obsession with youth is not only the plague of modern society. In the 1930s, a retired British army officer stumbled upon a remote monastery in the Himalayas where the monks were rumored to have found the fountain of youth. Amazed by their age-defying health and energy, he attributed their vitality to a series of yoga-like postures they practiced daily – as had generations of monks for thousands of years. These Five Tibetan Rites are believed to work by stimulating and balancing energy centers in our bodies called chakras that correspond to each of our endocrine glands. "They're like electricity transformers, receiving and regulating energy and transmitting it throughout the body," explains Sydney-based Carolinda Witt, who's been teaching the rites for more than seven years.
Witt says practicing The Five Rites is like flicking these energy switches to ON. And they're easy to do. In fact, she's made modifications that focus on breathing and building core strength so you don't have to be a veteran yogini to get yourself, well, turned on. Plus, it's yoga, so you'll create a leaner, stronger body! Start with three repetitions of each posture daily and in order. Add two per week until you're doing 21 in about 10 minutes. When you finish each move, pause and take three energy breaths. The directions are below.
Rite #1: Spinning
Harmonizes chakra spin rates. Improves balance, focus and coordination.
Rite #2: Modified Leg Raise
Strengthens and tones the core, hips, lower back, legs and neck.
























