That's Fit

The Obama family has a Christmas tradition of visiting the President-elect's home state of Hawaii. This year is no exception. And, while Barack Obama is ridiculously busy selecting cabinet members and preparing for his transition to the White House, I'm glad to see he's keeping a family tradition intact.

Daily Mail has a photo snapped of President-elect Obama while on vacation, and he's looking kind of ripped. Not surprising, really. We already knew how important fitness is to the Obama family. What is surprising is when you scroll down the Daily Mail article and see the photo of Barack Obama that was taken on his vacation last year.

When you compare his abs from 2007 to 2008, it appears that in the midst of his hectic and stressful campaign, Barack Obama has toned up. Whatever your opinion of our up and coming President is, you have to admit that's inspirational. If he can find the time to get more fit while campaigning to be President of the United States, than surely the rest of us can find time, too. And, as Barack Obama certainly knows, physical activity is the healthiest way to manage your stress level.

This is the second part of my interview with trainer to the stars Gunnar Peterson. He already dished about his celebrity clients, and now he's sharing tips on working out faster and smarter. Why spend an hour when you can get your workout done in half the time, right?

It's not just celebs who benefit from Gunnar's expertise. All of us are busy and want the most out of our workouts, and he has some great suggestions. Say you only have half an hour to spare. "Work the big muscle groups," he said, "and incorporate multi-joint exercises [like lunges with lateral raises or squat press and jumps, which work the upper and lower body]. Do cardio blast intervals in between." For example, if you're doing bench presses, go from that to working your abs with the bicycle movement, then do a series of squat jumps, followed by a quick sprint on the treadmill.

In terms of strength training, he occasionally has to do a little convincing with new female clients. "Big weights don't give you big muscles -- big food gives you big muscles," he explained, saying the belief that "big weights add bulk, light weights tone, and cardio burns fat was written by one guy living in a cave in the 1980s -- there's more to it than that." He bases the size of his clients' weights on where they are in their workout, not on whether they're male or female.

How long do you think your cravings last? You might be surprised.

Did you know that, when times get busy (like now, with the holiday craziness), about half of all women admit to skipping workouts, as opposed to only 20 percent who cut back on actual work. We all know it's important to get exercise during these stressful times, but I'm the first to admit that it doesn't always happen.

I keep hearing that I should just jog for 15 minutes, but the thing is, a 15-minute jog still requires me to change into a sports bra, lace up my sneakers, and afterward, I need a shower. So, 15 minutes is really more like an hour, and sometimes, I just can't squeeze that in.

When I saw the headline "5 Minute Workout" in the December issue of body+soul magazine, I was pretty excited. I probably won't get too sweaty in just five minutes, and none of the exercises were so high impact that I can't do them in my regular clothes. Don't get me wrong -- I'm still going to get to the gym as much as I can and work up a good sweat, but check out the gallery below to see what I'll be doing on those days when the gym just can't happen.

Getting fit and staying fit is tough stuff. A top hurdle is most definitely finding the time to work out. Finding the motivation is an obstacle too.

Blogger "Intrigued"over at Trusera has a suggestion for those of you who whine about working out: Remember the results. Says this smart one: "Whenever I find myself starting to whine, complain or (ahem) curse during a workout, I catch myself, stop the negativity, and say out loud, 'I love the results.'"

Attitude, as well as practice, really does make a difference. "I love the results!" Why not make it your mantra too?

Here at That's Fit, we're constantly telling you what we think about things, but sometimes it's nice to know what you think. So from time to time, we'll ask you a question. Don't be afraid to speak up -- we love feedback.

How nice was it to get an extra hour of sleep on Sunday? Over in my neck of the woods, it was fantastic. I was even able to make it to the 9 AM drop-in fitness class at my gym -- on a normal Sunday, I wouldn't move a muscle until the 11 AM class. And this morning, I was early getting to work -- that almost never happens -- so I got off the train a stop early and had a brisk early morning walk.

What about you?

Pressed for time? Try one of these ideas for exercising when time is tight.

The switch to and from daylight savings time can affect your health -- specifically, your heart. But that's not all -- disrupting your sleep by a mere hour can have significant effects on your sleep patterns, your mood and even your social life. Eek!

Now that we're switching back over to standard time, let's not let this change our healthy habits. Here are some tips:

• An extra hour of sleep means you're sure to be well-rested. Which means you have no excuse not to hit the gym. Come on, get moving.
  
• Bear in mind that it's going to get dark sooner, but don't let that affect your fitness routine. Running in the dark may not be ideal, but the gym has indoor lighting.
  
• Sleep affects mood, and mood affects eating habits. So if you find yourself craving comfort foods after the time change, be aware that this is probably why, and don't give in.
  
  

How do you handle the time change?

Day 5: My three-year-old doesn't like our new routine. As we headed out for our third trip to the school for the day, she stood in the driveway, stomping her feet. "We always walk EVERYWHERE," she shouted at me. I thought about correcting her. After all, we've only been walking everywhere for five days, not "always," but then I remembered who I was dealing with. So I opened the garage door and pulled out the wagon instead.

In all honesty, I'm beginning to feel the same way. Though I love all the extra physical activity we're all getting -- and it's paid off in helping me over a weight loss plateau -- it takes planning and time to walk everywhere. Twenty minutes for each trip to school -- that's an hour out of my day. After dinner, we walk to an extra-curricular activity -- another 30 minute round trip.

Of course, on the flip side is the fact that I got an hour and a half of physical activity in, enough that I don't feel the need to do a cardio workout. So maybe it all balances out in the end.

Don't have the motivation for daily workouts or the time and money to hire a personal trainer? "Minimalist workouts" could be the answer.

Bouncing a regular ball back and forth may not be much of a workout, but just try it with a reaction ball! Reaction balls are six-sided, so they bounce unpredictably. You never know if you're going to be darting to the left or the right in order to catch it.

Try standing 3-4 feet from a partner and bouncing a reaction ball toward your partner. The object is to catch the ball after only one bounce. It may not sound hard, but you'll find yourself darting back and forth and moving quickly in order to catch the ball. If you want to make it even more challenging, just back up a bit.

Not only is it a fun, effective workout. Playing with a reaction ball helps you improve your hand-eye coordination and increases your reaction time -- beneficial skills for any sport. You can also practice by yourself, by bouncing a reaction ball against a wall. Try it with your kids, too ... it's sure to be a hit!

My husband seems to have solved all of the world's workout problems with one quick fix: to save time, he uses the treadmill while he works on his laptop, thanks to a handy laptop shelf he built for the treadmill in his company's gym.

Pretty savvy, eh? His coworkers know where to find them if an IT emergency arises, and he becomes fit during work hours, at a normally sedentary job. Merits a Fitku, don't you think?

Tread and type workout
Kills two birds with one laptop
Fit and efficient

What are your tricks for staying active at work?

Running short on time? Try your best not to let a full schedule interfere with your workout. You should schedule your exercise time and give it high priority on your to-do list. Don't look at your workout as something you can take or leave at your convenience. The fact is that staying fit and healthy will help you manage the rest of your chores more effectively -- you'll have more energy to be on the go, go, go.

But we all have those days where we just can't squeeze in a long workout routine. When there's just no way a real workout will work, try a quick 15-minute routine. AOL Health has a great 15-minute strength training routine. Or, if you'd rather, you can design your own workout.

• 10 minutes of cardio. Pick a convenient cardio activity that you can do almost anywhere and with minimal equipment. Walking, running, and jumping rope are all good options.
  

I don't have a Garmin or other GPS device for running. One of these days, maybe, but for the moment, I don't. And so, when I run outdoors, unless I've already mapped out the the route, I don't generally know exactly how far I've gone. However, I do know how long I've run, which gives me an idea of distance.

This is a big difference from the way I run on a treadmill. When I have the numbers in front of me, I set a goal to reach a certain distance in a set amount of time. You'd think, then, that these indoor runs would be much harder, and more intense, but that's not necessarily the case.

It's typical to take considerably longer to run outdoors than indoors, especially if you run trails or other rough ground. And so, on your next outdoor run, try a new trail and just go by time. See what kind of workout you get. I find that I'm wiped after a long outdoor run, whether I've gone two miles or six. And unless you're training for an event of a certain distance, I think that's okay -- it allows you to run for the sheer joy of running. What do you think?

We've made tremendous progress in the fields of food, health and technology since the Victorian era. And yet we're not nearly as healthy overall as we were then. What gives?

Recent research is showing that not only did people live longer in the late 1800s, but they had strong immune systems too. Of course, there are several differences in the average Victorian diet compared to ours. Here's a rundown:

• They ate more, around 4,500 calories a day for men and 3,000 for women.
• But they also burned more calories, spending their working hours doing hard manual labour.
• Salt, sugar and tobacco weren't as readily available, and were rarely consumed.
  
• They ate between 8-10 servings a day of fresh fruits and veggies.
  
• In fact, all their food was fresh. After all, they didn't have fridges.
  
• They consumed lots of yeast, in both breads and beer. Yeast helps strengthen the immune system.
  

Want to know more? Read the full article over here.