Fat Loss Tips for 2013

Millions of Americans began a new health and fitness journey on January 1.  We wish everyone luck on their health and fitness goals.  If you can make better activity choices and better food choices, the journey will be successful.

Simple things you can do to add activity to your daily routine:

·         Take the stairs

·         Park far away

·         Walk during your lunch break

·         Walk to check your mail

·         Walk your dog

·        Play outside

·         If you “need” to watch the latest reality show, do some crunches or pushups during commercials.

Making better food choices is almost impossible with all the goodies everywhere; so:

·         Eat at home

·         Eat more fibrous fruits and vegetables

·         Do not leave your home hungry

·         Pack healthy snacks to go just in case

·         Avoid long periods between snacks

·         Drink water with your meals

·         Drink alcohol in moderation if at all

Another important aspect of your journey is your support team.  Surround yourself with friends that have similar goals.  Also write down your goals and share them with some of your friends.  Together, you all will help each other reach your 2013 health and fitness goals!

Kettlebell Training

The Kettlebell is an old Russian training tool that has been recently rediscovered for full body conditioning.  Kettlebell workouts are said to improve strength, endurance, flexibility, coordination, and balance.

But does a kettlebell workout provide enough resistance to improve strength over traditional weight lifting?  Does a kettlebell workout improve cardiovascular endurance better than traditional cardiovascular exercise?

The American Council on Exercise did a study on the workout intensity on kettlebells versus treadmill running.  As expected, the kettlebell workout was intense.  Heart rate and oxygen consumption increased rapidly.  The average caloric expenditure was 20 calories per minute with the kettlebells.  The intensity was high but VO2 max was higher during the treadmill run.

Furthermore, kettlebell training does improve strength and power for your beginner clients.  But experts agree in order to improve strength and power for your experienced athletes, traditional weight training may be more beneficial.  Moreover, you will have to incorporate other traditional exercises to really target some of those muscles that kettlebells don’t fully incorporate.

In summary, if you are looking to change up your routine, give kettlebells a shot.  Similar to circuit training or cross training, you will receive some strength benefits along with very good cardiovascular benefits.