Sure, interval training is tough–the short bursts of high-intensity exercise alternating with active rest periods of slower, less intense exercises can really kick your butt! But the hard work pays off even beyond blasting last night’s ice cream splurge. Here are three reasons why you should do it:

1. You’ll get a great calorie blasting benefit. The mix of short intense exercises and longer aerobic activities can burn more calories than your average workout and interval training increases your metabolism for up to 36 hours after the workout! Read the rest of this entry »

Moving your ab session from the ground to an incline bench will recruit different muscles. Give it a try with this simple exercise.

Lie on your back on the incline bench, holding the top with both hands beside your head. Keep your body steady in that position. Pull your navel in toward your spine and lift your legs until they’re parallel to the floor, keeping your legs together. Now, use your abs to bring your knees to your chest. Slowly lower your pelvis and extend your legs to the start position. Keep your abs tight for 10 reps. Do 2 to 3 sets.

If you’re going on a vacation this summer and want to stay active while you’re away, plan ahead and find a few spots to explore before you leave home. No matter what activity you enjoy, you can find preplanned routes for just about every area of the country and across the globe. And unlike a hotel gym, it’ll give you another perspective of your destination.

For runners: Visit Run.com to map or find a route just about anywhere in the world. While most of the routes are in the US and Canada I did find one for the area I’ll be traveling in Ireland later this summer. Each one is rated for difficulty and scenery and often has markings for points of interest and water breaks included.

For bicyclists: Find a ride on Bicycling.com. Again, enter your location info and you’ll get a list of nearby trails. Aside from a map, you’ll see info on elevation, the split between downhill and uphill, and total distance.

For hikers: MapMyHike.com has a database of hikes logged in by users. You can get mapped trails for the area you’re traveling to, read user comments, calculate the number of calories you’ll burn and even track workouts in a log.

Last year, two members of an NYC gym got into an argument during spin class that ended in assault. One member was annoyed that the other was grunting and yelling what could be considered encouraging comments like “You go girl!” and “Great song!”. So he charged toward the loud spinner and threw him and his bike against the wall. Certainly this situation got out of hand, but when the case went to trial last week, it got me thinking about gym class etiquette. Here are a few good tips to follow.

1. Arrive on time. If you’re late you’ll disrupt class (ever had someone come in during your yoga meditation?) and you might miss information or moves you’ll need all throughout the class. If you stop class later to ask questions, other members won’t be happy.

2. Just like a class at school, keep it quiet. Unless the class calls for it, leave socializing for after class. And if you have a question, ask your instructor instead of your neighbor.

Read the rest of this entry »

I admit, JivaFit was a little quiet last week. I had a lot going on. But even though I cut down on blogging, I kept up with my workouts because my time at the gym is the one thing that keeps me grounded and calm. And studies back up my feelings–exercise helps increase feel good chemicals to boost your mood and produces a relaxation response. So what’s your favorite way to reduce stress at the gym?

Usually I gravitate toward a solo run on the treadmill to relieve stress. I can be in complete control, sprint out any negative feelings and listen to my favorite music to get it all done. If my stress is more anger based though, nothing feels better than a martial arts class. Whether I get to throw punches in a ring or just do a couple round house kicks into the air, sometimes it helps to visualize myself having the power over whatever made me mad. Though there’s also something to be said for the relaxing power of yoga and forcing ourselves to slow down. If a calming practice is more your pace, next time you’re feeling frazzled try Self’s stress-reducing workout based on Tai Chi.

Last week I took a sculpt class and we did these silly (or so I thought) exercises where we were standing and bending side to side. The instructor warned us that we’d feel it the next day, but it didn’t really seem hard at the time. And oh boy did I feel it the next day. It was incredible! So this week, I introduce you to the “harder than it looks” Standing Side Crunch. You’ll feel this one in your obliques and glutes.

Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent pulling your navel in to your spine. Next, lift your right leg with your knee bent at 90 degrees and turned out to the side. Put your hands behind your head and bend your right elbow toward your right knee. Do 15 reps on each leg. Aim for 3 sets

Here’s a tough 2 minute sequence from Violet Zaki, a top NYC fitness instructor. It’s a string of several classic ab and pilates moves that will help you work toward that six pack. Think it’s easy? Do it twice. I promise you’ll feel it!

Need extra motivation to get to the gym or to go for a hike today? A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine followed over 2,000 twins for a year and discovered that the DNA of the active sibling (90 minutes of vigorous exercise a week) appeared four years younger than the DNA of the sedentary sibling.

So the May issue of Shape concludes that “for every minute you sweat it out per week, you can take about 16 days off your age.” Ok, let’s calculate this. Take the number of minutes you work out per week on average (say 3 hours a week or 180 minutes) and multiply that by 16 (days). Divide that number (2880 in this case) by 365 (days in a year) to find out how many years younger you are thanks to your active lifestyle. In this example it’s 7.89 years! Pretty impressive, but remember that in reality there are a bunch of other factors that affect aging as well. For a better calculation on how your good and bad health habits affect your age, take the Real Age test.

Here’s a killer ab exercise from Shape’s Best Tested Ab Moves Workout: The Bridge with Leg Extension.

Lie on your back with your knees bent and both feet on the floor. Anchor yourself with your hands at your side. Pull your navel toward your spine, contracting your abs. Lift your body up so only your shoulder blades are touching the floor, making sure your body forms a straight line. Hold this pose for 30 seconds.

Then, while you’re still in the lifted position, extend your left leg out at hip height. Hold, then switch to lift your right leg, keeping your hips elevated the whole time. Alternate back and forth 8 times. Rest, then do another set. You’ll feel the burn in your abs (including your obliques) and lower back.

Lately I’ve had a lot of people asking me questions about how many calories you should be eating each day and how to determine ideal body weight. Well, I’ve searched the Web and came up with a few great tools you can use to get all the numbers right.

Ideal Body Weight

Daily Calorie Needs

Daily Protein Needs

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Target Heart Rate Calculator

If you don’t see a tool for everything you’re wondering about here, let me know and I’ll hunt down the best calculator for you.