workout

Food & A Good Workout

What I put in my body really makes a difference. I see it all the time, especially with taking this interval training class where we run sprints and jump rope. I always feel like the workout on Thursday morning is more challenging for me than Tuesday’s class. It could be that it comes later in the week, but I think it’s more the fact that I typically eat pizza the night before since we have some people over to watch Survivor. Pizza is delicious, but it’s also salty, cheesy, greasy and generally fatty.

I notice a difference when I run too.
While I guess it may seem like a bit of a pain, I’m glad that I can tell that what I eat affects me. We’ll see if it helps me change my food choices, but it’s certainly good to be aware.

Food & A Good WorkoutMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:55-04:00

Real Inspiration

Yesterday while driving home from the gym I heard and ad on the radio that frustrated me. It was targeting women and trying to sell some kind of weight loss pill. It announced that scientists have said that women over 40 need to workout one hour a day just to maintain their weight, not even lose weight, so obviously everyone should start popping their pills to get skinnier.

It annoyed me that it was targeting women. It annoyed me that it was targeting women over 40. It annoyed me that is was claiming to have an easy fix to weight loss. It annoyed me that it was using what we know about the body against us.

I wished that there were ads that highlighted and inspired people via real life stories of individuals—men and women of all ages—who used diet and exercise to change their weight if needed. I thought of a very close family friend who in her mid fifties lost 50 pounds using weight watchers as a tool. She looks fabulous. I’d argue that she actually looks 30. It’s amazing. Another family friend lost weight by adding a morning exercise routine. Both of these women have […]

Real InspirationMaggie Downie2017-10-25T14:30:13-04:00

The Best Workout Ever

I enjoy working out. I find it fun, but I need variety to keep me motivated so I’ve tried my hand at a lot of different activities. Here are just some: running, hiking, pilates, Tae Bo, yoga, walking, kayaking, golf, volley ball, soft ball, boot camp, jump rope, hula hooping, swimming, biking, ellipticals, challenge courses, rock climbing, stairs, hills, pole dancing, and weights.

I’m sure I’ve done other things, but those just easily come to mind without having to think very hard. Some I enjoy more than others, sometimes I fall in and out of love with some of them. And some are harder than others, but, lately, I have been discovering the most challenging workout of all: KIDS!

A couple weekends ago I baby sat for a one-year-old. She cried for about an hour and a half, but I was able to get her to calm down by entertaining her with physical activity. She would tire of everything after at most 15 minutes so I kept having to change it up. She seemed to most enjoy me […]

The Best Workout EverMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:32:02-04:00

Interval Training

Interval training is when you alternate between high-intensity exercise with low-intensity exercise. At lot of research has proven that interval training is better at burning calories than maintaining one pace through a cardio workout. I’ve read some articles that claim for best results you should alternate every 12 second, but I tried that and it’s virtually impossible. You can’t lose track of what you are doing for a moment, and you are constantly adjusting your pace. Your body really never gets the opportunity to settle in. It was a workout I’m not sure would be realistic for me. I find it’s much easier to interval train when you switch every minute or two.

But according a study at the University of New South Wales, intervals might be really worth trying, if you haven’t already. They found that women who did intervals for 20 minutes burned three times as much fat as women who worked out steadily for 40 minutes.

Interval TrainingMaggie Downie2014-08-04T18:02:58-04:00

Workout Buddy

Sometimes it’s easier to stick to your workout plans if you have a partner to be held accountable to. So tonight call a friend or two and make plans for some kind of workout or physical activity on Saturday. Call another friend for Sunday.

You can plan to go hiking together or just take a walk. Or look for a fun exercise class you’ve felt intimated to try. Going with a friend will make it easier. Make being active fun by doing it with friends and picking movements you like.

Workout BuddyMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:57-04:00