Even at a lower intensity, one hour of running/jogging can burn between 450-600 calories. It's different depending on weight- there are calculators for that online.
Benefits of running/jogging:
- great for the cardiovascular system
- maintains an overall toned body
- builds stamina and endurance
- great exercise for weight loss
- burns tons of calories
- reduces stress
Things to keep in mind before/while going for a jog or a run:
- wear good supportive shoes when running on concrete
- running along the beach in sand is great too and that can be done barefoot if you prefer
- keep hydrated!
- if you feel your mouth beginning to dry up, stop and take a few sips of water
- music always helps pump me up
- make a playlist and pick a fun, scenic neighborhood to jog through-it's more enjoyable
When you're working out at the gym, try and incorporate running or jogging around the track for 20-30 minutes as a warm up. Don't forget to stretch!
If you are doing an at home workout, try going for a run a few times a week around your neighborhood to switch it up from the track.
One more thing for the ladies-
Don't be afraid to sweat! It's great for your skin, so wash off the makeup and break a sweat when running or working out!
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It's good to work only a couple muscle groups at a time when you go to the gym. I do legs & abs and arms & back together. This is a great legs/abs workout to try and do a few times a week!
First, take a few minutes to stretch. Then start with a plank.
Planks: Planks
are one of the best exercises you can do for an overall body tone.
Planks flatten and tighten up your abs, and work your arms, back, and
legs too! Plank for 1 minute then take a rest for 30 seconds and plank
again! Repeat a couple times in between exercises throughout the
workout.
Crunches with weights on the machine: Using
a machine that allows you to extend past the floor helps reach those
lower abs. Doing this exercise with a weight strengthens your abs and
flattens them as you stretch back. This is a very controlled exercise
and produces the same effect that crunches on a big blue exercise ball
would. Do 3 sets of 15 crunches for this one. If you still feel like
you can do more, do 2-3 more sets of these later on in your workout. You
can also use this type of machine for your obliques, lying sideways
and bending over the edge, extending you torso past where the floor
would be. This can be done with or without weights. For the obliques,
do 3 sets of 15 side crunches.
Side to side abs with weights (as shown in the picture)
I usually use a weight that's between 12-16 lbs.
Do three reps of 60 (30 per side)
It sounds like a lot, but it's a fairly quick-paced exercise.
This will leave your abs feeling strong and tight.
Squats: Squats
are great for the legs and butt. These can be done with or without
weights. When doing squats, make sure that your knees never pass your
toes. (see in picture) Keep your back straight and stick your bottom
out like a duck. This is a great overall thigh/butt toner. Do 3 reps
of 30 alternating with another exercise to make things more
interesting. (see below)
Side leg lifts/front leg lifts: Lift
your leg up to roughly a 45 degree angle and lower, then bring your leg
to the front and then back over your other leg. Repeat this 25 times
and do 2-3 sets.
Criss Cross toes: Turn
out your legs (like in ballet) and point those toes while quickly criss
crossing them, switching with one food crossing in the front and then
the next time that foot goes to the back. Switch back and forth about
12 times (trust me it hurts) and do 3 sets. This exercise will work
your inner thighs like no other and will give you long, lean,
beautifully sculpted legs.
Leg downs: Fantastic
for lower abs! Bring your legs up to about a 45/50 degree angle and
slowly bring them down to the mat/machine. Make sure your legs don't
actually touch the mat when they come down. It's all about control for
this one and holding those abs tight. Do 2 sets of 10 for this one.
Leg Lifts: Extremely effective ab workout. Using your own body weight is a great way to strengthen your muscles.
Do
3 sets of 15. From a relaxed position, bring legs up slowly to a 90
degree angle. Then drop them down slowly and controlled.
Keep
your back on the cushion and don't let it curve forward. Also, make
sure you don't swing your legs up to the 90 degrees position.
Calf raises: Stand
tip toed and slowly bring your heels down again. Repeat this 25 times
and do 2-3 sets. These shape beautiful calf muscles. Weights are
optional. (I usually use between 14-18lb weights)
For this workout, you can do lunges
around the track. I usually power walk on the longer ends of the track
and on the smaller ends of the ovular rectangle, I do lunges. These
work your entire leg, but mainly butt and thighs. With lunges, you also
want to make sure that your knees aren't passing your toes either like I
showed you in the picture above for the squats. If you don't make sure
of this, your knees will suffer.
Good luck! (=
Good luck! (=
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Refer back to my post about the benefits to shorter, quicker, faster workouts. I'll do them whenever I can't make it to the gym or in addition.
Click here for a great butt and thigh slimming workout that you can easily do on a mat or towel at home if you can't make it out to the rec!
It only takes about 19 minutes and by going to the Fitness Blender website you can see roughly how much calories are burned and the website also suggests to do a 5-15 minutes of cardio before doing this routine to warm up those muscles and get that metabolism going!
This is a great cardio workout too: Calorie Blasting Cardio Boot Camp Workout
This cardio workout has 3 rounds and even doing just 1 of these rounds before doing the butt and thigh slimming workout is a great warm up.
Either of these routines leaves you feeling accomplished for the day as if you went to the gym and are great for an overall caloric burn.
I suggest doing these 3-4 times a week! Stay tuned for more at home exercise routine suggestions (=
This quick 10 minute leg workout will make your legs burn and you'll feel amazing after doing it! Best part is that you can do it right in your living room and it only takes 10 minutes!! Be prepared to sweat though! Awesome for both men and women.
Seriously guys, doing this killer leg workout 4-5 times a week will make such a difference! No weights needed, but if you desire, you may. Totally up to you!
I'll be posting some more ab workouts that you can do at home or at the rec so stay tuned!
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Doing a faster paced workout with less breaks and more intensity is much more effective than a drawn out workout with half the effort put it. It is also a lot easier to get yourself to the gym knowing that you won't be there for hours on end.
Spend a quick 45 minutes to an hour 4-5 times a week and you'll see great results. In addition to this, I recommend doing some sort of activity daily.
Whether it's going for a walk, taking a hike, doing some squats or planks, or even stretching will help build healthy muscles and will keep that metabolism working.
So make sure you get off the couch and do something! Now that summer is here, play a game of volleyball or basketball. Go for a swim! There are tons of fun activities you can do throughout the summer that will keep you fit. Just watch the sugar intake and all the other good stuff as well.
Smoothies are a great snack during the summer. Refer back to my post "All-fruit smoothies" for some ideas.
& keep eating healthy! Below are some quick links to older blog posts with recipes and snack ideas.
Quick healthy snacks
Healthy breakfasts
Healthy dinners
Breakfast and lunch meals
- both homemade and stuff to get at restaurants
Chicken wraps
More recipes and healthy eats (with pictures) coming soon!
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