Manduka has recently launched a new collection of yoga mats-for kids! I am so excited!!!
Check out what these kids have to say.
Cant wait to teach my little ones the yogi way!
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Does Weights or Cardio Burn More Calories?
We already know that weights and cardio both go hand in hand for maximum results to your fitness routine, but which one actually burns more calories?
There have been thousands of studies done on this topic it seems, but there’s ONE thing that needs to be made clear:
Your diet is responsible for 75% of your weight loss success or failures. Having a freaking awesome clean diet can get your body to places you never imagined before. Load up on lean proteins, lots of greens, colorful fresh veggies, fruits, and whole carbohydrates and try to stay away from fast foods and things that come pre-packaged.
Let's start with cardio. Cardio is wonderful if you have a few hours to burn your time with, just happen to love running, or have no idea what you are doing in the gym. But it has been proved time and time again that it is NOT as effective as weights in the terms of calorie burn.
So why isn’t cardio efficient when it comes to burning calories? There’s very little Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) with cardio, which means you only burn calories when running; not much happens afterwards. This term refers to how long your metabolism is elevated after exercise, enabling you to burn fat long after finishing your workout. EPOC takes place because your body needs energy to repair your muscles after you've challenged them. Studies show that a well-designed strength program can elevate your EPOC or metabolism for up to 38 hours after the workout.
Per minute, cardio burns more calories than weights, which could explain why compared to strength trainers, aerobic exercisers lose more weight in less time, according to a recent Duke University study.
Still, cardio doesn't do much for your muscles.
Case in point: In one Penn State study, dieters lost 21 pounds whether they performed cardio or strength training. But for the cardio group, six of those pounds came from muscle, while the lifters lost almost pure fat—and probably fit into their skinny jeans better because of it. The goal is not to lose muscle and whither away here-it is for a toned and sexy physique.
Strength training is the number-one way to build more muscle. And for every three pounds of muscle you gain, you can expect to burn an extra 120 calories a day without moving a single one of those muscles! Cool, right?
According to Harvard Medical School, a 155-pound person performing a weight lifting workout burns 112 calories in 30 minutes. However, a 240-pound exerciser expends 133 calories in 30 minutes of doing the same workout. A 155-pound person who jogs at 5 mph for 30 minutes burns 298 calories, while the 185-pound exerciser uses 355 calories in half an hour. By session, cardiovascular workouts clearly burn more calories than weightlifting exercise. "While it is evident that cardiovascular exercise burns more calories than lifting weights, the amount of calories burned after weight training is higher,” reports the CTER Eportfolio System website. Metabolism increases after cardiovascular exercise only lasts 30 to 60 minutes, whereas post weight training metabolism increases up to 38 hours.
The verdict?
A combination of cardio and resistance training gives a multitude of health benefits and will not only result in fat loss, but also tone, and strengthen your body, but it all depends on what your goals truly are.
No matter your goals, one thing is to remain certain: No matter how much exercise you do to burn calories, if you are eating too much and consuming too much energy, you will not get the fat loss that you are aiming for.
Monday, June 23, 2014
Pure Protein Bars & Shake Review
Pure Protein has a selection of bars, powders, and drinks meant to make protein intake easier for those of us on a tight schedule (or with a sweet tooth).
- With a new set of bar flavors, including Strawberry & Blueberry Greek Yogurt, Dark Chocolate Coconut, and my favorite Chocolate Salted Caramel, it’s easy to fall in love with these deceivingly dessert-like supplements.
- Daily Fit Protein Powders have 20g of premium protein with highly sought after ingredients to help boost metabolism. Formulated to help you stay fit, these delicious protein powders help maintain good health and supports lean muscle and strength.
- Got time to cook, but still not getting enough protein? The Pure Protein website offers breakfast, snack and dessert recipes that will get you closer to your daily protein goal!
I had the chance to review the Pure Protein premade shake in the Cookies in Cream flavor-this was actually my favorite product! I drank one each night as a "midnight snack" since I am frequently waking up to nurse my son-I tend to get hungry just as he does! So this is so perfect as it is low in sugar AND calories-and ridiculously yummy.
I had the chance to review several different kinds of Pure Protein bars:
Greek Yogurt Strawberry- OH MY GOD WONDERFUL!
Chewy Chocolate Chip- My husbands favorite. Really good after taste.
Chocolate Peanut Butter- Mmmm peanut buttery goodness.
Double Chocolate Vanilla Crunch- YEAH. This is really really good.
Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch: One word-heaven!
Before these products were sent to me, I had never tried Pure Protein before. I am truly now a huge fan! I cannot wait to try more from them.
Diary of a Fit Mommy's Crazy 8's Workout
Complete each exercise once with 8 repetitions each.
8 Jumping Jacks
8 Bicycle Crunches
8 Mountain Climbers
8 Squats
8 Push Ups
8 Lunges
8 Burpees
8 Tricep Dips
Burpees:
- Begin in a standing position. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart. Now, lower your body into a squatting position, placing your hands on the floor in front of you.
- Kick your feet back so that you are in push-up position. Keep your hands firmly on the ground to support your body.
- Lower your chest to do a push-up. Bring your chest back up.
- Kick your feet back to their original position. Stand up, and then jump into the air while clapping your arms overhead.
- Repeat.
Lunges:
- Stand up straight, with your legs hip-width apart. Place your hands on your hips. Flex your abdominal muscles inward and upward.
- Step forward with your right foot approximately 2 or 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9m). The taller you are, the further you will need to step forward. Keep your back straight as your body moves forward.
- Lift your left foot up slightly, so that the toe is in contact with the floor, but your heel is not.
- Bend both of your knees at the same time. The aim is to make both of your knees stop at a 90 degree angle. Make sure your right knee does not go over your toe line.
- Pause in this position for 1 to 5 seconds. Stopping your forward momentum will help you to put more effort into rising from the lunge.
- Push off of your right heel to rise. Return your right leg to its starting position. Repeat with the left leg.
Mountain Climbers:
- Place hands on floor, slightly wider than shoulder width. On forefeet, position one leg forward bent under body and extend other leg back.
- While holding upper body in place, alternate leg positions by pushing hips up while immediately extending forward leg back and pulling rear leg forward under body, landing on both forefeet simultaneously.
Bicycle Crunches:
- Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground and contract your core muscles.
- With your hands gently holding your head, lift your knees to about a 45-degree angle.
- Slowly, at first, go through a bicycle pedal motion.
- Alternately touching your elbows to the opposite knees as you twist back and forth.
Tricep Dips:
- Position your hands shoulder-width apart on a secured bench or stable chair.
- Slide your butt off the front of the bench with your legs extended out in front of you.
- Straighten your arms, keeping a little bend in your elbows to keep tension on your triceps and off your elbow joints.
- Slowly bend your elbows to lower your body toward the floor until your elbows are at about a 90-degree angle. Be sure to keep your back close to the bench.
- Once you reach the bottom of the movement, press down into the bench to straighten your elbows, returning to the starting position. This completes one rep.
Jumping Jacks:
- Assume an erect position, with feet together and arms at your side.
- Slightly bend your knees, and propel yourself a few inches into the air.
- While in air, bring your legs out to the side about shoulder width or slightly wider.
- As you are moving your legs outward, you should raise your arms up over your head; arms should be slightly bent throughout the entire in-air movement.
- Your feet should land shoulder width or wider as your hands meet above your head with arms slightly bent.
Push-Ups:
- Get into a plank position with hands planted directly under the shoulders (slightly wider than shoulder width apart). Ground the toes into the floor to stabilize the bottom half of the body. Engage the abs and back so the body is neutral. In other words, flat as a… plank (ah, now we get it!)
- Begin to lower the body—back flat, eyes focused about three feet in front of you to keep a neutral neck—until the chest nearly touches the floor. (Note: Some experts say a push-up isn’t a push-up unless the chest actually grazes the ground). Don’t let the butt dip or stick out at any point during the move; the body should remain flat from head to toe all the way through the movement. Draw the shoulder blades back and down, while keeping the elbows tucked close to the body, so the upper arms form a 45-degree angle at the bottom of the push-up position.
- Keeping the core engaged, exhale as you push back to the start position as explosively as possible without leaving the ground.
Squats:
- Plant your feet flat on the ground, about shoulder-width apart.
- Point your feet slightly outward, not straight ahead.
- Never let your knees extend beyond your toes.
- Look straight ahead. Bend at your knees as if you were going to sit back in a chair, keeping your heels on the floor.
- Pull in your abs, and keep your lower back in a near neutral position (a slightly arched back might be unavoidable).
- Tighten your whole body when you perform the squat.
- Lower yourself. In a controlled manner slowly lower yourself down and back so that your upper legs are nearly parallel with the floor. Extend your arms for balance.
- Keep the upper body tight at all times.
Diary of a Fit Mommy's 10 Week Workout Plan
Use your mouse to and hover over the image above to pin to Pinterest for future reference!
Since the colder months are coming up, a ton of you have been asking for fun mini-challenges or workouts that can be done at home with minimal equipment.
Here is a fun little workout that you can do in addition to my 12 week home workout bundle!
Also, be sure to follow me on Instagram and my Facebook page for free recipes, diet tips, workout videos, and motivation.
- 20 Squats
- 15 Second Plank
- 25 Crunches
- 35 Jumping Jacks
- 15 Lunges
- 25 Second Wall Sit
- 10 Sit Ups
- 10 Butt Kicks
- 5 Push Ups
Tuesday
- 10 Squats
- 30 Second Plank
- 25 Crunches
- 10 Jumping Jacks
- 25 Lunges
- 45 Second Wall Sit
- 35 Sit Ups
- 20 Butt Kicks
- 10 Push Ups
Wednesday
- 15 Squats
- 40 Second Plank
- 30 Crunches
- 50 Jumping Jacks
- 25 Lunges
- 35 Second Wall Sit
- 30 Sit Ups
- 25 Butt Kicks
- 10 Push Ups
Thursday
- 35 Squats
- 30 Second Plank
- 20 Crunches
- 25 Jumping Jacks
- 15 Lunges
- 60 Second Wall Sit
- 55 Sit Ups
- 35 Butt Kicks
- 20 Push Ups
Friday
- 25 Squats
- 60 Second Plank
- 30 Crunches
- 55 Jumping Jacks
- 60 Lunges
- 45 Second Wall Sit
- 40 Sit Ups
- 50 Butt Kicks
- 30 Push Ups
Saturday
- REST
Sunday
- REST
Cardio (by week)
- 30 second sprint, 30 second jog (5x)
- 35 second sprint, 45 second jog (6x)
- 45 second sprint, 60 second jog (7x)
- 50 second sprint, 45 second jog (8x)
- 55 second sprint, 30 second jog (7x)
- 60 second sprint, 45 second jog (6x)
- 65 second sprint, 60 second jog (5x)
- 70 second sprint, 45 second jog (6x)
- 75 second sprint, 30 second jog (7x)
- 80 second sprint, 45 second jog (8x)
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