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Fitness Machines
Fittingly Mad: Crap in the Snack Machine
Doritos, Fritos, Oreos, gummy bears, Lays potato chips, Snickers, M&Ms, Butterfingers, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Hershey Bars, Lifesavers, Twizzlers! I know this sounds like a PMS wish list, but this is the "food" in the snack vending machine where I work. You call that crap a snack?!
Fitness 101: Smith Machine
When it comes to strength training, I am usually a free weight kind of gal. Then I learned to love the cable pulley machine. I was still looking to branch out a little more, so my trainer Hannah introduced me to the Smith machine.
Fit Tip: Use the Diagrams on the Machines
If you've never used a weight machine before, rather than mimicking the guy next to you or just guessing how to use it, look at the little diagrams provided on each machine. You may or may not know this but every machine states what it does and how you should use it. What's more?
Fit Tip: Use Cardio Machines in a Different Way
Since the weather isn't quite warm enough for most of us to exercise outdoors, many of us have been using cardio machines at the gym. They can get pretty boring since they're so repetitive, so try to think of different and maybe even unexpected ways to use them to keep your workouts fresh. Not only will this keep you from getting bored at the gym, but you'll work different muscles too.
Do You Have to Wait to Use Cardio Machines at Your Gym?
Since the New Year, my gym has been pretty packed. If I go during popular times of the day, before or after work, or lunchtime, I often have to wait until someone gets off the treadmill or elliptical in order to use it. When I finally do get on a machine, I hate that other people are standing around waiting for me to get off.
Stop Hating the Gym and Start Loving It
If you are dreading moving your workouts indoors due to falling temperatures, let me help you learn to love, or at least tolerate, the gym. Here are some common reasons people hate hitting the gym, and solutions to help you overcome the hurdles.
I hate the gym because .
You Asked: Cardio Machine Accuracy?
You're asking and I'm answering . . .
Uncomfortably Numb
Does this happen to you: About half way through your workout on a cardio machine, especially the elliptical or the arc trainer, your toes get numb?
If you suffer from toe numbness try these quick fixes:
- Loosen up your laces. Give your toes enough room in the toe box (which is where your toes sit in a shoe) by lacing them loosely at the toes to allow for expansion.
- Get fitted for a pair of sneakers so they are sized correctly.
Exercise, Weight Loss, and the Fat Burning Zone
Much has been made of late about exercise and its relation to weight loss. There was the Time cover story The Myth About Weight Loss and a recent article on the topic in the New York Times, which recommended working out in the fat burning zone.
You see the phrase on all types of cardio machines: the fat burning zone, aka the "weight loss zone," means working out at a lower intensity to burn fat as fuel.
Best Buy No Longer Just Selling Couch-Potato Electronics
When I hear my husband is headed to Best Buy, I get a bit nervous. My fears my be slightly allayed by the fact that select outlets of this electronics mecca will be selling my favorite fitness accessory that features a computer chip: heart rate monitors. Forty stores in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Texas will be selling HRMs as well as pedometers and gear for swimming, yoga, and Pilates enthusiasts.
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