Lose Weight in Less Time with Interval Training!

by Kathy Smith

I spoke to Self Magazine recently for a piece they were doing on anti-aging workouts.  What are the secret moves that keep beauties like Demi Moore looking so young? I’ll tell you, to keep our bodies burning fat, we need to keep it guessing and mix up our routines. One of the best ways to do that is to HIIT train or interval train.

Interval training refers to the bursts of extra energy and intensity we can add to our workouts. For example, if you’re trotting on your treadmill at 4 mph (a nice, law-abiding speed), and then you increase your speed to 8 mph for 30 seconds . . . that’s an interval.  It’s a dig-down-deep exertion that you can only maintain for a short time.

4 Reasons to Start Using Intervals TODAY!

1)  Interval training burns calories faster.  Who doesn’t want to shave off extra fat? As you exercise, your body establishes a certain metabolic rate that matches the workout rate. By adding a surge of high intensity, you can increase that metabolic rate. Your body will burn calories at that higher rate longer even after you’ve returned to “normal” speed.

2) Interval training increases your fitness level.  Without an extra physical push, you will not increase your aerobic speed, muscle, or endurance. When you add intervals to your workout suddenly your all-out-efforts begin to get easier, which means you can push yourself further next time around so you can keep seeing results.

3) Interval training sheds intramuscular fat.  Do you have a zone of stubborn fat on the butt, the gut, or the thighs? Some of these so-called “problem areas” contain fat that is marbled into the muscle, so typical aerobic workouts can’t really tap into them. Interval training, however, can target those body parts and finally reduce the fat.

4) Interval training makes your workout a lot more exciting.  Although it can be challenging, interval training is enjoyable. Not only will it break up the monotony of a clock-watching workout, but those little bursts of energy give you something to look forward to. Plus, interval training causes your body to shoot a burst of feel-good hormones into the blood stream, contributing to what is sometimes referred to as “runner’s high.”

When I think of interval training the word “burst” comes to mind because that’s really what it is – quick bursts of energy to help you breakthrough or “burst” through your fitness barriers to next level. Once you start experiencing the benefits, those little bursts will become your new best friends.

Make it happen!
Kathy Smith

Kathy

Gut Health and the Brain

by Kathy Smith

Gut Health and the Brain

When you have a “gut feeling” about something, you should probably pay attention. The gut is loaded with nerve tissue and is sometimes called the second brain…it’s why you get butterflies when excited or gastrointestinal distress when you’re emotionally stressed.

Your gut is one of the most important organs for a healthy brain. Scientists are recognizing that digestive issues like constipation, irritable bowel, candida, acid reflux and diarrhea triggers silent inflammation and affects your mood and your brain function…so a balanced gut will help improve brain health.

The billions of microorganisms that are present in the gut are what keep things working. For a healthy gut, it’s important to have more good organisms than bad ones. When the balance shifts, your body fights off the bad bacteria, which leads to inflammation. And chronic inflammation increases your risk for certain diseases like cardiovascular disease and heart disease.

One of the most noticeable reactions to inflammation is a drop in energy. But your gut and your brain are also not working at their highest level when inflammation is present. The greater the level of inflammation in your digestive system, the greater likelihood that your brain will be affected, shifting your moods and making you less focused and foggy.

Studies have shown that specific good bacteria in the gut can short circuit certain hormones. When you’re experiencing stress, your body releases the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Too high a level of these hormones in your body not only increases inflammation, but makes you feel edgy, anxious or even depressed. A healthy balance of a wide variety of good bacteria sends signals to your brain that it’s not necessary to send these hormones out into your body, leading to improved, calmer mood.

The right combination of foods is one of the best ways to balance your gut. Adding probiotics helps reduce inflammation in the gut, which allows the good bacteria to flourish. Probiotics include: Miso, kimchi, live yogurts, kombucha, water kefir, milk kefir, sauerkraut and cabbage. 

Adding probiotics to your meals is easier than you think. I like to add sauerkraut to my salads and probiotics in my protein shakes. Kefir is a great way to start your probiotic adventure because its flavor is similar to yogurt and it has a drinkable consistency. In fact, most kefir is available in bottles and sold as smoothies. Naturally fermented pickles are a crunchy way to balance your gut.

And one of the most surprising, enjoyable and by far easiest ways to improve gut balance doesn’t even involve food. Studies have shown that spending time with your pet increases the good bacteria in your gut. Maybe dog kisses aren’t so bad after all!

Kathy

Balance And Brain Health

by Kathy Smith

Scientists and anthropologists believe that a human’s ability to stand on two feet requires a major amount of brainpower. Balance and walking is an “all systems go” accomplishment. As you age, balance becomes more challenging and more important…especially for the health of your brain.

Your eyes, ears, brain and your sense of body position are the three main sensory circuits that work together to keep you in balance. Your eyes analyze ongoing visual cues and send signals to our brain to alert joints and muscles how to move when. At the same time, a tiny, fluid-filled tube in your ear canal sends messages to your central nervous system about the position of your head. All of these elements are controlled by your brain. So, if you’re experiencing loss of motor coordination, such as having a hard time balancing, it could suggest damage in the brain.

Your “spatial navigation” ability – being able to move through your environment – is closely connected to learning and memory. When spatial navigation ability is impaired through lack of balance, brain function can also be impaired.

What if I told you that a simple balance test could help you gage the health of your brain? Here’s a 90-second test that will help you determine if it’s time for a balance tune-up.

Your eyes will be closed during this test, so you’ll need a partner to time you with a stopwatch (or any watch that has a second hand) and to make sure you don’t fall.

1. Stand barefoot on a hard floor and close your eyes.

2. If you’re right-handed, use your right leg as support and bend your left knee and lift the left foot. If you’re left-handed, use your left leg as support and bend your right knee and lift the right foot. You only need to lift your foot about 6 inches. Don’t worry about accuracy – an estimate is fine.

3. Ask your test partner to start timing how long you can hold the foot-lifted position without wobbling or opening your eyes.

4. Repeat the test three times, add up your total of the times you were able to stand still, and divide it by 3 to determine your average balance time. For instance, if your first balance time was 6 seconds, your second balance time was 5 seconds and your third balance time was 7 seconds, 6 + 5 + 7 = 18. Then to find the average. 18/3 = average balance time of 6 seconds.

5. Check the list below to see if you fall in the average zone for your age:

Average time for 50-year olds is 9 seconds
Average time for 60-year olds is 7 seconds
Average time for 70-year olds is 4 seconds

Notice that as you age, your balance ability decreases. As the years go by, eyesight often diminishes, muscles shrink and reaction time gets slower. But balance is something you can improve, no matter what your age.

Kathy

1 Tummy Trick You’ve NEVER Tried

by Kathy Smith

Here’s an amazing idea…You can tighten your tummy without any more dreaded crunches. In fact, today I want to show you a mini belly-strengthening trick that will grant impressive results. I’m willing to bet that it’s a trick you’ve never (ever) tried before.

It’s called the “stomach vacuum with a lift.” This isometric contraction has nothing to do with your Hoover, but this vacuum should be part of your weekly routine  This trick helps strengthen your transverse abdominis, the abdominal muscle that I call your “built in spanx.”

Here’s how to start:

1. While on all fours, contract your abdominal muscles, cinching your abs toward your spine. Be sure to not hunch your shoulders.
2. Focus on lifting your knees ever-so-slightly off the mat by creating this small abdominal contraction. Your knees will lift only a minimal amount off the floor…if at all. Remember, the key is to create the lift with your abdominals, not by rolling your weight into your shoulders and lifting your hips.

After practicing this technique for a month or two, your jeans should zip up a little easier!

Kathy

Pilates For Thinner Thighs

by Kathy Smith

Look no further for stronger thighs than this classic Pilates move! In this action, the top leg works as resistance while lifting the bottom leg toward the ceiling.

Kathy

Can You Pass The Balance Challenge?

by Kathy Smith

You’ve probably heard that your weekly dose of exercise should be 150 minutes per week. And, you may have given yourself a high-five because you faithfully tie up your workout shoes every day. But even the most dedicated gym-goers can wind up with holes in their workout routine. There’s a high likelihood that you (yes….I’m looking at you) are missing one vital part of your routine…balance.

Yes, balance training helps to prevent falls as you age.  And yes, it helps with core stabilization to help perfect your posture and improve coordination. But, it’s much more than that. Balance training also strengthens your neuromuscular coordination, meaning that it improves the communication between your muscles and brain.

In today’s blog, I’ll show you 4 techniques for beginning your balance training:

1.  Beginner’s Test
   Let’s start by testing your level of stability. To do this, start by standing with a wide stance and slowly heel-toe your feet together…they should be touching. This is a very basic first step to test your balance. If this feels comfortable, move on to step two.
2. Take the Flamingo Challenge
   This is a drill that’s designed to enhance your ability to balance while moving or while stationary. It’s one of the most basic balance exercises. To do the flamingo, stand on one leg for 30 seconds with your arms relaxed by your sides. You’ll most likely use your dominant leg. Lift one of your legs, so you’re balancing yourself on one leg. After 30 seconds, switch to the other leg.Now, jazz it up! While still standing on one leg, start slowly swinging your suspended foot forward, back and out to the side. This is a dynamic action, so you’ll feel all the muscles of your stabilizing leg working hard to keep stationary.
3. Balancing Act
   Think that’s easy? Now try the same move with your eyes closed. Your body will begin to sway in every direction! The ultimate goal here is to develop enough balance (and confidence!) to eventually stand still during the move. By simply closing your eyes, your stabilization muscles will work overtime.

No matter what your age, balance improves your posture, your core, and your confidence.

Kathy

Metabolism-Boosting Yoga

by Kathy Smith

Yoga has always been more than just a form of exercise for me. It also releases stress and gives me greater peace of mind. Of course, improved flexibility, range of motion, coordination, posture, concentration and circulation are amazing benefits, too!

This week, I asked my Facebook community to share their views on yoga. I was surprised when an overwhelming amount said they don’t practice this ancient art, because they don’t think it would help them lose weight.

So, today, let’s dig deeper into this issue. TRUE OR FALSE: Is yoga a powerful way to burn fat fast? 

Maybe you want a quick answer to the question, “Is yoga a good weight loss exercise?” Like many questions in life, the answer is it all depends. With weight loss and yoga, it depends on the style of yoga you’re doing. There are slow, fluid classes that are more about stretching, and there are other classes that are more about power, speed, and strength. All yoga is beneficial to your health, your mind and your overall well-being, but which style you choose will determine how many calories you’ll burn.

If you’re looking to lose weight with yoga, here are 3 reasons why it’s a good idea to start today:

1. “Vinyasa Flow” classes burn 3 times as many calories as traditional “Hatha” yoga!

Since you burn calories in your sleep, it’s safe to say that all yoga styles burn calories. To burn the most calories, find a yoga class that focuses on strength, fluidity, flow, or power. Typically, these classes will be called “Vinyasa Flow” or “Power Yoga” and you’ll definitely break a sweat in these classes because you’ll not only burn calories, but you’ll also increase your heart rate. You can burn up to 597 calories in a Vinyasa Flow class, compared to 189 calories in “Hatha” yoga, a style that’s more relaxing and focuses on flexibility.

Beyond having great weight-loss potential as an exercise, yoga offers an important mind-body connection that is just what you need when it comes to dropping the pounds.

2. To reduce your caloric intake throughout the day, take mindfulness off the mat and into your life.

Research shows that the mindfulness side of yoga has a strong correlation with weight loss. That’s because the mindfulness that you practice in yoga is carried into your daily life. Managing temptation through good decision-making is easier when you practice yoga, because you’ll learn balance, confidence, and relaxation so you can be fully present in each moment and make decisions that are beneficial to your health.

The stillness of being in the moment helps you make healthier decisions throughout the day, especially when you’re faced with a choice like, “Should I have a brownie or should I have some strawberries?”

Most yogis also find that their practice develops keen awareness because of the mind-body connection that is created through yoga. Awareness is exactly what you need for successful weight loss – both to be conscious of when you’re full and to completely appreciate healthy food choices and the positive effect they have on your body.

Toned, lean muscles have a flattering effect on every body and provide a self-esteem boost as you travel on your weight loss journey. Yoga is an excellent body-weight workout that develops the muscle mass you need to fire up your metabolism.

3. To burn more calories after class, perform strength-training poses.

Yoga helps develop strength without bulk. Some yoga poses require you to hold your own body weight while controlling your breath. While you’re bearing this weight you build muscle in your entire body…from your arms to your core to your calves! Because you’re focusing on your breath, you’re less likely to be aware of the effort it takes to create those lovely muscles. But this is exactly why yoga has so many devoted followers – the muscle definition that seems to magically appear. This increased muscle mass will also help you move more efficiently throughout the day, which helps burn extra calories!

Have I won you over yet? If it’s weight loss help you’re looking for, yoga provides it and then some! It will not only help you lose weight, it will also improve your balance, strength, coordination, flexibility, cardiovascular health and physical confidence. Give yoga a try with my Yoga Sculpt Workout!

Kathy

The latest blog from Kathy Smith is now posted!

You can find it at this link: Fit Forever with Kathy!

Thanks!

Step Up To Strong!

by Kathy Smith

Who says you can’t torch fat WHILE strength training? It’s time to dust off your step, because this throwback tool is no longer just used for aerobics. In fact, when used properly, the step is one of the most underutilized pieces of equipment that can transform your triceps, biceps, back and shoulders.

Not only can a traditional step routine pump up your heart rate and focus on your legs and “assets,” but try polishing your routine off by using your step as a workout bench, and adding in some upper-body toning moves.

With a little creativity, there are countless upper-body strengthening moves you can use with your step bench. 

Don’t miss the 4-minute upper body step workout video below! Pick up your weights, and let’s step it up!

Own your copy of Kathy Smith's Power Step Workout today!

Kathy

6 Weird Ways to Drop The Last 10 Lbs

by Kathy Smith

I am often asked about this dilemma: Why, after working out for months and months, altering their lifestyles and changing their diets, do many people get stuck on a “weight loss plateau.” Bringing us the question, “How the heck DO I lose those last ten pounds?”

Most people become locked in to their everyday routine, the one they used to lose weight and improve their cardiovascular health. But as their bodies have changed they’ve become more efficient, so the routine that once seemed like a killer now burns fewer calories. At best, this level of activity helps to maintain current weight and fitness levels, but does nothing to move us off the “ten-pounds-to-go” plateau.

Losing those last stubborn pounds simply requires an increase in your exercise intensity a couple days a week—one that enables you to reach and maintain 80-85 percent of your maximum heart rate. When you reach that level, your metabolism gets an additional boost; moreover, the benefits of that boost last longer, so you burn more calories and fat at rest, not just during the workout. While the idea of working out harder, faster or longer than you’ve become used to may be daunting, the process itself can actually be pleasurable once you start to see the pounds drop.

Ready to melt away even more pounds? Here are 6 tips to to slide down the scale:

• Lift heavier weights. By simply using a heavier dumbbell, you nudge your body to move the needle. Lifting heavier weights raises your hormone levels, which allows your body to burn fat longer after your workout is complete. And I promise…adding a few extra pounds to your strength training routine won’t make you bulk up.

• Switch up the time or place you workout. By changing simple elements of your routine, it will make your workout feel fresh again. So instead of hitting the gym after work, try rearranging your schedule to workout before your morning shower. This change is stimulating, and can give you motivation to push yourself a little harder.

• Don’t Be A Stress Mess. When your body is stressed, your adrenal glands pump out extra cortisol, which causes an imbalance in your natural hormone rhythms. Extra cortisol triggers your body to hold on to fat and hinder you from reaching your weight loss goals. While nobody has a completely stress-free life, it’s important to reduce your stress to reign in cortisol.
• Add avocado to your day. The simple three-letter word “fat” may make you steer clear, but adding healthy fats (found in avocados, nuts, salmon, and coconut oil) can actually help your body shed pounds. And as a bonus, they’re packed with omega-3s, which help your body fight inflammation.

• Be a weekend warrior. A shocking study found that even dieters consume an extra 420 calories on the weekend. Although it may not seem like a lot, adding a few hundred extra goodies can stall your weight loss goals.

• Add other simple ways to burn more calories to your daily routine, like using an ankle cuff resistance band at your desk. Yes, sitting is the new smoking, so add some movement to your desk routine to keep your body in motion.

Remember, the greatest benefits of fitness has little to do with thinner thighs and tighter tummies. Those are just the bonuses. The true gifts that come from a healthy lifestyle are much more profound. The exercises below can improve mental and emotional health, mood, vitality, energy, happiness, and lifespan!

Kathy

3 AT-HOME MASSAGES FOR INSTANT CALM

by Kathy Smith

3 AT-HOME MASSAGES FOR INSTANT CALM

You don’t have to check into a spa to unwind. For serenity now, try one of these 3 at-home massage methods.

1. Check The Stick, But Keep The Ball

Lacrosse balls are becoming the go-to tool for easing muscle tension after a workout, which is why so many fitness trainers love them. They’re perfect for easing out muscle knots or pressing into and stretching muscles  to help reduce inflammation and promote healing. Try this: Place the ball against a wall between your shoulder blades and roll your body back and forth and in circles over it. You control the pressure pushing against the ball. Whether you like a hurts-so-good sensation or more gentle pressure, your muscles will thank you.

The coolest new gadget I found at this year’s IDEA convention was theTiger Ball…a ball massage on a rope. Now, you don’t have to worry about the ball slipping! It’s perfect for busting out knots, trigger poitns, and sore muscles in the back, shoulders, legs, and other spots that want deep pressure.

2. Make The Beastie Your Bestie

This 3” ball, called the “Beastie” has firm but flexible bumps gets into nooks and crannies where you didn’t even know muscles were hiding. Try this for a mid-day relaxation break: Place the Beastie on  your wall and move your back up, down, and around on top of it. Ahh…instant calm.

3. Smooth on the oil, smooth off the tension

Oil massage is considered a preventive in ayurvedic medicine. It is designed to tone the skin, smooth the muscles, stimulate circulation of blood and the lymphatic system, leaving your body feeling wonderfully sleek and alive. Sesame seed oil, olive oil, almond oil, or coconut oil may be used. If you’re buying a prepared massage oil, make sure it has one of these oils as the main ingredient. When I have time, I like to blend sesame and almond oil and add a bit of essential oil such as frankincense, lavender, or eucalyptus for a “scent”-sational massage.

Start your self-massage standing up.  For best results, leave the oil on your body for at least ninety minutes before showering off. I like to do this massage just after a shower in the evening. I towel off the excess oil, put on my comfortable nightclothes, and enjoy the lingering sensations and relaxing scents before going to bed. The oil is completely absorbed by the time I climb into the sheets 

Unlike in Swedish massage, the hands do not knead or dig deeply into the muscles in an oil massage. Instead, the palms remain flat and are brushed, or drawn, evenly over the skin with only moderate pressure, as though you were smoothing wrinkles from a bed sheet.

In the ayurvedic tradition, oil massage is often done at a brisk tempo that can actually be aerobic if done for thirty minutes or more. But I like to do it at a slow, steady pace that allows time to enjoy the sensations. Feel free to linger over an area for greater stimulation. Try spending extra time on your ankles, wrists, backs of the knees, or any area that feels especially good.

Kathy