Reading Round-Up: Articles for the Fitness Lover

Well, school is getting ready to start-up again for many teachers and students out there, so what better way to celebrate than talking about great reads. There have been some pretty great, share-worthy articles I came across during my Sunday morning internet perusal. These are some super quick and super great health and fitness reads that perked my interest and were a great way to start off a healthy, happy week. Plus, inspirational articles and fun new workouts have never done me wrong :) 

Elizabeth Banks Workout

This is not an article, but the video has some great exercises that I will definitely be incorporating into my workouts this week. All of the exercises are ones that Elizabeth Banks uses to keep her body up to move star expectations. Each exercise is also explained by Elizabeth's trainer. My personal favorite is the single leg squat to iron cross, although the split jumps to a deep lunge are pretty great too!

Water Intake During a Workout

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During my ballet training years I was taught not to drink water until the class was over. If I ever did need some water, my instructor would let me take no more than two swallows during breaks. Now, I wonder which is better, drinking during a workout or waiting until the end? Apparently, I am not the only one who has pondered this workout dilemma. This article looks into when we should drink water and how much more water we should drink on days that we workout.

15-Minute Body Weight Workout

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With school starting and lives picking back up after the summer lul, most people could use a quick workout that will still give there heart a healthy kick. Enter the 15-Minute Body Weight Workout at Women's Health Magazine online. This workout is filled with lots of fun moves that will work the entire body and still leave time for everything else in your day. The workout is quite simple and requires no exercise equipment. Honestly, you barely need shoes or a sport bra to complete this one.  

Recommended Weekly Exercise

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Have you ever wondered how much exercise you should be doing in a day and if there really is a difference between an hour-long sweat session and a few 15-minute runs? I have. This article talks about recent research done into that very question. This survey was completed using over 2,000 adults in Canada who exercised a total of 150 hours per week, ranging between one long workout day to seven shorter workouts per week. What they found is pretty interesting and goes a long way in taking that workout guilt away.

Celebrity Health Trends

Shape online has started a pretty cute weekly rundown on all things celebrity health related. Each week they will be giving updates on those funny celebrity health trends along with who is doing it and why. This week is all about the healthie- a healthy selfie, pie (yes, you read right), Jennifer Aniston, swimwear, and who other than Lady Gaga. The best part, you will find no TMZ styled celebrity gossip; just a few of the health and fitness trends from some favorite Hollywood starlets.

Women's Health Workout Review: Sculpt Sexy Legs in Record Time

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The August issue of Women's Health magazine has quite a few great looking workouts and interesting articles. But, the one that has gotten my attention the quickest is the 15-minute workout for sculpting great legs. The workout is simple enough, being comprised of four moves done three times with a one to two minute break between each circuit. 

The workout was created by Alli McKee, a personal trainer based out of Baltimore. McKee says that the secret to this workout getting such great results is how it works all of the largest muscle groups of the legs. By working all of these large muscle groups, we are able to build more muscle, burn more calories, and increase our metabolic rate for longer after the workout is complete.

The only downside I can see to this workout before completing it is that is takes three different type of equipment. If you are able to complete this workout at a gym or you have all of these already, there is really no issue. Resistance bands, weights, and stability balls are all great for working the legs and can all be found in this workout.  

The Workout

The entire workout took me 18-minutes and burned 131 calories. That is a pretty great calorie burn considering that my heart reate never went above 80%! I must admit though, A 1-2 minute break between circuits just seemed like too much, so I took it down to 30-seconds between each circuit. If I took the recommended 1-2 minutes, this workout would have been upwards of 20-minutes long.

Each exercises gives a range of reps to complete from 10-12 for some, to 30-40 for others. I completed the max amount of reps during my first and third circuit and the minimum for the second for all exercises but the first. The first exercise was doing too much saddlebag toning and was way too much fun to end at 30 reps alone. This resistance band move was the only move I did max reps for during every circuit- I just loved it too much to stop.

Out of the four moves in the workout, the two beginning exercises were the hardest for me and the last two felt more like a cool down than an intense workout. Each exercise works a different part of the legs, ranging from upper bum to saddlebags to inner thighs- the last exercise even worked those hard to reach muscle behind the knee. This workout was a great leg workout introduction. It is something that beginners can do without feeling too overwhelmed and advanced fitness buffs can do after their usual routine or for a bit of a switch up.

After this workout I went on to complete today's squat challenge. My legs were crying.  

30 Day Squat Challenge

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30 Day Fitness Challenges created this insane squat challenge that I have started. Honestly, I thought that the first few days were a bit of a joke... Until I woke-up one morning unable to sit down or stand up. I would completely recommend this 30-day challenge to anyone who wants to tone their legs and gain some muscle in the process.  

If this workout challenge is still not enough for your Hulk-sized fitness enthusiasm, try some of their other intense 30-day challenges along with it. The site is comprised of plenty of 30-day challenges that will tone, tighten, and increase your current fitness levels. The 30-day Ab Challenge and 30-day Beach Body Challenge definitely increase the burn, running the gambit of different intense exercise moves that are alternated from day to day. And just in case you were wondering, yes, there are rest days along the way. Thank heaven.

The Benefits of Kettlebells

Over the past year or so kettlebells have been getting tons of attention from the health and fitness world with their ballistic exercises that increase cardiovascular strength, muscle growth, and fat loss. Kettlebells are an iron weight originally created in Russia. These guys look like an iron connonball with a handle coming out the top and range in weight from about 3 pounds to 30+ pounds. Although the weights are small, one kettlebell can work multiple parts of the body at once; increasing our metabolic rate, and subsequently, our fat loss. A great example of this is the kettlebell swing, a simple move that works the arms, back, glutes, legs, and torso all at the same time. 

A study completely in 2012 by the University of California, Fuller showed that kettlebells build about 10% less muscle than tradition weights. They also burn more fat and give a greater cardiovascular workout. This is partially due to the fact that kettlebells are able to work dozens of muscles throughout the body, and partially due to the fast, repetitive movements that increase one's power endurance. Power endurance is your muscle's ability to perform fast, continuous contractions over an extended period of time. Exercises that increase power endurance are one of the best ways to gain muscle and lose fat while also increasing flexibility and agility- it is also one of the reasons so many athletes are picking up on the kettlebell hype.

The people who use kettlebells span the gambit of different fitness levels and body types. Athletes use kettlebells to increase agility and athletic performance. Celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Penelope Cruz use them to dwindle that mid-section and get those famously strong, lean arms in a limited amount of time. Like yoga or Pilates, kettlebells will also help stretch muscles and increase balance as we use them. The reasons for this are two-part; the swinging motion and broad movements increase muscle flexibility while lubricating joints. Kettlebells are able to help with balance because the weight is being extended out past our center of gravity. A kettlebell handle is about 8-inches long. The main weight we are swinging is about half a foot farther away than the farthest we can reach, making our torso work extra hard to keep our balance in check. 

There are still plenty out there who have either never heard of a kettlebell before, or are not interested in building that sort of muscle. If muscle bulk is your end goal, kettlebells may not be the best for you- they are no match to 300-pound dumbbells. Not a chance. But, if toning, building muscle, and burning fat sound good, these may be your new best friend. When it comes to deciding between dumbbells, kettlebells, and weights; it is really dependent on your preferred outcome. Dumbbells and weights will mainly work one muscle group at a time. This will lead to stronger muscles, but will not do much, if anything, for cardiovascular strength, muscle flexibility, or fat loss. Kettlebells, on the other hand, will work multiple muscle groups. Kettlebell workouts will increase your heart rate so you are getting a cardio workout while building muscle.

The usual kettlebell workout will burn upwards of 20 calories per minute and mirror movements made in daily life, making things like lifting groceries or opening a heavy door easier. There are some great beginner kettlebell workouts out there. This one by Nicole at Pumps and Iron is a great 15-minute workout that will give some major kettlebell results. This YouTube workout by Fitness Blender is a bit longer (30-minutes) but covers a majority of the basic kettlebell moves.

Most trainers recommend starting with an 8-10 pound kettlebell. The lower weight will still give a great workout without being too much to handle. Beginning with a lower weight will also reduce the risk of injury and make proper movement much easier to learn. You can always move to a bigger size once you have mastered the kettlebell movements and feel comfortable with you new weight. In fact, increasing kettlebell weight is highly recommended among fitness experts.