Top 5 Ways To Lose Love Handles

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When your jeans doesn’t fit you or you are not able to wear your favorite dress because of your excess weight then you simply don’t feel good. It is very important to control obesity. People who wish to stay a healthy life and do not invite various kinds of diseases in their life should start making efforts for losing their weight. Here, we tell you about top 5 ways to lose love handles.

By making your abdominal muscles strong and toned, you can expect to lose your love handles. There are various exercises like abdominal crunches which people can do for making their abs and lower back strong. Click here to know more about love handle exercises.

By decreasing your sodium intake, you can expect to lose your love handles. People should know that having more sodium is not only bad for their heart and blood pressure but it also leads to water retention. Water retention causes weight gain. A lot of weight can be lost from the waist by decreasing the amount of sodium, which people consume.

You might be hearing or reading this for a hundredth time while searching for ways to reduce weight. Water helps people in avoiding water retention and it also keeps the digestive system sound. People should drink as much water as they can every day. It will help them in losing love handles.

People who wish to lose their love handles should decrease the amount of alcohol, which they consume. People can expect to lose their love handles by reducing their alcohol intake. Alcohol contains a lot of empty calories, which leads to weight gain and love handles. Here, we are not suggesting that people should stop drinking alcohol completely but we mean to advise people to drink it in moderation. Always remember that more of anything can be dangerous.

In order to lose love handles, people should do dumbbell side bends. This is an easy exercise. People need to hold one dumbbell in each hand and then they need to bend sideways letting the dumbbell move towards floor. People need to bend on both right and left sides one after another. Here, people should not carry very heavy dumbbells in the beginning. Start doing this exercise with very light dumbbells. This is a very effective exercise for losing love handles.

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Trips and Temporary Exercise Options

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it yet, but I’m going back to America for two months at the end of the month.  USA Trip 2012 is happening after all, just not how I was hoping!

It wasn’t planned at all but I’m going back for work reasons  (I still work for a memphis web design company) and will be staying in Memphis for two months. I’m both excited and bummed out for a variety of reasons but overall I think the trip will be great. At the very least I’ll get to take care of that changing my last name business!

However since I’m only going to be in Memphis for two months I’m not sure what I want to do regarding exercise. I don’t think I want to join a gym as I’m feeling very anti-gym right now soit wouldn’t be worth the expense. Here are the options I’m considering:

Biking and or walking to work. I’m going to be living 3 ish miles from my work and borrowing a bike from my boss. If I can find a safe route into downtown I’d love to bike to work. Or walk but that would take longer. ;)Workout DVDs. I have several including some that I actually really enjoy and know can kick my butt.YouTube Videos. Similar to DVDs these videos can get me working out on my own at home. Plus there are tons to choose from now.Gym visits. I could pay a couple dollars and just visit a local gym as a guest.Class visits. There are random fitness classes like Zumba held all over in community centers and churches. I could jump into one of these a couple times.Bootcamp class. This one is the most expensive option by far but I’m considering doing a twice weekly bootcamp class by the river. It’s close enough to my work to be possible and would help me really keep up my fitness level while not committing to too much.

What would you do in this situation?

Most likely I’ll probably use some or all of these and mix and match them. Two months isn’t too long but I don’t want to go into sedentary mode and lose my awesome fitness I built up with LiveFit. I like my muscles and still want to keep them while losing more weight.

I like these ideas because it will be something different. I seem to get bored of focusing on one fitness activity after a couple months so the change will be nice. So will being in the US again, though I’ll miss my husband and puppy. Maybe some of you can come for a visit and cheer me up? ;)

Related posts:

Exercise Slow Down + My Workout OptionsTrips, trips, tripsForgotten Healthy OptionsLoving Exercise AgainWeekly Recap: Doubts, Exercise and Stretching

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Yurbuds Ironman Inspire Sport Earphones – Review

Love these headphones!

An important part of my workouts, especially outside, involve music.  There is something about a good song to make you go faster and longer.  My problem with listening to music is those crappy earbuds that come with iPhones and iPods.

The first problem I had with them is the comfort level.  They truly hurt my ears.  At first I thought maybe my ears were too small because the headphones always seemed too big.  Then, I realized that LOTS of people had that problem.  The second problem I had is when I got sweaty, they would fall out of my ears really easily!  They truly made listening to music while working out impossible!

I needed earbuds that worked if I was going to continue to listen to music while I was working out!  I seeked the help of people on Facebook.  I got several suggestions of some that people liked and I went with the majority of people which was Yurbuds.

For Christmas, I asked for a pair of Yurbuds to try out and my brother purchased the white Yurbuds Ironman Inspire for me from Best Buy.

I couldn’t wait to try them out and see if they truly stay put and do not hurt my ears.  The first chance I got, I tried them out and guess what?!?

I LOVED them!  They stayed put the ENTIRE workout (some workouts being two hours for my half-marathon training) and they were very comfortable!

What makes these different from the earbuds that come with your iPod or iPhone?  They have a rubber tip that literally locks into your ear canal making them almost impossible to “fall out.”  They call it, “Twist Lock Technology.”  They are also sweatproof and water resistant so no more “slipping out” due to sweat!

These truly are awesome and I am so glad that I decided to try these out!  I think next I will purchase ask for the Yurbud Inspire Pro headphones because they come with a microphone so I can answer the phone while running or walking.  I can also talk to Siri when I am running my next half-marathon and she can give my husband updates on where I am without even texting!  These also come with a control right on the headphone cord to control the music you are listening to!  These are super cool and my birthday is coming up in June (hint hint family!).

If you are tired of earphones that don’t stay in while you are working out or they are horribly uncomfortable, check out the Yurbuds.  You will love that they never fall out!

What are your favorite type of earphones to wear while exercising?  Have you ever tried the Yurbuds?

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Publix Georgia Marathon and Half Marathon 2012 – Race Recap

Race Finish!

I chose to participate in the Publix Georgia Half Marathon for one main reason.

It is close to my house.

My friend Amy and I were trying to decide between either this one or the Nashville half.  We chose this one primarily because we could drive there and would not have to stay overnight or make a whole weekend out of it.

Registration for this race was super easy using Active.com.  It walked you through the whole process and I even found a coupon code online to save a few dollars.  Registration was a breeze.

In order to pick up your race number, you had to attend the Georgia Marathon Health & Fitness Expo which was held in Downtown Atlanta at the World Congress Center.  This was a negative against the race.  Not the actual expo, which was awesome, but that they MADE you go and pick it up.  I do think there should be an option to pay a few extra dollars and have the number mailed to you.

We headed downtown to pick up the race number and attended the Runner’s Expo.  This was great due to the amount of people there to show you their goods.  There were lots of free samples and new products to check out.  My favorite booths were the GU Energy Gels because they were selling them at a discount, the Larabar company because they gave out mini samples to try, and the Chobani company because I got to try the new Apple Cinnamon flavor.

Now that the numbers are picked up, it is time for the race itself.

We arrived downtown bright and early around 6:15 for a 7:00 am race start.  Parking was a breeze and since we had been there the day before, we knew just where to go.  We once again parked in the Red Deck of the World Congress Center.  The good thing about parking here is the World Congress Center is open so runners can go inside and use the nice clean bathrooms vs the porta potties!

After using the restroom, we headed over to our Corral.  The atmosphere was awesome.  They had music playing loudly, lots of porta potties close to the start of the race, photographers there to take photos and it was all very organized.

Let's Get this Party Started!

We got in our corral and waited for the official start of the race.  They let the wheel chair racers go first and then the corrals went.  It only took us about 9 minutes of waiting until we were ready to go!

The course itself was VERY hilly!  The first few miles you don’t really notice the hills because of all the people but after it thins out, the hills really start to show themselves!  The views of downtown Atlanta were stunning.  It was nice to run through the city and see the sites.  Overall, the race course was very tough.  Looking back on it, I should have done more hills in my training.

The water stations were awesome.  They started at mile 2 and then there was a water station right before EVERY mile marker after that.  The water stations were good anchors letting us know we had almost made it another mile.  They had both Gatorade and water so there was a choice which was nice.

The cheering crowds were not phenomenal.  I know that the race offered incentives for cheering sections and those were good but we could have used more supporters throughout the race.  Even at the end, people weren’t really cheering that much.  However, I am used to the cheering for the Peachtree Road Race which is amazing.

The ending of the race was very well thought out and planned.  They knew what they were doing and moved you right along after finishing.  You got the medal, and a chocolate milk and headed toward the picture station.  They had professional pictures taken in front of the half-marathon sign and then you head over to Centennial Olympic Park where they gave out pre-rationed snacks from Publix and where runners and families can relax and chill.

Jen Crossing the Finish Line!

The t-shirts were great, technical shirts.  Another great thing about the shirts are if you got it home on Saturday and tried it on and found you needed an alternate size, you could bring it to the park on race day and they had a whole tent where you could exchange it for a new size.

Overall, the Publix Georgia Half Marathon was a huge success.  The race was very well organized, thought out, and planned.  The race itself is on the hilly side but it is a good challenge with beautiful views of downtown Atlanta.  If you live in the Atlanta area or close by, I would recommend this race!

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Fun Exercise: Hiking Five Miles

Since I finished the LiveFit workouts I haven’t been in the gym.

I haven’t wanted to be! I needed a break for a few days at least and I found the perfect activity to replace those hours spent in the gym: hiking! Lucky for me JuJu and Kepa also were into the idea.

Easter weekend we went to Totara Park together for the first time for a longer hike. We just ambled about for an hour or so that day and mostly let JuJu run around us in the off leash areas. It was so nice to be out walking and enjoying nature that we decided to go back the next day for an even longer walk.

We are both on Fitocracy (post on this coming soon) and decided to make our second hike long enough to complete a Fitocracy  quest. That meant we had to make sure we went 5 miles while carrying a pack, 25 lbs for Kepa and 10 lbs for me. We had our goal in mind so we set off in the park with little JuJu in tow!

The park is lovely. I went there before with Rachel and Lily but this is the first time I’ve gone all over the park and checked out the majority of the trails. Instead of sticking to the flat areas we went into the forest parts and climbed up and over the hills. The prettiest trail runs along a stream and also involves a lot of climbing vertically with plenty of stairs built into the trail. Parts of it felt like a decent challenge and my heart rate jumped itself up after climbing to the top (on average though it stayed around 140).

JuJu did great despite my worries that 5 miles was pretty far for her. She has almost endless amounts of energy so she only started to tire out toward the end. We did take a break midway for her to rest and for us to eat lunch, since picnics are the best!

Our hike ended with an easy stroll through the Botanic Gardens. Since we had to make sure we went the full five miles and the park and gardens are connected we decided an easy end looking at pretty flowers would be nice. Okay, I totally decided that part  but they went with it.

Here are the stats for the hike which we ended up breaking into two sections with a break for food/water/JuJu rest.

1:06:26 || 5.3 km || 12:28 min/km || 143 bpm || moderate hills || 10 lb(+458 pts)0:38:24 || 3.2 km || 12:06 min/km || 143 bpm || moderate hills || 10 lb(+237 pts)

After five miles I was tired but so happy. Some sun and time outside did great things to my mind and though I was tired I felt that lovely post exercise feeling of contentment. I definitely think we will be hiking more in the future since a couple of my fitness goals involve hiking (Rangitoto Island and Tongariro Crossing here in NZ). Plus it’s just really fun to exercise in nature.

As far as what I’ll be doing next I’m not 100% set on that. I definitely want to get back in the gym and lift but I might not be able to for a couple months. Things are a bit up in the air. We will see but no matter what I will keep active!

Related posts:

Hiking in Vermont!!Busy & Awesome WeekendBad JuJuExercise Slow Down + My Workout OptionsMeet JuJu

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How to Design Your Own Simple Workout: Easy Workout Ideas

I hear from people all the time that they don't have time to workout, much less design their own simple workout program.  We all know that achieving our goals really is a matter of prioritizing. 

If you aren't exercising regularly, you simply aren't putting fitness high enough on your list of priorities. It happens to all of us.  The best thing to do if you find your exercise commitment slipping is to recognize the problem (which you are obviously doing now,) and then renew your commitment by reminding yourself of why you wanted to get fit in the first place. 

Designing your own simple workout and exercise regimen is not complicated, really.  Let's say you're a beginner and your goal is to do cardio three times a week and strength training three times a week.

For cardio - you could pick three different activities, or choose the same activity but switch up the methodology.  For example, if you jog for your cardio, one day you could do a tempo jog for 30 minutes, one day you could do sprints, and one day you could do a slow, steady hour jog.

Strength training plans are just as easy to whip together, even when you have very little planning or prep time. 

1.  Select the muscles you want to target      
2.  Choose 1 to 3 exercises per muscle group (preferably compound moves)
3.  Perform them back to back in superset form
4.  Repeat in rounds (generally 2 to 4 rounds, or as long as time allows.)

So here's a quick example following the above method:

1.  Legs, shoulders, abs
2.  Legs - squats, lunges.
Shoulders - overhead press, upright rows.
Abs - lower crunches, bicycle crunches.
3.  Superset one: 20 squats, 15 overhead presses, 30 lower crunches.
Superset two:  10 lunges, 15 upright rows, 30 bicycle crunches.
4.  Repeat each superset 3 times.

I try keeping a set of exercise bands in the car or with me when I travel, so I'm never without resistance options for a simple workout off the cuff.  I also keep a jump rope with me for effective cardio where ever I go.  If I only have 10 minutes to get a little exercise in, the jump rope is a lifesaver.  A little prep goes a long way.

Of course, if you’re the type of person who prefers to have a coach doing the entire workout planning for you and helping you take it up a notch, I can help you with that, too. 

Remember, procrastination kills and makes us fat and lazy. Your chosen exercise methods aren’t that important -  Just get moving!

Here are a bunch of workouts to try. Remember to suit them to your specific needs. Some of them use bands (I love the convenience of these), some use free weights, some are body weight routines, and some are traditional gym workouts. I'm always hunting new ways to spice it up, so there are pointers and tips for each workout. Have fun!

Best Workout Ever

How to Design Your Own Simple Workout

3 Day Total Body Workout

Bootcamp Style

4 Day Split

5 Day Split

Total Body Band Workout

No Gym Req. Exercises

Killer Upper Body Workout

Best Glute Workout

 

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Half Size Me Podcast

My before and after picture!

Happy Monday everyone from sunny Florida!  I had a fabulous day yesterday relaxing in the sun and catching up with my BFF Kristen.  We have yet to run out of things to talk about so we are good for at least a few more days!

We did get a nice long walk in yesterday morning and I hope to again today.  It is always nice to have someone to talk to while working out.  It makes the time go by much faster.

While I am taking time away from the normal routine of day to day, I want you to head on over to Half Size Me.  Heather, the owner, asked me if I would do a podcast for her blog to tell others all about my weight loss and of course, I said , “YES!”  Anytime I can reach out to new peeps and let them know my story, I am there!

We had a great conversation that lasted about 30 minutes but it was so great to tell my story to new people who don’t know.  I hope you will head over to her site and check it out!

If you have a chance to listen to it, leave me a comment and tell me what you liked about it!

That Doesn’t Even Look Like You

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