Indoor Rowing.

What’s you favorite kind of cardio? What kind of cardio do you do to stay active and slim?

A lot of people recently stopped doing cardio and do only weight training, but I personally believe in importance of cardio, and even I am not a big fan of it, I still do it, and feel great after every cardio session.

I picked two kinds of cardio that I really enjoy: running and rowing.

I started rowing around one year ago. Why? When I came to the gym to work out, I always saw the girls from the rowing class who looked slim, athletic and super fit. From that time I added rowing to my regular workout sessions.

Here are top 7 best reasons to hop on a rowing mashing and get moving below:

1. No half-body workouts here. It’s the only full-body cardio machine, engaging over 20 muscle groups in the legs, core, shoulders and arms.

2. Want to become a better all-around athlete? Fast-twitch fibers engaged during a rowing stroke promote muscle growth and explosive power transferable to many other sports and activities.

3. The low-impact nature of this easy-to-learn movement causes little to no stress on joints.

4. Rowing promotes better posture, joint health and flexibility by stretching the muscles of the core, upper and lower back, while allowing a full range of motion for people of all ages and sizes.

5. Would you like to continue burning fat AFTER a workout? Rowing raises the heart rate quickly, increasing the after burn effect-the state of elevated metabolism post-workout.

6. Want an alternative for your long runs? Rowing is an ideal cross-training and functional movement for all types of athletes, particularly runners, as it preserves joints while training for a race.

7. Short on time? Hop on the rower and burn 15 cal a minute. The combination of strength and cardiovascular conditioning in one movement makes rowing a model of efficiency.

It’s up to you which workout works for you, but I am on my way to the gym now to hit my rowing session today.

Stay fit and slim!!!!

Aerobics and Weight Lifting.

Traditional fitness and exercise gurus have often slammed weightlifting as having a minimal impact on cardiovascular health and overall health, because of its lack of being an aerobic exercise. Current medical thinking has not only debunked this myth, with several studies that prove there is an aerobic content to general weightlifting, there is now also a whole school of thoughts among the workout community that could be considered aerobic weightlifting.

Aerobic weightlifting combines the best of traditional weightlifting exercises and techniques, with traditional cardio workouts, for improved overall health and fitness.

Traditional weightlifting or weight training insist on a rest period between each set of exercise. Aerobic weightlifting borrows from philosophy of circuit training. It means keep moving don’t stop, move from one exercise to the next one without a rest period. This increases the need for blood infused oxygen to power you muscles, and forces the lungs and hearts to work harder, effectively an aerobic work out.

This method works great if you workout at home, because you don’t have to move from one weightlifting machine to the other one, change weight plates on your barbels, and you can get the cardio benefit by doing a little traditional aerobic exercise between sets, like skipping rope.

My fitness inspiration trainer Jillian Michaels is the best for me with her aerobic weightlifting workout sessions. I have a lot of her dvds at home. When I started my fitness journey after pregnancy, I worked out at home with her videos, and lost 8 inches on my waist for the first 3 weeks.

The other benefits of aerobic weightlifting.

You will find that you will be less sore after doing this kind of exercises. This type of weightlifting promotes the removal of toxins and poisons in the body. During a traditional weightlifting workout when the muscles are at rest during the rest cycle, these toxins are given the ability to build up in the muscles, by keeping the blood moving with aerobics, they are more likely to be flushed out.

Aerobic weightlifting can break the monotony of a traditional weightlifting routine. Aerobic weightlifting through circuit training can help introduce people to weightlifting who otherwise felt it was not for them.

By working out with aerobic styled weightlifting you really do achieve the best of both goals, you can get all of the cardiovascular and fat burning benefits of traditional aerobics, and build up of a lean muscle mass, increase strength and stamina of traditional weightlifting, all in one workout.

Weightlifting and Raising Metabolism.

My favorite part of exercising is weightlifting. You don’t have to lift heavy weights to look fit and have a great body, you just need to do it regularly and know the techniques.

Why is weightlifting such a great way to stay fit? It isn’t just because of the great look you will get-weightlifting has a multitude of health benefits because it raises your metabolism.

Metabolism, as we know, is the problem word when it comes to trying to lose weight. The slower our metabolism the harder it is to lose fat and keep it off. Now there are hundreds of theories why one person has a slower metabolism than another. Certainly life-style and eating habits have a lot to do with it, as do genetic factors. Plus everyone’s metabolism, no matter how good shape they are in, slows with age. There is however one undeniable biological fact- muscle raises your metabolism,fat does not. The more muscles you have the more calories you burn. Weightlifting builds muscles.

Experts agree that to raise your metabolic rate and keep it higher, it is the best to combine weightlifting with other exercises and increased physical activity.

And finally, while weightlifting and exercise are the surest way to give your metabolism a boost, you also must adjust your diet and limit your fat intake.

The best way to keep a revved up metabolism going is to give your body constant fuel to burn, eat small amounts of food all day long.

Think about it like keeping a fire roaring in the fire place, keep throwing in wood and it will continue to consume fuel and burn bright and powerful-don’t feed it and what happens? It will slowly die down until it goes out.

Running.

Running is probably the most convenient workout. There is no equipment involved; you don’t need to be a member to the gym; you don’t need to be a skilled athlete. It’s also one of the most eficient ways to blast fat and burn calories-about 600cal an hour. You’ll also reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, boost your mood, temper stress and build the muscle, especially in the lower body and core.

Running is my favorite type of cardio. I feel so good after every workout, it makes me happy, gives me the energy and my body feels great.

When my daughter was born, I didn’t workout for almost a year, and when I came back to the gym, I started from running. I ran 5-6 times a week, for 45-60 minutes. I lost some weight pretty fast, but it wasn’t enough for me.

I read a lot of books and changed my diet multiple times. I changed my workouts, tried different combinations. Some of them worked, some were not.

Last winter, I was running too much, and my toes started hurting. I could barely walk, and stopped running for a while.

For today, I run 2-4 times a week. I wish, I could run more, but I just don’t have time. I also do some weight lifting workouts and it really helps.

I probably made a lot of mistakes during my fit jorney, but I learnt some lessons:

1. Pick the comfortable shoes for running. It is really important. I personally use Asics Gel-Speedstar Running Shoes. Make a small investment in gear now and you’ll feel more comfortable and avoid aches.

2. Eat before the running workout, otherwise you will eat “a cow” afterwards. But don’t eat too much-a full stomach can be a culprit. It is very important to eat 1 hour before your run. Some of the choices might be brown rice- gives you energy, while fiber keeps you feeling full; berries-their antioxidants can work to help promote a healthy heart and even stave off soreness; nut butter-a tablespoon of nut butter spread on a piece of whole-grain bread can power up your run; protein shake- works great if you run early in the morning, and don’t have time to fix the breakfast. It will give you the energy and make you full for a few hours.

3.Don’t start too fast. Give your body some time to get used to the demands of running. Walk for 2-5 minutes. You have to condition your muscles, tendons and bones, not just your heart and lungs.

4. Turn up the music. Music can power you up that hill. It really helps you run faster, motivates you and just boost your mood.

I love using some of the Apps on my phone.

Fit Radio

Pandora.

FTNS

AudioFuel Running Music

5. Do different running workouts every week. It will help your body to get stronger and leaner and also you won’t get bored from the same routine. You can try intervals training-start with a two-minute speed burst at a challenging but sustainable pace, followed by three minutes of easier recovery jogging. Repeat six times for a total of 30 minutes. Try different combinations of running, jogging and walking. If you use the treadmill, try to do the work out with incline( very effective).

6. Decide what your goals are. If you are trying to loose weight, it’s better to start your workout with running. If you’re trying to build the muscles, do the cardio at the end of workout, or as a separate workout the other day.

7. Drink plenty of water. Don’t drink too much, just try to have little sips during your run. Coconut water works great as a post workout drink because it rehydrates and provides important muscle relaxing nutrients to help in recovery.

8. Listen your body. If you feel you can do more, just increase your speed, push yourself to better results. If you feel the opposite, do it slower, let your body rest, avoid injuries. One injury might keep you away from the gym for weeks,so you have to learn listen to your body and find the right workout for yourself.