First of all, I want to thank all of you dear readers and followers who have visited us and followed along with our weekly workouts for all of these years! I appreciate you, and have been glad to share information on health and fitness that you found useful.
Secondly, we're not disappearing - we're just streamlining our blogs! From now on, you can find a quick, fun, and effective weekly workout every Wednesday over on our health blog at HolisticHealthWire.com. We will also continue to share new fun ways to exercise, plus important information that will help you to achieve a fitter, healthier, and trimmer body and achieve your fitness goals.
You can also find our "Workout Wednesday" workouts, as well as lots of other tips, strategies, and resources on how to live a healthier life by following us on Facebook.
Be sure to bookmark the link below, and visit us every Wednesday for your weekly workout!
Come Visit Our New Location At: www.HolisticHealthWire.com...
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Thursday, September 1, 2016
[Video] 16-Minute Fat-Burning HIIT Workout
When it comes to burning fat, interval training is a great way to rev up your metabolism and burn more calories all day long. Because of the intensity of this kind of workout, you really don't need (or want) to spend a lot of time doing it. Short bursts of activity are best for melting off that stubborn fat, and most high-intensity interval training workouts only take 20 minutes or less.
This quick workout only takes 16 minutes, and incorporates both cardio and strength-building elements, meaning you'll get an intense full-body workout in under 20 minutes.
This workout includes a short warm-up and cool-down, and consists of 4 sets of 6 different exercises. Each exercise is done for 20 seconds, with 10 seconds of rest between each set.
Grab some water and a towel (this one is intense!) and let's get ready to burn some fat!
This quick workout only takes 16 minutes, and incorporates both cardio and strength-building elements, meaning you'll get an intense full-body workout in under 20 minutes.
This workout includes a short warm-up and cool-down, and consists of 4 sets of 6 different exercises. Each exercise is done for 20 seconds, with 10 seconds of rest between each set.
Grab some water and a towel (this one is intense!) and let's get ready to burn some fat!
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
12 Things You Should Never Do When Trying to Burn Fat
If you’re trying to lose weight, but you're really not seeing results in your fat burning regime, there are likely some things that you may be doing wrong. Exercising the right way to burn fat efficiently is important (see workouts on this blog for lots of ideas), but it is also important not to do the wrong things in the process.
Here are 12 things that can keep you from burning fat:
1. Not Eating Enough Calories – You should know how many calories you need to eat per day to maintain a certain weight. Choose to use your goal weight as your calorie range for best results. When you don't eat enough, your body may start slowing your metabolism to compensate, which is the opposite of what you want.
2. Eating Too Many Calories – Conversely, many people do not track their calories at all, and therefore they eat too many calories. Even if you eat only healthy foods, you can still eat too many calories and not burn fat.
3. Not Eating the Right Amount of Protein – You can both eat too little protein and too much protein. Shoot for about 20 to 30 percent of your daily calories to be healthy protein. Remember that you can get protein from vegetables, fruit, beans, legumes and nuts in addition to fish and meat.
4. Not Eating Enough Vegetables – Try filling half of your plate with vegetables at every meal. The great thing about veggies is that they are very low in calories so you can eat a high volume of them without breaking your calorie bank. Plus, they're filled with fiber, vitamins, and other healthy nutrients.
5. Not Eating Enough Fruit – The sugar in fruit is not bad for you - as long as you don't over-indulge. When you feel like eating a snack or something sweet and you have the calories to spare, eat fruit. It’ll give you energy plus vitamins and minerals.
6. Not Eating Enough Whole Grains – Don’t give up grains just because you’re trying to burn fat. Steel cut oats, quinoa, cracked wheat, and other whole grains can be good for you in measured serving sizes.
7. You Drink Your Calories – To burn the greatest amount of fat, don’t drink your calories. Avoid drinking juice, sweetened coffee or tea, and other calorie-laden drinks in favor of fresh filtered calorie-free water.
8. You Eat “Calorie Free” Fake Food – Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can drink diet soda, and use fake zero calorie sweeteners and still burn fat. These additives can not only be dangerous but studies also show that people who use them tend to be fatter, not thinner!
9. You Avoid Exercise Entirely – You can’t burn fat and be a couch potato. Even if you have health issues that keep you from doing very strenuous activities, you can still use walking, swimming, or other gentle activities to get you moving and burn calories.
10. You Don’t Do Enough Cardio – Cardio is essential to burning fat. If you have health issues that prevent you from doing hard enough cardio, you’ll need to eat fewer calories to make up for it. But you can also try breathing exercises that can increase your oxygen intake and help burn fat.
11. You Are Too Stressed Out – If you have a lot of stress in your life, it will manifest itself as added fat, usually on your belly. Try to find a way to a way to de-stress every day. Try yoga, meditation or even prayer to take you out of your worries and calm yourself.
12. You Don’t Get Enough Sleep – Most people need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. It’s important that you schedule your life so that on most nights you can accomplish this task, because not doing so can affect your hormone levels and cause your fat burning to stall.
Knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what to do when it comes to burning fat and losing weight. Being healthy is about taking action to do more of the right things, and fewer of the wrong things every day!
Here are 12 things that can keep you from burning fat:
1. Not Eating Enough Calories – You should know how many calories you need to eat per day to maintain a certain weight. Choose to use your goal weight as your calorie range for best results. When you don't eat enough, your body may start slowing your metabolism to compensate, which is the opposite of what you want.
2. Eating Too Many Calories – Conversely, many people do not track their calories at all, and therefore they eat too many calories. Even if you eat only healthy foods, you can still eat too many calories and not burn fat.
3. Not Eating the Right Amount of Protein – You can both eat too little protein and too much protein. Shoot for about 20 to 30 percent of your daily calories to be healthy protein. Remember that you can get protein from vegetables, fruit, beans, legumes and nuts in addition to fish and meat.
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| (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
5. Not Eating Enough Fruit – The sugar in fruit is not bad for you - as long as you don't over-indulge. When you feel like eating a snack or something sweet and you have the calories to spare, eat fruit. It’ll give you energy plus vitamins and minerals.
6. Not Eating Enough Whole Grains – Don’t give up grains just because you’re trying to burn fat. Steel cut oats, quinoa, cracked wheat, and other whole grains can be good for you in measured serving sizes.
7. You Drink Your Calories – To burn the greatest amount of fat, don’t drink your calories. Avoid drinking juice, sweetened coffee or tea, and other calorie-laden drinks in favor of fresh filtered calorie-free water.
8. You Eat “Calorie Free” Fake Food – Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can drink diet soda, and use fake zero calorie sweeteners and still burn fat. These additives can not only be dangerous but studies also show that people who use them tend to be fatter, not thinner!
9. You Avoid Exercise Entirely – You can’t burn fat and be a couch potato. Even if you have health issues that keep you from doing very strenuous activities, you can still use walking, swimming, or other gentle activities to get you moving and burn calories.
10. You Don’t Do Enough Cardio – Cardio is essential to burning fat. If you have health issues that prevent you from doing hard enough cardio, you’ll need to eat fewer calories to make up for it. But you can also try breathing exercises that can increase your oxygen intake and help burn fat.
11. You Are Too Stressed Out – If you have a lot of stress in your life, it will manifest itself as added fat, usually on your belly. Try to find a way to a way to de-stress every day. Try yoga, meditation or even prayer to take you out of your worries and calm yourself.
12. You Don’t Get Enough Sleep – Most people need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. It’s important that you schedule your life so that on most nights you can accomplish this task, because not doing so can affect your hormone levels and cause your fat burning to stall.
Knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what to do when it comes to burning fat and losing weight. Being healthy is about taking action to do more of the right things, and fewer of the wrong things every day!
Thursday, August 25, 2016
[Video] 10-Minute Fat Burning Bodyweight Workout
As we discussed on Tuesday, there is a clear difference between weight loss and fat loss. What we're all really looking to do is lose fat, and this quick workout will help you do just that. It's short, simple, and requires no equipment, so you can do it anywhere, and fit it into your busy schedule - even if you're traveling.
This simple workout consists of just 5 exercises which will strengthen and tone your entire body, while also providing cardio to help burn off that stubborn fat. Each exercise is done for 30 seconds, with at least 30 seconds of rest between sets. You will do 3 rounds of the exercises, so go ahead and follow along slowly with the demo the first time, to make sure you are doing the exercises properly, then pick up the pace and follow along for this quick fat-burning workout.
This simple workout consists of just 5 exercises which will strengthen and tone your entire body, while also providing cardio to help burn off that stubborn fat. Each exercise is done for 30 seconds, with at least 30 seconds of rest between sets. You will do 3 rounds of the exercises, so go ahead and follow along slowly with the demo the first time, to make sure you are doing the exercises properly, then pick up the pace and follow along for this quick fat-burning workout.
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
What Is the Difference Between Losing Weight & Losing Fat?
When most people say they want to lose weight, they really mean they want to reduce their body fat. If they really wanted to lose weight per se, their goal would be to reduce the weight of their bones, muscles, organs along with body fat … most likely not their real goal - or it should not be! Most of us want to preserve all but the body fat part.
So in reality, you want to reduce the amount of body fat you are carrying, but how much is healthy? If you are male, then you want your body fat to be around 10%; 15% for females.
Why the Scale is Your Worst Enemy
If you are trying to lose body fat, weighing yourself every day is frustrating at best. Because the scale measures your total weight, it can fluctuate up or down every time you get on the scale.
When you first started to eat fewer calories, you probably showed a significant drop in numbers on the scale. But because carbs bind to water, lowering your carb intake reduced the amount of water in your body, so the real loss was not body fat, but water loss – the water had fewer carbs to attach to. If you start eating more carbs again, your weight will go up proportionately due to water hanging onto the additional carbs.
As a matter-of-fact, you can lose body fat, gain muscle and your number on the scale can remain the same, even though you now look better. Why? Because a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat therefore your profile is much slimmer even though you weigh the same.
Measuring Body Fat
The only real way to measure body fat loss accurately at home is by measuring your girth in the same places each time with a pair of body fat calipers – the neck, chest, arms, waist and thighs. Your waist measurement should go down, but the rest of your measurements should go up.
Train for Success
The best overall workout strategy is a mix of cardio and strength training. Cardio burns more calories and thus speeds up fat loss, but it alone is not enough; without strength training, you’ll end up losing muscle. Through strength training, you’ll tone the muscle you have and build more. And because more muscle means you’ll burn more calories throughout the day, developing muscle mass is the key to long-term weight management.
Most likely your real goal of “losing weight” is to lose body fat and build muscle. Be sure to check back for our weekly workouts every Thursday to help you accomplish these goals!
So in reality, you want to reduce the amount of body fat you are carrying, but how much is healthy? If you are male, then you want your body fat to be around 10%; 15% for females.
Why the Scale is Your Worst Enemy
 |
| (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
When you first started to eat fewer calories, you probably showed a significant drop in numbers on the scale. But because carbs bind to water, lowering your carb intake reduced the amount of water in your body, so the real loss was not body fat, but water loss – the water had fewer carbs to attach to. If you start eating more carbs again, your weight will go up proportionately due to water hanging onto the additional carbs.
As a matter-of-fact, you can lose body fat, gain muscle and your number on the scale can remain the same, even though you now look better. Why? Because a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat therefore your profile is much slimmer even though you weigh the same.
Measuring Body Fat
The only real way to measure body fat loss accurately at home is by measuring your girth in the same places each time with a pair of body fat calipers – the neck, chest, arms, waist and thighs. Your waist measurement should go down, but the rest of your measurements should go up.
Train for Success
The best overall workout strategy is a mix of cardio and strength training. Cardio burns more calories and thus speeds up fat loss, but it alone is not enough; without strength training, you’ll end up losing muscle. Through strength training, you’ll tone the muscle you have and build more. And because more muscle means you’ll burn more calories throughout the day, developing muscle mass is the key to long-term weight management.
Most likely your real goal of “losing weight” is to lose body fat and build muscle. Be sure to check back for our weekly workouts every Thursday to help you accomplish these goals!
Thursday, August 18, 2016
[Video] 5 Great Pool Exercises to Stay In Shape All Summer
This time of year it can sometimes feel too hot to work out, but if you get your exercise in the pool you can stay cool and still burn calories and lose fat!
Swimming is great exercise, but you can do a lot of other exercises in the pool as well. Transitioning exercise from dry land to water increases resistance, meaning you're working harder without even realizing it!
This short video shares 5 fun pool exercises that you can do in the water this summer to boost your fitness and help you achieve your weight loss goals. From legs, to upper body, to cardio, these exercises will work your entire body, all while enjoying the water and the beautiful summer weather.
Check it out here, and try these next time you're at the pool and want to get a quick workout in!
Swimming is great exercise, but you can do a lot of other exercises in the pool as well. Transitioning exercise from dry land to water increases resistance, meaning you're working harder without even realizing it!
This short video shares 5 fun pool exercises that you can do in the water this summer to boost your fitness and help you achieve your weight loss goals. From legs, to upper body, to cardio, these exercises will work your entire body, all while enjoying the water and the beautiful summer weather.
Check it out here, and try these next time you're at the pool and want to get a quick workout in!
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
3 Top Benefits of Swimming for Fitness
Swimming is one of those exercises that's hard to hate, since it’s gentle and yet fun at the same time! Most people enjoy a dip in the pool, so why not turn that dip into some laps as a form of exercise? There are many fitness benefits that one can get from swimming. If you're not convinced, here are 3 reasons why:
1. Swimming Is Great Cardio
Swimming requires a lot of energy and burns a lot of calories thanks to the fact that, when you swim, you need to move your whole body instead of just your legs or your arms. Swimming works your body and heart the same way any cardio workout, such as dancing or running would. So if you take up swimming for fitness, you will work your heart and boost your metabolism at the same time. To get the most out of swimming, it’s best to carry out interval training where you do high-intensity sprint swimming alternated with easier workouts. This way you’ll push your body hard - but not too hard, and boost your metabolism for a longer period of time.
2. Swimming Is Great For Strength Training
Not only is swimming good for a cardio workout, swimming challenges muscles all over your body and is great for increasing overall body strength. The water resistance you face while swimming forces your muscles to work harder - just like traditional forms of strength training. You’ll be able to gain some muscle and tone up your body at the same time. Swimming is also widely used as therapy to strengthen injured muscles in athletes since the water resistance provides a good workout without adding stress to the injured body parts.
3. Swimming Is Great For Everybody!
The great thing about swimming is that everybody can do it and enjoy it. It's suitable for every age group and fitness level; you can decide how hard to push yourself when you swim. Elderly people can benefit from swimming as the water provides support and cushioning so that they can stay fit without worrying about injuring their back or joints. It’s also a great activity for you to do with your family: you can have fun together and stay healthy at the same time! If you bring little kids along to the pool or beach, though, be sure to always keep an eye on them to prevent any accidents.
1. Swimming Is Great Cardio
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| (Image courtesy of arztsamui at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.) |
2. Swimming Is Great For Strength Training
Not only is swimming good for a cardio workout, swimming challenges muscles all over your body and is great for increasing overall body strength. The water resistance you face while swimming forces your muscles to work harder - just like traditional forms of strength training. You’ll be able to gain some muscle and tone up your body at the same time. Swimming is also widely used as therapy to strengthen injured muscles in athletes since the water resistance provides a good workout without adding stress to the injured body parts.
3. Swimming Is Great For Everybody!
The great thing about swimming is that everybody can do it and enjoy it. It's suitable for every age group and fitness level; you can decide how hard to push yourself when you swim. Elderly people can benefit from swimming as the water provides support and cushioning so that they can stay fit without worrying about injuring their back or joints. It’s also a great activity for you to do with your family: you can have fun together and stay healthy at the same time! If you bring little kids along to the pool or beach, though, be sure to always keep an eye on them to prevent any accidents.
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