You managed to stick with your New Year’s fitness routine all the way through January — congratulations, by the way — but you haven’t seen the scale budge. It might be time to look at what you eat and whether you have a realistic view of that. Weight loss is a result of creating calorie deficits, which can be done by calorie cutting on the food side and increased energy expenditure on the exercise side. But there is a human tendency to overestimate how many calories we burn during exercising, while underestimating the number of calories we consume. It’s time to introduce yourself to the concept of exercise equivalents — the amount of exercise needed to burn roughly the same number of calories in a food item. Keep in mind that these are rough values, and that an occasional indulgence needn’t be followed with wind sprints. The best way to think of exercise equivalents is as a tool that can “help make us more aware of what we put into our … [Read more...] about Working out but not losing weight? Check exercise equivalents
Working out but gaining weight
Hilaria Baldwin Had 4 Babies In 4 Years And Never Stopped Working Out
If you follow Hilaria Baldwin on Instagram, you're well aware that the celebrity yoga instructor is a fitness fiend who posts everything from functional workout moves to better sex exercises. And you also probably know that she just welcomed her fourth (yes fourth!) baby with husband Alec Baldwin just four months ago. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below So how in the world does this yogi keep up with her active lifestyle after having four children in the course of four and half years? She reminds herself that "staying active even when I don’t want to, even when I’m so tired I just want to sit on my butt, will make me feel better and I'll be healthier in the long run," she tells WomensHealthMag.com. "Even though my body gets bigger, and I gain weight and slow down, I try to work out every day." Hilaria notes that she was very lucky to have "easy labors and deliveries," but owes a lot of her postpartum "bounce-back" to the fact she was fit before getting pregnant, … [Read more...] about Hilaria Baldwin Had 4 Babies In 4 Years And Never Stopped Working Out
The health benefits of working out with a crowd
Exercising With a Group Can Take Your Workouts Up a Notch Whether it’s a group fitness class at the gym or a run in the park with some friends, here are some of the specific benefits you can glean from working out in a group. Increase your commitment to a fitness routine: “Working out with a crowd carries a plethora of intertwined benefits that include enhancing consistency, duration, motivation, conversation and inspiration,” says Dian Griesel, Ph.D., co-author of TurboCharged and president of public relations firm DGI. “Workouts with others improve consistency because they involve a commitment. ‘No shows’ and cancellations get noticed by others and positive peer pressure can help curtail the urges to skip a workout … or quit.” One study found that 95 percent of those who started a weight-loss program with friends completed the program, compared to a 76 percent completion rate for those who tackled the program alone. The friend group was … [Read more...] about The health benefits of working out with a crowd
Texas teen hospitalized with life-threatening illness after working out too hard
Many people experience muscle pain and soreness after an intense workout, but one teen's recent gym session landed him in the hospital with a life-threatening condition. Seventeen-year-old Jared Shamburger got a new gym membership to work out with his family. He said he wanted to "catch up" with his dad and brother who had been lifting weights for years. But after an intense 90-minute arm workout, he experienced soreness and swelling that wouldn't go away. "It was super-duper sore," Shamburger said to KTRK. "Everything hurt. It hurt to the touch. It was swollen." Shamburger's mom was worried and began to search his symptoms online. "The mama bear in me kind of took over and I called the pediatrician and said, 'I really think my son has rhabdo,'" she told the station. It turned out she was right. Shamburger was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis -- commonly known as rhabdo -- a condition characterized by the breakdown of muscle tissue that leads to the release of muscle fiber contents … [Read more...] about Texas teen hospitalized with life-threatening illness after working out too hard
‘DWTS’ Pro Jenna Johnson Says She Gained Weight On A Vegetarian Diet
Getty ImagesKelsey McNeal via Getty Images Dancing With The Stars' dance pro Jenna Johnson says that it took trying "literally everything" in order to find the right healthy diet for her. "I ended up gaining a bunch of weight on a vegetarian diet," Jenna tells WomensHealthMag.com. "I was so low in my iron and protein intake. Once I incorporated protein back into my diet, I started slimming down." Advertisement - Continue Reading Below The ballroom dancer—who is paired with Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon on the current season of DWTS—adds that her relationship with food has changed dramatically over the years. "I was scared of food and had a terrible relationship with it. I would cut something out and then binge on it." She says that she used to be "obsessed" with sugar, too. Courtesy of Christine MacLeod / Jenna Johnson "Looking at food as fuel has been a game changer for me," Jenna says—and the attitude shift has helped her find an eating plan that … [Read more...] about ‘DWTS’ Pro Jenna Johnson Says She Gained Weight On A Vegetarian Diet