fitness tips - Healthy Living

Olympic Swimmer Discusses Life With Exercise-Induced Asthma

Our weekly Get Fit blog: The latest news, trends, research, and workout tips

September 9, 2008

How’s this for strange headline of the week? Sweating during intense exercise may protect the body against asthma, suggests a new study. The connection between sweat glands and lungs seems nonexistent at first, but researchers from the Naval Medical Center in San Diego say that athletes who sweat the least and produce the least amount of saliva may have drier airways—a trigger for lung inflammation and asthma attacks.

If you have asthma or have ever experienced symptoms of exercise-related breathing difficulties, this news may be interesting—but not exactly helpful. You can’t very well control how much you sweat, after all. But the study results do support what doctors already believe: Keeping airways moist while you’re working out may help reduce your risk. Here are a few strategies to try. Read More

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Fresh Ways to Burn More Calories

April 24, 2008

Boosting your heart rate keeps your heart in top form and burns serious calories—no gym membership required. Here are 18 simple, surprising tips to help you get your heart pumping this summer. Read More

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12 Creative Ways to Burn More Calories

April 24, 2008

Use these simple tweaks from top experts to make the most of every second of your exercise.

1. Jog Through Water. It’s one of the most strenuous activities you can perform, since water is about 12 to 15 times as resistant as air. Running at your hardest, you can burn about 17 calories per minute—at least twice as much as you would burn running on pavement. Read More

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Diet Secrets Revealed

April 21, 2008

Q: I’ve lost 15 pounds on my diet, but still have another 10 pounds to go, and it seems so much harder! What’s the secret to getting rid of that last bit of weight?

A: Keep in mind that for every pound you lose, your body requires 10 fewer calories to support your weight. So if you’ve lost 15 pounds, you need to cut an additional 150 calories a day to keep losing. And if you’ve somehow managed to drop pounds without exercising or eating enough protein, your metabolic rate has likely dipped, too, making it harder for you to get rid of those last stubborn pounds.
Read More

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Slideshow: The Best New Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

April 21, 2008

By Sarah Elizabeth Richards
From Health magazine

Here’s welcome news: You may have inherited your mom’s slow-mo metabolism, but you’re not stuck with it. New research shows you can trick your body into burning calories more efficiently, especially if you hit the gym. By strength-training just a couple of times a week, for example, you’ll reverse 50 percent of the seemingly inevitable metabolism slow-down that comes with age, says Gary Hunter, PhD, a professor of human studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. So take control of your metabolism by making these boosters part of your routine—and (finally) stop sweating every cookie.
View the slideshow.

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Walk Off Weight: Three Easy Ways to Burn More Calories

April 21, 2008

Add another weekday walk
Track your pace with Mio’s new MOTIVA Petite watch and two-finger heart-rate monitor (at left; $99.99; www.miowatch.com) designed for women’s smaller wrists.
Read More

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Improve Your Walking Technique

March 4, 2008

A physical therapist once told me that he could almost always predict which runner would win a race just from observing his or her hip motion. “The more control you have over your hips,” he said, “the better you perform.”

Aside from looking less than graceful, a sloppy gait is a waste of energy and a sure way to injure yourself. By delegating some of the load to your abdominal and hip muscles, you can walk faster and more efficiently, reduce your risk of injury, and eliminate much of walking’s joint-jarring impact. With fewer pains and strains, you might even walk farther. And that means you’ll burn more calories.

If you think about how you walk and you know the correct way, you’ll simply do it better. This walking-awareness checklist will get you started.

Walk This Way

February 25, 2008

Whether you’re testing out a great urban trail or walking in your own neighborhood, you can boost your calorie burn, walk faster, and stay injury-free by having good form. Here’s what to do, courtesy of Contributing Editor Mark Fenton, co-author of Pedometer Walking: Stepping Your Way to Health, Weight Loss, and Fitness. Read More

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Spring-Clean Your Exercise Routine

February 11, 2008

You spruce up your house when the seasons change, so why not do the same with your workout? From gear to attitude, here’s what to toss—and the best way to to replace it.

Ditch: Old walking or running shoes
Instead: Invest in a new pair of kicks, because worn-out soles are a quick path to injury. Write the purchase date on the tongue or side of your shoes and let your weekly mileage be your guide. If you walk or run 10 miles per week, replace your shoes every 12 months; 15 miles, every 8 months; 20 miles, every 6 months; 30 miles, every 4 months. Read More

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Blast Off Fat (Way) Faster

January 30, 2008

Tired of plugging away at the gym without seeing the pounds disappear? We found simple tricks that will transform your usual regimen into the ultimate fat-blasting routine. Whether you use just two of these strategies or all seven, our insider tips will help you get the calorie-burn you deserve. Read More