The sweat drips down your back. Not knowing this was even possible, you look down and see beads of perspiration forming on your thighs. You feel slightly dizzy, but push through, taking a huge swig of water before heading into tree pose. Sounds like a typical hot yoga class, yes? Women everywhere swear by the warm practice, where rooms are heated to between 80 and 105 degrees. And while you’ve surely heard a girlfriend say how much she loves the toasty Vinyasa because she feels like she “sweats out all the bad” at her go-to studio, the question remains: Is it really safe? Is there such a thing as yoga that’s too hot?
“I dare them to find the iPod on me,” Richie Sais told the New York Times in 2007 when he was preparing to run the Marine Corps Marathon. USA Track & Field, the national governing body for distance racing, had just decided to ban athletes from using portable music players in order “to ensure safety and to prevent runners from having a competitive edge.” Rais resolved to hide his iPod shuffle under his shirt. Many fellow runners protested the new rule, which remains in effect today in an amended form: It now applies only to people vying for awards and money.
Does “Active Recovery” seem paradoxical to you? Recovery traditionally implies taking periods of time off from your workouts, while activity is just the opposite. Fitness misinformation has generally promoted the idea that activity and recovery are mutually exclusive. More
Regular exercise has so many benefits. It can help ward off health problems like heart disease and high blood pressure, boost your mood and relieve stress, increase your energy, and even help you sleep better. What’s not to love?
Experts recommend adults get a minimum of 150 minutes a week (a little more than 20 minutes each day) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and do strength-training that works the major muscle groups at least two days a week. But there are other ways to boost physical activity outside of your regular workouts and reap additional health benefits. Here are thirteen ways to sneak more exercise into your day.
Quit the cuddling and spend some QT time at the gym instead. “Research shows that 94 percent of couples stick with their fitness programs when they workout together,” says Jari Love, certified personal trainer and fitness DVD star. Here, some moves to try together. More
I’ll be honest: I’m not someone who revels in the challenge of cooking a complicated meal. And to me, complicated means running around between different pots and pans on the stove. Nothing’s ever done at the same time, and it’s just not my idea of a relaxing evening in the kitchen. And let’s not even start on the pile of dishes. Enter one-pot and one-pan dinners.
All that time you spend getting “bikini ready” for a beach vacation can be undone with this one very common thing. With each bite, each sip, you can undo your very hard work and make it that much harder to resume normal life at home.
What you’re eating (or for that matter, not eating) is the biggest diet mistake you make on vacation. Fortunately, it’s one of the easiest to address and still have as much fun as you banked on! More
True, the founding fathers were probably pros at hot dog and watermelon eating contests, but Independence Day celebrations can be so much more. A big get-together is the perfect way to get outside and organize a group fitness activity. So whether the crowd’s up for hardcore tug-of-war or hiking a historic trail, we’ve got it covered with 12 ways to get active on July 4th this year. More
You might have noticed that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) – a workout that involves short bursts of intense activity with rest periods in-between – is insanely popular. According to scientific research, high-intensity interval training isn’t just a passing fad. A study found just one minute of HIIT got the same results as 45 minutes of endurance training, while another found high-intensity interval training keeps us younger at a cellular level. So why is HIIT so good? More
