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Workout While Working: The TrekDesk
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Workout While Working: The TrekDesk

The April edition of Fitness Magazine featured the TrekDesk. If you have never heard of this, the TrekDesk is a tall table that will fit treadmills, allowing you to make a desk out of your workout machine. You can put your phone, laptop, notebooks, pens, books, etc. on the TrekDesk and be able to walk while working! I wish I could have something like this; I hate sitting at my desk all day, munching on snacks and not getting any exercise. An editor for Fitness Magazine tried out the TrekDesk in her office, and said it took some time getting used to walking while typing, but at the end of the day she was burning up to 160 calories an hour. I know I couldn’t walk on a treadmill during my regular day job (administrative assistant at a hospital) but I also work from home on this website so I could really utilize something like this while working there or reading. It’s a little on the pricey side, about $480, but if you think about all the health benefits you receive, it just may be worth it!

April 7, 2010
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Check Out These Sculpting Secrets
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Check Out These Sculpting Secrets

As I was browsing on Shape.com today I found an article titled ‘Speedy Sculpting Secrets.’ Since I work out to look more sculpted, I headed to the page to see just what secrets I needed to learn. Most of them were what I expected, but there were a few surprises that were thrown in there, and a few new moves I am going to try at the gym. Here were some of my favorite secrets:
1. Hit the Hills. The treadmill can be your friend when trying to vary your workouts. Remember, if you continually do the same routine, your body and muscles will eventually get used to your moves and you won’t be helping yourself. Try these three treadmill programs to keep mixing it up.
FLAT SPRINTS Set the treadmill at a constant 1 percent grade and run of walk fast (you should be completely out of breath) for 30 seconds. Recover at an easy intensity for 60 seconds. Repeat 9 times.
HILL DRILLS Run or walk for 30 seconds at an 8 percent grade followed by 60 seconds at a 1 percent grade. Repeat 9 times.
CONSTANT CLIMB Set the treadmill at an 8 percent grade and walk or run for 30 seconds at a moderate pace (you should be out of breath) followed by 60 seconds at a slower pace, still on the 8 percent incline. Repeat 9 times.

2. Don’t Procrastinate. Try not putting off the moves you dread (for me that would be push-ups!) because you are less likely to complete them if you keep them until the end. Get them out of the way first thing, that way you won’t be as tired when trying to complete them near the end of your routine.
3. Water is Your Friend. Pools can be a workout gold mine if you have access to one. Swimming laps is a great way to sculpt the body, but there are other ways you can utilize the pool as well. Shape suggest getting a kickboard and doing flutter kicks across the length of the pool, then getting gout and doing either lunges or squats and repeating the exercise. By alternating between water and land, the body is getting a cardio-sculpting workout.
4. Hold Your Tongue. This tip I found very interesting. When doing moves such as crunches, you should rest your tongue behind the top row of your teeth. This will help prevent neck strain, keeping you in better form and working the abs harder.

Check out the full article at Shape.com for all 31 sculpting secrets!

February 9, 2010
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Does Walking Increase the Size of Your Legs?
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Does Walking Increase the Size of Your Legs?

I hit up the gym about three times a week or so, but the equipment is pretty sparse due to the fact that is within my apartment complex. Sure there are two treadmills, a bike, elliptical, and some free weights- but it’s nothing compared to the big chain gyms. I’ll take what I can get though, and rely on magazines and the internet to keep mixing up my workouts and giving me new ideas.
My only problem with the treadmill is that I don’t like to run. I have bad knees and a bad ankle from my cheerleading days in high school, so running for just a few minutes can cause me a lot of pain. To still get a good workout, I decided to take up walking. I started power walking but didn’t feel like I was getting too much out of it, so I switched to walking on an incline. And I have met my match. As of right now, I walk at a brisk pace, and slowly creep up the incline, until a reach a level 8. Once I get to that 8, I am winded, my legs are burning, and I feel like I may collapse on the treadmill, so after about three minutes I start to lower the incline again and eventually cool down. After I complete 30 minutes, I am drenched with sweat, my heart rate is definitely up, and my legs feel like jello. But I feel great, because I know I just gave myself a great workout.
I did get worried that by walking on an incline that I would actually be making my legs (especially my thighs) bigger and bulkier, but one click on the internet showed me that is not true. About.com gave a pretty straightforward answer on my dilemma, explaining that walking, along with a variety of other aerobic exercises, uses the body’s slow-twitch fibers, which are designed for sustained activity and will not grow in size. To get lean and toned legs, walking on an incline is highly recommended. To burn more calories, increase your speed or the incline or both! Good luck!

January 28, 2010
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