Keep Your Cardio Interesting
Trainer Andy gives some tips to keep you from getting burned out on cardio. Check out the video above for ways to keep your gym time interesting and to push yourself to reach new goals.
Final Mini-Challenge: Push Through the Last Days!
Only 13 days remain in the 100 Day Fitness Challenge! Congratulations to everyone for coming this far and for making a dedication to your fitness this year!
To close out the 100 Days, we’re giving you one final mini-challenge to complete. Earn 1000 MEPs between April 15-24 to gain entry into a drawing for three-pack of personal training or Pilates sessions.
7 Weekly Tips from Our Fitness Staff
1. Start doing Yoga – Yoga is a form of exercise that blends body movement with breath. There are many benefits of incorporating a Yoga practice as part of your exercise routine, including improved flexibility and balance, decreased stress, and increased strength, focus and self-awareness. Yoga is offered as part of the J’s group exercise schedule and is included in all J memberships. Learn more about our Yoga classes.
2. Skip the salad dressing – Many salad dressings pile on the calories, sugar and refined vegetable oils negating the benefit of the salad you so carefully made. Opt for extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar or fresh lemon and lime juice instead.
3. Follow the two-minute rule – If there is something on your to-do list that you can complete in less than two minutes, do it immediately. Getting things crossed off your life (and off your mind) can help reduce stress from your life.
4. Add more organic foods – Not everything you eat needs to be organic (we get it, organic can be expensive), but focusing on more organic produce can eliminate any possible pesticides or other chemicals that non-organic produce is sprayed with.
5. Spend more time in the sun for more vitamin D – Try getting 10 minutes of daily sun exposure when it’s nice out. Vitamin D, which the sun can help your body produce, can help prevent weakness and many other diseases. Important note: don’t forget your sunscreen for prolonged exposure to the sun.
6. Use healthier cooking methods instead of frying – Fried foods absorb a lot of fat in the cooking process (depending on the oil, these can be unhealthy fats), and vegetables lose part of their nutritional value when fried. Instead, think about roasting, baking, steaming, etc.
7. Consider your sleep cycles – Instead of focusing on how long you sleep, think about how many 90-minute sleep cycles you are able to complete. The best time to wake up is at the end of a cycle, so start with the time you need to get up and count back in 90-minute increments to find the best time to close your eyes at night. Everyone’s cycles and sleep needs a different, but a good rule of thumb is trying to go to bed 6, 7.5 or 9 hours before you need to wake up.