8-Minute Fat-Burning Workout

Use your own body weight to burn fat for this 8-minute workout!

Sometimes, you can't get to the gym or even access the workout gear you have stashed in your basement. Maybe you're on a business trip and stuck in some roadside motel in rural Arkansas. Maybe you're trapped at your in-laws' house (yikes!). Maybe the Feds discovered you're the missing link to the Enron case.

Well, that's still no excuse. This full-body routine requires no equipment and only 8 minutes of your time. Perform each exercise below for 30 seconds. Do one move after another without rest and repeat the sequence without rest for a total of four times, if you can.

The intensity of this workout conditions your muscular and cardiovascular systems, helps improve flexibility, and melts fat. You'll burn hundreds of calories.

Jumping Jacks. Just like grade school. Start with your hands on your hips and your feet together. Raise your hands out to your sides and up overhead as you move your feet out to the sides. Then bring your feet back together and lower your hands to your sides.

Split Hops. Stand with your hands on your hips and your feet together. Move your left foot 6 inches forward and your right foot 6 inches back. Now jump up and switch leg positions so that your right foot is forward.

Squat Thrusts with Pushups. Stand with your arms at your sides. Bend your knees and lower your hands to the floor. Kick your legs behind you so that you're in a Pushup position. Now do a Pushup. Thrust your knees to your chest so that your feet are back underneath you and stand back up.

That's it! Eight minutes and you can still outrun the Feds. So quit whining and factor these exercises into your 24-hour daily life!

Shadowboxing - the Ultimate Warmup!

Believe it or not, "shadowboxing" is the safest and best warmup exercise you can do. It is painless, gentle on your bones and muscles, fun to do, and easy to control the pace and intensity. It works your entire body naturally and evenly. You don't even have to be a boxer or martial arts expert to do this. Just follow the simple guidelines below and you've got yourself a great startup exercise for your training regimen.

I'm sure you've seen boxers and kickboxers in action, throwing punches and kicks, bobbing and weaving around, skipping and shuffling their feet. To the very least, you've watched "Rocky" at one point or another. Right?

Well, using your memory and imagination, try to emulate their movements in comfort of your own environment and privacy. This makes for a great warmup exercise! Here's how:

1. Pick an empty corner of the room where you are clear of furniture and any edifice within at least an arm's length. Face a mirror or your shadow.
2. Turn on some fast workout music, like rock, hip-hop, dance or techno.
3. Hold up your arms like a boxer, take a deep breath and lightly throw punches in the air in steady succession for 10 seconds at a time.
4. DO NOT hyper-extend your arms.
5. Rotate your hips at every punch.
6. After every 10-second flurry of punches, take another deep breath, count to 10, then repeat.
7. In-between the 10-second punch flurries, you can also throw knee strikes. Raise your knee to waist level and thrust it forward at an imaginary opponent's stomach or groin area. Alternate knees and then switch back to throwing punches.
8. In addition to knee strikes, you can also simulate kicks by raising one foot and thrusting it forward (don't hyperextend) in a gentle motion at waist or knee level. Do not kick above waist level unless you are an experienced kickboxer.
9. From time to time, weave your body from side to side to emulate evading your imaginary opponent's punches.
10. Shuffle your feet from side to side, changing angles and positions often.
11. Do this drill for about 10 minutes. If you're having fun, add another 5 minutes. You'll be sweating nicely by the time you're done.

Questions? Drop me a note and I'd love to help.

Enjoy!

You wanna get fit? Of course you do!

Establishing Fitness Routines

Once you have determined that you want to become fit, you will want to establish a fitness routine. Although most people think of classes and specific activities (such as jogging or tennis) as the way to fitness, there are many ways you can work activity into your life.

Structured fitness

Fitness classes or groups provide a consistent approach to an activity. Local gyms, schools, and churches may sponsor a regular fitness group. Teams also provide a consistent approach to fitness but are more competitive. Many communities have intervention programs to help adults and children become fit. They often are found within social agencies and schools.

Structured fitness has the advantage of:

• Being held at the same time and place, which is easier for your schedule.
• Having a social atmosphere.
• "Healthy" peer pressure to show up and participate.

Self-directed fitness

Many people find an activity they enjoy and create their own fitness program. For it to be effective, you must set up a regular schedule and stick to it. Self-directed fitness gives you:

• Flexibility as to the time and place.
• The ability to try different types of exercises.

Fitness within your day

You can use "everyday" activities for fitness, as long as you do them regularly. This includes:

• Daily aerobic activity, such as raking leaves, mowing the lawn, or doing housework.
• Physical activity in the workplace, such as using stairs instead of elevators.
• Muscle-conditioning exercises, such as scrubbing the bathtub, washing walls, tilling the garden, or pulling weeds.
• An outdoor interest that promotes walking or another type of exercise. For example, bird watching may involve considerable walking, and trail building may involve both walking and strength to clear paths.