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Archive for the ‘Exercise’ category
Protected: Health Habits Workout -Week 10/Day 1
March 8th, 2010Essential Workout Gear: The Gymboss Interval Timer
March 5th, 2010I love interval training.
Absolutely love it.
There is something magical about the HIIT, HIRT and Tabata workouts that I inflict upon my clients.
As the clock counts down, they move quicker, lift heavier and recover faster.
Whether it’s bike sprints…
or jumping lunges…
…interval training is a powerful tool for burning fat and getting really, really fit, really, really fast.
So, how do you get started with interval training?
Glad you asked.
Step One: Buy an Interval Timer.
Seriously, you’ll thank me. No more watching the clock out of the corner of your eye or screaming at your workout buddy for not paying attention. Spend the 20 bucks. Buy a Gymboss interval timer. Clip it to your shorts. It will beep & vibrate to let you know when to start & stop.
Simple. Effective. Buy the damn timer.
Step Two: Select one of the many free HIIT/HIRT/Tabata workouts that I have posted here @ Health Habits
- Why Can’t I Lose This Fat? – Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3
- Part 4
- HIRT Exercise Descriptions
- Part 5
- 4 Steps to a Great HIIT Workout
- A Super-Sexy David Beckham-esque HIIT Sprint Workout
- Waves and Waves of HIIT
- HIRT – No Equipment – No Problem
- HIIT Workouts – Vertical Jump Training
- Tabata Training 101
- Energy System Fitness
- 10 more reasons to love High Intensity Interval Training
- WARNING: Tabata Workouts WILL Cause Fat Loss
Step Three: Start sweating
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That’s it
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If you like what you see here, click here for RSS/email updates
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Protected: Health Habits Workout -Week 9/Day 3
March 5th, 2010Popularity: 1% [?]
Protected: Health Habits Workout -Week 9/Day 1
March 1st, 2010Popularity: 2% [?]
Play v.s. Exercise
February 26th, 2010.
Researchers have found that in just 3 short months, a group of inactive men with high blood pressure were able to drastically lower their BP, resting pulse rate and body-fat % by playing soccer.
That’s right – soccer.
In fact, the results were significantly better than results achieved via the typical medical advice on healthy diet & exercise. (link to study)
The researchers found that “a regular game of soccer affects numerous cardiovascular risk factors such as maximal oxygen uptake, heart function, elasticity of the vascular system, blood pressure, cholesterol and fat mass far more than e.g. strength training and just as much if not more than running”.
More than running?
But, isn’t that what soccer is? You run and chase the ball over here…and then you chase the ball over there…etc, etc….
So, why is playing soccer better than just running around a track?
What’s the difference?
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The difference is that soccer is played with other people, and when you play soccer you talk and laugh and compete with those other people.
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And that makes it fun.
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And fun + exercise is better than running on a treadmill while watching Anderson Cooper make his serious “news-man” face.
But, maybe you don’t like soccer. Maybe it’s a little too Euro for your taste.
Doesn’t matter.
Find some physical activity that:
- Gets your heart beating, and
- You think you may enjoy
Maybe you join a running club, or lift weights with a buddy, or go swimming with the old ladies at the community center, or play softball or volleyball or basketball or play ping pong with nunchucks
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It doesn’t matter what the activity is.
Fun + Exercise = Good for You
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Protected: Health Habits Workout -Week 8/Day 3
February 26th, 2010Popularity: 2% [?]
A Super-Sexy David Beckham-esque HIIT Sprint Workout
February 25th, 2010Awhile back, Men’s Health wrote an article showing us guys how we can “Live It Like Beckham“.
Included in that article was the David Beckham Workout.
Looking at that workout almost 2 years later, I realized that…..it was a hunk of junk.
Seriously, this guy makes bazillions of dollars every year and this is the best workout that him and his team of trainers & therapists can come up with.
We can do better.
So, here we go:
1. Strength Training
The MH article ignored Beckham’s strength training routine, so like them, we will save that part of his training routine for another article.
However, if you are interested in building some strong, powerful “athlete” muscles, start with this article.
2. Aerobic Training
The MH article also neglected to look at Beckham’s aerobic training. Luckily for you, I am going to build some aerobic conditioning into your….
3. Anaerobic / HIIT / Tabata Training
Alright, here’s where the fun begins.
- 3 workouts per week
- Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced workout
- Increased speed, power & anaerobic endurance
- Less of this
- And more of this
Beginner Workouts
- These workouts are designed for beginners who are interested in losing tons of weight and getting super-fit and ripped.
- For beginners, I am going to assume that you are performing 2 strength training workouts per week
- I will outline 3 Super-Sexy David Beckham-esque HIIT Sprint Workouts. The number of workouts you perform will depend upon your schedule, goals & recovery abilities.
- My recommendation: Do all 3 workouts if you can
- Regarding fitness equipment, I prefer trainees do these workouts while sprinting outdoors or on an exercise bike in the gym or on a Versaclimber or on a rowing machine. A treadmill can be used with lower intensity workouts, but when the sprinting gets intense, the treadmill can get a wee bit dangerous.
Workout #1
- Warm-up – 10 mins at a perceived intensity 50% of your maximum intensity.
- 3 minutes of sprints – 10 sec. sprint with a 50 second rest
- 10 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (175 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
- 3 minutes of sprints – 10 sec. sprint with a 50 second rest
- 10 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (175 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
Workout #2
- Warm-up – 10 mins at a perceived intensity 50% of your maximum intensity.
- 3 minutes of sprints – 10 sec. sprint with a 50 second rest / 15 sec sprint with 45 sec rest / 20 sec. sprint with 40 sec. rest
- 10 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (175 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
- 3 minutes of sprints – 10 sec. sprint with a 50 second rest / 15 sec sprint with 45 sec rest / 20 sec. sprint with 40 sec. rest
- 10 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (175 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
Workout #3
- Warm-up – 10 mins at a perceived intensity 50% of your maximum intensity.
- 10 minutes of sprints – 10 x 10 sec. sprint with 50 sec rest
- Cool-down – 10 mins at a perceived intensity 50% of your maximum intensity.
Intermediate Workouts
- These workouts are designed for intermediates who have outgrown the beginner workouts and are still interested in losing tons of weight and getting super-fit and ripped.
- I am assuming that you are performing 2 strength training workouts per week
- I will outline 3 Super-Sexy David Beckham-esque HIIT Sprint Workouts. The number of workouts you perform will depend upon your schedule, goals & recovery abilities.
- My recommendation: Do all 3 workouts if you can
- Regarding fitness equipment, I prefer trainees do these workouts while sprinting outdoors or on an exercise bike in the gym or on a Versaclimber or on a rowing machine. A treadmill can be used with lower intensity workouts, but when the sprinting gets intense, the treadmill can get a wee bit dangerous.
Workout #1
- Warm-up – 10 mins at a perceived intensity 50% of your maximum intensity.
- 5 minutes of sprints – 10 sec. sprint with a 50 second rest
- 5 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (180 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
- 5 minutes of sprints – 10 sec. sprint with a 50 second rest
- 5 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (180 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
- 5 minutes of sprints – 10 sec. sprint with a 50 second rest
- 5 to 30 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (180 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
Workout #2
- Warm-up – 10 mins at a perceived intensity 50% of your maximum intensity.
- 5 minutes of sprints – 10 sec/50 sec – 15/45 – 20/40 – 10/50 – 15/45 sec. sprint/rest ratio
- 5 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (180 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
- 5 minutes of sprints – 10 sec/50 sec – 15/45 – 20/40 – 10/50 – 15/45 sec. sprint/rest ratio
- 5 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (180 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
- 5 minutes of sprints – 10 sec/50 sec – 15/45 – 20/40 – 10/50 – 15/45 sec. sprint/rest ratio
- 5 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (180 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
- 5 minutes of sprints – 10 sec/50 sec – 15/45 – 20/40 – 10/50 – 15/45 sec. sprint/rest ratio
- 5 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (180 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
Workout #3
- Warm-up – 10 mins at a perceived intensity 50% of your maximum intensity.
- 10 minutes of sprints – 10 x 10 sec. sprint with 50 sec rest
- 5 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (175 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
- 10 minutes of sprints – 10 x 10 sec. sprint with 50 sec rest
- 5 to 30 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (175 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
Advanced Workouts
- These workouts are designed for advanced trainees who have outgrown the intermediate workouts and who are almost super-fit and ripped.
- I am still assuming that you are performing 2 strength training workouts per week
- I will outline 3 Super-Sexy David Beckham-esque HIIT Sprint Workouts. The number of workouts you perform will depend upon your schedule, goals & recovery abilities.
- My recommendation: Do all 3 workouts if you can
- Regarding fitness equipment, I prefer trainees do these workouts while sprinting outdoors or on an exercise bike in the gym or on a Versaclimber or on a rowing machine. A treadmill can be used with lower intensity workouts, but when the sprinting gets intense, the treadmill can get a wee bit dangerous.
Workout #1
- Warm-up – 10 mins at a perceived intensity 50% of your maximum intensity.
- 2 minutes of sprints – 10 sec. sprint with 20 second rests (4 sprints total)
- 5 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (180 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
- 4 minutes of sprints – 10 sec. sprint with 20 second rests (4 sprints total)
- 5 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (180 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
- 2 minutes of sprints – 10 sec. sprint with 20 second rests (4 sprints total)
- 5 to 30 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (185 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
Workout #2
- Warm-up – 10 mins at a perceived intensity 50% of your maximum intensity.
- 4 minute Tabata workout – 4 x 20 sec sprint / 40 sec rest
- 10 minutes cardio at 50% of max intensity
- 4 minute Tabata workout – 4 x 20 sec sprint / 40 sec rest
- 5 to 30 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (175 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
Workout #3
- Warm-up – 10 mins at a perceived intensity 50% of your maximum intensity.
- 10 minutes of sprints – alternate 10/15/20 sec sprints
- 5 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (175 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
- 10 minutes of sprints- alternate 10/15/20 sec sprints
- 5 to 30 minutes cardio at 60% of max intensity OR (175 – your age) Heartbeats per Minute
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Enjoy
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If you like what you see here, click here for updates
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Related Posts
- 10 More Reasons to Love HIIT
- Tabata Workouts WILL Cause Fat Loss
- Tabata Training 101
- HIIT: The Aerobic version
- 4 Steps to a Great HIIT Workout
- High Intensity Resistance Training
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Snake Oil Supplements v.s. Instant Gratification
February 22nd, 2010How can I lose weight fast?
sigh….you would not believe how often I hear this question.
Sure, it may have taken 10 years to put on all of that extra body-fat, but everyone wants to melt it off in a couple of months.
And that’s why people watch The Biggest Loser (it’s NBC’s highest rated show).
And that’s why people buy Fat Burners.
Because they promise results….very fast, very effective results
But what happens when ordinary folk don’t get the advertised results?
They get mad…and when people get mad in 2010….they sue.
According to the NY Daily Times, “Biggest Loser” celeb trainer Jillian Michaels is being sued over one of her weight-loss supplements.
Kathy Hensley charges that the supplements are made with a “potentially lethal” ingredient, citrus aurantium, which can in rare cases cause heart problems and high blood pressure, according to Us Weekly.
Hensley, who’s suing for less than $5,000, also names the supplements’ maker Thin Care, Basic Research and Walgreens.
Michaels, 36, who calls herself “America’s Toughest Trainer,” told Us Weekly in a statement after the first lawsuit was filed that the claims against her supplements are “entirely without merit.”
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Besides citrus aurantium, the pills contain guarana and coffee bean extract.
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“I stand behind all my products,” Michaels’ statement said.
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ThinCare also responded by saying: “We are confident we will prevail.”
Conclusion
ThinCare is wrong.
No one is going to prevail here.
- Not Jillian Michaels
- Not ThinCare
- Not The Biggest Loser
- Not the fans of The Biggest Loser
- and not Kathy Hensley
Everyone involved with this mess is a loser.
The Solution….Grow the Hell Up People
You didn’t put the weight on overnight and you’re not going to take it off overnight.
The truth about fat burners is that:
- Most of them don’t work
- And the ones that do work only work for a short period of time
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So, save your money, read through the Health Habits archives, join the Facebook Group, sign up for online training (shameless plug), toss out the chocolate covered bacon strips and get ready to sweat.
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And, if you like what you see here, click here for updates or Share this Post with the rest of the world.
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- The Health Habits Diet – Part 1
- The Health Habits Diet – Part 2
- The Making of the Health Habits Diet
- Diet Compliance Chart
- Caveman Diet
- Paleo Recipe Resource Page
- What Kind of Paleo are You?
- Is Paleo Eating the Cure for Diabetes?
- News Flash! Caveman Diet Good…Your Diet Bad
- Peri-Workout Nutrition
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Teens Just Wanna Have Fun
February 17th, 2010According to the latest research, emphasising the emotional benefits of exercise is more effective at increasing levels of (teenage) physical activity than highlighting traditional health benefits.
Or, to put it in layman’s terms…
- Teens like to do fun stuff
- They don’t like to do stuff that is “good for them”
Well….duh!
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But seriously, there is evidence showing that people who believe that physical activity is enjoyable and fun are more likely to engage in sport and exercise.
To test this concept, researchers investigated whether highlighting the emotional benefits of sport and exercise to young people increased their levels of physical activity.”
The Study
To test their hypothesis, the researchers sent different types of SMS messages to kids (ages 16-19) encouraging them to “get active”.
Group 1 received messages that highlighted the emotional benefits of physical activity such as ‘Physical activity can make you feel cheerful. What activity will you do today?’ and ‘Physical activity can make you feel more enthusiastic. What activity will you do today?’.
Group 2 received messages that highlighted the physical health benefits of exercise such as ‘Physical activity can help maintain a healthy weight. What activity will you do today?’ and ‘Physical activity can keep your heart healthy. What activity will you do today?’.
Group 3 received a combination of the two messages – emotional one week, practical the next week.
Group 4 was the control group. Their SMS messages contained only the final element of the phrase used in the intervention groups, ‘What activity will you do today?’ for comparability.
Results
Analysis of the results found that the physical activity levels of all 128 participants increased after the two-week intervention by an average 31.5 minutes of moderate activity a week.
Amongst the naturally active kids…
…overall activity a little bit, but none of the 4 text messages stood out as being more effective than the others.
But… in the naturally inactive group, the teenagers who received the texts which highlighted the emotional benefits of exercise performed 120 additional minutes of moderate exercise.
That’s 4x the overall average.
Conclusion
If we (you, me & Michelle Obama) want our teens to get active, get healthy & drop a few pounds, we need to forget about motivating them with logic.
It ain’t gonna work.
We need to motivate with emotion…with fun.
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Any suggestions?
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If you like what you see here, click here for updates
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- A Spark of Hope in the Fight against Childhood Obesity | Health Habits
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Online Personal Training
February 16th, 2010A little over a month ago, I introduced my Health Habits online personal training service….
…and I can’t believe how successful it’s been.
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Each new client has achieved noticeable results (weight loss, strength gains, improved endurance, lower heart rate and blood pressure) after just a few weeks.
I couldn’t be happier….or more relieved.
Because, if I am being completely honest, I have to admit that I was a little bit worried about doing online training.
I was worried that because my online clients wouldn’t be getting the same “hands on” type of attention that my face to face clients get, they might not get the same quality of results.
And, my (slightly overinflated) ego wouldn’t be happy with half-assed training results. I built my training business solely on word of mouth and a mild case of OCD when it comes to designing and implementing training programs.
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Now I am kicking myself for not doing this sooner.
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So, as a thank you to all of the people who already signed up, and because I am unbelievably happy about how things have gone so far, for the remainder of the month, I am offering 3 months of online training for the price of 2 months.
Unfortunately, because I design all of the training programs by hand, I can only take on another 8 clients…sorry.
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3 Months of Online Personal Training – $500….Save $250
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