The 4-Minute Miracle Workout (That Really Works)

Tight on time?

Don't give up on your workout today. If you have a mere four minutes—that's just 240 total seconds—to spare (and who doesn't), then you do have time to squeeze in a super effective workout that provides major health, fitness and weight-loss benefits.

What is this 4-minute miracle workout? Read More ›

Christian Workout Music: 100 Uplifting Songs

Music is important to many people. It can pick you up when you're feeling down, motivate you when you need a little push, and inspire you to go the extra mile during a workout. We love to share our favoriate workout music list suggestions here on dailySpark, and we frequently receive requests for Christian exercise music. So I've compiled a list of my top 100 Christian workout songs. 

There are many genres of Christian music, and even if you don't consider yourself to be religious or spiritual, you may discover that in addition to "clean lyrics," many of these songs are uplifting and encouraging in both their titles and words, making them motivational for just about anyone.
 
Listening to uplifting music can help anyone feel better and more positive about life. It can provide motivation to move forward with your healthy lifestyle goals, too. So whether you are feeling depressed, stressed, discouraged, or angry, this list of songs with positive messages can turn your focus back on all that is good in your life.
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Your Guide to Flat Abs

Many people want to have flat abs, but have trouble getting them. Attaining visible abdominal definition depends on a low body fat percentage that isn't realistic for many and your genetics plays a part of it as well, but that doesn't mean you can't work towards a goal of having a slimmer tummy. While you can't spot train or target where you lose fat, you can work on those muscles to help you achieve flatter abs and a strong core overall.

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In the News: 6 Things You Don't Know About Your Muscles

A round-up of the most interesting and thought-provoking stories of the week.

Advice on Practicing Yoga in Middle Age, Part 1
Dr. Loren Fishman, a back-pain and rehabilitative medicine specialist who studied yoga under B.K.S. Iyengar, answers readers questions about how to safely practice and alleviate pain in the first of three segments. A must-read for anyone who practices yoga, anyone who wants to, or anyone with back or nerve pain. NYT.com

6 Things You Don't Know About Your Muscles
Our muscles do more than most of us realize. Tip #1: Think of them like “scaffolding for your entire body.” Don't miss the rest... Shape.com

Best Road Races for Beginners
If you’re a new runner interested in road races, you’ll want to check out this list of events known for their crowd support, good swag, and non-competitive vibe. Self.com

Frank advice from Star Jones
A decade after weight-loss surgery and three years after open-heart surgery at age 44, the former View star shares her thoughts on healthy living. Philly.com
 
What 100 Calories Look Like: Frozen Treats
Craving something cool and creamy? Look before you lick. FitSugar.com


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7 Fun Ways to Burn BIG Calories this Spring

Do you love spring as much as I do? It's so energizing to wake up when the sun is shining, enjoy the outdoors without wearing a coat, and see the green grass and tiny flower buds flanking the streets. Every sunny day, I lament that I'm in the office instead of outdoors, which is why I get outside as much as possible after work and each weekend. When the scenery is beautiful and the temperature perfect, almost any activity—including exercise—seems more fun and enjoyable. Here are 7 worthwhile pastimes that can help you get fit, burn calories and enjoy the outdoors this spring! Read More ›

Gym Bag Essentials for Every Woman

For those of you avid gym-goers out there, you know how important it is to keep your gym bag stocked and ready to go! If you are anything like me, you also like to stay stylish, even while getting sweaty, which is why I designed my oGorgeous brand of bags, so that I can have a gym bag that is as pretty as a purse! I make sure to pack my bag full of the essentials so that I'm always ready for a workout, wherever I am. Let me share some of my gym bag must haves:

Fitness Gloves
These really come in handy when you're lifting weights and want to avoid getting calluses. They're also great as you're developing grip strength.


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The Top 5 Exercises You're Doing Wrong

For some people, safety and form during a workout is a huge priority. For others, it's an afterthought. If you work out without the careful eyes of a trainer or instructor watching your every move, it can be difficult to know if you are exercising with proper form—even when you're really trying to.
 
Learning how to move with correct alignment isn't just about looking good; it can mean the difference between muscle activation and joint strain—or even injury.
 
Here are five exercises that are common—and may even seem simple—but are most often performed incorrectly by people of all fitness levels. Read More ›

8 Amazing Exercises for the TRX

If you haven't been in a gym recently you may be surprised to see trainers and fitness enthusiasts incorporating many new gadgets into their workout routines to help keep their training fresh and challenging. Having covered kettlebells, BOSU trainers and Body Bar workouts in previous Fitness Round-up blogs, now seemed an opportune time to introduce the TRX Suspension System.
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All You Ever Wanted to Know about Zumba

Editor's note: You've been asking about Zumba for a long time, so we are happy to share this guest blog post from one of our favorite bloggers. Gina, otherwise known as The Fitnessista, is not only a HUGE fan of Zumba, but she's a Zumba instructor and former dancer as well. She was happy to write about her favorite form of aerobics for the dailySpark.

Hi, everyone! My name is Gina and I write over at a little blog called The Fitnessista. On my blog, I write about fitness tips, nutrition advice, recipes, workout routines and my daily shenanigans. Determined to experience a negative “freshman 15,” I lost 40 pounds about 8 years ago and have since then become a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. My favorite class to teach, by far, is ZUMBA!

So, you may have heard about Zumba or you might be wondering what the heck it is.

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The Top 100 Running Songs of All Time

As a runner, I often turn to music to keep me entertained and motivated during my training runs and races. I love discovering new running songs (even if "new" only means "new to me"), listening to them, and sharing them with others via my blog posts and Facebook page.

I recently asked people to share their favorite running songs, then created a list of 100 titles, new and old, that keep us on our feet and on pace. List in hand, I asked members of SparkPeople.com, America's #1 weight loss and fitness website, to vote on their favorites, too.

Find out which song took the tittle of best running song, whether your favorite made the list, and how you can download a brand new 60-minute running mix of the top 12 songs (as voted on by runners like you)! Read More ›

Our Fastest Cardio Workouts

Do you ever feel like you don't have enough time to get a good workout in during the day? No need to fret because you can still get an effective cardio workout in just 10 minutes. I gave up the all-or-nothing thinking years ago and have done my best to commit to at least 10 minutes of exercise each day. It all really DOES add up! Even if you did just 10 minutes of exercise a day, that is 70 minutes of exercise for the week, which is better than not doing anything at all and you can still see the benefits from doing that.

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Keep Your Eyes OFF the Prize

If Cincinnati is known for anything (especially among its many runners and cyclists), it is known for its hills. You can't run, bike, hike or even walk very far in this city without encountering multiple inclines, some of which are very steep! That is partly what makes our Flying Pig Marathon so notorious! When I run outside or hit the road on my bike, there is no avoiding the hills. And while many exercisers despise hills, I've come to accept them—even appreciate them. And no, I'm not a masochist.
 
On my many long runs these past few months (I will be running the Flying Pig half marathon this Sunday), I've climbed a lot of hills and had a lot of time to think about each one.  I've realized that we all have our own hills—in running, in weight loss and in life. Whether a hill slows us down or holds us back has less to do with its actual physicality (or our own) and much more to do with our outlook as we approach it. Read More ›

Motivated to Move: Exercise to Feel Alive

Whether you're new to fitness or you've been working out consistently for years, we share a common truth: Working out is hard. Some people give up or quit in the face of that kind of adversity, while others say, "Bring it on!" Me? I've always been up for a challenge. It isn't because I long to punish myself or actually enjoy pain (far from it).

In fact, I don't love exercising any more than the next guy or girl. It's hard and uncomfortable, and anyone who says otherwise is lying! There are a lot of things I'd prefer do than work out each day. I would much rather sleep in or relax on the couch with a bowl of ice cream. But the reason I stick with it is because I love how it makes me feel. I may not like the process, but I love the results. Exercise makes me feel alive!

Do you feel alive? Read More ›

21 Fast-Paced Workout Songs You'll Love

It's been far too long since I've shared some new music ideas for you to update your workout playlists, but reading the New York Times Well blog recently reminded me just how important music is during exercise. Recapping several studies about music's affects on exercise intensity and perceived exertion, one in particular caught my eye. In a small study, male college students pedaled stationary bicycles while listening to popular music that the researchers secretly either slowed down or sped up at random, without the knowledge of the participants. When the music was faster, they pedaled faster, liked the music better, and elevated their heart rates more, yet perceived their workouts as less intense than they actually were. When the music slowed down, exactly the opposite happened.

We all know that some good booty-shaking tunes can make our workouts more fun, which is why I prefer to go for beat and music tempo over "motivation" factor, like how the song makes me feel or whether the actual lyrics are particularly inspiring.

If you want to boost the intensity of your workouts and make them feel easier at the same time, try update your workout playlist with one of these upbeat workout songs. Read More ›

5 Moves That Are Missing from Your Core Workouts

In college I was a dancer, and Pilates was part of my daily training. Somehow I would ''get through'' the mat classes, just going through the motions, but miraculously, I was never sore. My roommate, on the other hand, would be doubled over the next morning, whining in agony as the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) would remind her of class several hours after it ended. It took me years to figure out that the reason I wasn't sore was that I didn't know how to recruit my innermost abdominals. I was skimming the surface without going very deep. Once I learned how to engage and target the internal abdominals, I was able to redefine my abs from the inside-out.

And that is exactly what I am going to show you how to do today!
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