You Asked: How Should I Train for a Mud Run?

Last summer, I surprised a few family members by asking if they wanted to form a team to do a mud run.  I’m not known as adventurous—or as someone who likes to get dirty—but mud races were becoming so popular among runners (and non-runners alike) that I was ready to step out of my comfort zone and try something new.  To my delight, the race was lots of fun and definitely something I’d do again in the future. 
  
Mud runs have exploded in popularity over the past few years.  One example is the Warrior Dash, which started as one run in 2009 with 2,000 participants.  In 2012, 65 Warrior Dash events were held across the world, involving more than 1 million participants.  Today, you have no shortage of mud-related "obstacle" races from which to choose. Each race is different, so it’s important to know exactly what you’re getting into before you sign up.  Read More ›

Does Yoga Count as Cardio?

Yoga has seen a steady rise in popularity over the past few years.  According to a 2008 report released by Yoga Journal, 15.8 million American adults were practicing yoga.  In 2010, that number grew to 21.9 million.  The majority reported that they practice yoga for a number of health benefits, stress reduction and relaxation.  Yoga is a great complement to a well-rounded exercise routine, no matter what your fitness level.   It offers a variety of modifications (as needed), styles and intensities, giving it a wide appeal among exercisers of all fitness levels and goals.
 
But one of the questions I get most about yoga isn't whether I recommend it (I do), but whether it counts as a cardio workout. Could yoga replace one or more of your weekly treadmill or elliptical dates?  Read More ›

The Best Workout You Can Do for Your Core

We're all busy. But we can't let that get in the way of our desire to be fitter and healthier. That's why we need to know the best ways to maximize our efforts in the gym.
 
Recently someone asked me, "What is the best workout I can do for my core?"
 
It's a common question! And no reason it's so confusing. There are so many abs gizmos, belly-fat-burning pills, and ab-centric workouts available, that it's hard to make sense of it all.
 
So what works best? Here's my answer. Read More ›

You Asked: What's the Best Diet/Fitness Program for Weight Loss?

There are thousands of diet plans available these days, and there are just as many different workout programs. The trendy diets and workout plans of the past couple of years (think Paleo, Dukan, the 17-Day Diet, hCG, PINK, P90X, Insanity and more) will rise, peak and fall just like the popular diet and workout plans of the past. There will always be a new, trendy diet or workout plan. As different as they all may be, they all have one thing in common: They promise to be "the program" to help you take off the weight. But can they all be telling the truth?
 
As a health and fitness professional, the question I get asked most often revolve around my opinion on other diet or fitness programs.

 
My answer to these common questions may surprise you. Read More ›

You Asked: What Should I Eat before I Work Out?

You probably know that fueling your body properly can help you take your workouts to the next level. After all, if you go too long without eating, you can feel tired, sluggish and even faint during an exercise session, which means your workouts will suffer and you won't get very good results from your efforts. But with properly timed meals and snacks, you can stave off hunger and give your body the energy it needs to perform at its best.
 
Here's how to create the perfect pre-workout snack (along with some of our favorite fueling ideas). Read More ›

You Asked: How Do I Breathe in Yoga?

For my students, breathing is the topic in yoga that prompts the most questions: How do you breathe in yoga? Should it be loud? How do I make that "noise" when I breathe? When the poses get too hard, I become out of breath. How can I keep breathing?

Breathing is one of the most important elements--some would argue that it's the most important element--of a yoga practice, but for many of us, it is among the hardest to master. We focus on the stretch, the strength or the balance that is required to get into a pose, and we neglect the breath. I was guilty of that same attitude when I started practicing yoga.

What did it matter if my breath was short or long, shallow or deep, through the nose or the mouth?

As it turns out, it mattered greatly. If your breathing isn't relaxed, your body can't relax into the poses. If your body isn't relaxed, your mind can't relax. And if your mind isn't relaxed, you can't draw the full benefits from your yoga practice. Proper breathing and control, known as pranayama, is one of the eight "limbs" of the philosophy of yoga; asana, which is the physical practice most of us know as "yoga," is another of the limbs.

Practically speaking, breathing slowly can lower your heart rate. It also brings fresh oxygen to the lungs, and in turn, the rest of the body.

In yoga, we use a type of breath called ujjayi (ooh-JAH-ee), which means "victorious" in Sanskrit. To summarize, I tell my classes their breath should be slow, deep, and even. The breath is meant to simultaneously relax and energize the body. In flowing yoga classes, the breath sets the rhythm for the practice. Each movement is linked to a breath. Inhale, you move into pose, exhale you move out of it. The breath, I tell my students, is your metronome. In, out, in, out. The body matches the breath.

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You Asked: When Should I Increase the Weight I Lift?

A few weeks ago, I answered explained how to pick the right weight for strength training. While it seemed to answer a lot of people's questions, it also brought up new ones—like when to increase the amount of weight you lift. No need to worry! I am going to answer that question—plus let you know exactly HOW MUCH to increase your weight by—in today's You Asked post. Read More ›

You Asked: How Much Weight Should I Lift?

Strength training may not be rocket science, but for the average person, figuring out the best, safest, and most effective ways to lift weights is no small task. There's no shortage of workout videos, toning classes and fitness plans you could follow to reach your goals of toning up, building strength, and reshaping your body. But even if you're following a great plan designed by a knowledgeable trainer, one big question still remains: How much weight should you be lifting?

This is by far the most common question I receive. While there is no easy answer, I'm going to break it down for you as simply as possible so that you are getting the results you're looking for from your strength training program while staying safe at the same time. Read More ›

You Asked: What Are The Risks of BPA?

The ongoing debate over plastic has been a hot topic for the past year. Last week I shared that BPA is not just in plastics but can also be found in metal-based food and beverage cans. A common question came up in the comments asking about the health risks of BPA so I thought it would be a good idea to follow up and provide a basic overview of the history and possible risks of BPA.

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You Asked: What is the Whole Grains Council?

The dailySpark reader PCGOTMOOSE recently asked about the Whole Grains Council and the significance of their emblem on products at the supermarket.

According to a 2007 Hartman Group report, a majority of shoppers are aware of and trust packaging symbols such the American Heart Association heart-check mark, the U.S.D.A. Organic Symbol, standard Recycling symbols and the Whole Grains Stamp.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans issued in 2005 recommends three whole grain servings or more per day. Likewise, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services define a complete serving as one that contains at least 16 grams of whole grains. The Whole Grains Stamp is not new but it can assist you in your quest for healthier eating.

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Walden Farms Products Claim No Calories, Fat, Carbs, Gluten, or Sugar – Can They Be Good For You?

Recently we received an e-mail about Walden Farms products. The writer wondered what is in these zero calorie, carbohydrate, fat, gluten and sugar free products and if they were healthy or chemical ridden. We decided to take a closer look. Here is what we found.

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You Asked: Is Muscle Milk Good for You?

Performance enhancing supplements have become big business. Many drinks, powders and bars promise a competitive edge through increased strength, development of an ultra lean body or increased recovery responses so you can work out harder and more effectively. We encourage all our readers to use care when selecting and taking any pre- or post-workout supplement and to only use them as pre- and post-workout snacks and not as meal replacements for dieting purposes. Recently a reader contacted us about a new type of supplement called Muscle Milk, wanting to know if it was different than other supplements and a good option for her and her husband. Here is what we learned.
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Take a Peek at a Healthy Eater's Meal Plan

You've peeked inside our fridges, and we've spilled our secrets about exercising in public. Now we're going to let you take a peek at our meal plans.

On a recent blog, someone wanted to know what a typical day is like for a SparkPeople expert in terms of eating. I remembered to both track my food and photograph it twice last week so I could share it with you. Do we eat the same foods? Would you eat what I eat?

I tend to eat a big breakfast, a moderate lunch and a slightly larger dinner, with one or two snacks. I love vegetables and always eat those before eating anything else on my plate. I don't eat meat or white bread/pasta/etc. I sometimes track calories, and I generally stay between 1,600 and 1,900 calories, the recommended amount from the SparkPeople Nutrition Tracker. (Honestly I'm usually pressing the upper limit of that. I like to eat!) I practice yoga daily and take Spinning, run and/or walk a few times a week, so I'm pretty active. I'm good at eating only when I'm hungry, but I have a bad habit of grazing when I'm bored or stressed.

Take a look at what I ate:

Thursday, April 16

7 servings of fruits and vegetables
9 cups of water

Breakfast: (9 a.m.) I always loved oatmeal, but Kath over at KathEats.com helped me elevate my oatmeal to a new level. Kath tops her oatmeal with all kinds of goodies. My favorite is almond butter and a banana with a bit of vanilla soymilk and cinnamon. Today I changed it up with eight roasted almonds (I buy raw, so I toasted these in the toaster oven while my oatmeal cooked) about 2/3 of an ounce of chocolate chips (a new topping for me--it was so decadent!) and a cup of strawberries.
This was like dessert for breakfast. I will stick with my banana and almond butter most days, but I liked this!
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Does it Really? The Truth about Açaí

We've all seen the ads.

Rachael Ray lost weight with açaí berries!

Lose 20 pounds in 2 days with açaí!

Açaí flush is the secret to weight loss.

Is it true? Does açaí, a berry native to Central and South America, hold the key to weight loss? Read More ›

Thanks for Listening to My Interview!

Hello, dailySparkers!

Thanks so much for listening to my interview today at On The Home Stretch.com. I had a great time! I'll post the link to the podcast once it's up on Debbie's site.

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