Thursday, April 29, 2010

How Accurate Is Your Scale?

There are some who say weigh every day and others who say never weigh yourself.

Those who don't want to weigh every day generally have a pair of pants or something to guide them as to their size: the same, bigger or smaller.

I personally weigh every day because I'm a horrible judge of my size. I love to eat too so I could run into problems if I'm not careful. I don't trust my pants because my husband is famous for shrinking my clothes in the dryer.

One issue I've had is just how accurate is my scale? My husband and I travel between Tacoma and Wenatchee so we have different scales at each house. That's been a problem for me because the scales are either different or I weigh more in Wenatchee than I do in Tacoma!

I was ready to throw out both scales and start over when I ran across a more sensible plan. I googled "most accurate scales" and found that many people struggle with the accuracy of their scales. A few shared that they have gotten on and off their scales and either lost or gained weight in seconds! The scales were not reading true.

I finally ran across a forum where a girl said she used a 10 pound weight to see if her scale was reading her weight correctly. What a great idea!

I started doing that and found that my scales varies how much the ten pound weight weighs. Now what I do is weigh the free weight then see if it's under or over what it is suppose to weigh and adjust accordingly.

That may sound picky but for those of us that are very small a few pounds makes a difference and for those that are trying to lose or gain weight accuracy is important.

I wanted to pass that tip on to you. I saw that many people want to know how to solve the "how accurate is my scale" problem.

So there you go! Now you too may not have to go out and search for the perfect scale.

Feel free to ask questions and leave comments. I'd love to hear from you!

Your fitness expert

Lynn   www.getrealfit.org

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Exercise And Martial Arts

The martial arts have been used for exercise for centuries.

The right combination of kicking, punching and other martial art moves will burn fat faster than traditional aerobics.

The reason is "the more muscles you use the longer you can use them".

To burn fat you need oxygen. Your muscles demand it. If you're using lots of muscles at the same time you'll have a larger amount of oxygen in your system so you'll be able to keep moving longer.

Aerobic exercise such as biking uses focuses muscles so you pull in less oxygen. You run out of oxygen faster so your body starts to burn another fuel source called glycogen.

I just did my "Punch and Firm" workout and loved it! I had spinal surgery about 9 months ago and am in "do-over" mode. I can't do the high impact but did pretty well with the low impact my DVDs offer.

If you're getting ready for your summer clothes...invest in my workouts. They'll whip you into shape FAST!

Feel free to ask questions and leave comments. I'd love to hear from you!

Your fitness expert

Lynn  www.getrealfit.org

Monday, April 26, 2010

New Podcast Episode About Biking

Is biking the right aerobic exercise for you? My new podcast should help you decide. You can click the icon on the right side of this site or use this link to find out...

http://lynnhahnpodcast.libsyn.com/

Feel free to ask questions and leave comments. I'd love to hear from you!

Your fitness expert

Lynn   www.getrealfit.org

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Tightening The Lower Abs

A new friend told me she wants to tighten her lower abs. She's had 2 C sections and is struggling to get her lower abs tight.

It's important to get your doctors okay before you begin exercising after giving birth especially if you've had a c section. The muscles in your stomach need a little time to heal. If you go too fast and or too hard you can cause future problems.

When given the OK by your doctor, doing kegels is very helpful for many things one is tightening your lower abs.

Your transverse abdominus runs under your pelvic floor. It's the muscle that tightens your lower stomach. One way to get your  TA muscle to engage is by doing kegels.

Strengthening the TA muscle is the only way you will tighten your lower abs. Crunches will not do it.

Learning to engage your TA requires you to become familiar with it. Put your fingers inside your hip bones,  then push like you are taking a bowel movement. Add a Kegel and you should feel your fingers move under a band of muscles. Those are your TA muscles.

Practice that move until you're able to contract your TA muscle repeatedly. Then put a pillow between your knees and squeeze the pillow and release 20 times while holding the TA muscle engaged.

If you have an exercise ball, you can put your feet on the ball, engage your TA and pull the ball toward you and back out 20 times while keeping you TA muscle engaged.

Once you have that down adding reverse curls to your routine will help a lot!

There is a condition called diastasis rectus that can not be helped by exercise. That's when your rectus abdominus  is damaged during your pregnancy. Lie on your back and put your fingers in your belly button then lift your shoulders off the ground. If your fingers are not pushed out by your rectus muscle you may have the condition. See you physician if you have that condition.

I hope this helps! Leave questions and or comments and I'll do my best to answer them.


Your fitness expert

Lynn   www.getrealfit.org

Podcast Episode About Running

I just uploaded my weekly podcast episode! The topic is "running".

Running is a good aerobic workout if your doctor has okayed the activity. If you have health issues it can hurt you more than help you. Now that my cervical spine is compromised I'll have to settle for cheering others on.

Running was one of my ahhhhh! experiences prior to my surgery. It just gets those kinks right out of the armorer. After a few minutes the world was all good.

Check out the podcast and leave comments and questions. I will get back to you! Here's the link or you can click on the podcast icon.    http://lynnhahnpodcast.libsyn.com/

Your fitness expert

Lynn    www.getrealfit.org

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

The Quickest Way To Get In Shape!

Interval training burns twice as many calories and fat as regular exercise.

Interval training uses bursts of higher intensity sessions within your workout.

An example: you walk for 10 minutes then sprint for 2 minutes off and on for the length of your aerobic workout.

All our aerobic workouts use interval training so you get the best outcome during your workout time. We're all busy now a days so time is valuable.

You also burn more calories through out the day when you use interval training for your workout format.

Visit our website www.getrealfit.org  go to the products page and purchase one of our programs. You'll be taken to our official distributor Fitness Fly to finish your purchase. They handle all our sales now.

Get a jump on your summer body with our interval training aerobic workout programs!

Feel free to ask questions and leave comments. I'd love to hear from you!


Your fitness expert

Lynn   www.getrealfit.org

Friday, April 16, 2010

Sixty And Sexy!

My goal is to come into my 60's being strong and sexy lol!

I'll be 60 in January 2010. This is a picture of me just before my surgery 9 months ago. I have women tell me "I want to look like that!" and I respond "so do I!"

I had cervical spine surgery on July 27th 2009. I went from this to...well I haven't had to heart to take a photo. I really don't want to remember how bad I got.

I didn't gain weight in fact I lost weight, all muscle weight. Love handles and all, my husband supported me and told me if I never got back to my former self...he was fine with it. I really scored with him (:

I'm not fine with it and it's not just the love handles ( I am a bit vain) being weak is not for me! I didn't realize just how strong I was!

I would give ladies 15 pound weights to do bicep curls and be respectful but a bit confused as to why they weren't able to lift them. I could and I'm really small. They were really light to me.

No more. It's taken me 3 months to get up to lifting 8 pounds! I won't be able to lift past 10 pounds until July but that gives me 6 months to get strong again and get strong I will!

Join me on my 9 month GET STRONG plan.

Check out my fitness DVDs on www.getrealfit.org   Those are my workouts and I'm using them to become the best I can be...


Your fitness expert

Lynn   www.getrealfit.org

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Need Great Kickboxing Shoes?

I've been asked several times which shoes are the best for kickboxing. My answer is the Nike dance shoes.

The reason is that the sole has a pivoting circle on the bottom so the tread allows your foot to turn with the kickboxing moves.

They also have a flexible sole which is very important for kickboxing.

I wear them in all my fitness DVDS :)

Your fitness expert

Lynn   www.getrealfit.org

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Journaling Really Works!

Those extra bites Do count! Journaling your food intake for at least a few weeks will help you to become aware of what you're eating.

All those little "bites" of this and that will show up on your hips if you're not careful!

Get a note book that makes you smile and start writing down what you eat, when you eat, why you eat and how much you eat.

It's a proven method for success!

Feel free to ask questions and leave comments. I'd love to hear from you!

Your fitness expert

Lynn   www.getrealfit.org

Monday, April 12, 2010

Podcast On Aerobics

We're moving a long on our "journey to health" !

I just uploaded the first of a series on the topic of aerobics. There are so many different aerobics and I like to keep the podcasts short so I'm doing that show in small bites.

Give it a listen and please leave me comments and questions!

http://lynnhahnpodcast.libsyn.com/

Your fitness expert

Lynn     www.getrealfit.org

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Timed Exercise

To get in extra fat burning time I now use a timer and set it for 2 minutes and do walking lunges as well as other full body workouts.

If you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk it's helpful to have a timer that you can set so you get up every hour and just dance for 2 minutes.

I like to do deep lunges but if you're wearing a skirt that can be tough. It's so important to get up and move a lot during the day!

Your fitness expert

Lynn    www.getrealfit.org

Friday, April 9, 2010

Spot Reducing-Is It Possible?


There's conflict about whether you can "spot reduce".

I had spinal surgery 9 months ago and lost most of my muscle and have learned soooo much from the experience. I'm just now starting to gain back my muscles.

I learned that you can "spot firm" which does reduce the area so one could argue that constitutes spot reduction.

Losing the fat around the muscle is needed to truly reduce the area but some women are thin and still have "love handles".

I've been struggling with "love handles" since my surgery. I'm doing lots of firming exercises for my core body to get rid of the flab around my middle and it's beginning to reduce the hang around my waist.

I also learned that having a six pack is not good for your health. You can have a flat stomach but to go for the ripple causes problems such as back problems , stress on your internal organs and breathing issues.

If your abs are too tight they pull on your back and can straighten the natural curve in your back that allows it to have the strength to support your body. Back problems can follow.

If your upper abs are too tight they are like a band around your lungs. They prevent you from getting oxygen into your lungs affectively. They also squish your internal organs.

So think twice before you decide to go for the six pack but doing a healthy amount of ab exercises can improve the look and health of your structure.

There's a "middle" ground to having a healthy middle section. You need to work your abs. Simply doing aerobics generally will not do the trick.

So, can you spot reduce? I believe you can improve the look and health of your abs by doing exercises directed exclusively toward them.


Your fitness expert

Lynn    www.getrealfit.org

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Do You Need A Pedometer?

This new podcast shares the ins and outs of aerobic exercise. One item I talk about is the pedometer. This one has high rankings so I thought I would share it with you.


Here's the address to the podcast. You can also use the icon on the upper right hand side of this site to get to the podcast.

http://lynnhahnpodcast.libsyn.com/


Move that body!



Your fitness expert

Lynn    www.getrealfit.org

Monday, April 5, 2010

Exercise Bands Available Here!

I'm a big believer in exercise bands. The reviews on this set were good.

If you have joint issues that prevent you from lifting weights exercise bands are a great way to strength train.

The bands are great to travel with and to use for a change from free weights.

I have a workout on my website  www.getrealfit.org   called "Body Bands and Rings" Add some rings to this set and you're ready to go!

If you get some let me know how you do with them...

Your fitness expert

Lynn

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Takes Time To Get In Shape

It's so tough to be patient when waiting to get in shape or back in shape as is my case.

I'm stepping up my effort! I was getting ready to go to a meeting and put on one of my favorite spring pants that use to be a little loose...well no more...they're tight!

I only weight a couple of pounds more than I did before the surgery but the lack of muscle really makes a difference in how my clothes fit.

So often clients get bummed out when they first start exercising cuz some actually gain weight. The reason is that muscle weighs more than fat. When I ask them how their clothes are fitting usually, after thinking about it, they say " my jeans seems looser".

So if you're starting your exercise journey know that you may put on a couple of pounds but your measurements should show an improvement.

That's what I want to see in me...my measurements going back to where they were before the surgery.

I want to start doing some 10 minute exercise routines on YouTube but I need to get back to where I was so I inspire you. Seeing me now would not do that ugggg

I should take a before and after. I wish I would have taken one before I was able to start exercising. I was a mess. I could barely lift 2 pounds. I can now handle 10 pounds. It'll be a while before I can lift my usual weights.

Soooo I'll keep you posted as to how I'm coming a long. Drop me a comment and let me know how you're doing. I'm here for you :)

Your fitness expert

Lynn    www.getrealfit.org

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