Remember when I reported a few months ago that I was trying the diet book “Seven Minute Miracle”? Well what it was, was a book that purported that if you did these seven minutes of targeted exercise for a certain area of the body per day and followed it a certain number of minutes with a specific combination of foods, it would kick your localized fat burning in just in those areas, and you would be able to spot reduce specific areas of your body – ie your arms, butt, thighs or tummy, with just seven minutes of exercise a day and this special meal, and of course the author also recommended following a healthier diet other than that as well, which always makes me suspicious.

First of all, the meals are a little awkward. he makes you eat something with sugar in it, and mostly complex carbohydrates, and he says that by doing that, you are activating your cell’s fat burning capabilities and also targeting that specific area you want to fat-bust, and by doing these together, you will target those specific areas and also make sure that they reduce specifically. Yet he doesn’t really back it up with scientific proof in the book Seven Minute Miracle, it’s just a bunch of theory, and it’s not even sound if you ask me.

I did this for about two weeks. I didn’t expect a miracle, but I expected some sort of progress and I didn’t really see much of anything, even though I was also following a logical, common sense healthy diet that was well balanced and calorie controlled. I did notice a bit better tone in my arms, which I alternated with my thighs and arms because those were the two areas I wanted to target, but something tells me I would have noticed that anyways, because I was working them out specifically every morning before my “fat burning meal”.

My opinion is that this isn’t the way to go. Instead, I would follow a good diet that reduces fat allover on the body, such as the Zone Diet by Dr. Barry Sears or the South Beach Diet, instead since they target allover body fat and don’t rely on some “miracle” that only takes a few minutes a day, instead it’s an overall life altering approach.

Climbing Mt. Everest of Mt. Kilamanjaro may be lifetime aspirations for some, but with all the stories about people getting stranded, dying and getting injured on long mountain climbing treks, it’s no wonder some settle for fake rock climbing at their local gym or fitness outlet. There are always scary stories about mountain climbing, which is a sport that is usually reserved for the most adventurous of us, as well as the most fearless – and usually also the most in shape because of it’s demands on the human body.

For one, you have to have a great lung capacity to climb a mountain, but you also have to make sure you do extensive reading on safety and even survival skills and tricks before you go. Most of the types you see going mountain climbing and hiking are the big outdoor fitness and even extreme sports types that aren’t afraid of much and have a lot of experience doing them, but you do have the occasional novices who are sort of just along for the ride.

You also have to be careful when doing snow sports on mountains because of the potential for avalanches, which is something that recently happened to several snowmobilers who were enjoying their time on the side of a large mountain when an avalanche occurred. Unfortunately there were deaths involved there, but there are also many stories of rescue that happen with mountain sports, and that’s what you have to be mindful of, that and the fact that you have to be well prepared before undertaking such a large expedition.

One of the things that they now think causes deaths on Mt. Everest, which is one of the most well recorded mountains where disasters have occurred with mountain climbing adventurers, is that the brain swells due to the high elevations. When this happens, disorientation occurs more easily, and one may get lost and not have their usual wits about them. They could freeze to death, fall, or even die of thirst if they are ill prepared. The specific reason behind brain edema, which is brain swelling, is that the elevation results in much lower oxygen levels than we are used to, which in turn results in swelling of the brain’s tissues.

I have a Netflix account, and one of the cool things about them is that now you can watch some videos on demand, on your computer, and even some through your tv if you have an Xbox game system, including workout and exercise videos. The one I did the other day was one of the incredibly popular Crunch series of workout DVD’s, which was a Pilates Pick Your Spot, with three ten minute segments on it. The DVD was made in 2002, so it’s fairly recent.

The three spots you had to choose from, or you could do all three, were the butt, the belly, and thighs. Although the butt and thighs ones were very similar in the areas they worked, they were both pretty effective, especially for only being done in ten minute segments. I liked the effectiveness feeling I got from them and the instructor was easy to follow. The moves were not too complicated, although I did feel some of them were rushed due to the ten minute time restraint, and probably could have been held longer for more effectiveness.

After doing the Crunch Pick Your Spot Pilates workout (I did all three segments in a row), I have to say that during the workout I only found a few of the exercises a real challenge, but the next day, I really felt it in my hip rotators, which rarely get that kind of workout, and also my butt was a little sore. I love when anything having to do with my butt or thighs is sore, because it makes me feel like I actually did something that’s working.

My next Crunch video that I’m trying is the Candle Light Yoga one, so I’ll have a review on that Crunch video as well when I try that one. So far, with the Crunch videos I’ve tried, I’m impressed with their ease of understanding, and the moves are not outrageously complicated. Also, they have pretty good instructors that aren’t overly enthusiastic and annoying, but are good enough to get the job done. For reviews of yoga DVD’s see yoga DVD reviews. Sometimes you do get the feeling they’re a bit robotic though, but their videos are usually short and sweet, so that doesn’t really matter since they’re not too time-intensive.

As a response to the tough economic times we’ve seen, most fitness clubs, whether they are upscale or not, are going to try to keep their membership fees in check and continue to offer special promotional prices over the next year to attract more people who are looking to maintain a healthy and productive and balanced lifestyle even through the collective discomfort of this current economic dilemma we find ourselves in.

Many fitness centers say that while they noticed a drop in membership joins starting in the fall of last year (2008), they are now seeing a nice increase in the joining memberships and intend to keep it that way by offering special prices and promotions to keep customers coming through the doors. I think I wrote about the counter-intuitive changes in people’s fitness habits during a recession or tough times, and it is that people actually tend to be more fit and active during times of economic trauma, rather than more sedentary, which isn’t necessarilly the way you would think it would happen.

I guess you kind of picture people just giving up and buying low quality high fat foods and stuffing them down as they sit and watch television, but that’s not the case, which attests to the buoyancy of the human spirit. A lot of fitness chains will see the normal increases that they see post holidays from the new years resolutions people that inevitably flood the gyms when the first of the year hits, but they always see a pull back in February or March as old habits begin to sink in again and people become complacent with how they treat their bodies.

I’ll admit, I took about a two week hiatus from working out around the holidays, but I knew that it wasn’t good for me. When I got back to the gym at work I can’t explain the feeling of relief, stress busting and pure health I felt. It really does pay to keep up on your fitness routines and keep doing what you’re doing, it’s a huge benefit to your overall health and wellness. Hopefully we’ll keep seeing some great deals not only at fitness centers, but also on home exercise equipment for those of us that also like to work out at home!

Women are always complaining about the size of their rumps. I’m among them. I’ve always had a smaller waist and not many problems even with my middle section and belly, which have remained a non-issue throughout most of my life, thank goodness, because then there are my problem areas, which have always included my butt and my thighs. Even when I lose weight and become thinner, my butt and my thighs are the hardest part on me to pare down. My thighs especially, which seem to hold on to the saddle bags with great ferocity, even when I’m ratcheting down the calorie intake and ratcheting up the workouts.

But, there may be good news for those of us suffering from what we feel are butts that are a little too voluptuous and have a bit too much padding on them for our taste. Buttocks fat and thigh fat may actually be better for female health then those that hold fat in other areas of their body, say their upper arms or their bellies or waists, because of the specific type of fat that tends to gather there.

I remember reading a while ago that women with larger thighs tend to be of a higher IQ and be better able to problem solve and think critically, because something like the fat on their thighs is the kind that stores omega 3 fats the most, and this is where we supposedly draw a lot of our brainpower from. So, hey, if you’re packing a little much on the thighs, but your midsection looks pretty good, apparently you may have a sharper mind!

Scientists did studies on women who had larger butts but no other real problem areas, and supposedly they suffer less from diabetes and are better able to regulate their blood sugar than those with problems in other areas. It is the only area where fat is stored on women that may actually be beneficial rather than destructive to one’s health, so I guess that if you want to have fat anywhere, then you want to have it on you butt and thighs, right? Big butts rejoice!

It happens to the best, most disciplined exercisers of all of us. You get stuck in that fitness rut, where you can’t seem to find anything new to do that you enjoy or can do quite as well as your “regular” workout, and find that you are getting more and more used to and bored with your normal workout routine.

Not only that, but behind the scenes, you are not getting as much benefit from the same old, same old, because your body has built a sort of tolerance up to it, making it easier for your body to accomplish, and therefore not creating as challenging of an environment for your body to go into calorie burning mode and advancing to high fitness plateus. The way to combat the workout regimen rut is to look for different ways to challenge your body that are fun and interesting, and capture your sense of adventure in some way.

If you’ve always wanted to try rock climbing, try taking a class at a local gym where these are becoming more popular. Or, if you’ve never tried biking, take a spinning class, they are challenging, and the music gets you pumped up, not to mention buff and burns tons of calories. Never taken any type of slower movement classes that are designed for relaxation and muscle conditioning, as well as flexibility improvement?

Try taking a yoga class, I promise you will like it, especially if you take it at the right level for your comfortability. If you’re great at the aerobic activity, but lack the muscle definition and tone you’ve always wanted, try taking a pilates class a few days a week, interdispersed with your cardio activities. You won’t believe what combinations of routines can do for your body.

What about something really unique, like a fun dance class, or a kick boxing class? You can buy tons of cool DVD’s these days that offer anything from dance, to yoga, to kick boxing and tai chi, where you get the same kind of workout that you would in a professional class, only you can do it in the comfort of your own home, so you spare yourself any embarrassment of discomfort when you can’t keep up.

I know, I know, sometimes the last thing you want to do is take those stairs up to where you need to go, especially if it’s something like ten floors up. But consider what taking the stairs can do for your health when it is practiced all of the time in your life, instead of taking the elevator or the escalator. I’m of course referring to when you have the time, obviously sometimes the elevator’s closer, or you are running low on time, and then is when you can take those convenience rides without sweating it, figuratively of course.

Taking the steps is a great pick me up. When I take the steps up to my office in the morning, which consists of four short sets of winding stairs, it makes me feel empowered, and although I’m usually slightly out of breath when I reach the top to my destination, I feel more awake instantly, and my blood is pumping, and my circulation is going really nicely, so this primes the pump for me being productive and alert for my first few hours of the day.

When I take the stairs in the afternoon, it does the same thing, since this is typically when I start to get my lull. I take my lunch around two o’clock usually, and around 12:30 is when I start to get a little sleepy and restless, so if I take a walk around the building and then take the steps upstairs again, it’s great for waking me up and giving me that much needed second wind.

Now, what about the calories burned from taking the steps? Well, not only are you getting a nice blast of cardio conditioning from taking stairs whenever you can, but you are also giving your body nice little microbursts of increased calorie burning capability, meaning you are elevating your metabolism for these short periods of time, giving your body nice bursts of sped up metabolism.

Taking stairs burns a lot of calories, because you are using one of the largest muscles in your body, the quadriceps, which use an enormous amount of energy and lung capacity since the amount of extra blood they need to take to get your up the steps anywhere is pretty substantial, and therefore requires more calorie expenditure. Try taking the steps several times a day, especially if you have a desk job, and you’ll be amazed at the benefits you’ll reap just from taking these little jaunts, and the lung capacity you’ll build up fairly quickly.

It is quite possible that with all of this economic turmoil that is occurring, and especially with many top economists predicting that it will continue into the new year and beyond, that we will be seeing some of the best deals on everything from electronics, to clothes and novelty items, to fitness equipment and even dieting and weightloss deals, that we’ve seen in a long time, or even in our lifetime.

Just browsing in our local Dick’s sports store in a nearby strip mall, I saw tons of deals on not only fitness equipment but also novelty games like shuffleboard sets, basement basketball hoop sets, air hocky tables and pool tables, to name a few. I saw kids playing with a lot of these sets, hoping for one from Santa, and witnessed at least one beaming parent who couldn’t believe the cheap prices that were set on these usually more expensive novelty items.

That’s the good news, the prices. However, the bad news is that there’s of course an underlying reason as to why these prices are so low, and that is that stores know that many people are hanging onto their money for dear life and aren’t spending as readily, perhaps because there was already a job loss in the family, or also because there may be some fear about oncoming job losses as well.

Some of the things you may be able to find at reduced prices, that are usually high ticket items, and of course will probably be marked down to their lowest in the days following Christmas since retailers want to get rid of excess inventory, are ellitpical machines, treadmills, recumbent bikes, weight sets and nautilus-type workout sets, rowing machines, stairmasters, weight benches and fitness accessories, and even the very clothes and shoes that you need to work out in.

Heck, I even found a good pair of Adidas cross trainer shoes a few weeks back before all the deep discounts hit the stores, and I ended up paying about thirty dollars for them because my boyfriend also bought a pair, and it was buy one get one half off, and the prices on the shoes were already significantly marked down from suggested retail. This was of course at an outlet style store, but still, that’s quite a nice deal for name brand tennis shoes!

So, if you have the disposable income and are lucky enough to not be sweating about bills right now, it’s a great chance to get fitness equipment at deep discounts.

Happy New Years Day everyone! May your every wish and desire to do better, to be a better you, come true in the new year 2009, and may your new years resolutions stick for good! We all know that one of the most common new year’s resolutions has to do with dieting, losing weight, and often times working out more. There’s a good reason for that, it’s GOOD for you! hopefully we can all stick to a more effective and more frequent exercise regimen in the new year so we can all be much happier and healthier. Again, have a wonderful new years day from Fitness News Magazine.