I love working out, I really do. So when I’m down for the count with a cold, it sort of starts to make me a bit stir crazy. Like right now. I’ve had a pretty bad cold ever since we came back from Las Vegas for our wedding. We had a lot of people going with us, so it was a little bit stressful, but all in all it wasn’t too bad, so I do think that my immunity levels were down, and I caught some sort of nasty bug either in Las Vegas (who’d doubt it with the millions of people milling around and the dirty slot machines that you are constantly touching) or possibly on the plane, which wouldn’t be doubtful either since they use recycled air for you to breathe.

I have not worked out now for about two full weeks, and it’s starting to make me a little nuts, however as soon as I even physically exert myself even a little bit, I have so much phlegm in my lungs that I start to wheeze since I also happen to have asthma. I’ve been using that Mucinex stuff, but that can only go so far when your body is constantly producing phlegm to protect your lungs from the foreign invaders constantly.

In these situations, all you can really do is wait, especially since many times when you are sick you don’t really feel well enough to actually eat the right foods, or to eat enough food to be considered fuel for your body. I think I’ve been on ten consecutive days of chicken noodle soup, some veggies and some grilled cheese sandwiches here and there, and I’m not consuming enough calories per day or nutrients to be burned through in a rigorous workout, which is the type that I like to do.

I can only imagine how much pain I’m going to be in when I finally do venture down in the basement or downstairs on the tv to do a workout video, I probably won’t be able to move a muscle the next day because I’ve probably already gotten somewhat out of shape just from not working out or really exerting myself too much for the past several days. It’s amazing how fast you lose muscle tone, but I must say that due to muscle memory and the amazing reparative powers of the human body, it does return easily too.

We recently got a hot tub rental for two weeks. It was through a sort of charity auction that my (now) husband bidded on for ninety bucks for two weeks of the usage of a hot tub they came and installed in our backyard.  We also do have an infrared sauna, which I love dearly, and I was curious as to how the hot tub would match up to the sauna as far as muscle soothing and fighting soreness and fatigue. Well, it really is no match I think. The sauna wins, hands down, as far as the relaxation factor as well as the muscle soothing factor.

I like the hot tub because it’s relaxing, and there is something to be said about being weightless in water for twenty to thirty minutes. However, it just didn’t achieve the deeper muscle tissue penetration and relaxation and loosening that I feel I experience in our sauna that’s in our basement. I’m sure it also has something to do with the fact that I favor dry heat over wet heat any day, and that the sauna also gives  you the added benefit of feeling like you’re in the summer heat for a while, and the hot tub just doesn’t do the job there.

I also sweat a lot in the sauna, and I feel like I get a detox affect, while in a hot tub, you don’t sweat, you  just kind of sit there. I have to say that one of the biggest downside to a hot tub over a dry sauna is also that I hate being soaked in chlorinated water for so long. When you own a hot tub, you have to chlorinate it just about every day, and when you get in, you can smell the chlorine. Even if you don’t get your hair wet, the steam lands in your hair and you can smell it on your head when you get out.

I don’t care for being a pruned, dried out mess when I get out either.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t totally hate hot tubs, they’re just not my thing and I guess I’m just way more into relaxing in dry heat rather than soaking in a hot water tub.  The jets can be nice for muscle relaxation, but even these are limiting since they can’t get to all your muscles and you have to keep shifting around for them to get different areas.  All in all, I would never buy a hot tub after using one for two weeks, I find the far infrared sauna so much more therapeutic and beneficial to my health.

Of course you know that strength training helps give you a great body with lean, tone lines; great definition; and low body fat…but the benefits of strength training for women go far beyond just looking good. I am pretty confident that what I am about to reveal will motivate you even more to keep up with your workouts once you see how much you’re helping your body every time you pick up a weight.

Building happiness. Research shows that weight training can help reduce signs and symptoms of depression more effectively that conventional counseling. For many women working out is their main stress reliever. Aside from getting out pent up energy any frustrations working out also increases your “happy stuff” endorphins and dopamine.

Wear a milk mustache. Millions of women deal with weakening bones that later leads to osteopenia or even the more advanced diagnosis of osteoporosis. I don’t know about you but the idea of falling one day and ending up with a broken hip doesn’t sound appealing. That’s why you can start strengthening your bones today. Strength training for women has been proven to be effective at increasing bone density.

This isn’t the same with cardio workouts. It’s because of the weight bearing exercises that take place. The stress that you add to your body screams for the need to thicken your bones. Which helps you stay on top of your fitness game today
and years down the line.

Just how much help can you get? In just 6 months you can increase your bone density by 13%! That’s a huge difference. Lean mean calorie burning machine. There’s a big difference between fat and muscle… and its not that fat is gross and muscle is sexy. To up keep fat it doesn’t need much. It’s pretty happy just sticking to your butt, thighs, belly…. well you get it. But muscle needs energy to build, repair and maintain.

That means you burn more calories during the day by simply adding some sexy lean muscle. Just how many calories? For every pound of muscle you have you can burn up to 50 extra calories per day! Anif you’re not increasing your food intake that is extremely helpful for burning off those extra pounds of fat.

On and On…
I could go on and on with this list. The benefits of women’s strength training are practically endless. So I won’t stop yet…
-Increased libido
-Decreased risk of cancers (colon, breast)
-Decreased back pain
-Increased energy
-Better Sleep

See just how much you are helping your body? If you’re not strength training yet definitely start… these results aren’t the same if you’re running on a treadmill or basing the majority of your workout on cardio workouts. As a matter of fact, you can find out how cardio can actually be making you fat here!

Our guest writer today, Taylor Ryan is a NASM CPT, figure competitor and the co-owner of the women’s online training site The Art Of Weight Lifting. For more tips and fitness news visit her women’s workout blog LiftingRevolution.com

We recently got married at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and it always infuriates me how much these big hotels can charge for the right to use their gym.  I don’t even remember what the exact rate was, but it was really expensive, and it totally deterred us from using the facility, even though I will admit we were so busy with our wedding stuff (we got married there), that we had no time or the inclination to use the facilities, especially since it cost more than the already appreciable amount we were spending there to stay and to have our wedding there.

I’ve also been to hotels where the gym is totally free, which I love.  Hey, I understand that it doesn’t have to be a palace of a gym, just as long as I’m not getting charged an arm and a leg to use it, I think either they should bump up the cost of the rooms to compensate for the gym use, or not charge you at all. After all, how much upkeep could a reasonably small gym be anyways?  It couldn’t be too much, and usually they are unmanned gyms where you just use the equipment yourself.

Now, I do understand that if they offer yoga or other classes, that would have to be an additional charge, but not if you’re simply going to work out and use the equipment.  A free gym is a great way for hotels to tell their customers how much they appreciate them, it’s a sell for the amenities, and it also shows that the hotel is aware of their customer’s happiness and fitness, plus it sort of shows that they are a part of what’s right with America’s fitness levels rather than what is wrong, so they are part of the solution, not the problem.

We’ve all had those moments where we feel like we’re going to literally explode if we don’t get some much needed aggression out.  I just had a moment like that. Actually, while I’m being honest, it was a minor tiff that my fiance and I got into.  I won’t even go into what it was over, but let’s just say that it wasn’t worth the level of fighting we got into, me specifically, I think because I was just stressed out about the wedding and all kinds of other stuff that has come up recently and it all just seems like too much to handle.  I literally felt like I was going to explode, or cry, or do both.

These are the moments when you definitely need to work out, and work out hard, and aerobically. Weight lifting just won’t do by itself.  It’s those times when you need butt busting aerobics combined with some tough muscle stuff too, and the combination is exactly the right cocktail for getting pent up frustration and aggression out of your system.  Multiple studies have shown that exercise helps to release calming, pleasure – based chemicals in your blood stream, and to reduce that nasty hormone called cortisol which is responsible for most mood explosions and many other forms of anxiety and exhibit themselves in a not so attractive fashion.

When I’m feeling that way, the only thing that will do is a hard workout. Unfortunately, things like yoga, which are otherwise great for stress reduction, just don’t work for me that way. I like to use yoga one or two days a week specifically for reducing stress, but it’s usually done when I”m not on the verge of tears of feeling I’m about to rip someone’s head off, so it’s a cumulative, preventive effect that’s used as more of a medicine along the way instead of a remedy after the problem occurs.

I’ve created a new informational page on comparing the types of exercise bikes, and the various brands that are available or popular for these types of exercise bikes. There are two general types of exercise bikes for the home, and the one you like best really depends on what you’re looking for comfort wise and how hard of a workout you want.

You can get a good workout with either the upright, conventional exercise bike and the recumbent bike, which allows you to recline back and be more comfortable, however uprights typically can really bust your butt, so to speak, when it comes to working out, and they are the type that is used in the notoriously hard and challenging spinning classes that are so popular amongst huge fitness enthusiasts.

Recumbent bikes will still give you a major sweat though, and they should not be cast aside as too easy or too comfortable, especially for those, like me, with back problems who simply cannot sit on a hard seat upright without support for several minutes to an hour without discomfort and potential damage.

So, I won’t blather on more about it, just go to our new page called Exercise Bike Comparisons, and read about it for yourself.

Just as I had expected, and as I always rave about my employer having an in-house gym in past posts, there is new evidence that having in-work gyms benefits both the employer and the employee, making it even more worth the investment of having a stress busting gym, yoga studio, or other outlet for physical activity at work.  It’s called on the job fitness, and it’s catching on in the work place these days, where stress levels are really high, and people are becoming more and more aware of how important fitness and health is.

Even on the job weight loss programs are becoming a huge hit with employees, and the employers are benefitting from that because it is reducing the health care costs they have to pay out for work place health benefits.  Not only can these on the job workouts cut down on stress and make you more productive, but they can reduce cholesterol readings, cut down on illness and call offs, so you have people present when they should be and less absences, and you also have a generally better attitude at work, which rubs off on other people and makes it much more pleasant, which increase worker retention and turnover, another huge benefit for the employer, especially in the years when the economy is booming and it’s hard to keep good talent because of competing jobs.

Offering a gym or other outlet for exercise at work really shows that the employer is concerned about the individual’s wellness and health, but also about their work-life balance, since it allows them to do something that they normally have to do in off hours at home, on their lunch times at work.  I’ve found this to be the most useful, since it makes it so I don’t have to go out and waste time and money on lunch, and also so that I can have more free time when I get home to spend with my loved ones.  All in all, work place gyms are a win/win situation for both employee and employer.

I went to the gym that we have at my job, which again, I feel so lucky to be able to have access to this priceless stress reliever at work. Words cannot describe how invaluable it has been for me at times.  I got on the good old recumbent bike, expecting to just go through my ho hum but still stress busting workout without really breaking a huge sweat, but I decided to put this recumbent bike, which was one I rarely have the chance to get on because usually someone else is occupying it when I come out of the dressing room, on a mode that I hadn’t tried yet, fat burning mode.

I didn’t realize how much the change in speeds and resistance could really make you sweat and work a lot harder, but this mode, which alternated between fast and easy resistance, to slower and harder resistance, could really get your heart rate up a lot more. I was literally dripping with sweat while working out, even my arms were dripping sweat, and embarrassingly enough, I had worn a heather gray t shirt to work out in, and you could see the sweat marks through there. Needless to say, I had to keep my arms down the whole time I did my floor work after that!

There are several modes on the good recumbent bikes, and I would highly recommend that you buy one that has these different modes instead of buying one that does very little, because of what I experienced and how much better of a workout you can get on some of these more advanced modes. It was definitely worth it by the way I was sweating, and I felt like I really got a good, body draining workout after a half hour on that bike, yet I didn’t feel like I was going to keel over because it alternated in intervals, which is great for fat burning and longevity of being able to exercise, instead of going at the hardest rate for periods that were too long.

Look for bikes with modes like fat burning or weight loss, and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprise how this “sit down” workout can work out your muscles very well while also giving you a great cardio burn.

Ok, I have to admit.  I’ve been totally naughty, and I’ve gone tanning a few times.  Let me explain myself first.  I am really against going to tanning beds, at least for me personally, I’m not judging anyone else who likes to do it regularly, although I do think it’s not good for your skin to do it all the time.  The reason for me is that I do have naturally pale, melanin challenged Irish skin, and I am particularly susceptible to sun damage and even basal cell carcinoma skin cancers, and potentially melanoma as well, which is the deadly form of skin cancer.

This will be the only, last time I go tanning, and it is simply because I am getting married, which I plan to do only once in my life, and it is going into wintertime here in Ohio and I can’t even get any natural sun. I want to have a natural glow and some real glow from the UV rays for my strapless dress, and self tanning, which is what I always do, just won’t cut it this time. Mind you, I used to go tanning in tanning beds all the time when I was younger.

I didn’t fully grasp what I was doing to my skin at the time, and yes, I do believe I did a ton of damage to my skin.  I wised up in my late twenties finally and just stopped all together. However, I must admit, going tanning always felt so great. Especially in the winter time when you rarely saw the sunlight here, and the artificial UV rays that came from the tanning bed lights felt so invigorating that you felt like your mood got boosted several levels as you walked out of the tanning salon.

Not only that, you felt energized and full of life, like you could run a marathon.  The warmth created seemed to warm your whole body in the tanning bed too, which felt great when you were used to shaking in your boots because it was always damp and wet outside.  These combinations make for a really pleasant and addictive experience, and I see why a lot of people, my age, younger, and beyond are totally hooked to tanning in tanning beds.

It’s a wonder that something that feels so healthy and makes you seemingly look healthier too can be so unhealthy for you.  As a precaution, I do take a tanning aid vitamin to help boost my melanin production though, called Tan-Aid, which is supposed to give your body more tanning ability without burning so easily. I honestly have no idea if it helps with the damage part, but I can tell you, I am getting dark faster than I usually do, and not burning as readily.  It gives me peace of mind at least that I’m taking it too.

Winter is quickly approaching, and I’m already finding that for me, I’m already missing my weekend jogs outdoors.  It’s just been a really rainy, cold fall season for us so far here in Ohio, and those rainy, yucky days always seem to land on Fridays and on weekends, which is the only time I actually get a chance to get outside to jog instead of doing something a little more monotonous inside, like the elliptical machine or recumbent bike.  Don’t get me wrong, those are both great exercise machines, however they get old, and the smells and sights of the outdoors just really stimulate you and make you feel great, adding a great experience to your cardio workout.

So, now I’m trying to find ways to spice things up a bit indoors, and certainly I will still get outdoors whenever the weather allows me to. Hey, we should still have an indian summer coming along sometime, or so I’m told!  Oh, and it’s supposedly going to be a very cold winter here in Ohio, that’s what folks are saying, so time will tell, but it looks like we’ll all be really ready to stretch our legs and get some sun after this looong season!

Here’s what I’m doing now to help keep me from getting bored, and still getting a great, diversified and intense workout that will keep my muscles guessing and therefore help me to burn calories and build muscle more efficiently while also burning fat.  I’m essentially switching my workout every day that I do hit the gym.  At work, where we have a gym, I’m doing the recumbent bike or elliptical, then following it up with a floor routine where I alternate different types of squats, arm weights and other resistance types of exercises to keep it challenging.

At home, I’m alternating different shows on Fit TV which are always different and work your body in different ways, so that’s challenging me and keeping it fresh as well.  I’m also still alternating this with DVD’s that I’ve had that were collecting dust all summer long since I was doing other things and getting outside more.  Just doing this helps to keep your body revved up, your metabolism going strong, and your body challenged enough so you don’t get sluggish and gain weight in the winter.