Twittering pays off...a link from another fellow Twitter Peep!

As bloggers, we tend to do a lot of sitting as we write, Tweet, Stumble, etc. By the end of the day it’s easy to feel tense, sore and sedentary. But since this is just so unhealthy, I’ve come up with some things we can all do to help us get fit as we blog - exercises to get our heart rate up, help us tone up and de-stress. All at the comfort of our blogging desk… or close by.

1. Cyber Squats - Who says you have to sit when you’re online? Set your chair aside for a few minutes and instead do squats as you write your next blog post, comment, or when you cruise around the Web. I’m squatting as I write this post - ouch!

2. RSS Raises - As you’re sitting at your desk, straighten your knees and lift your legs out in front of you. Do this as you catch up on your favorite blogs on your RSS reader.

3. 10 Minute Move it! Break #1 - Alternate jogging in place with jumping jacks - do a minute of each and repeat 5 times.

4. Twitter Tummy Tone - Tighten your abs for 30 seconds and then release. Do this as you tweet.

5. Social Squeezes - Tighten your glutes for 30 seconds and then release. (Good thing noone can see you at this social, right?) Repeat as you Stumble, Digg, or Friend on Facebook.

6. 10 Minute Move it! Break #2 - Grab a step stool and climb up and down - get creative if you like and alternate knee lifts at the top of the step.

7. Inbox Incline - While you’re sitting with your feet on the floor, raise your heels so you are on the balls of your feet and lower them. make sure you can feel it in your calves. Do this as you read and reply to your emails.

8. 10 Minute Move it! Break #3 - Do walking lunges around the house. Want to make it more challenging? Add some weights and do bicep curls at the same time.

9. Blogger Breather - Grab a quick minute to just close your eyes and focus on your breath. Count to 10 as you slowly inhale through your nose, thinking positive thoughts. Exhale through your mouth, again counting to 10. This time release all the tension and stress out of your body. Repeat if you have a few more seconds.

10. Sign Off Stretches - Your neck and shoulders can get pretty tense when you sit at a computer too long. So loosen them up throughout the day with:

• Shoulder shrugs - with your head at your chest, shrug your shoulders up and down.
• Neck Rolls - relax your shoulders and let your head roll forward. Slowly rotate your head in a circle. Repeat five times.

Do these exercises throughout the day to avoid blogger booty! You’ll feel better which could help you blog better.

Anyone else have some blogger exercises to share?

Losing Weight Gaining Muscle...

Spring is around the corner and so is bikini season. This time of year is when I receive queries from readers concerned that they are not losing very much weight, even though they are dieting and exercising after hibernating on the couch for the dark months of Winter. In the questions on this subject I have received recently, the Sugar readers have all noticed that their clothes are looser and their body's are firmer, but their scales have barely budged. Although they're frustrated, I must say they are doing the right thing — dieting and working out.

They may not be losing much weight, but they are losing fat while gaining muscle, which is great. Muscle tissue is more dense than fat tissue, so it takes up less space. When you lose fat and gain muscle your body measurements will change, like waist circumference, even though your weight doesn't.

To see how muscle mass helps when losing weight, read more.
Muscle also requires more energy and therefore burns more calories than fat. Meaning the more muscle mass you have the faster your metabolism, which is great. If you're looking to lose weight, I think you should alter your goal to change your body composition. Keep on exercising and counting calories, since that is how you effectively lose weight. Make sure to keep your caloric intake above 1200 calories, because if you go under your body goes into famine mode and holds onto fat. Measure your progress by how your clothes feel and remember, the slower you lose weight — two pounds maximum a week — the higher the chances you will keep it off.

What I have found out...

I have not ever been one to knock something before I try it...so I did just that! I have been reporting about my fantastic voyage at 24hr fitness and some of the local morning classes, but there is one thing that I have found out...I AM NOT MADE FOR THE BOUNCING OF AEROBICS! I love the class but my coordination for some of the movement is WAY off! Also the chin splits and fractured I carry from my military days do not make it any easier! So why it may be cool for some it is not for me! I will find other ways to increase my cardio! For now my aqua classes are paying off. However, I will go back to my elliptical training, treadmill training, and basket ball drills! I also think that I will add some roller skating! Was always my fave as a kid, and still my ultimate dream as an adult!!

Love all that are reading and hope that you find inspiration through my testimony!

The Great 1 Month Slim Down

The Biggest Loser's Jillian Michaels knows firsthand what it takes to get the body you want. To uncover her own covetable curves, she had to lose 60 (yes, 60!) pounds. Find out how she transformed—she will help you look amazing, too!

Combine these firmers with the Jump Start Diet to tighten and tone head to toe and drop 8 pounds!

By Erin Bried

From the January 2009 Issue

Meet your trainer Some people are genetically blessed with flat abs. Fitness pro Jillian Michaels, 34, is not one of them. In fact, by eighth grade, the 5-foot-2 Los Angeles native had reached 175 pounds, thanks in large part, she says, to an unhappy relationship with food, passed down to her from her dad. "It seemed the only way my father knew how to relate to me was through food, so we'd have ice cream and huge bowls of popcorn," Michaels says. As her waistline grew, her self-esteem shrank. She hit rock bottom at age 13, when she was kicked out of a martial arts class for sneaking in Cheetos. "At the time, I was so angry at my instructor, but then I realized he was right. So the next week, I went back and was like, 'OK, I'm ready!' Suddenly I went from the kid in school who everyone would make fun of to the kid in school who could break two boards with her right foot. I felt empowered for the first time," says Michaels, who went on to not only earn her black belt but also shed an astonishing 60 pounds. Now the 115-pound Biggest Loser motivator works out four to five hours a week to stay strong inside and out. "Fitness is not about six-pack abs," she says. "It's a tool to help you reinvent yourself. It's about exercising your greatness, feeling the full potential of your power and reaching it with no shame." Those abs? They're a little bonus.

The workout Each move in Michaels's get-lean routine, designed exclusively for SELF, targets multiple muscles. "The more areas you train at once, the more calories you burn," she says.

You'll need A set of 5- to 12-pound weights and a stability ball

Try it Do three sets of 12 to 15 reps of each exercise every other day. To shed inches, add cardio; see "Sizzle Calories."

Get more fitness tips and weight-loss advice from Jillian at her official Web site, JillianMichaels.com.

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Exercise and Weight Loss Tips

Turn Frustrated into Firm

My secret to bust a plateau and lose inches fast

By Chris Freytag , Fitness expert Chris Freytag is the author of Shortcuts to Big Weight Loss and Move to Lose. Read her blog for more healthy living tips, or check out her Prevention fitness DVDs.

Jennifer e-mailed to ask, "Why am I not losing weight even though I'm working out?" This is one of the most common questions I hear. Exercise is key to weight loss, but it's only part of the equation. In one study, overweight adults who exercised and cut calories shaved up to 66% more inches from their waistlines than those who exercise or diet alone. To pinpoint what's making your scale stick, ask yourself these questions.

Am I working hard enough? Exercise should be enjoyable, but to blast fat, you need to challenge yourself. At the right level, you'll be breathing through your mouth (not just your nose) and be able to say just a couple of sentences without gasping for air. For an even bigger burn, try intervals--every 2 minutes, speed up for 30 to 60 seconds.

Am I snacking more? Working out can increase your appetite. To keep your energy up and still achieve weight loss, have a 100-calorie snack before or after your session or exercise right before a meal.

Are my portions oversized? Studies show most of us consistently underestimate our food intake. To keep tabs, write down everything that goes in your mouth, and for at least 1 day actually measure your portions. I tried it and was shocked at how many servings I poured into my cereal bowl!

Am I in a workout rut? Doing the same exercise routine day after day guarantees stalled results--and boredom! Muscles get used to the same movements, so it takes less effort and burns fewer calories. Instead, add some hills to your walk, switch up your speed or distance, or try a new toning DVD.

Chris Freytag is a board member of the American Council on Exercise, the star of many Prevention Fitness Systems DVDs, and author of Prevention's Shortcuts to Big Weight Loss (chrisfreytag.com).

Fit after 40!
Got a question for Chris Freytag? Send it to askthemotivator@prevention.com and include your name and hometown.

Last Updated: 01/13/2009 Issue Date: March 2009 Copyright 2009, Prevention

Update...

Took the weekend off to TRULY get over the flu!

Went to the aqua class and pushed perfection with EVERY move!! In the meant time I have done a bit of grocery shopping and made sure to buy more veggies and meal building items that are a bit less starchy! Salads and soups will be on the menu a bit more! I am truly excited with loss of 2inches in the waist! Yaaay...my swagger is so smooth! I hope that adding an additional class which will be more on the simple athletics side that will help tone and continue to push my body in a seductively healthy body!!

Love Ya!!