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Are you getting ready to try a new, healthy routine? Fitness trackers are all the rage with their easy-to-use interfaces and key tracking metrics such as calories, steps and even sleep. But how do you know which one is best suited for your personal needs?

We're breaking down the best fitness trackers around so you can ease confidently into your workouts and track your progress.

1. Fitbit Zip, $59, Amazon

Are you a cardio queen? If burning calories through fast-paced cardio exercise or walking leisurely is your workout of choice, one of the best trackers for you is one of the most basic. This gadget measures steps, distance and calories, but doesnt provide you with extra information on elevation or sleep. Its the perfect simple tool to track steps without the complex data featured on other trackers.

2. Garmin Vivosmart HR, $119, Amazon

Are your workouts versatile? Do you like to change things up? If youre doing more complex exercises and interested in tracking and comparing details, this fitness tracker could work for you.

When you swipe the display screen, it will display your heart rate throughout your workout. You can even recall your resting heart rate. And if you dont have a free hand to touch the display, you can use a setting to ensure the tracker will light up when lifted so you can see your progress during a difficult exercise.

3. Jawbone UP3, $45, Amazon

Tracking lifestyle habits, such as sleep, and providing tips throughout the day to improve on your healthy habits can be a real game-changer. Maybe youre sidelined by an injury thats preventing you from working out, or maybe youre happy with your fitness level but looking for more energy. In that case, look no further than this tracker. The Jawbone UP3 monitors sleep, fitness and even your body temperature stats along with suggestions throughout the day as to how to improve your personal health and fitness.

4. The Fitbit Charge 2, $149, Amazon

If youre looking for an all-around, in-depth tracker that really gets into the science and details, check out this one. The most recent update to this device provides users with advanced capabilities for tracking sleep, including seeing how much light, deep and REM sleep youre getting each night. The tracker also continuously monitors your heart rate, along with steps, active minutes and calories burned.

5. iHealth Wave, $30, Amazon

If you plan to swim this summer, check out this tracker thats a swim and fitness tracker all in one. Are you a slow swimmer or a fast swimmer? This tracker provides accurate swim statistics such as the number of lengths and strokes you take so you can compare workouts and track your progress.

Regardless of which tracker you pick, its important to keep one thing in mind: Fitness trackers are great tools, but theyre only beneficial when used! So get a tracker that will help you stay motivated as you ease into summer workouts.

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On Wednesday, Balance Fitness will host a free event to kick off its partnership with Surround Fit & Wellness, providing classes, prizes and refreshments. (PHOTO: Surround Fit & Wellness) Published May 16, 2017 at 3:18 p.m.

On Monday night, after leaving Balance Fitness in Whitefish Bay, where I'd gotten a first look at the boutique training studio's new collaboration with Surround Fit & Wellness, I went for a run. Two miles in, it was a torrential downpour; by three miles, the lightning overhead had forced me into a nearby Colectivo to wait out the thunderstorm, soaking wet and unsatisfied with my workout.

Starting Wednesday, I never would have had to leave Balance Fitness, and my entirely too-experiential exercise could have been done there comfortably, conveniently and completely without regard to the bad weather outside. In fact, without getting off my stationary bike, I could instead have been riding through the mountains of Hawaii, immersed in the sense and surroundings of being somewhere else.

That's the appeal of the innovative exercise partnership between Balance Fitness and Surround Fit & Wellness, the first of its kind in Southeastern Wisconsin. The latter's combination of high-resolution content and custom visualization systems virtually take participants beyond the former's Whitefish Bay location, offering a unique and absorbing way to workout. The large projection screens provide users with a stimulating experience, capturing their view and attention and engaging them with skillful instruction synchronized to details within the immersive content around them.

On Wednesday, Balance Fitness will host a free event, open to the public, to kick off its partnership with Surround Fit & Wellness, providing classes, prizes and refreshments to introduce the equipment and approach. The event will feature a variety of fitness and wellness classes every hour from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., including Cardio Kickboxing, Cycling, Kids Yoga, Meditation, Latin Dance, Tai Chi and Yoga.

So, what, exactly, is this new fitness experience? Essentially, it is a system of cross-functional training equipment and large projection surfaces that display high-resolution content consisting of striking visual images and virtual instruction, more fully engaging users and providing a deep sense of immersion. It stops short of virtual reality there are no headsets and it's not really interactive; while the content and instruction is customizable, it's created and filmed in advance but offers convenience and stimulation that regular exercise classes do not.

It's also a more interesting, evolutionary step past simply watching TV or looking at whatever scenery happens to be along your running or biking route; after the Hawaii sunshine, I rode through the snow-covered mountains of Montana filmed in real life by the Surround crew without fearing a nasty fall.

"Surround Fit & Wellness' system is pushing fitness in the direction it is already going by layering in technology and more experiential classes that make workouts engaging, productive, safe and hopefully addictive," says Garrett Stangel, the owner of Balance Fitness. "It will offer new dimensions to our existing training programs and tremendous value to my clients by providing additional self-serve classes to help them take their fitness to the next level."

The proprietary content comes from Marquette, where members of the University's employee wellness community had used it for more than two years. Last June, Surround Fit & Wellness which has an exclusive license to deliver the content for the emerging immersive fitness market launched an expansion beyond Marquette, targeting corporate wellness groups and small boutiques, with Balance becoming the first studio to integrate it.

One of the primary benefits of the immersive content, Stangel says, is that the classes can be run with or without an instructor. That's cost-saving and convenient for both the studio and its members, who can select a program via touch-screen panel and get their workout in even if their schedule doesn't allow them to attend an actual instructor-led class. Likewise, that option enables freedom for employees like Stangel, who can either lead the class live or turn on the virtual instructor and work with members individually.

"From a studio standpoint, one of the things that I liked most about it was the fact that we can create a much more experiential component to our workouts by adding imagery, by adding light, by adding just a more immersive approach to our training programs," Stangel says. "We can also leverage our employment challenges by allowing for more content being generated without me having to have an extensive staff in a small boutique like this."

All of the instructors used in the classes are trained and certified in whatever they are teaching. Surround works with them to plan, film and virtualize the programs, then afterward records imagery behind them and mixes in some audio, ultimately producing a sensory-pleasing exercise experience.

According to John LaDisa, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at the university and director of the MARquette Visualization Lab and a partner in Surround Fit & Wellness, the response to the technology has been positive. Over the last two years at Marquette, he says, the employee wellness program had 200-300 participants and, depending on the class, saw up to a 20 percent increase in attendance.

"People tend to come initially because the technology engages them, and then they stay for that and the skill of the instruction and the exercise," LaDisa says. "When participants feel present in an environment beyond their physical location, they engage more fully."

Adds Kristin Kipp, another partner in Surround Fit & Wellness: "Incorporating daily movement and mindfulness practices is important for your health, and having a system like this in place makes it a little easier to do this."

On the corporate wellness side, since the immersive content can be run without an instructor, classes can be done at any time and as often as desired saving money, blocking distractions, eliminating excuses and letting employees take charge of their health and physical movement.

I love exercising outside, but during a May deluge with thunder and lightning keeping me indoors in Milwaukee, I really would have preferred to go elsewhere for my workout, experiencing someplace dry and sunny, beautiful and motivational.

Surround Fit & Wellness and Balance Fitness classes are listed on this Mindbody page. For the May 17 kickoff event, class preregistration will be available until 30 minutes before each free class here. Class sizes are limited, so early registration is suggested. Attendees can rejuvenate afterward with healthy juices and snacks, and all participants will have a chance to win prizes, including free future physical and virtual classes, as well as other giveaways.

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Posted by Paul Baker on May 15, 2017

AURORA, Ill. Exercise science isnt something undergraduates can learn just sitting in a classroom. It requires hours of applied, hands-on experience, not to mention familiarity with todays state-of-the-art anthropometric and metabolic equipment. And it doesnt hurt for students who are going on to graduate school to have had some real research experience under their belts, either.

Aurora Universitys year-old bachelors degree program in exercise science fulfills all of these demands, according to Chris Pitsikoulis, assistant professor in the universitys School of Education and Human Performance.

The AU exercise science program is unique in that it provides the whole package: theory, practice and outstanding facilities, all of which complement one another and enhance the learning experience, he said.

State-of-the-art equipment, research opportunities and hands-on experience are all part of the exercise science program at Aurora University.

AU began offering the exercise science degree in fall of 2016. During its first year, the program enrolled 63 students in three areas of concentration, including sports performance, fitness and wellness promotion, and pre-professional studies, which prepares students for graduate work in physical therapy.

Pitsikoulis attributes the exercise science programs popularity in part to the number of AU students who participate in sports. The university fields 24 NCAA Div. III varsity teams mens and womens and on average about 20 percent of the entire undergraduate student body plays on one of these teams each year.

Sport has been such a key part of these student-athletes lives that they want to continue to be involved in physical fitness as a career, he said.

Particularly popular is the pre-professional studies concentration, a highly structured program specifically designed to provide students the prerequisites necessary to be accepted into graduate Doctor of Physical Therapy programs. The DPT is required for physical therapists to practice professionally.

Nationwide, demand for qualified physical therapists is expected to grow an extraordinary 34 percent between 2014 and 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015-2016 Occupational Outlook Handbook and with a median income of more than $80,000 per year, its no wonder.

Students in the fitness and wellness promotion concentration work in a variety of occupations, from personal training and health education to cardiac rehab and corporate fitness facilities, anywhere where motivational, often individually tailored fitness programs are called for, such as hospitals and fitness centers.

Students who plan to work more directly with athletes choose sport performance, where a big focus is on strength and conditioning training. Upon graduating, these students are prepared to successfully complete the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist exam that is offered through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

Sport performance students like those in the fitness and wellness promotion and pre-professional concentrations often work with AU athletic teams.

Thats one of the big advantages of AUs exercise science program, Pitsikoulis said. Our students have the opportunity to work directly with college athletes to design sport-specific, even position-specific programs for individuals in a variety of sports. That hands-on experience really differentiates our program from other university programs where students just dont get that chance.

He noted that exercise science students also assist in conducting faculty-sponsored research projects, often joining professors to present their findings at industry conferences. Every other year during AUs three-week May Term, faculty members lead groups of exercise science students to Colorado to visit training centers for the U.S. Olympic team and the U.S. Air Force, as well as NSCA headquarters.

In their senior year, each student is required to complete an internship practicums for pre-professional majors. We work with students to place them in locations that most closely aligns with their career ambitions, Pitsikoulis explains. Such placements can lead to post-graduation job offers and help graduates establish professional networks in their fields.

Well-equipped labs, featuring state-of-the-art anthropometric and metabolic equipment, are an important part of the educational experience, too, he added.

The department has one of only a few BodPods available in the area. These egg-shaped, futuristic-looking machines are used by hospitals and professional sports organizations like the NFL to measure body composition. Students also gain expertise in using a metabolic cart, which continuously tracks cardiac, pulmonary and respiratory functions, as well as with a cycle ergometer, which is used to evaluate anaerobic fitness.

This equipment along with other devices allow students to measure a variety of fitness indicators, providing valuable data they can use to plan detailed exercise programs a skill highly sought after by potential employers.

Nic Albarran, a sport performance major from Yorkville, spent 15 weeks during his senior year as an intern with AUs strength and conditioning program, during which he assisted in a research project comparing conventional strength training with velocity-based strength training. The first is concerned with the amount of weight an athlete can move; the second with how fast he or she can move it.

Test subjects included members of the AU football team. Albarran, who played tight end with the team as a sophomore, called the experience one of the most valuable he had as a student. What we have here is very rare, he said. To be able to work so intensely with Div. III collegiate athletes was a tremendous opportunity that has really helped prepare me for my future.

Upon graduation, Albarran intends to obtain his certificate as a strength and conditioning specialist and later a certificate in tactical strength and conditioning or TSAC. TSAC trainers help develop training programs for military personnel, police, firefighters, first responders and others that are relevant to the demands of their jobs.

Injuries are a big issue in these professions, particularly back injury among soldiers returning from active duty, he explained. TSAC is a new and exciting area of specialization, and Ive always been attracted to the military, so I think there is a good future there for me.

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Aurora University exercise science program offers hands-on training, research opportunities and state-of-the-art ... - AU Today

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Like an organized religion without the religion, Nathan says, November Project offered a network of people with shared values, including interests in good health and friendships as well as a willingness to embrace such rituals as hugs and chants. For me, he says, its essentially the Church of Playing Outside and Working Out.

It may sound almost cultlike a description that some November Project devotees embrace. And theyre not alone. Options for group exercise with ritualistic twists and devoted followers include CrossFit, SoulCycle, Bikram Yoga and Fit4Mom (along with plenty of gyms and studios that sell fitness alongside promises of fun and friends).

For some, a tribe-like atmosphere keeps them coming back for more. But others fail to get hooked, and then drift away.

Its not clear what separates these joiners from those whod rather not, and that mystery echoes a bigger question facing both fitness studios and public health experts: Why do so few people stick with exercise?

Despite national guidelines that recommend 150 minutes of moderate activity each week for major health benefits plus strength work such as weights or push-ups, only about half of American adults get enough aerobic exercise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nearly 30 percent get no physical activity in their spare time.

Even when intentions are good, about half of people who start exercise programs drop out within the first six months, says Rodney Dishman, an exercise scientist at the University of Georgia in Athens. After two years, Dishman says, 80 percent have given up. Those numbers havent budged over three decades of research, he adds.

Researchers have found plenty of reasons for quitting, including waning motivation, lack of easy access to exercise facilities or walkable neighborhoods, and false expectations about how quickly results will appear. Injury and discomfort are other common excuses, says Jack Raglin, an exercise psychologist at Indiana University in Bloomington.

To get folks to keep coming back, many fitness studios work to create an enticing environment, often with an emphasis on community, even peer pressure, and competition.

SoulCycles website promises empowerment to clients, claiming it doesnt just change bodies, it changes lives. November Project has a page on its website for teasing people who said theyd come but then skipped a morning workout. And in Minneapolis, a studio called The Firm boasts: We make working out an event, driven by pride, passion and love, building community one name at a time.

Theres no publicly available data to show whether the community-building or the guilt works. But social support can be a powerful motivational tool, some research suggests.

Raglins research, for example, has found that, when people enrolled in an exercise program with a spouse, more than 90 percent stuck with it for a year, compared with slightly more than half of those who enrolled alone. When one member of a couple drops out, though, the other usually does, too, Raglin says. That echoes other research showing that friends and family can enhance or sabotage exercise rates.

And not everyone responds the same way to social pressure. In a 2016 study, British researchers found that CrossFit members reported a greater sense of community belongingness than did people who went to traditional gyms. But overall, the two groups exercised the same amount, suggesting that people who like to exercise with others may simply seek out more-social gyms.

It either works, Raglin says, or it backfires.

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Exercise dropouts find many reasons to quit - Albuquerque Journal

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Norris is a student in the school's firefighter technology program, now in its fourth year at Southwest, and the new EMT program, which is in its first year. The Career Technical Education (CTE) programs provide students with an opportunity to earn firefighter credentials from the Office of the State Fire Marshal and emergency medical credentials from the Office of Emergency Medical Services, giving them a head start when pursuing careers in either field, or both.

"I think the programs are a really great idea," Norris said. "They are opening doors for all of us and creating job opportunities."

Norris has another year of high school to complete but is already making plans to continue his training after graduation and is serving as a volunteer with Nine Mile Volunteer Fire Department.

The training the students have received during the school year was put to the test Monday as they participated in an exercise during which they responded to a mock crash scene.

The scenario: a 56-year-old man crashes with his 6-month-old grandchild in a car seat in the backseat. The man was attempting to drive the baby to the hospital rather than calling 9-1-1 for help after the baby began having trouble breathing. When the baby began gasping for air in the car, the grandfather panics and crashes, leaving both of the occupants of the car trapped inside.

The students quickly went to work.

Students with the firefighter program stabilized the vehicle, popped open the hood of the car to disconnect the battery and cut power to the airbags, and began the task of extricating the mannequin victims from the car. As they worked, a pair was ready nearby with the firehose should the car catch on fire.

The EMT students worked to assess the condition of the victims inside and stood by to provide treatment as soon as they could be removed from the vehicle. The baby, which was in respiratory distress, was the first extricated.

On the ground, EMT students received instruction on treatment procedures, including giving CPR to the baby.

The crash scene is one that firefighters and EMTs could see at any time, and the scenario of the grandfather taking to the road in an emergency situation rather than calling 9-1-1 and waiting for EMTs to arrive is just as possible.

"It happens; it's not uncommon at all," said Haws Run Rescue Assistant Chief Mike Caley.

Caley was among the volunteers on hand to assist with the mock crash exercise.

After it was complete, Caley thanked the students for their efforts and noted the importance of them all working together to respond to the same situation.

"It doesn't matter if you are fire or if you are EMT; it's about teamwork, it's about communication," Caley said.

Southwest junior Kody Pierce plans to carry on a family tradition of fire service and said the program at the school gives them a "head start" on achieving certification.

"I come from a family of firefighters. It's something that just comes natural," Pierce said.

Pierce said firefighting is never the same each day and you never know what to expect. That's what makes training exercises like Monday's so important.

"The training is important because when something comes up you know what your plan of attack is step by step," Pierce said.

Paige Henderson, a senior in the EMT program, said the exercise provided valuable hands-on experience.

"Everything was very helpful. It was very realistic and put us in a real-life situation," Henderson said.

As the students tackled various tasks, John Flemming, who teaches health sciences and the EMT program, and Mike Koonce, who served as a firefighter for the City of Jacksonville for 31 years and now teaches the firefighter technology program at Southwest, provided instruction for the students.

Some, he hopes, will seek a career in the emergency services.

"There is a great market for EMTs and firefighters," Koonce said.

But if they don't, the skills they learn are ones that they can carry with them throughout life, Koonce said.

Henderson didn't take the class with plans for a career as an EMT, but said she has enjoyed it; and even if it is not her career choice, she may volunteer with a department.

Onslow County Fire Marshal Brian Kelly said volunteers are a much-needed part of the county's fire and rescue departments and he hopes the programs at Southwest High School will help bring up a new generation of recruits.

"This program is a huge benefit for us," Kelly said. "It not only turns out potential paid firefighters but it also turns out potential volunteers."

Reporter Jannette Pippin can be reached at Jannette.pippin@jdnews.com or 910-382-2557.

___ (c)2017 The Daily News (Jacksonville, N.C.) Visit The Daily News (Jacksonville, N.C.) at http://www.jdnews.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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In the new book Fitter Faster , health journalist Robert J. Davis and celebrity fitness trainer Brad Kolowich, Jr. show how it's possible to spend far less time exercising and get the sameor even betterresults.

Exercise advice can be misleading. Here are nine familiar fitness directives that may be unnecessary or even counterproductive.

Many of us learned in gym class or little league that static stretching, such as reaching for your toes and holding the stretch, before activity can prevent injury. But research has generally failed to support the idea . Whats more, pre-exercise static stretches may even do harm by impairing performance. One possible reason is that a looser muscle acts like an overstretched slingshot, generating less force than one thats taut. Another theory is that stretching cold muscles damages them.

A better approach is to warm up and then do dynamic stretches, such as arm or leg swings, which involve movement. Unlike static stretching, dynamic stretching primes muscles for action and may improve performance. In a study of young and middle-aged men, for example, vertical jump heights increased after dynamic stretching, while they declined after static stretching.

Save static stretching for after exercise, when your muscles are warm. Hold each stretch for 20 to 30 seconds. You should feel tightness or slight discomfort, but not pain.

The rationale behind doing aerobic exercise on an empty stomach, a practice known as fasted cardio, is that when carbohydrate stores in the body are depleted, you burn mainly fat. In addition, when insulin levels are low, which is the case when you fast, you burn more fat.

MORE : You Asked: Should I Eat Before or After a Workout?

Indeed theres some evidence that fasted cardio may boost fat burningbut only fleetingly. Over the course of days or weeks (which is what counts), research shows that fasted cardio doesnt offer any advantages. In a four-week trial that randomly assigned young women to either fast or drink a 250-calorie shake before their aerobic workouts, while otherwise eating a low-calorie diet, both groups lost the same amount of fat and weight.

In people who arent trained athletes, doing vigorous exercise first thing on an empty stomach can be like driving your car on empty: You may not make it very far.

To measure exercise intensity, some programs have people wear heart-rate monitors and stay within a particular zone. Many gyms and cardio machines display charts showing what your target heart rate should be.

The problem is that these targets are dependent upon your maximum heart rate (MHR), which is notoriously hard to measure on your own. The conventional way is to subtract your age from 220. But that formula is too simplistic and often yields flawed results, especially in older people. Other formulas have been shown to be lacking as well. If your MHR estimate is off, your target zone will be too high or too low.

MORE : 7 Surprising Benefits of Exercise

While people with medical conditions may require a heart-rate monitor during activity, most of us can use a simpler method to gauge intensity: a scale from 1 to 10 that measures how hard you feel your body is working overall. A 5 or 6 indicates moderate intensity, and a 7 or higher means vigorous activity.

Perhaps the easiest method is the talk test. If you can talk and sing during your activity without becoming breathless, the intensity level is low. If you can talk but not sing, the intensity is moderate. And if you can say only a few words before having to catch your breath, youre doing vigorous exercise.

Carrying small dumbbells or wearing wrist weights seems, in theory, like a good way to boost the intensity of your walks while also working your upper body. In fact, adding weight does burn more calories. But theres a problem. The light weights that people often use for walking typically burn too few extra calories to really matter. And heavier weights necessary for meaningful calorie burning may alter your natural arm swing and increase the risk of injuries.

A better option may be to walk with poles. The practice, sometimes called Nordic walking or exerstriding, originated in Finland as an off-season training method for cross-country skiers. Research suggests that pole walking works upper body and abdominal muscles, allows you to walk faster and burns more calories than regular walkingall without making you feel as though youre working harder. In addition, unlike weights, which may put stress on your joints, pole walking takes pressure off your knees, hips and lower back.

Running shoes come in several categories, each designed for a different foot type. Stability shoes are for runners whose feet roll inward excessively or overpronate when they land, while motion control shoes are intended for those who have flat feet and are severe overpronators. Neutral shoes are designed for runners with high arches who dont overpronate or who underpronate

For years its been widely assumed that overpronation leads to injuries and that using the right shoe can reduce the risk. But research has called these beliefs into question. In a study of more than 900 novice runners , all were instructed to use the same model of neutral shoes regardless of their foot type. Surprisingly, the runners with overpronated feet experienced fewer injuries than those with neutral feet, even though the overpronators were using the wrong shoe.

This study comes on the heels of other research showing that assigning shoes based on foot type does not reduce injury risk. While a stability or motion control shoe may be the best choice for some people, your best bet is likely a neutral shoe thats comfortable.

Conventional wisdom (much of it influenced by makers of sports beverages) asserts that you should stay ahead of your thirst before, during and after exercise to avoid dehydration. But studies show that for most people, thirst is a reliable indicator of when you need more fluid, even during exercise.

Research suggests that dehydration isnt always the threat that its portrayed to be. Contrary to popular belief, its generally not a cause of exercise-related muscle cramps or heat illness. And studies involving competitive cyclists have found that mild dehydration doesnt impair exercise performance. Whats more, drinking only when thirsty results in better performance than does chugging constantly.

Though you want to make sure to consume enough water, especially if youre older or exercising in the heat, a bigger problem than dehydration may be drinking too much during exercise. If you take in so much fluid that your body can't get rid of the excess, sodium levels can become dangerously low. The resulting condition, known as hyponatremia or water intoxication, is potentially fatal. To head it off, simply drink when youre thirsty.

Youve likely heard that urine ideally should be pale yellow and that the darker it is, the more youre dehydrated. It turns out the science behind such guidance isnt so clear. In a review of the evidence , researchers debunked the notion that urine color is an accurate marker of hydration. Part of the problem is that some foods (such as beets and carrots) can affect the color of urine, as can certain vitamins. Ditto for some medications and dietary supplements. Whats more, striving for pale pee could cause some people to overhydrate themselves during exercise and develop hyponatremia.

If youre concerned that your workout routine is leaving you dehydrated, try weighing yourself without clothes before and after exercise. If you lose up to a few pounds, youre likely okay. If you lose more than that, you may want to increase your fluid intake. If, on the other hand, you gain weight, you may be drinking too much.

While youve probably heard that downing protein within an hour or so after strength training is necessary to maximize gains, the research on this is mixed. The science is even less conclusive on whether eating protein after aerobic exercise is beneficial.

Consuming carbohydrates after exercise may help endurance athletes, especially if they have another training session later in the day. Some research suggests that chocolate milk is an ideal recovery food for such athletes because of its ratio of carbohydrates to protein. But for the rest of us who do a typical exercise routine of walking or running for 30 to 60 minutes, theres generally no need to refuel with chocolate milk or anything else. In fact, if youre watching your weight, adding calories after your workoutswithout reducing them sufficiently elsewhere in your dietcould undermine your efforts.

Abstinence from sex has long been considered essential for success in sports. As Rocky Balboas trainer put it in the movie Rocky , women weaken legs. But research has yielded little support for the belief. One study , which involved former male athletes, measured grip strength the morning after theyd had sex with their wives and then repeated the test after the men had abstained for at least six days. There were no differences in test results.

Overall, the research suggests that sex before physical activity doesnt have negative effects as long as theres a lag of at least two hours and the sexual activity doesn't also involve alcohol, drugs or sleep loss. In fact, its possible that sex may even enhance athletic performance by helping people relax.

Its unknown whether women are affected differently than men. The impact likely varies from person to person, so if youre wondering how pre-game sex affects your golf score or your 5K race time, youll need to do your own experiment and see for yourself.

Adapted from Fitter Faster: The Smart Way to Get in Shape in Just Minutes a Day (AMACOM) by Robert J. Davis with Brad Kolowich, Jr. Available from Amazon and other retailers .

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9 Common Myths About Exercise - TIME

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A DAD has knocked back a daily drink in order to beat the bulge, but be warned its pretty bizarre.

While most of us reach for a cup of coffee in the morning, Dave Murphy swigs a glass of his own urine before bathing in it.

For the last six years, the 54-year-old from Essex has been drinking his own wee.

The former computer programmer reckons that his urine is the elixir responsible for his astonishing 8st weight loss, youthful looks and tip-top health.

Dave who went from 20st to 12st after drinking his own wee also believes that the practice of urine therapy could be a means of solving the world food shortage and slashing people's grocery bills.

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Elora Harre, 23 has lost eight stone

In fact most days Dave survives on little else besides one grapefruit and two glasses of his own urine.

His only indulgence is a small portion of chips from his local chippy three times per week.

Dave, who has a 25-year-old daughter and 21-year-old son, explained: "After drinking my urine, I feel healthier and fitter than I've ever done before and I've lost 8st in weight.

"Additionally, I don't need much money to survive anymore. Because of all the wee I drink, I don't need to eat very much food at all.

"As humans, we don't actually have to consume that much. Urine can help us reduce what we need to eat - as it contains everything humans require.

"Most people think your wee is a waste product but it's not. It's actually cleaner than water."

NEWS DOG MEDIA

Back in 2012, Dave went on a urine fast for 30 days in which he consumed nothing else but his own pee.

The dad-of-two also uses his urine to moisturise his face and wash in and he maintains that wee is the ultimate anti-ageing product.

Dave continued: "Wee is a snapshot of exactly what your body needs but happens to have too much of at that particular moment.

It really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be

"For example, if you have an infection then your urine will have the antibodies to fight it. It boosts your immune system and has even cured my life-long asthma.

"Urine therapy is not just about drinking it, you can also wash in it and moisturise with it. It's the ultimate anti-ageing skin product my lines and wrinkles have disappeared since I began using my wee as a moisturiser.

"You can even use it to alleviate aches and pain and as an eye wash or a footbath.

"Urine is a cure-for-all. If people could just change their mentality and preconceptions about this therapy, then anyone can feel the huge benefits."

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Dave began his unique practice back in May 2011 after he attending a talk about urine therapy.

At the time, Dave was clinically overweight at a whopping 20st and he suffered from poor health, including life-long asthma.

He said: "Six years ago, I was seriously overweight and very sick, taking regular steroids for my asthma.

"Having worked as a computer programmer in New York City, my diet was terrible. I would snack on chocolate all day and eat out for lunch and dinner.

"When I jokingly wandered in to a talk about urine therapy at a festival with my mates, I was truly skeptical. But by the end of the talk, my friends and I came out saying that we got to try this out.

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The very next day, Dave gave it a try by downing a glass of his own urine twice-daily. Despite his open-minded attitude now, he admits he was initially apprehensive about consuming his own wee.

Dave said: "Initially, I was a bit cowardly and squeamish about drinking my own urine.

"The idea of ingesting warm pee was off-putting so I put it in the fridge so that it was ice-cold. And for the first few weeks, I would mix it with grapefruit juice.

"But eventually, I began drinking my urine straight-up and it really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.

"Within a matter of minutes of consuming my first glass of pee though, I felt the benefits. I had lots of energy and my bowel movements improved.

"During the course of the following year, my weight began to drop off."

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In June 2012, Dave took his unique habit to a new extreme and decided to embark on a urine fast.

Dave - who even authored a book on the subject called The Human Body Owners Workshop Manual said: "After a year of drinking my own urine, I started feeling a lot better and my blood pressure went back to normal.

"I really witnessed the benefits so a year later, I decided to do a urine fast - consuming nothing but my own wee for a month.

"During the course of those 30 days, my asthma was cured, my energy levels increased and I lost a ton of weight. People couldn't believe the transformation.

"I realised that I could survive on just urine indefinitely and two years later, I did a 'Breatharian' experiment where I survived on nothing but water for 60 days.

"I would love to do another urine fast and be filmed the whole time it so people can see that it's real. It's a genuine solution for the world food shortage - as well as weight loss.

"Through drinking my urine, I haven't been sick or gone to a doctor in six years. The advantages are huge I have even got my mum into drinking it now."

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DAVE'S DIET BEFORE

BREAKFAST: Ham, egg and swiss on a bagel and a caramel frappucino

LUNCH: Business lunch out e.g. sushi

DINNER: Eating out at restaurants e.g. pasta, meat and rice

SNACKS: Chocolate

DAVE'S URINE DIET NOW

BREAKFAST: Glass of urine followed by a bath in his own urine

LUNCH: Grapefruit

EARLY DINNER: Glass of urine

TREAT: Chips from the chippy two to three times per wee

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Man claims THIS daily drink is secret behind 8st weight loss but it will make you queasy - Daily Star

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When then 20-year-old Chenise Nupp visited her doctor, she felt shocked to learn that she needed high blood pressure medication and was pre-diabetic. Even though she knew she was plus-size, she never thought that the 285 pounds she carried on her 5-foot-8-inch body could affect her health at such a young age.

I cant believe I am 20 years old and I am having to take high blood pressure medications, the now 24-year-old recalled thinking.

But losing weight felt impossible. She had been overweight ever since her parents divorced when she was a toddler, and they gave her food to help her cope with her emotions. A few times she lost weight with crash dieting but she always gained it back and then some.

I thought there was nothing I could do. I was always going to be overweight, she said.

It seemed hopeless, but then a co-worker at her office in Casper, Wyoming, mentioned that her husband recently had weight-loss surgery and was shedding pounds. Nupp decided to visit a doctor for a consultation. For her doctor to perform the surgery, she first had to lose between 10 and 15 pounds.

They want to know, obviously, you are going to make the changes or surgery wont work, she said.

Chenise Nupp's weaknesses for food included starchy snacks, such as chips and crackers.

Nupp started by cutting carbs and soda and doing some low-impact exercise, such as swimming and walking. She lost exactly 15 pounds and had a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in November 2015. The first few weeks following the surgery, she needed to follow a liquid diet.

Since then shes stuck to the high-protein, low-carb diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. She's also continued exercising by swimming, walking her dogs and playing recreational volleyball.

I am basically walking proof that you do not have to go to the gym for it to work, she said. "As long as you are not sitting on the couch.

In total, Nupp has lost 110 pounds. Often people tell her they think weight-loss surgery is easy, but she says that she eats healthy and exercises, just like anyone who loses and maintains weight loss.

It is not a one day fix. You have to change, she said. Putting in the work, it will pay off.

While her original goal was to weigh 185 pounds the thinnest she would have ever been as an adult she now hopes to get to 165.

Chenise Nupp exceeded her goal of weighing 185 pounds and now weighs 175. She plans on losing 10 more pounds.

Im trying to lose those last 10 pounds so I can say Yes, I am a healthy weight, she said.

Since losing the weight, Nupp has been traveling frequently, feels more open to opportunities and has learned more about herself.

My weight was holding me back, she said. But you can accomplish your goals.

Nupp, who no longer requires any medications, shares advice to others who want to shed weight.

Nupp doesnt skip cake during the office birthday celebrations or completely avoid snack foods. But she does pay attention to when she feels full and stops eating.

It is a matter of moderation. You dont have to have two pieces of cake, she said. Listen to your body to know when you are full.

Many people felt that Nupp would not succeed in losing weight, which discouraged her. But she had a few close friends who acted as cheerleaders and inspired her to eat healthy and exercise.

It really helped me stay on track and remember why I was doing it, she said.

Chenise Nupp hikes, walks her dogs and plays volleyball to stay active and healthy.

When it came to sugary drinks, Nupp felt a weakness for them. She knew she could have them in moderation, but she decided to cut them completely from her diet.

Be willing to give things up because there are certain things that maybe are triggers for you. You may not be able to handle them anymore, she said.

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How this woman lost 110 pounds with 3 simple steps - Today.com

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By Todd Williamson/Getty Images/CinemaCon.

Though theyve worked together on several films, there are still plenty of things Kirsten Dunst wont do for Oscar-winning filmmaker Sofia Coppola. In a wide-ranging conversation between the two, per an interview with Variety, the actress says that she put her well-heeled foot down when the director asked Dunst to lose weight for her role in The Beguiled. In the Southern Gothic film, Dunst plays a woman living at an all-girls schoolpopulated by lithe, wan leading ladieswho helps tend to a wounded Civil War Union soldier (Colin Farrell). But Dunst Coppolas suggestion to drop weight for the part, noting that the director was quite understanding of her decision.

Its so much harder when youre 35 and hate working out, Dunst explained, in her best celebrities are just like you voice. She added that the films shoot in rural Louisiana also compounded the difficulty of losing weight: Im eating fried chicken and McDonalds before work. So Im like, We have no options! Im sorry, I cant lose weight for this role.

That sound you hear is the collective groan of a thousand actresses wishing their directors would take similar mercy. Hollywood is notorious for its absurd body standards, for men especially action and superhero film starsas well as women, though theres a lot less leeway for actresses.

In the Variety interview, Dunst and Coppola are also fairly frank about the other difficulties women face in the industry. Dunst is in the midst of trying to raise money for her adaptation of Sylvia Plaths The Bell Jar, which will also be her directorial debut; unfortunately, shes having difficulty generating financial support. People are afraid of the name Sylvia and that this is a depressing movie, which its not at all, she says. Its always harder for women. Everyone has to work 10 times harder.

For similar reasons, Coppola considered throwing her hat in the ring to helm the upcoming Wonder Woman movie: I wanted to see a woman superhero because theyre all guys, she says. Im not really a comic-book person, but I liked the idea. On TV, she was so glamorous to me.

Speaking of superheroes, Dunst adds that she hasnt paid attention to Sonys new iterations of Spider-Man. The actress became a household name after starring in the first three big-screen Spider-Men, alongside Tobey Maguirebut has since lost interest in the franchise. As for the latter films, starring Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland? Dunst is basically pulling an I dont know her.

I dont care, she says of the newer films, which she hasnt seen. Everyone likes our Spider-Man. Cmon, am I right or what? Listen, Id rather be in the first ones than the new ones.

Let it be known that Id rather be in the first ones than the new ones is the new Id rather be listening to Smooth by Santana feat. Rob Thomas. Dunst should let her shady side fly free more often.

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Don't Ask Kirsten Dunst to Lose Weight for a Movie - Vanity Fair

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5 Women Share The Fitness Trackers That Helped Them Lose ... Women's Health We asked five women to share which fitness trackers they've used to help reach their weight loss goals. and more »

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