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Summer is usually the time that many set themselves as a goal to lose weight.

There's nothing better than feeling confident in yourself whilst sunning on the beach - and it doesn't matter what size you are, every body is beautiful.

But there are many people who wish to get healthier and more in shape so they can achieve their goals, for some it's playing with their children and others it's being able to walk to the shop without being in pain.

We take a look at some of the Slimming World, WW and other methods people have used to transform their bodies, minds and attitudes.

If you want to share your own weight loss or body positive story, get in touch via email at katie.timms@reachplc.com or via Facebook here.

A Plymouth gran reversed her diabetes after losing a whopping 10st after breaking her hairdresser's chair.

Norma Courage first joined weight loss group Slimming World. in Torpoint in 2007 weighing 21st 11.5lbs after two incidents which left her humiliated.

The first one left her unable to fit into the plane seat she had been allocated when going on a family holiday, and the second incident came after she visited the hairdresser and sat in the seat, and broke it.

"I often wonder what I would look like now, or even if I would still be here if it was not for that first step into a Slimming World Group," the 73-year-old said.

Norma has gone from a size 28 to a size 14 and says her husband and her sons have never seen her as small as she is now.

She said: "I have been married for 53 years and my husband or my three boys have never seen me at this weight; I have lost 10 Stone and it has taken me a few years to do it.

"I used to be a diabetic but since I lost weight I am no longer a diabetic and have reversed the condition. I can also walk now and do things that I could only dream of before.

"When I was at my heaviest I would hate clothes shopping, but now I love it."

The St Budeaux resident, who has 13 grandchildren, said attending the Torpoint group has helped keep her motivated and on track to her goal weight.

She said: "I started Slimming World, because I got on a plane and couldn't sit in the seat properly and I also went to the hairdressers and the chair broke.

"I just felt useless could not move and did not want a move. I did not want to go out and when I did I felt that people were always looking at me as I was so big."

Norma said despite being in her 70s, losing weight has meant that she feels she is in her 30s again.

"I can walk anywhere feel good about myself and go into any shop and buy clothes it's a wonderful feeling," she said.

"I am 73 years old now but I feel like 30, it's a wonderful feeling."

Before starting her weight loss journey, Norma would eat a whole packet of Mars bars.

She said: "Before Slimming World I would eat anything.

"I would go to the shop and buy not one Mars bar but a packet of Mars bars. Anything that was more than one in a packet I would buy it and I would eat chocolate all day.

"Now I eat sensibly and if I do feel I need something different I will have it.

"I call them my treats, but I will make up for it other ways with my good healthy food. I never want to go back to those dark dark days again."

Read Norma's full story, here.

It has taken just two months for Jayne Cooves to lose a whopping 24lbs since joining the weight loss group after seeing the image which made her feel that she had "let her family down" with her appearance.

The 37-year-old joined Mandy Coles group after being inspired by her own whopping 12st weight loss.

Jayne weighed 18st 11lbs when she joined the virtual group during the lockdown and just eight weeks later, she is on track to hit her target.

"When I received our socially distanced professional picture taken on VE Day, I looked at myself and felt I was letting my family down with how I looked," Jayne said.

"After seeing the picture, I was disgusted with how big I had gotten.

"I was totally inspired by the sensational journey Mandy has been on with Slimming World.

"I've known Mandy for over 25 years and I've seen her struggle with her weight, yet since joining, she has done absolutely fantastic, and I wanted some of that."

Since joining, the mum-of-two has improved her relationship with food and it has also had a positive effect on her family, with her husband also losing weight and her sons, eight and 11, eating better.

"My relationship with food has improved massively," she said.

"I feel much more positive that the food I'm eating, is not only delicious, but it's good for me and my family."

But the lockdown has brought its challenges.

Jayne said: "My youngest son is autistic and the change in routine and bringing school home was a huge challenge.

"He really struggled with the change. My usual way of coping is comfort eating and that's what my husband and I were doing in the beginning and making bad food choices.

"I knew I had to do something to stop myself falling into a dangerous spiral of eating to comfort and then getting more down about how I looked and felt."

Now, Jayne feels confident, energised and uplifted due to the dietary changes.

"I feel really positive," she said.

"Slimming World does not cut anything out, so I never feel I'm on a diet.

"For me, I am an emotional eater, but I've learnt how to control this better, and make better choices.

"I also plan my meals for the week, so I am never hungry. My husband keeps telling people, we've never eaten so well. It's brilliant."

On a typical day before joining Slimming World, Jayne would eat thick toast, crisp, chocolate and whatever she could "bung in the oven for convenience".

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Now, Jayne starts her day with fruit and pancakes or an omelette and for lunch has a wrap or a bacon roll.

For an evening meal, the family have a homemade Slimming World recipe from the Slimming World app.

Read Jayne's full story here.

A Plymouth mum who was left feeling disheartened after wearing a "tent" to her dad's wedding has shed a whopping 4st in just seven months.

The 32-year-old was also suffering from aches and pains in her body due to her size, which made basic tasks, such as walking the dog, a big challenge.

At the beginning of this year, Emma Hallas weighed 17st 9lbs and took the plunge to join Slimming World, which has helped her get her confidence back.

She now weighs 13st 12lbs and is well on her way to her target weight of 12st.

"At my dad's wedding last year, as much as I was so excited for it I felt so uncomfortable all day," she said.

"Everyone was in such beautiful clothes and I just had to buy a tent-type dress to cover all my lumps and bumps.

"It was a lovely day but I battled with my self-confidence all weekend."

Emma, a mum-of-two, joined the Peverell Slimming World group in January and has drastically changed her typical diet of biscuits, pizza and cake.

She said: "I have done Slimming World in the past and know the plan truly works if you stick to it, making me want to return to the family and lose the weight again.

"I feel so much more confident in myself, Im so much more active and dont feel self-conscious about going out and wearing more fitting clothes.

"Before the diet I would happily buy packets of biscuits and eat them at my desk, buy more on my lunch break and eat another full packet when I got home.

"I would eat cakes with cream fillings and would have pizza pretty much everyday for dinner."

But now Emma has started cooking from scratch and has found a love for home-cooking.

She now eats "speed" foods in the mornings, such as melon, berries and yogurt, along with jacket potato and salad for lunch.

Emma admits she still enjoys a pizza every now and again.

"I can make pizzas from scratch and make them Slimming World friendly, I never feel like I'm missing out," she said.

Emma has faced challenges throughout lockdown, finding it difficult to plan her meals.

"Ive tried to do the plan from home before and it didnt work for me," Emma explained.

"My amazing consultant Vicki set up a Facebook page with every one for any help anyone needs and there are weekly Zoom meetings, which are always fun.

"Also just receiving a text to make sure you are okay helps to keep you motivated and on plan."

Read Emma's full story, here.

A young trainee doctor who said she was "eating her emotions" has managed to shed a whopping three-and-half stone.

Katie Boekestein admits she was never the girl that "hid behind her weight".

But she remembers a time where she felt embarrassed after sitting on a white plastic chair, and it collapsed under her.

But the tipping point for the now 21-year-old was realising the state of her health in the summer of 2018.

"I was 19 with an obese BMI, I was sat in multiple lectures hearing all about how obesity and central adiposity enhanced many different disease processes and syndromes," she explained.

"I decided this was not the path I wanted for my health and my body! It was affecting all parts of my life!

"My fitness, confidence and overall well-being was decreasing as I continued to put on weight during my first year of university.

"When I headed back to my family home, I decided that enough was enough and I wanted to change for my future."

She joined a group in Birmingham, but after "flouncing between a few", she settled with Lauren Fidler's Mount Gould Slimming World group.

"I decided to do Slimming world by myself to start off with, as my mum did it and was easy to just copy her!

"I started at 13st 3lbs. I carried most of my weight around my belly and I really didnt like it.

"I then joined group at 12st 6lbs and got down to my target in nine months. Life then got in the way and I fluctuated a bit, not noticing Id began to put on weight! One stone gain later, I needed to get it off to get back to target and thats when I joined Lauren's group."

Katie, who is a keen Netball player, has noticed a drastic improvement in her sporting ability and can now lift heavy weights.

She has plans to lose another 7lbs, but is not too focused on the numbers on the scale.

Katie said: "Id love to get to 9st 3lbs to say that Ive lost 4 st, however, Im now going on what my body looks like. Its not all about what the numbers say on the scales. I now have a toned belly.

"I feel so much happier, confident and bubbly. I feel that Ive given myself the best chance for my future and hope that as my dietary and exercise knowledge increases, Ill be able to help my future patients achieve similar things.

"I'm beginning to progress and I love what Im able to achieve now. My relationship with food has completely changed! I was eating and drinking my emotions.

"My portion sizes were immense, I had loads of take-outs, meal deals and even ate a burger for breakfast.

"Everything now, I aim to make from scratch, Ive always enjoyed cooking but now filling it with nutritious fruit and veg its much nicer."

On a typical day before joining Slimming World, whilst revising, Katie would eat beans on toast with white bread and full fat cheese for breakfast, followed by a cookie or brownie and an apple and orange.

She would then have a meal deal, with crisps and diet coast, followed by a big portion of spaghetti bolognese, with full fat mince, shop bought sauce and garlic bread.

Now, she has porridge and fruit for breakfast, pasta, salad and cooked meats for lunch, homemade Slimming World curry for dinner with cauliflower rice.

She also snacks on low calorie crisp and fruit.

The lockdown period brought new challenges for Katie, but she felt with the "continuous support" from her group, she was able to stay on track.

Read more of Katie's story, here.

A Plymouth teaching assistant has reached her goal weight during lockdown, despite obstacles in her way.

Tamsin Fleming has been at home on maternity leave with her two young children and was concerned about having "access to food all day long", but has found ways to keep herself on track.

The 30-year-old has been working her way through a vegetarian Slimming World recipe book, which not only keeps her busy, but has introduced tasty meals to her family.

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Slimming World and WW weight loss superstars of the summer in Plymouth - Plymouth Live

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Malaysians arent eating enough sayur-sayuran, and probably nobody knows this better than the mamaks who hear Tak mau sayur ah like 80 times a day. Honestly, we get it. Why eat green stuff when we have roti canai and nasi lemak ayam goreng?

Right. Because thats not how you get 10 pack abs. Img from T-Nation.

Hard as it is for some veggie haters to accept, some Truly Delectable Malaysian Dishes That Are Also Sensational can only happen with them. Case in point: the sayur manis, aka mani cai (manis veggie?) for the Chinese people, aka cekur manis for Semenanjung people, aka Sauropus androgynous for scientists.

This sayur can be stir fried much like kangkung, made into egg soup, in masak lemak, used as the vegetable side for pan mee in lieu of pucuk ubi, or even thrown into a sad bowl of Maggi to make it happier. As for the taste, well, they dont call it sayur manis for nothing. As described by an ang moh who had some in Sabah

sayur manis tasted both rich and nutritious, like very good spinach. But it had more complexity than spinach, as though it had been fortified with broccoli and infused with asparagus. The flavor itself wasnt so much novel as it was a recombination of familiar tastes in a new and exciting way. Konstantin Kakaes, writing for NPR.

However, if you Google up enough of its recipes, youre bound to run into some sort of warning that it can cause lung problems, or that the leaves are toxic. While that warning might have the same energy as anti-vaxxer propaganda, there might be some truth to it, as

Sometime in the 1990s, sayur manis became popular in Taiwan as a weight loss food. During this fad, the leaves of this sayur were usually blended together with guava or pineapple to make a smoothie.

Mmm good. Not actual smoothie. Img by The Kitchy Kitchen, taken from Shape Magazine.

It was later found that the veggie contains a compound called 3-O--D-glucosyl-(1-6)--D-glucosyl-kaempferol, or GGK for short. This compound apparently has promise as a weight loss drug, as rats fed with GGK ate about 15% less food, and therefore lost more weight than rats not fed with the stuff, with no obvious side effects.

However, GGK isnt the only compound found in sayur manis. After chugging down some sweet sayur juice, hundreds of the Taiwanese fad dieters developed a rare kind of lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans, aka popcorn lung. In essence, it causes your lungs to get permanently damaged, and save for slowing down the damage or getting a lung transplant, theres no way to cure it.

Popcorn lung, as seen from above. A healthy lung wont have that many spots. Img by B.Q. Xie, et al. taken from Wikipedia.

With hundreds of cases of a rare disease popping up all of a sudden, it didnt take long for researchers to notice that people who regularly took sayur manis smoothies developed the disease. However, its still not clear which chemical in the sayur is causing it. One popular view was that it was caused by a compound called papaverine, which is used in modern medicine as a muscle relaxant.

The safe dose for papaverine is 300 mg a day. The smoothie drinkers, on the other hand, have been drinking the equivalent of about 3480 mg weekly, or roughly 500 mg a day. Curiously though, while a papaverine overdose has several side effects, lung damage isnt one of them. An experiment also showed that rats fed with sayur manis juice at the same ratio as the popcorn lung cases do not develop any lung problems whatsoever, although this may be due to the species difference.

Still, to be safe, just avoid eating sayur manis altogether would be fine, right? Well, you might be missing out, as

Someone actually analyzed the nutritional content of sayur manis and wrote a research paper on it, but we know if we put that data in a table, yall are gonna skim through it. So taking inspiration from an old ad, we Googled up some nutritional contents of normal, everyday foods and came up with a heartfelt poem to present the sayur manis most impressive nutritional contents, per 100 grams of the stuff.

Hu hu hu, as much protein as 1 tiny egg!

Hu hu hu, as much iron as 2 slices of tempeh!

Hu hu hu! As much zinc as 4 kacang bendi!

Hu hu hu, as much calcium as 1.5 cups of milk!

Hu hu hu, As much vitamin C as, like, 6 oranges!

Hu hu eh these lines dont rhyme.

Since the taste was described as more complex than spinach, well compare the two like our moms compare us to a more successful cousin. Basically, besides iron and zinc, sayur manis has spinach beat by its protein content (about 1.75x higher), calcium (4x higher), niacin (aka Vitamin B3, 90x higher), beta-carotene (1.5x higher), vitamin E (8.5x higher), and Vitamin C (11x higher).

But thats just scratching the surface. This humble sayur had been used in various Southeast Asian countries and India as a folk remedy for ailments like coughs, fever, high blood pressure, diabetes, ulcers, eye diseases, tonsils, cuts and wounds, and perhaps obviously, hunger. Its also curiously eaten to increase breast milk production by some people in Indonesia.

Experiments on the compounds found in this sayur showed that its folk healing abilities do work, albeit with varying degrees of success. Naturally, this also applies to the weight loss thing we talked about earlier, but you might be concerned

Unless youre planning to chug raw sayur manis juice, theres nothing to be worried about. As with many things, the key here is moderation. Theres always a possibility of too much of a good thing, and contrary to what Asian moms everywhere would believe, even drinking too much water can be harmful: you can get overhydrated, which may lead to nausea, headaches, seizures, cramps, or even a coma.

In the Taiwanese case, apparently the sayur manis fad caused the dieters to eat (drink?) a lot more of the veg than people normally do. According to a survey in Malaysian villages, it seems that most people commonly eat sayur manis like once a week, and even then the average amount eaten was around 156 grams. The Taiwanese dieters, on the other hand, had on average 150 grams a day, four days a week, so thats roughly four times more than what we normally eat.

Another difference was that the sayur manis juice drunk in Taiwan was made with raw leaves, whereas we usually stir fry the stuff or cook it in some way. While we dont know what exactly in the sayur manis caused the problem, apparently whatever chemical that was is inactivated by heat, so cooking will make it safer to eat. So to all the Malaysian veggie lovers out there, go forth and devour your sayur manis in moderation, but be sure to cook it first yah.

See the rest here:
This Malaysian sayur may help you lose weight. It may also give you a deadly lung disease. - CILISOS.MY

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Is walking 30 minutes a day the best exercise for weight loss? Know the benefits and how to walk properly  |  Photo Credit: iStock Images

New Delhi: Walking is a great form of exercise that offers several health benefits. It is easy to fit into your lifestyle and safe enough for everyone to do. Whether youre trying to get rid of those extra pounds or simply improve your health, making walking a part of your daily routine can help you live a healthier, fitter life. For better weight loss, experts recommend aiming for a brisk walk of 30-90 minutes most days of the week.

The fact is that getting healthier and fitter doesnt have to be that complicated. A simple exercise like brisk walking can contribute to your overall health and well-being. Whats more, you can do it anywhere, anytime of the day - at home, in the mall, on a treadmill, or outside. A daily brisk walk of 30 minutes can do wonders for your body and mind. All you need is to know the proper walking technique.

Walking is a simple activity, but it does involve some techniques to make your walks more effective and more fun. Heres how to walk properly with good posture:

You may also check out the following pic to perfect your walking form.

(Image credit: Mayo Clinic)

Walking regularly has immense health benefits. But a little technique with the correct gait and posture is especially important for effective results, especially if youre trying to lose weight. Try to make walking a part of your lifestyle - just make sure that you check with your doctor before starting any new fitness regimen.

Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purpose only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.

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Is walking 30 minutes a day the best exercise for weight loss? Know the benefits and how to walk properly - Times Now

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A major new adult health campaign has been launched to encourage people to take control of their health and wellbeing.

Better Health will help capture the imagination of the nation, using this unique moment in time to help kick start our health to eat better and get active.

Covid-19 has affected the whole country; for almost everyone, life has had to fundamentally change.

But it has also prompted many people to reflect and think more seriously about their health.

Whats more, people have been surprised by how able they have been to change their behaviour, with lockdown showing many that they are able to make and sustain changes to their lives.

Nearly two thirds (63 per cent) of adults in the UK are overweight or living with obesity.

Gaining weight is often a gradual process that takes place over a number of years and modern life doesnt always make it easy.

But this extra weight causes pressure to build up around vital organs, making it harder for the body to fight against diseases like cancer, heart disease and now Covid-19.

By reducing your weight within a healthy range, you can cut your risk of being critically ill with Covid-19.

To improve health and wellbeing, individuals should aim to have a BMI below 25 and above 18.5.

NICE recommends that Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups (BAME) should aim to have a BMI below 23 and above 18.5 to avoid risks to health.

To support people to live healthier lives, the Better Health campaign will provide a variety of tools and apps to help you make healthier food choices, become more active and prevent future weight gain.

One of these tools is a free NHS Weight Loss Plan app, which provides 12 weeks worth of engaging content that can be personalised and tailored to the goals and needs of the individual.

It can help you be more active and start you on the road to losing weight.

Later down the line, support will also be made available to help people quit smoking, cut down their drinking and look after their mental health.

For help and support to lose weight, visit nhs.uk/BetterHealth.

Link:
NHS launches Better Health campaign | News and Star - News & Star

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I was having lunch a couple of summers ago with noted double threat Helen Wan, novelist/lawyer, and as I complained about writers block and misrepresented my world-class procrastination, she recommended a book calledDaily Rituals. I picked up a copy soon after and promptly put off reading it in keeping with my usual, shiftless style.

This book is a fascinating look at the artistic process, detailing a breakdown of the quirks, habits, and methods of some of historys greatest minds. My big takeaway was how very different the working styles were amongst these renowned figures in reaching success. Some were night owls, while others were morning people; some worked in short spurts, while others hammered away over tortuous marathon sessions; some abused their bodies, while others had more healthy leanings.

It was refreshing to soak up this different strokes for different folksperspective because it validated what Ive noticed in the weight room. In the world of fitness, theres not one singular recipe for success that works for everyone. What is a highly successful approach for one person may be completely inappropriate for another person. There are time-honored methods and scientific data that support various practices, but there isnt a one size fits all.

When I was cutting my teeth as a weightlifter, the best in the world were the Bulgarians and Russians. Both programs were like factories, pumping out world champion after world champion.

The Russian way was precise, methodical, program design where you knew several weeks in advance exactly how much you were supposed to lift on any given day. The Bulgarian way was to basically max out every workout, which then determined your various training loads for that particular day.

The Russian model is attractive because people like structure and to have every little thing spelled out for them. And though a workout may be simple to read or understand, it takes a lot of discipline to do what youre supposed to do, regardless of how you feel that day or lifes other diversions that can compromise a training session. The Bulgarian model is sensible in that if youre having a good day you lift more, and if youre having an off day you lift less. Theres not really a clear winner when both programs produce champions.

And while technical program design can be studied and analyzed until the end of time, there are a hundred other choices and variables that are going to have an impact on your exercise experience.

Some people enjoy exercising at five oclock in the morning (not me), while others are better off working out later in the day. Some people like training alone, and others like working out with a training partner. I liked having a training partner who happened to be stronger than me. He was a few weight classes heavier, and I was never gonna catch him, but it was good to have something to chase. Other alpha-types feel the need to be stronger or better than their workout partners. Some athletes respond well to castigation, and others need nurturing; some training partners need to be the Skipper, and others need to be the Gilligan.

We like to emulate our sports heroes and celebrities in hopes of enjoying their measure of success, but its never as simple as that. The short explanation is that I can do everything that Tom Brady does in his offseason training, and Bob Kraft isnt calling me anytime soon, or Bruce Arians for that matter. Celebrities on infomercials are often disingenuous hucksters who overstate the benefits of whatever theyre pitching while disregarding the other factors that explain their coveted look. Some athletes training programs are only possible to tolerate with the help of drugs.

Of course, every Little Leaguer would love to get his hands on Mike Trouts workout plan, but whats advisable for a 29-year-old may be completely inappropriate for a 15-year-old. Not to mention that a workout written for someone who plays 162 games should look a lot different than one for a 20-game season. Rather than steal his blueprints, young athletes should aspire to be more like him. Hes fast, so they should work on speed; hes strong, so they should work on strength, etc. Try to emulate, but dont just blindly copy.

This is why sweeping generalizations as applied to fitness drives me crazy. Swimming is not a good form of exercise for people who dont know how to swim, and drowning is even worse. Rock climbing is not a good exercise choice for those of us who are scared of heights. Swimming is a perfect fit for some people, just as biking is for others. Training at the crack of dawn works well for some people, but late afternoon has always been my sweet spot. Never say never, and never say always.

From the ironic fitness outcomes, stranger than fiction files, as well as dont try this at home, is the story of Jeff the bartender. I ran into Jeff after not having seen him for quite some time, and he nimbly identified himself to spare my embarrassment when he realized that I didnt recognize him. He had lost a lot of weight and he looked far different from the last time I had seen him. When I asked about his metamorphosis, he revealed his path to success as being a broken leg.

Infirmity was his salvation.

As an able-bodied bartender, he hustled throughout his long shifts and played in three different softball leagues. But he also boozed it up and smoked acres of weed. And then came the late-night pizzas and all else that comes with a living on the razors-edge lifestyle of a pleasure-seeking mixologist in the wee small hours. Being bedridden served him well, not because he did any of the right stuff, but because he unwittingly avoided most of the wrong stuff. I wouldnt recommend orthopedic injury as a treatment plan for weight control, but I suppose if the shoe fits

Voltaire worked in bed, and Hemingway preferred to write while standing; we should embrace the idea of discovering what works best for us as unique individuals.

Certified strength and conditioning coach Norman Meltzer, the owner/operator of MW Strength and Conditioning in New Bedford, was known during his competitive weight-lifting career as the Muscless Wonder for his lean, mean physique lacking in the traditional bulk associated with strength training. Meltzers experience and knowledge has helped pro, college and high school athletes and teams and even regular people improve their strength and performance.

Schvitzn with Norm

By Norm Meltzer

Read more from the original source:
Sometimes Yin but Other Times Yang - Wanderer

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High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is an insanely efficient way to build muscle, improve conditioning, and score a killer total-body workout in no time flat. And good news: You may already be doing some of the following movesthe five best HIIT exercises of all timeas part of your current training program.

Its just that youre probably not doing them the right way. What do we mean by that? Many HIIT newbies mistake the first I in HIIT with an E: endurance.They quickly do bodyweight moves until form falls apart, then rest for a few seconds before going back at itwith quickly deteriorating levels of intensity and technique.

Yes, exercising this way will burn calories, but it wont effectively build power, increase muscle, or work your body all that differently in the long run, explains Tony Gentilcore, C.S.C.S., strength coach and owner of CORE training studio outside Boston.

Compare that to true intensity, which isnt just about going hard. Its about going so hard that you tap into anaerobic metabolism and put your size-yielding, fast-twitch muscle fibers to good use.

Physiologically, neither has much staying power. (This is why exercise intensity always predicts duration.) After about 30 seconds, sometimes less, you hit fatigue and have to fully rest. That rest is what allows you to hit every interval with everything youve got. As a result, you get the most out of them and manage more results logging fewer minutes of actual work.

The quality of the motion and technique is more important than duration, says Gentilcore, who explains that when he programs HIIT workouts for his clients, he focuses on performing maximal efforts for as little as three to five reps.

Speaking of technique, its worth mentioning that the most intense exercises are also the most advanced. After all, to get the entire bodys musculature working and producing high power outputs, you have to coordinate an extensive array of movements and technical cues. You also have to move very challenging loads.

Both require a solid foundation of both strength and exercise form proficiency. For that reason, its important for HIIT beginners to progress to these moves by first honing their fundamental exercises, including deadlifts, squats, lunges, and overhead presses.

Ready to get going? To help you dial up the intensity of your workouts, here are five of the best HIIT exercises of all time. Consider adding one or more to your existing workouts, soon after your warmup and activation drills, or put them all together for a fierce total-body routine.

Why it works: This explosive exercise works the glutesyour bodys biggest muscle groupto their max while also engaging the lats, back, shoulders, and quads.

How to do it:

Pro Tip: At the top of the movement, the base of the kettlebell should face the wall in front of you. If the base of the kettlebell starts to raise or point toward the ceiling, go heavier!

Do 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps, resting 90 to 120 seconds between sets.

Why it works: At some point, youve likely performed jump squats, which are great for training lower-body strength and powerwhile sending your heart rate through the roof. This version, performed with dumbbells or kettlebells, generates even higher outputs and empties the tank in shockingly few reps.

How to do it:

Pro Tip: Rather than descending right into the next rep, stand up, pause, take a breath, and reset for the next squat with a focus on rep quality.

Do 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps, resting 90 to 120 seconds between sets.

Why it works:This total-body movement generates some of the highest levels of power output possible. Its foundational to the jerk, snatch, and any move that starts from a racked position.

How to do it:

Pro Tip: Grip strength is likely to be a limiting factor with dumbbells and kettlebells, meaning barbells will allow you to use higher weights and complete higher amounts of work with each rep.

Do 4 to 6 sets of 3 to 6 reps, resting 2 to 3 minutes between sets.

Why it works:A variation on the clean, this HIIT exercise involves even more total-body muscle by integrating an overhead pressing component.

How to do it:

Pro Tip: Your shoulder strength and mobility are limiting factors here. Only perform this exercise if you have healthy shoulders, and always use a lighter weight than you do with cleans.

Do 4 to 6 sets of 3 to 6 reps, resting 2 to 3 minutes between sets.

Why it works:This may look exclusively like an upper-body exerciseand make no mistake, your shoulders and triceps thank youbut it actually fries your glutes and core too.

How to do it:

Pro Tip: If youre really short on time, try performing a clean to push press. Just know that you can clean more weight than you can push press.

Do 3 to 5 sets of 6 to 8 reps, resting 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

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The 5 Best HIIT Exercises of All Time - Men's Journal

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JACKSON TWP. This spring and summer have been unusual in a number of ways. The string of 90-degree temperature days throughout the end of June and July were a bit out of the norm. The drought conditions of late July and early August are different. But the most unusual part of this spring and summer has been the stay at home order and all of the summer events being canceled because of the pandemic.

While the kids have gotten outside to ride bikes, walk and play with friends, many adults are working from home, doing curbside shopping and generally not getting out and being as active as normal.

While it is easy to just spend every day in front of a computer or watching television or maybe doing some gardening a couple times a week, many experts say it is healthier for all ages to get active and stay active. It is important for physical and as well as mental health.

"There are three areas of focus when thinking of staying active; circulation of blood, improving muscle flexibility and strength and a persons well-being and mental health," said Lisa Fox, a physical therapist at Mercy Medical Center in Jackson Township

For circulation, Fox said that staying active helps keep the heart healthy, helps with breathing and boosts the immune system which can help fight or prevent illnesses and viruses. Moving or exercising can improve circulation which circulates the antibodies and the white blood cells.

"It is always best to get evaluated or get a checkup from your primary doctor before beginning any exercise program. People with previous injuries or with arthritis need to make sure they are safe to exercise. Here at Mercy Medical, we can customize a plan of care for stretching and strengthening based on the persons age and their current activity level," Fox said.

Activities like walking or exercise also eases stress because it by releases endorphins as well as relieving anxiety. Fox said that stress increases muscle tension in the neck or lower back regions.

"As a physical therapist, we can do a soft tissue massage or dry needling to help relieve the results of stress," Fox said.

She added that staying active during the pandemic, especially if it continues through the fall and winter months, is even more important during something like a stay at home order.

"Staying active with exercise of walking or biking effects breathing, circulation and keeping the heart healthy. It increases heart rate and the depth of respiratory rate. While all those things may not prevent getting something like COVID, it would make one healthier and might help fight the illness or make the recovery faster and easier. Strong heart, strong lungs and better mental health can help fight any disease," Fox said.

She offered some ways to stay active at home including a walking program either on a local trail or in one of the local parks or on a treadmill at home. She also suggested something even simpler like setting a timer and walking around ones home every day for a set amount of time. Fox also suggested doing daily general stretching at home or start doing yoga.

Stark County has many parks and walking trails throughout the area. Stark Parks has many options for people to get outside and get active.

"Keeping your body active and moving can be done with a variety of your own activities and experiences at Stark Parks," said Lisa Alderfer, educational programmer-recreation at Stark Parks. "From hiking, running, and biking trails to fishing and boating, to a Mindfulness Walk.

Alderfer added a list of other benefits such as increased energy, improved cardiovascular health and blood pressure, relieves insomnia, weight loss and control, and the ability to make spending time together with safe distancing possible.

Executive director of the Paul and Carol David YMCA in Jackson Township Bandon Bussey added that doing activities at the YMCA is a good way to stay active during all times of the year.

"The YMCA addresses three components including mental, spiritual and physical," said Bussey. "While in the pandemic, the stress of the uncertainty is unhealthy and coming to the YMCA for swimming, cycling or other activities can get people away from that stress for at least the length of the exercise."

He added that getting involved with a regular exercise routine can help release serotonins and trigger ones brain for positive thoughts.

"We have programs for all ages including low impact swimming, Silver Sneaker programming and we offer a personal trainer to evaluate and help develop programs for individuals," Bussey said.

He offered three things to keep in mind when starting an exercise program:

Set goals and understand what you want out of it and how to go about accomplishing those goals.

Just get started and get into a routine as quickly as possible.

Use the buddy system and find a friend to exercise with and to keep each other accountable.

The American Heart Association is gearing up for its annual heart walk in mid-October. While the event this year will be virtual, its still a great way to get involved with a good cause and to get moving. The event is used to promote staying healthy and keeping ones heart healthy. For more details, visit Stark Heart Walk on Facebook.

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Staying active is always important but especially during the pandemic - Suburbanite

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YORK COUNTY, S.C. During COVID-19, its no secret staying healthy is key.

But for some folks, vitamin-rich foods and physical activity arent easily accessible.

To help at-risk populations, SC DHEC is offering a free nutrition education program called SNAP Education.

The SNAP Education is a free nutritional program for eligible families to make healthy food choices within a limited food budget.

It allows income-based groups in rural areas who face food insecurities to choose a more physically healthy lifestyle thats consistent with current USDA dietary guidelines.

SNAP-ED is currently offered in 21 different counties to children, adults and seniors.

In York County, the initiative is involved with the York County Eat Smart, Move More Coalition.

In Rock Hill, SNAP-ED is also offering adult nutrition education programs to the Highland Park Senior Center. Its also completed a program at Finley Road Elementary.

SNAP-ED has been around for at least 13 years.

During pre-Covid days, SNAP-ED leaders could be found in schools, community centers, churches and even senior centers offering nutrition education classes on healthy meals at home, shopping sensibly, meal planning, portion sizes along with cooking demonstrations and taste testings.

Now, with COVID-19, SNAP-ED has gone virtual, moving its curriculum and classes online via Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

You can also receive weekly text messages that include a healthy recipe, eating tips, like lower sodium or less sugar, physical activity ideas and links to outside resources.

Just text the information on your screen to get signed up.

SNAP-ED is funded through USDA grants annually. This year, the program in South Carolina received more than 3.7 million. Next year, its estimating a similar number.

Jessica Morrison, a SNAP-ED nutrition education specialist coordinator, supervises 4 different specialists and helps them coordinate the various classes. She also teaches classes to adults and seniors.

A nutrition leader, Morrison says the most rewarding part of her job is making a difference and seeing real changes among folks she says become like family.

Theyll tell us their blood pressured has been lowered. Or that their diabetes is well under control or that theyve lost weight, or even the best part that I think is that they feel happy, they feel healthy, they feel good and that they can do more. They can keep up with their children or keep up with their grandchildren, said Jessica Morrison, SNAP-Ed NES Coordinator. That is the best things that I miss hearing and that make this program a success. I can remember about a time when I was teaching an after school program, and I walked in, I think it was the third or fourth lesson and one of the little kids, actually it was several of them, they ran up to me and they gave me a hug and they were like Mrs. Jessica, Mrs. Jessica, Im eating a whole grain and it was, just melted my heart. So, we do miss that so much but moving virtually, we are trying to find creative ways to make it more interactive.

To see if youre eligible, visit DSS.com.

To learn more about the program, go to scdhec dot gov and type nutrition education program or snap education in the search box.

You can also send an email to SNAP-Ed@dhec.sc.gov or call 1-866-369-9333.

In the video above, CN2s Sarah Obeid breaks down what you can find in your SNAP backpack.

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SC DHEC's Snap-Ed Initiative To Help At-Risk Communities Get The Nutrients, Physical Exercise They Need - CN2 News

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Oklahoma Healthy Aging Initiative (OHAI) Center of Healthy Aging are collaborating to provide theHealthier Choices, Healthier You Classes. Classes will begin on ZOOM located on internet free for classes. Classes begin at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 9, and will continue once a week through Oct. 14.

The Healthier Choices, Healthier You Program was developed by Stanford Universitys School of Medicine. This program is designed for individuals and their caregivers who are dealing with chronic conditions. The six-week, two-hour classes cover techniques to deal with problems such as frustration, fatigue, pain and isolation. The program teaches exercise for maintaining and improving strength, flexibility, and endurance. Other subjects covered include appropriate use of medications, tools for communicating effectively with family, friends, and health professionals, nutrition education, decision-making, and how to evaluate new treatments.

Instructors provided by OHAI, a program of the Donald W. Reynolds Department of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. OHAI serves all individuals who are eligible for its programs without regard to race, national origin, ancestry, color, religion, sex, age, or disability.

These services are funded by the Title III Older Americans Act through SAC Nutrition Services, EODD Area Agency on Aging and DHS Aging Services.

Classes will be held on the ZOOM Virtual Platform. Registration is required for a class or to receive more information. Additional information and class material will be provided to you with your registration. Call 1-888-616-8161 or email devon-murray@ouhsc.edu.

We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story.

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Healthier Choices, Healthier You Classes coming to area - Muskogee Daily Phoenix

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Sick of clean eating, perfect gym outfits, and chiseled abs? A Swole Woman is here to help you be healthy, enjoy carbs, and get jacked.

Hey Casey. Thanks for writing this column, it has helped me get into powerlifting, which in turn has helped change my relationship with exercise. Yay!

I started lifting a couple of years ago and roped my husband into being my gym partner. We did the math and realized it made sense to get a squat rack for our basement rather than paying for two gym memberships.

Now we have a pretty cool newborn, and I was cleared to exercise a few weeks ago. Theres also, you may have heard, a pandemic, so my little family is stuck indoors and trying to do childcare plus work plus staying sane.

We are feeling pretty lucky to be healthy and also to have access to a fancy set-up for lifting. As the main food source, Ive found it very difficult to string together enough time to get in a full workout. Back in my halcyon gym days I was going three times a week and doing at least three compound lifts (e.g squats, bench, deadlifts), which took at least an hour or more.

So my question is: how do I put together a powerlifting routine every day for 20ish minutes? I like the idea of handing the baby off, banging out some squats, and calling it a day, I am just having trouble figuring out how to do that while still making progress. I imagine some kind of upper/lower body split, but any attempt at googling that leads to VERY intense six day programs and I am not about that life. I just want to figure out how to do enough so that I feel strong and get some endorphins in the process. Claudia

I love to go through a major life transition, such as starting a new job or going back to school, and treat it as a fresh start for all aspects of my life, to start doing everything perfectly. While this is an impulse I think we all have, it could not be more backwards: If you are trying to make a big change, trying to do everything all at once will only set you up for sort-of failure at everything. Big-change time is when you should feel okay scaling other stuff back, and figure out how to add it in in a sustainable way down the line. This especially applies to working out, as its important for our health but doesnt have a natural fit in most peoples lives or schedules.

I think I would let go of the idea of making big progress, for now. With some patience you might be able to get pretty close to where you were before, which is probably pretty strong.

But dont put too much pressure on yourself, because youre busy with a ding-dang baby!!! Or, for others who are reading this who are not busy with babies: Youre busy with school, youre busy with your new job, youre busy with your divorce. A time of great stress, whether its good stress or bad stress, is not the time to set the expectation that youre not only going to survive but also set a PR while youre doing it. I forbid it; let this particular kind of self torture go.

I know this is hard because the idea of letting something as laden with cultural baggage as a baby or even work govern our lives to the degree that we have to give up things we are passionate about can make us feel trapped. Ive been known tohow to put this in a way that is gentle to myselfsignificantly disrupt, undermine, or annihilate more structured elements of my life at very inconvenient times simply because I felt they impinged on my general sense of agency.

Id do this when I could have instead recognized that feeling for what it was and tried to find a more harmonious solution in the long term, instead of trying to do everything at once or neglecting important demands in favor of doing something because I want to do it or accepting that the situation Im in is me experiencing the effects of my choices, and there will be opportunity to make more and different choices in the future.

This is not to say dont work out and also blame yourself for your choice to have a baby. You always deserve me time and to balance that with everyone elses demands on you. But I dont want to confuse that with it being ok to have priorities in the short term that temporarily interfere with your ability to juggle all the plates.

Mark Zuckerbergs sister takes a slightly more aggressive line here with her pick three rule: Work. Sleep. Family. Friends. Fitness. Pick Three. But I often see this rule separated from Zuckerbergs follow-up clarification: I can pick a different three tomorrow, and a different three the following day. But today, I can only pick three. As long as I wind up picking everything over the long run, then Im balancing my imbalance.

Taking 20 minutes to work out every day is enough to keep you in good health. It almost certainly wont be enough to return to the point of making strength progress. And thats okay!

Do you have a question about working out, eating, health, or why you shouldn't be afraid of lifting heavy weights? Send it to swole.woman@vice.com and follow@swolewomanon Instagram.

An option it doesnt seem like youve considered, but could really work for you given that youre working out at home, is allowing yourself long breaks during your workout. I dont think there is incredible established science about how long you can sort of interrupt a physical activity section and not experience any negative effects, but I know Ive been interrupted before for 20 minutes or half an hour during lifting and then gone back to it.

I think one reason we dont automatically think of this is that we have a lot of superstition related to working out in general about maintaining a certain heart rate (sometimes in order to stay in a mythical fat-burning zone), but frankly, this is not worth worrying about when it comes to lifting. If you were doing steady-state cardio, things might be different, but lifting is already filled with breaks anyway in the form of rests between sets.

Usually I think we try to keep these rests as short as possible, but thats mainly for expedience and maybe a little for not getting too cold and stiff. But if youre moving around doing something else because something came up when you finished your last set that you had to take care of, that is less of an issue.

I wouldnt recommend this if youre going for a max attempt on a deadlift. But if youre just taking a break between your squat sets and your bench sets, I think youd be more than fine; maybe just quickly warm up again if you feel like youve cooled off.

This may amount to really making an evening of a gym session, and maybe you just cant afford to dedicate all the time even if its broken up. But if the specific issue youre having is continuous time, I think its worth giving non-continuous time a try, if all you need is substantial breaks here and there to take care things.

If you really, truly cant get more than 20 minutes at a time and can ONLY get 20 minutes, that can happen sometimes when your life is undergoing a lot of changes, and it might be a while until your routine settles down to the point you feel like you can get working out back into the mix. This can happen with any big change, These are not the times to be super hard on yourself about hitting all the marks of peak health optimization; while working out should, on average, be a part of your life, its not going to kill you to not do it for a few months while you get more important things in order.

Now for more brass tacks: The way you phrase your question makes me think of Jim Wendlers Im Not Doing Jack Shit version of his 5/3/1 program (he affiliates with Nazis sometimes, but made a good program). To quote from his book:

This is my favorite. I dont recommend it, but its useful for non-beginners who have limited time to train. The Im Not Doing Jack Shit program entails walking into the weight room, doing the big lift for the day (bench, squat, military or deadlift), and then walking out Ive made this deal with myself many times before Ive trained: If I do X weight for X amount of reps, Im leaving.

The idea here is that when life gets in the way, mentally, physically, emotionally, you can strip down a heavy-lifting program to the bare bones and still get to do the big compound lifts, get in your reps and kind of stay where youre at, progress-wise, but also not feel tied to an involved program that can stretch out for hours. This could be done whether you have heavy weights at home or not. Wendler goes on to say that this is not any kind of permanent solution, but if its to your preference and fits your limitations, its an option:

The disadvantages here are obviously the lack of both volume and balance, but it can work for a while. If I had very little time to train, Id do this. Sometimes, when youre struggling to find time to train, you think you cant make progress. With this type of training, you will.

Really, what youre doing here is cutting all accessories. I will say when Ive done this, its an option I personally really like, because I like the feeling of heavy lifting. In the same amount of time, I could instead do, lets say, sets of 12 body-weight step-ups per leg for 3 sets (72 reps, for those keeping track) in an at-home workout, no heavy weights necessary. Thats an option for everyone who has 20 minutes and only 20 minutes. But I have discovered in recent months that that format of working out makes me very annoyed and angry. If you did one big lift each day__squat one day, bench one day, deadlift one day, pull-ups another day, overhead press another day__you could probably get that in in 20 minutes.

The next option is one of the six-day-a-week programs you mention, which are usually formatted as push-pull-legs (pushing exercises like squatting or benching one day; pulling exercises like deadlifts or rows the next day; leg exercises like Romanian deadlifts the next day; repeat for 4-6 days per week). You are right that these programs are usually a lot of volume, or a lot of sets and reps. I think in the scenario youre presenting, I would try cutting one of these programs down to a couple of the main compound movements (squat, bench, deadlift, rows, pull-ups, overhead press) each day, so like, squat/bench on push day, pull-ups/rows on pull day, deadlift/squat accessory on leg day.

A nice thing about only having 20 minutes is its almost impossible for you to overcomplicate this. Keep in mind that lifting programs are deliberately designed to help balance the development of your overall fitness (well, the good ones, at least), so I wouldnt fuck around too long with going off the beaten path of that structure. But a few months should be more than fine, and allow you to start trying to bend toward carving out more time for this part of your life.

The other option is to just do whatever high-volume stuff you feel like; sets of 6-15 reps, as many as you can reasonably squeeze in without hurting yourself, whether you want to bench and then just do some curls, or deadlift and then do some glute bridges. I take no responsibility for the results of this approach, good or bad, but it could also be a nice time to let go of really aggressive structure and follow your heart, heavy-lifting-wise, and let your me time really be me time.

Disclaimer: Casey Johnston is not a doctor, nutritionist, dietitian, personal trainer, physiotherapist, psychotherapist, doctor, or lawyer; she is simply someone who done a lot of, and read a lot about, lifting weights.

You can read past Ask A Swole Woman columns atThe Hairpinand atSELFand followA Swole Womanon Instagram. Got a question for her? Emailswole.woman@vice.com.

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How to Fit in a Real Workout When You Have Only 20 Minutes - VICE

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