Top 10 Carb sources

Here are some ideas for eating and drinking the best carbohydrate sources for runners. Eat (and drink) these items to up your carbohydrate intake and reap their performance benefits.

Runners need a lot of carbohydrate. Why? Because your muscles are fueled primarily on carbohydrate when you run hard. Thus, sports nutrition experts generally recommend that runners get approximately 60 percent of their daily calories from carbohydrate.

But you need to get the right kinds of carbs at the right times. Immediately before, during, and after exercise, fast-acting high-glycemic carbs are best. At all other times, your carbs should come from low-glycemic foods that provide longer-lasting energy and are packed with lots of other nutrition.

The following are the top 10 carbohydrate sources for runners. Some are best for use during and after exercise, while others are ideal for regular meals and snacks.

Bananas
Because they are easy to eat and digest and are loaded with fast-acting carbohydrates (one large banana provides 31 grams of carbs), bananas make the perfect pre- or post-exercise snack. Just be sure to have your banana with some form of protein after exercise to promote muscle recovery and repair.

Berries
Strawberries, blueberries, and other berries are among the most nutritious sources of carbohydrate. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that promote health and performance in all kinds of ways. Berries are not the most concentrated source of carbs, however (a full cup of strawberries contains just 12 grams), so don’t rely on them too heavily to meet your daily carbohydrate needs.

Brown Rice
Cereal grains such as brown rice are among the richest sources of carbohydrate. One cup of brown rice has 45 grams of carbohydrate. Whole grains such as brown rice are considered healthier than refined grains such as white rice because they contain more fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They are also absorbed more slowly (their glycemic index is lower), so they provide more lasting energy and promote less fat storage.

RELATED: Kitchen MacGyver: Immunity-Boosting Dinner

Energy Bars
Real energy bars — the kind designed specifically for use before, during, and after exercise — are great for fueling and refueling around workouts as they provide abundant, fast energy. Before and after workouts, choose bars that are high in carbs, moderate in protein, and low in fat and fiber. With 44 grams of carbs, 9 grams of protein, 3.5 grams of fat, and 1 gram of fiber, PowerBar Performance is a good example. For snacking, choose bars made from real food — fruit, nuts, and whole grains — and with minimal added sugar, like Forze GPS.

Lowfat Yogurt
Lowfat milk-based foods such as yogurt are very rich sources of carbohydrate. A six-ounce serving of lowfat blueberry yogurt supplies 26 grams of carbs. Lowfat yogurt is a better choice before and immediately after exercise because it has a higher glycemic index, so the carbs go to work quickly. Most yogurts, even those with fruit in them, contain added sugar, which is totally unnecessary and less healthy. So try to find a brand with no added sugar.

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal
Old-fashioned oatmeal is an ideal pre-exercise breakfast choice. It’s easy to eat and digest and provides a ton of carbs: one half-cup gives you a whopping 54 grams! Add a sliced banana and wash it down with a glass of OJ and you’ll take in 100-plus grams of carbohydrate.

RELATED: Recipe: Oatmeal Peanut Butter Balls

Sports Drinks
Sports drinks such as Gatorade and Accelerade provide the carbs you need to fuel your muscles during exercise, along with water and electrolytes for hydration (plus protein to reduce muscle damage, in the case of Accelerade). Because they are high in sugar, though, these products should only be used immediately before, during, and right after workouts and races.

Tomato Sauce
Tomato sauce is a rich source of carbohydrate (at roughly 21 grams per cup), as well as various vitamins and minerals and antioxidants such as lycopene. Studies have shown that thanks to these antioxidants, regular tomato sauce eaters have a lower risk for certain diseases, including prostate cancer in men.

Whole Grain Bread
We Americans love our sandwiches. But often we make them with low-quality breads that contain refined grains. Whole-grain breads are a better choice. They don’t have any more carbohydrate than refined-grain breads (one slice has 12 grams), but they have more fiber, vitamins and minerals, and a lower glycemic index to give you longer-lasting energy. Just note that even most whole-grain breads have added sugar, so try to find brands that don’t.

Whole Wheat Pasta
You don’t need me to tell you that pasta is high in carbs. One cup of whole-wheat spaghetti provides 37 grams. As with other grain-based foods, whole-grain pasta supplies more nutrition, yields longer-lasting energy, and promotes less fat storage than regular pasta. Serve it with a protein, such as shellfish or meatballs made with lean ground beef or turkey, and you get a lower glycemic index meal for even longer-lasting energy.

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8 Sleeping Positions & Their Effects On Health

n what position do you sleep most often? It turns out this is a very important question. Getting enough sleep is the most important thing – but did you know that how you sleep can also impact your health?
Sleeping on your back with your arms at your side is generally considered to be the best sleeping position for spine health and it’s good for your neck too, as long as you don’t use too many pillows.
That said, back sleepers tend to snore more than those in any other position and sleep apnea is strongly associated with sleeping on the back.

Let’s take a look at eight common sleeping positions and what they do to your body.

5 Tips to Build Muscle Quickly

The perfect workout program to build muscle quickly might be as coveted as the fountain of youth. But like the fountain of youth, it's mythical. There is no perfect program, no perfect exercise and no perfect meal plan that will give you instant muscle growth. However, there are real world principles that you can incorporate into your program to build muscle.
To give you a foundation to beef up your muscle-building for athletic performance, I've outlined five must-do tips that will supercharge your program.

Perform More Compound Exercises
Perform more compound exercises, like the Squat, Deadlift and Bench Press. These prompt the body to recruit more muscle fibers and release more natural testosterone, growth hormone (GF) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) than isolation exercises such as Bicep Curls and Leg Extensions.

Reps and Timing
Performing compound exercises will only go so far in helping build muscle if they're not incorporated into your program correctly. Perform them early in your workouts so fatigue does not limit your strength output. Experts recommend performing between four to eight reps of these major lifts. Avoid training to failure or going too heavy; in other words, be smart by choosing weights that produce the desired reps with clean form.

Train Three or Four Days Per Week
Training more is not the answer when you want to build muscle. In fact, too many workouts can cause your body to cease making gains and actually lose size and strength. To prevent this, follow a three- or four-day strength training program to elicit enough growth stimulation to build muscle and prevent overtraining.

Rest and Recover
If you want to build muscle quickly, your body needs to recover and regenerate after a workout. Muscles repair and grow during the recovery period—not when you are working out. Rest for at least 48 hours before reworking a muscle group, and try to get a day's rest between workouts. Aim for at least eight hours of sleep—that's when natural human growth hormone is released. Proper pre-workout nutrition and post-workout nutrition are a must as well, and should not be overlooked.

Eat to Grow
The first step in eating to build muscle is to consume sufficient calories. To find out how much you should be eating each day, multiply your body weight in pounds by 16 to 18 calories. If you are more active, go with the higher total. Make sure to eat about one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Try to consume clean, organic, whole foods, and include lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, quality fats and low glycemic starches in your diet.

5 Hospital Procedures That Ruin Your Birth

Birth should be an awesome thing with as much focus on making it as easy and safe for you as possible, and of course, as safe as possible for the baby as well.
Today's labor and delivery wards are much more like an assembly line, and some typical L&D staff policies and procedures not only make birth harder and more painful, but can be the very reason for unnecessary medications and c-sections.
Here are the top five myths associated with hospital procedures that change your birth experience.

Myth 1: You need a monitor on your belly the whole time you're in labor.
 
Fact: You absolutely do not. Intermittent monitoring is shown to be just as effective, and actually allows the woman to focus on things other than her contractions. Consider that women are often made to lie down and stay relatively still with the monitors on as well, and you're put in a position where you have nothing to do but focus on and internalize any pain of contractions.
In fact, constant fetal monitoring often leads to unnecessary concern, and even intervention, including c-sections, so says the American Academy of Family Physicians, not some holistic home birth website, for those of you in doubt. In fact, only monitoring the baby's heartrate and your contractions every 30 minutes during early labor, and every 15 during transition and pushing is the current recommendation, but one that you almost never see actually practiced.

Myth 2: Lying on your back is a good position for pushing.

Fact: It sucks, big time. The only reason women end up on their backs is to make it easier for doctors to get in there. So, really, unless they NEED to be in there, it's a bad move. It's not only shown to reduce the size of the pelvis significantly, but it puts pressure on the vena cava, which reduces blood flow to the baby and your lower body -- why is it not okay during pregnancy, but they tell you to do it for hours on end during labor, and then are surprised at reduced blood flow to the baby?
The National Center for Biotechnology Information states that being upright, in addition to increasing blood flow also makes contractions and labor less painful, faster, easier, with a lot less trauma to the mother's birth canal, minimal to no tearing, and less trauma to the infant as well. It also makes for less postpartum complications, damage to the pelvic floor, incontinence, and in general, a much better, faster, less painful birth.
Also, if you opt for an epidural and can't feel your legs, you can't walk or kneel. So consider that you might not need that if you actually get up off the bed, and that just because you can't feel the pain with an epidural, your baby can, and you will once the drugs wear off. I wish I'd known as much about epidurals as I do now 15 months ago when I had my daughter. I was ashamed of myself for getting it then, but now I really, really wish I hadn't.
So why are 75 percent of births still done with the woman flat on her back? Back to the beginning of this point -- to make it easier for the doctor.

Myth 3: You can't eat or you'll barf it up and aspirate the vomit.

Fact: You wouldn't tell a marathon runner to skip breakfast, would you? Telling a woman about to engage in major physical work not to eat is almost as bad -- except what is at risk here isn't just a race, but two lives. Yes, there has been some concern that with intubation before anesthesia would come vomit, and then aspiration of said vomit.
MedScape discusses a study on the matter that says:

"Aspiration pneumonitis/pneumonia is significantly associated with intubation and ventilation," the study authors conclude. "In modern obstetric practice it is the use of regional anaesthesia, thereby avoiding intubation, rather [than] fasting regimens that is likely to have reduced mortality from aspiration. Although the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has recommended, on the basis of consensus opinion, that women in normal labour may eat/drink in labour, our trial shows that this will not improve their obstetric and neonatal outcomes."

In other words, forcing women not to eat hasn't reduced aspiration -- not shoving tubes down their throats has. In their study, women who ate light meals showed absolutely no difference in anything -- no more vomiting, no more risk than women who were only allowed ice chips or water.

Myth 4: You need to be told when to push.

Fact: Do you need to be told when to poop? You no more need permission and direction to push out your baby than you do to push out a bowel movement. Just as your body uses contractions to move the baby towards the cervix and through it, it moves the baby down the birth canal, too. Your body will tell you what to do. You will feel when you need to push, and you will just work with it. When you feel the need to relax, do it. Push as hard as YOU are comfortable and if someone is yelling to you to push harder or longer than you feel you should, yell at them to shut up.
Pushing to the point of shaking, not breathing (called 'purple pushing' for the color your face turns) and breaking blood vessels in your face is not going to help you. In fact, it can cause the cervix to swell if you're not ready, it can make you exhausted, it can create much more severe tears, and is just a bad idea in general, even according to the World Health Organization.
Drugs can inhibit the feeling of needing to push (or the ability to know if you need to stop), though, but that's a whole 'nother topic all on it's own.

Myth 5: A break in contractions/labor stalling is a bad sign.

Fact: Women can get fully dilated and have the baby ready to go ... and then have a period that has been appropriately nicknamed the "Rest and Be Thankful" stage. It is nature's way of giving you a break after all the work to get your body ready, before the final hurrah. You can also have a break like this earlier in labor as well. Sometimes you can even be in early labor for what ends up being days, often called prodromal labor. We are mammals, first and foremost, and our bodies aren't stupid -- if a woman gets really stressed or really exhausted, often her body will sense that she doesn't have the energy for birth, or deems that it's an unsafe situation and halt labor until mom is rested or calmed. Think of a mother rabbit in labor realizing a predator is nearby -- she NEEDS to get safe before she can birth the babies.
Doctors often start up pitocin here, when the recommended things are anything but that -- squatting, moving around, getting in a bath all are proven safe methods to help the mother relax and get her contractions going in a normal pattern again. In fact, my midwife told me that studies show nipple stimulation and relaxing in water had been shown to be as effective, if not moreso, than pictocin. Considering that pictocin is an artificial chemical designed to mock those from things like nipple contraction, it's not exactly a far leap in logic.
If your labor stalls, don't rush for the meds -- relax, move around, have a light meal for energy, try to take a nap. In and of it's own, it is NOT an emergency.

What other delivery room procedures do you know of that do more harm than good?

5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Plant-Based Protein

We've heard it before from the hard bodied men and women in fitness magazines, all promoting a regiment of five small meals a day with "clean burning" animal protein. They often think that is key in developing their shapely muscles; it'd be useless to say otherwise as far as they’re concerned.

However, as “clean eating” as white turkey breast, egg whites, and chicken without the skin sounds, it can’t hold a candle to the top source of amino acids (protein’s building blocks) available: those of the plant, non-animal variety!

We are a society obsessed with attaching a numeric value to everything, and as a result, people will often regard the best protein sources as those with the highest number. However, that is simply not the case—there are core differences in the very make-up of plant versus animal protein. Factors such as the energy spent on digesting these proteins play a huge part in determining its quality as well.

1. Too much of a good thing is no good at all
Some die-hard weightlifters will swear by the massive amounts of protein they consume to help their muscles repair and grow. However, if they took into consideration that human breast milk, the food for the fastest growing humans on earth (our babies), is only about 5% protein, it really isn’t necessary! Over-consuming animal protein puts a strain on our bodies, particularly our liver, which has a low tolerance for processing uric acid, a by-product of digesting animal protein. In North America, it is very hard to fall short on our protein needs, given you are consuming enough daily calories.

2. “But animal protein is a complete protein, and therefore better!”
Yes, animal protein is a “complete protein”, however, that just means more work for your body! Since these amino acids are already built up into a dizzying, complex array of complete protein strains, your body needs to break it all down into separate amino acids before utilizing them. This significantly slows down digestion, and forces your body to work harder on breaking down protein than it should have to. Green leafy vegetables such as spinach and romaine lettuce, for example, are rich in ready to use, easily absorbed amino acids. When you fuel yourself on foods that are easier to digest, your body can direct more energy into healing the wear-and-tear on your muscles caused by a workout (whether it be weight lifting, running, or yoga). Not only will you heal quicker on a diet of plant food proteins, you will also have more energy for the next day’s workout.

“Arguably of even greater importance than the raw materials that foods do or do not supply is the ease at which they are digested, absorbed, assimilated, and eliminated. The less our food choices demand upon our digestive and metabolic capacity, the greater opportunity the body has available for recovery and regeneration after our training sessions.” ~ Dr. Rick Dina

3. Cooking food denatures proteins
With the quality of meat produced today and the chance of parasitic infection, meat is usually cooked prior to consumption. However, cooking protein is widely known to denature it, and up to 50% of the protein value is thought to be lost in this process. So you may have started out with a 30g piece of chicken, but after cooking has rendered it to 15g, little remains to be absorbed during the arduous digestive process. Alternatively, vegetable-sourced proteins don’t require heat processing in order to be safely consumed, thus maintaining their digestive-enhancing enzymes and protein integrity.

4. Animal Foods are Pro-Inflammatory
Arachidonic acid is a pro-inflammatory fatty acid found in varying concentrations in all meats. Following a workout where the muscle has been torn, whether it is from bench pressing or simply stretching, it is anti-inflammatory foods that should be consumed for optimal healing. Fruits, vegetables, raw nuts, and seeds contain high levels of Omega 3 fatty acids that promote rejuvenation and soothe, rather than aggravate, inflammatory conditions. They are also high in the antioxidant vitamins  (like A and C) that further support this healing process.

5. But I need to combine vegetable proteins to get what I need!
Frances Moore Lappe, the creator of the “protein combining” idea, recounted that theory in a later book. “In combating the myth that meat is the only way to get high-quality protein, I reinforced another myth. I gave the impression that in order to get enough protein without meat, considerable care was needed in choosing foods. Actually, it is much easier than I thought.” However her retraction is not nearly as publicized as her original, albeit wrong, theory. You can rest assured that eating a wide variety of plant-sourced proteins in your daily diet would be suitable to meeting your nutritional needs!

Tips for getting more plant protein into your life:

1. Enjoy a green smoothie for breakfast, or post-workout snack.
2. Use raw sprouts in sandwiches, omelets, on top of pastas and salads; basically anywhere you can hide them (and tolerate them) – Alfalfa is a favorite among even the most sensitive of taste buds.
3. Chlorella or Spirulina tablets – If you don’t mind the taste of the powders, a teaspoon or two in a drink is a fantastic addition to any diet, as it is filled with vitamins and minerals.
4. Toss some chia or hemp seeds over your salads or cereal.

Plant Protein All-Stars

• Green Leafy Vegetables
• Algae (Spirulina, Chlorella)
• Sprouts (particularly sunflower)
• Goji berries
• Hemp Seeds
• Chia Seeds
• Avocados
• Legumes
• Sprouted nuts/seeds
• 
  

5 protein rich salads you'll want to try:

There are hundreds of salads to choose from and most of the time people make a real poor attempt at something imaginative and nutritious. Adding protein to a salad can not only enhance the taste, but it can actually energize you. Salads don't have to be boring, bland and thrown into the garbage at the end of a meal. If you prepare a proper salad, people will be scraping the bowl for the last leaf. Creating a high protein salad will compliment any meal or even have the potential to be the meal itself. There are a wide variety of ways to make a tasteful, protein rich salad using both meat and non-meat choices.

The Green

It is important to know what goes best with what when picking out a particular salad leaf. Iceberg, mescalin and spinach are the best available choices.

• Iceberg - This lettuce has the most crunch and longevity, but little nutrition.
• Mescalin - These leaves have much color including reds, whites and greens, plus a fair amount of nutrition. The lasting power is okay but can become soggy.
• Spinach - Spinach is a vegetable of deep green iron-rich content. It stays well over time and has great repelling power, rendering the leaves very strong yet succulent.

1. Simple Chopped Steak Salad

• 1 cooked, fat trimmed, small cube chopped piece of any steak
• 1 head of finely chopped iceberg lettuce
• 6 finely chopped carrots
• 3 finely chopped celery stalks

Mix and serve with your favorite dressing.

2. Warm Mushroom Lentil Spinach Salad

• 3 handfuls of triple-cleaned spinach salad
• 1 box of cleaned, sliced mushrooms
• 2 cups of drained cooked or canned lentils
• 1/4 cup of sesame seeds
• 2 cloves of garlic

Saute sliced mushrooms in olive oil, adding a few sliced cloves of garlic salt and pepper. Add lentils when mushrooms are brown and sizzling. Add sesame seeds shortly after the lentils. Let all saute for a few more minutes then pour over spinach salad. No dressing needed.

3. Spicy White Protein Salad with Chick Peas

• 3 handfuls of mescalin salad
• 3 hard boiled eggs
• 2 cups of drained cooked or canned chick/garbanzo beans
• 1 finely chopped radish
• 3 chopped jalapeno peppers
• 2 finely chopped shallots

Saute the shallots, jalapeno and chick peas in butter or olive oil and spice to taste with kosher salt, black pepper and garlic salt. Remove yolk from hard boiled egg and chop egg whites into long strips. Mix all ingredients with mescalin salad. Serve with favorite dressing.

4. Hearts and Turkey Salad

• 10 oz. chopped Romain hearts of lettuce
• 1 pound of cooked chopped smoked turkey breast
• 1/2 pound of drained artichoke hearts
• 1/4 pound chopped drained hearts of palm
• 1/4 oz. chopped Spanish onion
• 3/4 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar

Mix ingredients together, adding salt and pepper to taste.

5. Simple Salmon Salad

• 2 cups of chopped cleaned salmon
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet pickles

Mix ingredients together, adding salt and pepper to taste. Top with your favorite dressing (Russian dressing is recommended).

Other High Protein Salad Additions:

• Duck
• Tuna
• Soybeans
• Cottage and ricotta cheese
• Crab
• Nuts (especially almonds)
• Skinless chicken
• Sausage
• Tofu
• Tempeh
• Bacon
• Peanuts
• Pumpkin seeds

10 Best Exercises To Do At Your Desk

The Wooden Leg

For lower-body strength: Sit in your chair, extend one leg out straight in front of you and hold for two seconds. Then raise it up as high as you can, and hold it again for two seconds. Repeat with each leg 15 times.

 

The Magic Carpet Ride

This works your core and arms. Sit in your chair with your legs crossed and your feet on the seat. Then place your hands on the armrests, suck in your gut and raise yourself a few inches above the seat, using your belly muscles and hands. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds. Repeat five times.

 

Tricep Desk Dips

This is for upper-body strength, courtesy of Nolan Palmer Smith. Ladies, this will help the backs of your arms. Place your butt on the edge of the desk, then place your palms on the edge of the desk on either side of you. Keeping your feet together, bend at the elbows and slide forward off of the desk and dip down a few inches, and then push back up. Dip to where your elbows are bent at 90 degrees. Do this 20 times. For a variation, put your feet on the chair.

 

Carpal Tunnel Reliever

Carpal tunnel syndrome shouldn't catch up to you if you repeat this simple move every day. Stand at your desk, and, arms straight, place your palms on the desk with your fingers pointed toward you. Lower your body slowly until you feel the stretch (you won't have to go far). Hold for 15 seconds.

Sitting Spinal Stretch

This enhances both flexibility and muscle strength. Sit tall in your chair, and stretch your arms toward the ceiling. Put your left hand on the desk, grab the back of the chair with your right hand and twist to the right. Hold for 10 seconds. Release and raise your arms toward the ceiling again. Then repeat the twist going the other way. Hold for 10 seconds.

Shoulder Spin

A good move for flexibility. Sit tall in your chair and reach your left hand behind your back, between your shoulder blades, palm out. Then reach your right hand up toward the ceiling, bend it down, and try to touch your left hand. If you can reach it, great: Hold for 10 seconds. If not, grab onto your shirt and keep practicing. Switch arms and repeat.

Feet-Up Hamstring Stretch

To ease the hamstrings, lower back and calf muscles, push your chair away from your desk and put a leg up on the desk. (Ladies, try this on a day you're not wearing a skirt.) Flex your foot and lean forward slightly over your leg while keeping your back straight. Hold for 10 seconds. Point your foot, lean and hold for five seconds. Switch legs and repeat.

Invisible Chair Sit

Nolan Palmer Smith suggests these squats from the chair as a strengthening exercise. They work best if you lower your seat as far as it will go. Stand in front of your chair with your feet a hip's width apart. Place your hands on your hips and lower your butt until it's just above the seat. Then sit down as slowly as possible. Do 20 repetitions. To make it harder, reach your hands overhead as if you were holding a beach ball. If you're really feeling steady, try it on one leg.

The Little Mermaid at Work

For both flexibility and core strength, this is one of Heidi Freyer's favorite poses. She's a Pilates instructor and owner of Pirouette, Pilates and More in Wilton, Conn. Sit upright in your chair. Hold your right wrist over your head with your left hand and pull it, stretching your right side. Heidi says make sure to keep your shoulders down as you bend. Hold for 10 seconds. Return to upright posture. Take hold of your left wrist over your head with your right hand and stretch the other way. Repeat five times on each side.

Desk Push Ups

Nolan suggests these for upper-body strength. Stand a yard or more away from your desk, with your feet together. Place your palms on the edge of the desk a shoulder's width apart. Lower your chest to the edge of the desk, and push back up. Remember to exhale on the way up. Do 20 times.
 

 

The 4 best gym machines for weight loss

Treadmill

A staple at most gyms, treadmills are popular for good reason: They accommodate almost any fitness level and goal. If weight loss is on your list, working out on a treadmill should be, too. “Treadmills are a great way to burn calories and help with weight loss because they simulate a real-life movement: walking or running,” says Colin Westerman, a personal trainer and owner of F.I.T. by Colin Personal Training in Vancouver, B.C. 

There’s one trick, though, that boosts your ability to burn calories for weight loss on a treadmill:  “You have to bear the load of your bodyweight,” says Westerman. That means no holding onto the treadmill’s side handles as you walk or run.

The treadmill’s features also work well for weight loss. “You have to keep up to the speed of the belt on a treadmill so you cannot rest or take it easy,” says Westerman. There’s also the calorie-zapping incline feature, allowing you to kick up the intensity without having to move faster or break into a run if you prefer a joint-friendly walk.
 

Group cycling bike

Most gyms have stationary bikes, but the best ones for revving up weight loss are often found in the group exercise studio – whether you ride them as part of a class or cycle solo. “Indoor bikes for group cycling tend to fit a rider differently than a stationary bike,” says Krista Popowych, a Vancouver, B.C.-based fitness expert and Master Trainer for Keiser, a company that creates bikes and education for group cycling.

“These bikes allow for more adjustment points, such as seat height, saddle fore and aft [front and back] position, handlebar height and handlebar fore and aft position.” The more you can tailor the bike’s fit to your body, the more comfortable the ride. And the more comfortable you feel on the bike, the longer you’ll be able to ride, which counts toward weight loss.

“Indoor bikes also have a very smooth pedalling ‘feel’ to them,” says Popowych, “because they’re built to mimic outdoor riding.” For this reason, they complement exercise techniques like interval training that burn lots of calories.

Indo-Row Rowing Machine

Rowing machines have made a comeback, thanks in part to Indo-Row, which offers group classes and features on its machines that help you get the most out of this cardio program. For example, the Indo-Row’s water-filled flywheel on the front of the machine mimics the dynamic resistance of a boat gliding over water.

“The water creates a very authentic feel and consistent resistance throughout the entire stroke,” says Josh Crosby, a trainer and creator of Indo-Row in Los Angeles. “The extremely smooth action, comfortable seat and ergonomically designed handle allow you to challenge yourself both with intensity and duration. This is a perfect recipe for calorie burn.”

If you think rowing only works the arms and back, think again. “The Indo-Row machine utilizes more than 80 percent of your muscle mass, taking the body through a dynamic range of motion,” says Crosby. “By spreading the workload over the entire body, you’re able to work at a higher intensity or go longer.” Either way, you’ve just added more calorie burn to your workout.

StepMill by Stairmaster

Sort of like a fast-moving escalator for the gym, this machine stimulates climbing stairs – except the steps actually move! “This is one of the hardest pieces of cardio equipment,” says Westerman. “It's like a treadmill with stairs.”

One reason it works so well for weight loss is the potential for calorie burn - you could climb the equivalent of 10 or 20 flights of stairs. “You’re working against gravity – essentially going up a flight of stairs – and you’re forced to bear most of your bodyweight,” explains Westerman.

“Plus,” adds Westerman, “you have to lift your foot off of the step and up onto the next step as opposed to a Stairmaster or elliptical trainer, where your feet stay planted on one step for the duration of the workout. This extra movement causes more work and burns more calories.”

Tips for Eating Healthy When Eating out

• As a beverage choice, ask for water or order fat-free or low-fat milk, unsweetened tea, or other drinks without added sugars.
• Ask for whole-wheat bread for sandwiches.
• In a restaurant, start your meal with a salad packed with veggies, to help control hunger and feel satisfied sooner.
• Ask for salad dressing to be served on the side. Then use only as much as you want.
• Choose main dishes that include vegetables, such as stir fries, kebobs, or pasta with a tomato sauce.
• Order steamed, grilled, or broiled dishes instead of those that are fried or sautéed.
• Choose a small" or "medium" portion. This includes main dishes, side dishes, and beverages.
• Order an item from the menu instead heading for the "all-you-can-eat" buffet.
• If main portions at a restaurant are larger than you want, try one of these strategies to keep from overeating:
  • Order an appetizer-sized portion or a side dish instead of an entrée.
  • Share a main dish with a friend.
  • If you can chill the extra food right away, take leftovers home in a "doggy bag."
  • When your food is delivered, set aside or pack half of it to go immediately.
  • Resign from the "clean your plate club" - when you've eaten enough, leave the rest.
• To keep your meal moderate in calories, fat, and sugars:
  • Ask for salad dressing to be served "on the side" so you can add only as much as you want.
  • Order foods that do not have creamy sauces or gravies
  • Add little or no butter to your food.
  • Choose fruits for dessert most often.
• On long commutes or shopping trips, pack some fresh fruit, cut-up vegetables, low-fat string cheese sticks, or a handful of unsalted nuts to help you avoid stopping for sweet or fatty snacks.