High-intensity interval training has been proven to burn fat quickly in a short amount of time. Photographs courtesy of the American College of Sports Medicine's Health and Fitness Journal.
A workout recently published in the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health and Fitness Journal isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but we busy Washingtonians may appreciate that it takes just seven minutes, requires barely any equipment, and works the entire body. Now there really are no excuses.
Using high-intensity circuit training, the workout is designed for ultimate fat-burning while performing 12 exercises for 30 seconds each. The fitness trainers who created the workout note that it’s not the best way to gain “absolute” strength, power, or endurance—but if you’re crunched for time, it will serve you well.
Liz Badley, a blogger at Reston Style, recently ran the Rock 'n' Roll USA half marathon with her mom. Runners say their moms make for great running partners. Photograph courtesy of Badley.
Running with a partner is just another form of therapy, a chance to spill your guts to the person next to you while racking up mileage. But when your running partner is your mom, an afternoon jog takes on new significance.
I found that out in 2008, when my stepmother, Michelle, coached me through my first long-distance run. I initially cried through the pain but persevered with her encouragement. After that, we ran together constantly, but the conversation was never about running. Instead, we talked about life: relationships, goals, struggles, and dreams yet to be fulfilled. In short, it was about subjects we’d never broached before, and might never have were it not for the bond we built on the road.
Spend some quality time with Mom this Mother's Day weekend on a run, at yoga class, or at a healthy brunch. Photograph courtesy of Shutterstock.
Mother’s Day brunch: good. The extra calories that come with it: not so good. The solution? Fit-friendly Mother’s Day alternatives that’ll let you enjoy a guilt-free brunch after. Hit up your local barre studio together, run a race, or channel your inner oms as one.
Run the Mother’s Day 4-Miler
Potomac River Running hosts the 2013 Devotion to Children Mother’s Day 4-Miler on Sunday, May 11, at 8 AM. All runners will receive a T-shirt, and moms will receive a flower, too. $35.
A recent report by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons found that arm lifts were the most popular plastic surgery procedure in 2012. Personal trainers say it's possible to get toned and muscular arms with the right exercises. Photograph via Shutterstock.
Blame it on Michelle Obama: The most popular plastic surgery of 2012 was the arm lift. Last year 15,000 US women went under the knife to remove loose skin from the backs of their arms. That’s a 4,478 percent increase in the rate of that surgery in the past decade.
For the rest of us who would rather get killer arms the natural—and less painful—way, local personal trainers are here to help. We rounded up six of their go-to arm-toning exercises for you to try next time you’re at the gym.
Tricep Dips
A favorite among a majority of the fitness pros we polled, bench dips work the triceps and are ideal because they can be performed almost anywhere, says trainer Elizabeth Brooks.
How to do it: Place your hands behind you on the edge of a steady chair or bench and keep knees bent. Bend elbows to 90 degrees (dip). Extend the elbows to starting position and repeat. (For more of a challenge, straighten your legs.)
Plans for the installation of the M Street cycle track are underway. The protected bike lane that will run west to Georgetown is scheduled to begin construction in August, according to DDOT. Photograph by Melissa Romero.
With the support of DC City Council members Tommy Wells and Jack Evans, the DC Department of Transportation expects an August start date for the installation of the M Street cycle track.
“It’s not just about painting some lines on the road. It’s much more complicated than that,” said Wells at Monday night’s Walk the Track event, during which a few dozen cyclists walked the proposed 1.3-mile M Street cycle track from Thomas Circle to Georgetown.
The M Street cycle track will be installed on the north side of M Street between 14th and 28th streets, Northwest, and run west to Georgetown. The bike lane’s installation is expected to cost between $50,000 and $100,000, says Greg Billing, WABA’s advocacy coordinator.
Mother’s Day is this Sunday, and if your mom is the type to pick an outdoor run over a decadent brunch, you’re in luck. We rounded up ten awesome fitness products for her, from a stylish gym tote she won’t be embarrassed to lug around to a flattering endurance dress that can be worn during a workout or while hanging with her girlfriends.
Former Olympian Tommie Smith hosts an annual youth track meet in DC to promote healthy living among DC kids. Photograph courtesy of Tommie Smith.
Tommie Smith is no stranger to implementing change. With his infamous Black Power salute at the 1968 Olympic Games where he broke the 20-second sound barrier in the 200-meter dash and won the gold medal, he sparked both conversation and controversy. He went on to break more world records—11, to be exact. But he says it was his time spent as a teacher for 38 years that inspired him to found the Tommie Smith Youth Track Meet for boys and girls ages 5 to 18.
Two days before the fifth annual DC meet, we talked to Tommie about his history as an athlete, his current health routine, and what’s to come for the young runners participating this weekend.
Why did you choose DC as one of the cities to host this track meet?
We saw a need for something like this when it came to the educational process and growth of children. We wanted to open the eyes of residents here. We also happen to have a lot of manpower here, and it’s gotten to the point where we have three generals and have now reached a two-to-one ratio when it comes to DC and Oakland, California, the other city where we host this meet.
Forbes recently named Washington, DC the fourth most yoga-friendly city in America. Photograph courtesy of Flickr user daveynin.
Washingtonians love their rankings, whether it’s being the most well-read city in America or being mostly likely to drop an F-bomb at work. Now being yoga-friendly can be added to the growing list.
Forbes Magazine recently deemed DC the fourth most yoga-friendly city, tied with New York City. Using data from the marketing firm GfK MRI, the survey found that Washingtonians are 34 percent more likely to do yoga than the general population. Our friends in Baltimore weren’t far behind, at number six, with 28 percent of residents more likely to practice yoga than the general population.
The month of May is filled with tons of new fitness classes in DC to try, including My Bootcamp's "Ruck"-style bootcamp sessions in Bethesda. Photograph courtesy of My Bootcamp's Facebook page.
Last month we rounded up some awesome specials gyms and studios were offering in honor of spring. Even more awesome: Since then, more new classes have popped up, and we’re really excited to them give a whirl. From a Bethesda boot camp to the newest barre studio to a cycling class geared toward triathletes, these fitness studios will help you get in tip-top shape in time for Memorial Day weekend.
Great Gatsby Classes at Washington Sports Club
Washington Sports Club is back again with its movie-themed classes. For the month of May, members and nonmembers can dance their way through this Great Gatsby-inspired Zumba class called Speakeasy Sweat. Expect lots of doing the Charleston to an electro-swing playlist. Free at Columbia Heights location.
New muscles will get worked after switching from road running to trail running. Avid trail runner Doug Hay of the blog Rock Creek Runner says be prepared to run slower and get a little dirty. Photograph courtesy of Shutterstock.
Don’t get us wrong—we love running the Monument loop and through the streets of DC. But urban running has its downsides: catching every single red light, inhaling car exhaust, and weaving through pedestrians on the sidewalk, to name a few. That’s why Doug Hay of the blog Rock Creek Runner switched from road running to trail running a few years ago. “When I moved to DC I was running just roads, until three years ago when I realized we have so many trails in our backyard.”
But the transition to trail running isn’t easy, says Hay, who does approximately 70 percent of his training on trails. One thing to get used to? Getting wet. “No one loves running in wet shoes,” Hay says. “But there’s just no way to not get your shoes wet.” Read on for more of Hay’s trail running tips.
1) Go slowly.
Those used to running on the road may find going slower on trails the hardest adjustment, says Hay. “My advice to people when first starting out is to not focus on pace or distance.” For example, instead of timing a three-mile trail run, plan to run for 30 minutes and “just see how far you go.”
