's motd Tues March 30, 2010

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WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT!

Tuesday, 30 March 2010

Not only are people obsessed with how many calories they consume, they're also obsessed with figuring out how many calories they burn when they work out.

For years now, fitness magazines have run charts showing how many calories you burn when you jump rope or do jumping jacks. They tell you how many calories you burn when you swim a lap around the pool or when you're walking. I've seen a couple of charts that even show how many calories you burn when you're wrapped in a long kiss...ooh, la-la!And seriously, I have to laugh at those charts. Because the number of calories you burn when you exercise really depends on what you put into it.

Now remember, I've been teaching exercise classes for a long, long time. And I have students who exercise differently...in the same class. I have some people who put only about 20% of themselves into their workouts. They never lift their legs very high and those arm-lifts of theirs are pretty weak, too. When they dance, their steps are just so little. (Sometimes I get the impression they think they're going to break themselves if they work out too hard!)

Then I have those students who come to class determined to do their very best. Oh, they dance up a storm! All of their movements are big ones and by the time the third song starts playing in class, they're really sweatin'! And those people? Well, I can just look in their faces and see the passion they have for their good health!Now the people who put only that 20% into their exercise routines don't burn a lot of calories. But those who put their all into their workouts can burn somewhere between 3-500 calories in that one hour. And by the way, the benefits of their intense workouts doesn't end when they're done. It's a fact...your body continues to burn calories at an accelerated rate over an hour after your workout is completed. What a great bonus!When I'm finished teaching one of my classes, I want to go climb a mountain! I have so much energy, I don't know what do with it all most of the time. LOL!

Look, whether you're doing aerobics, lifting weights or any other physical activity, you need to be intense with your workout. You have to pay attention to what you're doing and how much you're putting into it.Hey, there's no hocus-pocus to staying focused. All during my class, I remind myself, ", get those arms up higher! Come on, you can make your movements bigger than that."You have to be your own coach and cheerleader when you're working out. You've seen my videos and DVDs and you see how much fun I'm having. And I have to tell you, after my workouts, I am just one big ball of sweat!So today, don't think about how many calories you're going to burn during your workout. Just think about the good you're doing for your body. Concentrate on putting your all into that workout and doing your very best!Love,