Who says you don’t have time to workout? Here are some super quick weight workouts to get you started. Beginners start with no weights and each time you do this workout, add slowly. I would call myself an intermediate and used 10 – 12 lbs when weights were involved. You be the judge and remember proper form is key.  Stretch and warm up before lifting weights.

Home Workout – no equipment required!

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As always, check with your doctor before starting any workout routine.

Stop making these exercise mistakes when you’re on the elliptical machine and maximize your calorie burn:

Click each for even more information from Prevention…

• 1. You’re too lazy to enter your information.
• 2. Your resistance is zero.
• 3. You’re a sloucher.
• 4. Your machine sounds like it’s going to take off.
• 5. You don’t change directions.
• 6. You haven’t changed your workout in months.
• 7. You spin until you can’t feel your feet.
• 8. You don’t work your upper half.
• 9. You spin your way up a hill.
• 10. You’re an elliptical junkie.

And my personal number 11 is don’t hang on to the machine EVER!

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They’re out there, in gyms across North America. 

On New Year’s Day they made a resolution that 2012 was the year they were going to get in shape by going to the gym. Are you one of them? 

I’ve seen a few of the newbies where I work out. And, as I’ve noticed many a January over the years, there are similarities in the ones who start out super strong and yet are gone by Valentine’s Day. 

You want to go the distance and be there this January and beyond without giving up. Here are some ways to make that happen: 

1. Slow down! Hey, I see you on that treadmill, running like there’s no tomorrow. Not a good idea if the last time you ran was junior high gym class. Doing too much too fast can lead to major aches, injuries or worse. Dial it down, or even better, do intervals: walk one minute, walk on incline the next 60 seconds and then run as fast as you can for one minute. Repeat as often as you can. Build up from there. You can do a variation on intervals using the treadmill, elliptical, bike, stepper, etc. Intervals will ease you into exercising and the experts say confusing your muscles with the quick changes is a super workout. 

2. Change it up. Loyalty is an admirable quality, but not when working out. Don’t latch on to one machine or class right now and let that be all you do. You’ll get bored, your muscles will adjust to the workout and you’ll plateau. Try a class one day, machines another, a brisk walk yet another. 

3. Go it alone. You’ve probably heard you should bring a buddy along. I don’t know about that. If you can come to the gym or class and both really work out, fine. But if you are doing more talking than moving, it’s better if you work out alone. Eventually, you’ll know enough people at your gym whom you’ll exchange pleasantries with so you won’t feel so alone. 

4. Ditch the baggy rejects. Don’t come to the gym in your oldest, biggest T’s and sweats. If you do, how will you be able to see the changes regular exercise will bring to your body? Invest in a couple of outfits, something fun in which you can see your shape. 

5. And the electronics. I just saw a woman resting her iPad on one arm as she tried to move the levers on the elliptical. Really? You think you’re getting a workout that way? Except for an Mp3 player that’s filled with music that will get you moving, leave the tech toys at home.

 6. Try weights.  Get off the cardio equipment every now and then and use either free weights or weight-bearing machines. Several studies have been done that show for women and especially as we age, using weights trims calories and takes inches off as well as (or even better) than a strict cardio regimen. Ask the staff at your gym to give you an introductory lesson so you’ll know what you’re doing. 

7. Straighten up. I’ve been a gym rat for decades now. I have yet to see a machine that calls for the user to rest their arms or upper body across it while in motion. Yet people do it, mostly because they’re at too high an intensity. If you’re one of them, stop that. You’re not getting any sort of workout that way. All you’re working toward is injury and very bad posture. For now, lower the intensity and get a true workout. 

8. Move! After you’ve been doing the treadmill, spin bike or classes for a while, kick it up a notch. You cannot stay at the same intensity and continue to burn calories and build muscles. 

9. Find inspiration. Over the years, I have watched the truly toned people at my gym and picked up ideas on what else to incorporate into my workout. And just about every Wednesday, after watching “The Biggest Loser” the night before, I do a killer routine because I’m thinking, “If those big people can work it, so can I.” Or, I give what they did a try. That’s how I ended up running on a 10 incline last Wednesday. (But that said, I wouldn’t do that step on and off the treadmill at high speeds that “BL” does. They can do it because they have a team of medical doctors and staff to help if someone falls. You don’t.) Figure out what will inspire you to give it your all and then some. 

10. Be patient. Be honest. It took awhile to get out of shape, didn’t it? Well, it’s going to take some time before you see results. It’s going to take even longer if you want to attain the toned body of an athlete. Don’t be discouraged if right now you ache. Stick it out.Give the gym credit when you can carry groceries or walk up stairs without getting winded, even if your body isn’t where you want it. Change is coming, if you keep working out on a regular basis. 

Before you know it, you’re going to be looking forward to those workouts. Honest.

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on GirlGetStrong!

The best way to ditch the seven deadliesis to replace them with what psychiatrist Dr. William Glasser calls the seven caring habits: supporting, encouraging, listening, accepting, trusting, respecting, and negotiating differences. 

They sound simple, right? All you have to do is accept people for who they are, listen to them, respect them, trust them, encourage and support them, and negotiate any differences you may have. But, like most of what’s worthwhile in life, the caring habits are a little harder to put into place than you might think, especially if they represent an about-face for you. 

Run a reality check.How did you talk with the people you live with this morning? Did you listen to what they were saying? Or did you let their words run in one ear and out the other? Did you encourage them to move ahead with what they’ve planned for the day? Did you support them in their choices? Or did you put them down or just nod your head as you drank your coffee? 

Really listen. “Treat people like they’re your best friends,” says Suzy Hallock-Bannigan, a trainer with the Glasser Institute who is based in South Pomfret, VT. Hang on their every word. Find time to sit down with them and really pay attention, without being distracted by cell phones, passing traffic, or the demands of other people. Then give them time to get out what they have to say. “I also try to check in with people all the time to make sure I’ve correctly heard what they’re saying,” she says.Envision the new you.Draw a mental picture of yourself as a person who practices the seven caring habits. Keep it in the back of your mind, then pull it forward when you’re talking with those close to you to see if you’re acting like a caring person. “Sam” does this all the time. When he and his fiancee, “Maggie,” were considering a move, for example, Sam was not happy. The two had had an understanding that they would live in the Northeast for the rest of their days. Then Maggie got a great job offer in Florida, and she wanted to go. 

“My immediate reaction was, ‘How could she do this to me?’” says Sam. “It seemed so unfair. I felt resentful, I felt frightened. I felt angry. I felt betrayed. And, at that moment, I realized that I could choose to react from those feelings or not. 

“I took a deep breath, then thought, ‘How do I want to be in the world?’ The answer is, I want to be gentle and loving and strong. Okay, so if I were a gentle and loving and strong person, how would I act? What would I be saying to myself right now? And to Maggie?” 

By framing the issue in terms of who he wanted to be rather than what he wanted the outcome of their discussion to be, Sam was able to maintain a loving and supportive relationship with Maggie and work out a compromise. Since Maggie’s a teacher, they decided to rent a home in Florida for the school year and return to Vermont every summer. (To show that she understood his passion for the Vermont mountains, Maggie even encouraged Sam to buy 10 acres and a cabin for them.)

Ask the right question.In that split second after which the urge to blame, complain, criticize, nag, threaten, punish, or bribe arises, but before the words actually leave your mouth, stop, and ask yourself, “Is this really important?” Hallock-Bannigan doesn’t like unmade beds. When her husband, who knows this, left the bed unmade one morning, she felt the heat of generations of righteous bed makers rise up within her. “If he really loved me,” she caught herself thinking, “he would have made the bed.” When her husband came into the room, she was about to complain but instead asked herself, “Just how important is an unmade bed?” The answer was obvious even to a bed maker such as Hallock-Bannigan. 

Accept reality.“You have to understand that the only person you can change is yourself,” says Hallock-Bannigan. If your husband is a tightwad who hates it when you spend a dime, you can’t do a thing about his attitude. But you can control yours. Instead of slugging it out with him over whether or not a $15 pair of Liz Claiborne socks is “necessary,” hold your irritation in check and apply as many of the seven caring habits as you can. Look for a compromise, such as holding the line at one pair of socks, or promising to check store knockoffs that are as pretty but cheaper.”When you have a difference with someone who’s important to you, you negotiate,” says Dr. Glasser. But what happens if your partner digs in his heels? To deal with that, Dr. Glasser developed something called the “solving circle”–a piece of string that forms a circle outline on the floor. You and your partner face each other and, as each of you feels ready, you step into the circle and say, “The most important thing in my life is our relationship. We have a problem with ______ (name the problem). We know that arguing and blaming will do no good. And in order to avoid wounding our relationship, I am willing to _______ (say what you’re willing to do that will help).” It may take a few days to get this accomplished, and some people may find that a third party–a therapist or marriage counselor–may be a necessary ingredient. 

Pick a model.When Hallock-Bannigan was training Sisters in Ireland to use the caring habits, one good Sister was having trouble figuring out how to respond to someone who was criticizing her. So Hallock-Bannigan asked her, “Who’s the woman you most look up to?” The answer was Mary Robinson, president of Ireland and a champion of human rights. “Well, what do you think she would be thinking and feeling in this situation?” asked Hallock-Bannigan. “What would you see her doing?” Ten seconds later, the Sister was off to do what Mary would’ve done. 

Write about it. Keep a daily journal to help think your way through the transition and keep track of your progress, says Hallock-Bannigan. Sam does, and looking back over nearly a decade, he can honestly say, “I’m a very different person than I was 10 years ago. It doesn’t mean I’m perfect,” he adds with an endearing grin. “But I try.”

Whether it is Zumba, bootcamp, yoga or kickboxing, whatever your workout pleasure is, there’s nothing like a great fitness class to get you to the gym and keep you coming back for more.  That’s why major fitness chains keep eyes peeled and ears pricked for the next big thing.  

“The single biggest benefit is community,” said Tim Keightley, who oversees group fitness at Gold’s Gym, which has more than 600 locations around the world. “You meet a community of people so it’s a lot harder not to come back next week.” 

Not only do group exercisers visit the gym more often, they are more likely to renew their memberships, according to Keightley, who said industry figures show that group exercisers use the gym about three times a week to the average gym member who goes 1.7 times.”You throw on the music, you let someone decide the exercise for you,” he said. “It really allows people to escape, which you can’t do when you’re on a treadmill.”  Keightley said his teams put out a new schedule every month. “And two weeks into it they’re already evaluating to see what stays and what goes,” he said.  Thirty-minute workouts, military-style bootcamps, circuit training, and Zumba, the Latin-inspired dance fitness class, are currently what stays, according to Keightley, because they appeal to the 28-to-44-year-old professionals who are Gold’s core clientele. 

Keightley said short, hardcore workouts are in.  “People want results. They spend less time in the gym and want more for their money. They get in, they get the workout, they move on.”  Ingrid Owen, who oversees the group fitness program at 24 Hour Fitness, a national chain, looks for classes with broad appeal.

 ”There was a time when it was about how creative you can be,” she said. “But members really like some repetition too, because the more they come, the more improvement they see.” 

Owen said the old divisions of beginner, intermediate and advanced have dissolved at 24 Hour Fitness. Now any client can take any class and work at their own level.  “If you’re advanced, I’ll give you clues how to push yourself,” she said, “but I’m gearing to the beginning/intermediate practitioner, versus the advanced one.”    Carol Espel, the national director of group fitness at Equinox, said some new classes at the luxury chain reflect an industry shift toward wellness and longevity.  ”Our members are interested in getting results, whether it’s fitness or mindfulness,” she said. “They want the same feeling, even if their bodies are not 18 anymore.”

So along with vigorous bootcamps and circuit training, Equinox is rolling out LEELA yoga, a mind-body workout inspired by a video game developed by spiritual and alternative medicine superstar Dr. Deepak Chopra.

“Participants can be 23 or 60 and still get something out of it,” she said. “It’s the instructor’s job to provide a leveling opportunity.”  Whether a new class will mature into a classic workout or fall by the wayside is impossible to predict, but simplicity may be one key to success.  Keightley said aerobics, with its basic moves and motivating music, is one concept that, with variations, seems to have stood the test of time.    “Another really strong one is (indoor) cycling,” he said. “You don’t need coordination to take that class. You just need a smile and a willing mind.”  

(Source)