Equinox: West La

Equinox: West La For over 20 years, Equinox has created an unparalleled experience that engages members in fitness and wellbeing, delivering transformative results.

The Seven Components of a Good Fitness ProgramThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend regular aerobic e...
09/09/2015

The Seven Components of a Good Fitness Program

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend regular aerobic exercise and resistance training weekly for improved health. A quality fitness program will also include five other components: core work, balance, flexibility, agility and neuromotor, or functional, training. You don't have to spend dozens of hours at the gym to fit in all of these activities -- in a well-designed program, the components often overlap. By including the seven components, you'll reduce your risk of injury and achieve a well-rounded fitness profile.

Cardio
Cardio training involves movements such as jogging, cycling, swimming and dancing done for a continuous amount of time. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, or 60 to 180 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardio exercise weekly. Moderate-intensity exercise keeps your heart rate in the 55 to 70 percent of maximum range, while vigorous-intensity registers between 70 and 90 percent of maximum. Cardio training improves your stamina, heart and respiratory health, as well as burns calories.

Resistance
Resistance training includes any muscle-building exercise using your body weight, resistance tubing, free weights or weight machines. You need to do resistance training for all the major muscle groups, including the legs, hips, back, chest, arms, shoulders and abs, at least two times per week. Start with one set of eight to 12 repetitions of an exercise for each of these groups, but working your way up to three or more sets will provide greater benefit. Resistance training helps you fight the natural loss of muscle tissue that occurs with age. It also boosts your metabolism and helps you stay independent as you age.

Core
Core work overlaps with strength training, with a special emphasis on the muscles that are located around your trunk and hips. The core muscles support your spine and create a strong axis from which all your other movement extends. Work your core with moves such as plank holds, cable rotations and kettlebell swings. Core work can be done in conjunction with resistance training; aim to work the muscles at least two times per week.

Flexibility
ACSM notes that flexibility exercise is an important component of a fitness program because it helps enhance range of motion. Incorporate a stretching routine at least two times per week, holding stretches for your major muscle groups for 10 to 30 seconds at time. Repeat the holds until each muscle has accumulated at least 60 seconds per stretch. You don't have to set aside a separate time to perform flexibility work; slip in a five- to 10-minute session at the end of a cardio or strength routine so you benefit from already-warm muscles.

Balance
A fitness program that incorporates balance training helps you stave off the natural loss of balance that occurs with age. Balance training can overlap with strength and core training. To incorporate it into your routine, try performing biceps curls or shoulder presses while standing on a balancing disc or a half ball. Balance training can also be part of your everyday routine, such as brushing your teeth or washing the dishes while standing on one leg.

Agility
Agility refers to your ability to control your body and change direction during motion. Honing agility helps a tennis player return balls more effectively or a football player avoid a tackle. Agility can also help you dodge around a pile of toys your kids left on the floor or quickly avert an unforeseen hazard on the sidewalk. Work on agility during cardio by incorporating sideways and turning moves or by running on trails. Kickboxing classes, racquetball and dance are other ways to enhance agility.

Neuromotor
Neuromotor exercise is what fitness professionals often refer to as "functional" training. It overlaps somewhat with agility and balance training, but includes a whole gamut of proprioceptive training. Proprioception is the ability to sense where the body is in space. Honing proprioception helps seniors prevent falls, improves coordination for dancers and athletes and enables the average person to move more gracefully and efficiently through life. Examples of neuromotor exercise include tai chi, yoga and tossing a medicine ball to a partner. ACSM recommends 20 minutes of neuromuscular exercise daily.

What Causes a Person Not to Lose Weight on Low Carb?You can lose just as much weight with a low-carbohydrate diet as wit...
09/08/2015

What Causes a Person Not to Lose Weight on Low Carb?

You can lose just as much weight with a low-carbohydrate diet as with a more traditional low-fat diet, with the added benefit of potentially improved cholesterol levels, according to a study published in the "New England Journal of Medicine" in July 2008. If you don't take other considerations into account besides the amount of carbohydrates you are consuming, however, you may not lose as much weight as you expect.

High-Fat and High-Calorie Content
When you cut out carbohydrates, you need to replace them with something else, which means protein or fat. People sometimes end up greatly increasing their fat intake on low-carb diets, and this can make it harder to stay within the recommended number of calories. Although carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram, fat has 9 calories per gram, so the same amount of fat has more than double the calories of carbohydrates. Whether you lose weight depends on whether you eat fewer calories than you use each day.

Not Enough Exercise
If you sit at a desk all day and don't get much exercise, it can be hard to lose weight, regardless of the type of diet you follow. Adding more exercise to your daily routine can help you increase your weight-loss results because it helps you burn more calories. Just don't overcompensate for the amount of calories you burn during exercise by eating more food. You may need to get at least 60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise most days of the week to get better weight-loss results, notes the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Calorie Miscalculations
You may be eating more than you think. People tend to underestimate the number of calories they are consuming and overestimate the number of calories they burn through exercise. Write down everything you eat and drink in a food diary. Track your exercise as well to get a clearer picture of what is happening, and figure out where you may be going wrong. If your weight is staying the same, you're in a state of caloric balance, meaning you're eating about the same number of calories as you burn each day. You'll either need to exercise more or eat fewer calories to lose weight.

Constipation Considerations
Foods that contain carbohydrates are often the same foods that provide you with beneficial fiber. Cutting these foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, out of your diet or limiting them too severely could lead to constipation, a side effect sometimes associated with low-carb diets. Constipation could keep the numbers of the scale from moving down temporarily. Get your carbohydrates from foods high in fiber and nutrients, such as nonstarchy vegetables, rather than highly processed foods to limit this risk.

What Are the Five Aspects of General Fitness?Bodybuilders, tennis players and step aerobic fanatics have different fitne...
09/07/2015

What Are the Five Aspects of General Fitness?

Bodybuilders, tennis players and step aerobic fanatics have different fitness goals and regimens. However, everyone should include the five components of fitness to create a balanced fitness routine: cardiovascular activities, strength training, core exercise, flexibility work and balance training. With the exception of flexibility, you do not need to do each activity every time you exercise. Instead, learn to factor in at least two of the activities each time you exercise during the week to support a healthy lifestyle, along with good eating habits, adequate rest and hydration.

Heart Healthy
Cardiovascular exercise is any activity that utilizes large muscle groups and elevates your heart rate, such as brisk walking, dancing and even some household chores. Everyday tasks become easier to finish as you become more aerobically fit, because your heart, lungs and blood vessels can transport oxygen throughout your body more efficiently. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that healthy adults need a minimum of two hours and 30 minutes of moderate cardiovascular activity or one hour and 15 of vigorous activity a week to maintain a healthy weight.

Lean and Mean
The CDC recommends strength training at least two days a week for all the major muscle groups to help increase bone, muscle and connective tissue strength, and build and maintain lean muscle mass. There are many methods of strength training, from body weight exercises to kettlebell drills. Increasing strength decreases the risk of injury and enhances the quality of life by making daily tasks easier to accomplish. Consult a certified fitness professional to help you develop a safe, balanced routine that suits your needs.

At the Core
Your core includes the muscles in your abdomen, lower back and pelvis. A strong core protects your spine and initiates more effective upper- and lower-body movements. Core exercises can be integrated into a free-weight or cardiovascular workout. Attend a 30-minute abdominal class or Pilates to learn new exercises to do at home and the gym.

Oft-Balanced
Balance training is an oft neglected aspect of fitness that can be a concern for older adults. Developing core strength helps maintain balance, which is when we know where our bodies are in the moment and are able to maintain a position without falling. To challenge your balance during a workout, use a stability ball instead of a bench for seated and supine exercises, or stand on one leg while performing upper body exercises with free weights.

Save the Stretch for Last
Increased flexibility allows people to perform better at daily activities and physical activities such as dance and golf. Regular stretching also improves your range of motion and posture, and can help relieve stress. Perform at least one stretch for all of the major muscle groups. The best time is after you finish working out when your muscles are warm. Stretching may be uncomfortable at first, but over time it may reduce your risk for injury, help relieve soreness, improve your functional performance and reduce the occurrence of low-back pain.

What Should A Person Eat for Lunch to Lose Weight?Planning your lunches ahead of time may increase your chances of limit...
09/04/2015

What Should A Person Eat for Lunch to Lose Weight?

Planning your lunches ahead of time may increase your chances of limiting calories and improve weight-loss success. To lose weight, you must create a calorie deficit, meaning you burn more calories per day through exercise and daily activity than you take in. Successful weight-loss plans typically include both a reduction in calorie intake and an increase in exercise. Choosing lunch options carefully can help you stay under your daily calorie goal needed to produce weight loss.

Toss Some Salad
Salads are one of the easiest low-calorie lunch options when trying to lose weight. You can order them at most restaurants, diners and fast-food places or pack one from home. Vegetables, such as leafy greens, carrots, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and onions, are low-energy-dense foods, meaning they help fill you up without providing a lot of calories. Top your salad with a portion of grilled chicken, fish or tofu to increase the protein without adding significant calories. Avoid cheese, bacon, croutons and high-calorie dressings. Look for lower-calorie dressings, such as reduced-fat or fat-free versions.

Souped-Up Serving
Eating certain soups for lunch is another way to get a large volume of food without a lot of calories. The liquid and vegetables in broth-based soups help fill you up and increase your satiety after meals. Unless they are homemade with fat-free milk, avoid cream-based soups, such as cream of broccoli or clam chowder. Choose soups with lots of vegetables and lean protein. Chicken and vegetable soup, lentil soup, tomato-based vegetable soup or a vegetarian bean chili are all good options, providing 90 to 140 calories per 1-cup serving. To keep calories lowest, avoid soups with fatty meats, such as beef and pork, and avoid soups topped with cheese.

Sandwich Selection
Carefully selecting sandwiches is another route to low-calorie lunch to aid in weight loss. You'll need to pay attention to the condiments, bread and filling. Choose high-fiber, whole-grain breads and buns, such as whole-wheat bread. The fiber helps you feel full and whole grains take longer to break down, so you will feel full longer. Choose lean proteins, such as roasted turkey breast, grilled chicken breast or fish. Avoid high-calorie condiments such as mayonnaise, and opt for mustard, vinegars, pickles and vegetables to boost flavor in your sandwich. Choose a side of raw vegetables, such as carrots and celery, or a piece of fruit instead of high-calorie potato chips or french fries.

Warm for Your Form
Another good lunch option is warmed-up leftovers from a healthy dinner the night before or a lunch-size entree at a restaurant. Make extra of a stir-fry that includes plenty of vegetables and lean protein, such as chicken breast. To keep calories at a minimum, eat just the stir-fry without rice or noodles. If eating out, look for lunch entrees featuring a grilled meat and steamed vegetables, or request a salad in place of a higher-calorie side, such as mashed potatoes. Leftover grilled meat and vegetables from last night's dinner are another convenient option.

Elevated Leg Crunches for the Lower AbsYour core responds best to a variety of abdominal exercises. The elevated leg cru...
09/03/2015

Elevated Leg Crunches for the Lower Abs

Your core responds best to a variety of abdominal exercises. The elevated leg crunch is a core-strengthening exercise that has modifications for all fitness levels. Use the elevated leg crunch as part of a well-rounded abdominal workout routine to strengthen your core, improve your posture and reduce your back pain.

Abdominals
The main muscle along the front of your abdomen is the re**us abdominis. It connects your ribcage to your pelvis. When you perform any type of abdominal crunch, the re**us abdominis contracts to shorten the distance between your ribs and pelvis. During an elevated leg crunch, you move the pelvis toward the ribs.

Beginning Reverse Crunch
Perform the reverse crunch on the floor or on a flat weight bench. Lie face up with your hands behind your head. Position your elbows pointing to the sides. Flatten your lower back against the floor. Cross your ankles, bend your knees and then raise your knees until they are over the top of your hips. Exhale, tilt up your hips and slightly raise your legs. You should feel the contraction in your abdominals as your pelvis moves closer to your ribs. Inhale and slowly return to the starting position. Complete one to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions of the elevated leg crunch for beginners.

Intermediate Crunch
Once your core strength improves, you'll be able to use a larger movement during the elevated leg crunch. Lie face up with your hands on the floor next to your hips. Face your palms down, but be careful to not push into the floor during the exercise. Bend and then raise your knees until they are directly over your hips. Exhale, bring your knees toward your chest as you slightly raise your hips off the floor. Inhale, lower your hips and return to the starting position. Perform one to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions.

Advanced Chair Crunch
The elevated leg crunch is an exercise you can alter to provide a challenge as your core strength improves. Instead of performing the crunch from a horizontal position on a flat surface, switch to a vertical position in a captain's chair, which resembles a large high-chair without a seat. Position your back against the pad. Place your elbows and forearms on the arm rests. Support your body weight with your arms and hang with your legs straight beneath you. Exhale, bend your knees and raise your knees toward your chest. Inhale, straighten your legs and return to the starting position. Aim to finish one to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions.

Safety
Warm up your body before you do lower abdominal exercises. Walk, cycle, stair climb, jump rope, dance or do other full-body movements for five to 10 minutes to increase the blood flow to your core. After you're warm, the key to successful abdominal training is to tighten your core by pulling your navel toward your spine. This initial contraction also protects and supports your back. Further protect your back by slightly tilting your hips forward to remove the arch from your lower back. If you experience any back discomfort, stop the exercises immediately. If the exercises are comfortable, use different variations of the workout for five minutes a day.

Safe Exercises for Males Over 70Regular exercise has numerous benefits, especially for seniors. Not only does exercising...
09/02/2015

Safe Exercises for Males Over 70

Regular exercise has numerous benefits, especially for seniors. Not only does exercising help the body stay fit and healthy, it enables seniors to prevent disease and maintain independence. Although you may not be able to do strenuous exercises such as running a marathon, there are many safe and effective exercises men over 70 can do.

Flexibility and Warm-Ups
Stretching and flexibility exercises are important for seniors to prevent injury during exercises and while performing everyday tasks such as getting dressed. Stretch out your shoulders and upper arms. Hold a rolled-up towel behind your head with one arm. Place your feet shoulder-width apart. Reach your other arm behind your back and grasp the other end of the towel. As you pull your lower hand down and keep your other hand steady and firm, your opposite shoulder and upper arm will stretch. Stop stretching when you feel a slight discomfort, or for about 10 seconds. Do this stretch at least three times for each arm.

Macho Muscles
By age 70, the muscles in our bodies, especially in the lower half, decrease in mass by 40 percent. Muscle strength also decreases -- by 30 percent by age 70. Regular physical activity such as strength training can help slow muscle mass loss and increase balance and flexibility. One strength training exercise appropriate for seniors is the squat. Stand with your back facing a chair, feet shoulder-width apart, tilting your hips slightly down toward the floor. Extend your arms out and up. Lower yourself slowly using your legs. Do not bring your knees past the tip of your toes. When almost in a sitting position, hold yourself in that stance for two seconds before slowly coming back up to the starting position. Do two sets of 10 squats. Doing pushups against a wall and bicep curls using dumbbells are also appropriate strength exercises.

Aerobic Activities
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, aerobic exercises increase lung function and cardiac output. Aerobic exercises also reduce the risk of diseases such as heart disease and osteoporosis. Men over 70 can benefit from aerobic exercises such as swimming, biking and walking. For an exercise that's easy on the joints, consider swimming and other aquatic exercises. For many ambulatory seniors, walking is a preferred aerobic exercise since no equipment is involved and walking can be done both indoors and outdoors. Twenty to 60 minutes of aerobic exercises should be done at least three days a week.

Recreational Exercises
While engaging in recreational exercises, seniors exercise not only their bodies, but also their minds as they socialize. Recreational activities such as hiking, golf and bowling require flexibility, balance and muscle strength. Do recreational exercises at least twice a week. If you don't have the time to go out or aren't comfortable engaging in social fitness activities, play fetch with your dog or lightly reorganize your garage. As long as you are keeping active and using your muscles for strength and balance, you are helping your body stay strong and healthy.

Fitness & Its Relationship to a Healthy LifestylePhysical fitness is the state of being physiologically prepared for get...
09/01/2015

Fitness & Its Relationship to a Healthy Lifestyle

Physical fitness is the state of being physiologically prepared for getting the most out of life. Becoming fit is an on-going process that requires hard work, and significantly improves mental and physical functions. A commitment to the strictures of a healthy lifestyle is the only way to promote consistent physical fitness throughout your life. The essential components of a healthy lifestyle include maintaining a calorie balance, good nutrition, exercise and flexibility training.

Balancing Calories
Though they may have gained themselves a bad reputation, calories are simply a unit of measure for the fuel that keeps your body and brain running. You don’t want too many -- or too few either. Both scenarios can be disastrous for your weight and appearance and harm your ability to think clearly. A calorie balance is the measure of calories consumed against calories burned through exercise and everyday activities. If the inputs and outputs are around the same level, your body won’t be storing extra calories as fat or burning away your fat reserves in desperation.

Good Nutrition
Physical fitness is fundamentally about avoiding toxic inputs to your body. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests getting less than 10 percent of your calories from saturated fat, the kind found in cheese, meat, butter, margarine and ice cream. Another potential trouble spot is trans fat, often called hydrogenated oil. An animal research study conducted in 2006 by Wake Forest University found that trans fat is an independent factor in weight loss. In the study, primates that were made to consume trans fats didn’t necessarily lose weight, even when their calorie counts went down. On the positive end, the CDC recommends a plant-based diet high in fruits and vegetables and high in whole grains.

Stretching
A good stretching routine is the precursor to a safe exercise session. Gently extending each muscle for an extended period of time helps to prevent or alleviate soreness associated with strenuous exercise. Sufficient stretching also helps to prevent tears due to hyperextension during exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine lists four trouble spots where muscles tend to be extra tight: “the hamstrings, hip flexors, calves and chest muscles.”

Exercise
Aerobic exercise, an essential component of any healthy lifestyle, rhythmically works large muscles across a period of time. The CDC recommends 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic exercise, like running and swimming, or 150 minutes per week of moderate activities, such as walking and riding a bike. Strength both burns excess fat and develops muscle that helps your body endure day-to-day wear and tear without injury. You should get in two sessions per week, focusing on all the major muscle groups in the body.

Benefits
According to the Mayo Clinic, benefits of a healthy lifestyle include increased energy, enhanced mental clarity, improved day-to-day endurance, stronger bones, stronger muscles and a stronger heart. In addition, practicing healthy lifestyle habits lowers your risk for a myriad of disease, including type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease. A healthy lifestyle effectively sets the stage for good physical fitness.

The Best Thigh, Arm & Stomach WorkoutStomach and thigh workouts strengthen your core while strong arms help you perform ...
08/28/2015

The Best Thigh, Arm & Stomach Workout

Stomach and thigh workouts strengthen your core while strong arms help you perform other workouts. An effective muscle-building workout consist of lifting heavy weights that offer enough resistance to boost muscle growth. The major thigh muscles are the hamstrings and quadriceps, while the re**us abdominis, transversus abdominis and obliques make up your stomach muscles -- and the upper arm muscles consist of biceps and triceps. By targeting the major muscle groups in your thighs, arms and stomach, you can build strength and your core.

Squats Equal Bigger Legs
Squats are a compound exercise that target your quadriceps and develop your hamstrings. Position a barbell on a weight rack at your upper-chest level. Grab the barbell with a wide grip and hold the barbell on the back of your shoulders, just below your neck. Engage your abdominal muscles and dismount the barbell from the rack with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and hips simultaneously while maintaining a straight back. Lower yourself until your thighs are about parallel to the floor then return to the starting position. Perform eight to 10 repetitions in two or three sets.

An Ab Workout with a Twist
The twisting motion of this exercise allows you to strengthen both your obliques and re**us abdominis muscles. Lie supine on an exercise bench and bend your knees and hips. Hold a weight plate to your upper chest with both hands. Lift your upper torso from the bench without raising your lower back. Twist your body to the right from the waist as you raise your torso. Repeat the same on your left side and do 15 to 20 repetitions on both sides in five sets.

Big Big Biceps
David Sandler, the author of “Fundamental Weight Training” recommends dumbbell curls as one the exercises to develop biceps. Stand upright, with a dumbbell in each hand and your arms extended to your sides. Keep your feet hip-width apart and tighten your abdominal muscles. With your inner-hand facing your sides, raise one arm and rotate your forearm until your inner fist is aligned to your shoulder. Return your arm to the starting position and repeat the same with your other arm. Sandler recommends two sets of 12 repetitions with a 60-second break between sets. Other effective bicep workouts include hammer curls and the straight bar curl.

Transform Your Triceps
The triceps are the large muscles on the back of your upper arms. Sandler recommends cable pushdowns to tone your triceps. Face the cable machine and grab hold of the handle at your upper-chest level with an overhand grip. Contract your abs, keep your elbows to your sides and extend your arms downward. Return to the starting position and perform eight repetitions in two sets with a 60-second break between sets.

How to Use Gravity to Increase Resistance for Bodyweight ExercisesCalisthenics and yoga poses are examples of body weigh...
08/27/2015

How to Use Gravity to Increase Resistance for Bodyweight Exercises

Calisthenics and yoga poses are examples of body weight exercises, which use your body and gravity as resistance. Maximizing muscle growth and development comes from continuously challenging the muscles through various strength training techniques. Traditional weight lifting allows you to achieve this by raising the resistance level – or lifting a greater amount of weight. By injecting a bit of creativity, you can accomplish the same with body weight exercises.

Step 1
Raise your body off the floor; the higher you are, the more gravity works against you and creates resistance. For example, perform triceps dips using two benches, with your palms on one bench and heels on the other, gives you increased height for a greater range of motion. The distance places more stress on the triceps and the supporting muscles, including the core and shoulders. Complete three sets of eight to 12 repetitions.

Step 2
Slow your movements by performing negatives in body weight exercises such as the pullup. Position your body in the flexed position of a pullup by standing on a chair or through the help of a spotter. Remove the chair and hold the contraction for five to 10 seconds. Lower your body very slowly to the bottom of the exercise until your arms are straight. Negatives can be done with almost all body weight exercises, including squats, lunges, pushups and abdominal crunches. Aim for three to five negatives of each exercise.

Step 3
Make your surface smaller by lifting part of your body off of the ground, as you would in a single leg squat. Balancing on one leg while performing a squat requires greater strength in your glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps while also giving your core a stability challenge. Greater tone, power and agility can result from performing a squat on just one leg. Complete three sets of eight to 12 repetitions for each leg.

Step 4
Create an unstable surface with a stability ball. Placing an exercise ball under your shins during a pushup, for example, requires you to keep your entire body stabilized as you lower and raise your torso. Vary the exercise by placing the stability ball under your hands with the balls of your feet on the floor.

How to Lose Weight for a Busy PersonIf you feel like your hectic schedule is sabotaging your efforts to maintain a healt...
08/26/2015

How to Lose Weight for a Busy Person

If you feel like your hectic schedule is sabotaging your efforts to maintain a healthy weight, you're not alone. In fact, being too busy is one of the most common reasons people give for not exercising enough, according to U.S. News and World Report. Thankfully, simple diet and exercise changes to your lifestyle can help you squeeze healthy, fat-burning choices into even the busiest of days.

Step 1
Eat breakfast. When you're facing a jam-packed schedule, you're more likely to skip breakfast to save time. However, eating a healthy breakfast is linked to weight loss because it may help to curb your appetite later in the day while also enhancing your metabolism. For a quick yet healthy meal, try a cup of raspberries -- the fruit has almost 10 grams of fiber to help satiate your appetite. Serve them on top of a cup of quick-cooking oatmeal, which has slow-release carbohydrates that keep your insulin levels from spiking, which in turn may help with fat loss, says "Eating Well."

Step 2
Cut out sugary drinks, such as sweet syrups in your morning coffee or soft drinks at lunch. Simple diet changes like this, which are quick and convenient to do, can mean big changes when you step on a scale. While sugary drinks may seem relatively harmless, the Harvard School of Public Health warns that drinking just one 12-ounce can of soda every day will lead to significant weight gain over the years, plus an increased risk of diabetes and other diseases. Instead, opt for green tea, which is rich in catechins that may help you to burn fat, says University of Maryland Medical Center.

Step 3
Add fiber to every meal, such as vegetables, fruit or, if you're really busy, a convenient, ready-to-go fiber supplement like a pill, powder or bar. In a two-year study published in the "Journal of Nutrition," researchers found that people who added every fiber to every meal -- 8 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories -- lost extra weight compared to people who didn't eat extra fiber. That may be because fiber helps to keep you feeling full longer, so you're less likely to snack or overeat.

Step 4
Take the stairs instead of riding the elevator or escalator at your office or at the mall. Losing weight doesn't mean you have to dedicate a lot of time to going to the gym; little tweaks to your day-to-day routine can burn calories to trim your waistline, even on busy days. In fact, the average 150- to 160-pound person will torch off 5 calories for every 12 stairs he or she takes, which can really add up over the course of a day.

Step 5
Put in a few extra steps whenever you have a chance. For example, try parking in the farthest parking stall in your office's parking garage so you walk further, or head to your next office meeting a few minutes early and take a few extra walking laps around the cubicles. To maintain a healthy weight, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 150 minutes of walking every week. However, the CDC notes that busy people like you can reap the health benefits by breaking it into smaller, more manageable chunks and doing as little as 10 minutes of walking at a time.

Step 6
Perform bodyweight exercises for a few minutes whenever you get a chance, like between phone calls at work or while you're waiting for your children to finish their homework. Bodyweight exercises include options like pushups and crunches. They require no special workout gear so you can do them from the privacy of your home, bathroom or office. Building your muscle size with bodyweight movements will rev up your metabolism so you burn more calories all day, in part because lean muscle tissues burn more calories than fatty tissues.

Address

1835 S Sepulveda Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA
90025

Opening Hours

Monday 6am - 9pm
Tuesday 6am - 9pm
Wednesday 6am - 9pm
Thursday 6am - 9pm
Friday 6am - 9pm
Saturday 8am - 12pm
Sunday 8am - 1pm

Telephone

+13104731447

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Equinox: West La posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Share