Category: Fitness

Cardio exercise is a fantastic way to lose weight while improving your overall health. While strength training is important to boost your metabolism (and you will hear me on my soap box talk about how important it is for middle age woman), you also need cardio workouts for weight loss.

It drives me nuts when women tell me their fitness trainer told them they don’t need cardio. If you have a heart, then you need cardiovascular exercise!

The biggest issue is that most women think about running as the best form of cardio. There is nothing wrong with running but as we age, for many of us it is a daunting, joint pounding option that sounds horrible. And if it sounds horrible, you aren’t going to do it.

So whether you’re a fitness enthusiast looking to switch up your routine, or a beginner just starting, I’ve got you covered.

In this guide I’ll introduce you to the 9 best cardio workouts for weight loss, with no running included.

1. Walking [Burns 300-400 calories/hour]

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Yes, walking! Perhaps the most straightforward, most available exercise around, walking is not only a great way to burn calories, but it’s also a low-impact workout that most people can do.

However, a leisurely evening stroll won’t make the cardio cut. To burn fat, you need a brisk, moderately-fast pace. According to the Mayo Clinic, regular brisk walking can help you:

• Maintain a healthy weight
• Prevent or manage various conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes
• Strengthen your bones and muscles
• Improve your mood
• Improve your balance and coordination

The faster, farther, and more frequently you walk, the greater the benefits. You can walk outdoors on the sidewalk, go for a hike, give rucking a try, hit the treadmill at the gym, or even use a walking pad under your desk during the workday!

Tip: If you’re using a treadmill, try adding an incline to torch more calories and tone your glutes and thighs. 

2. Climbing Stairs [Burns 1000 calories/hour]

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Are you looking for an efficient cardio workout that engages your lower body muscles and elevates your heart rate? Look no further than stair climbing.

This challenging exercise can be done at home, in a gym, or even on outdoor stadium steps, making it a versatile option for any fitness routine.

Here are a few tips to help you get started with climbing stairs for cardio exercise:

Proper Form and Techniques

When stair climbing, it’s essential to maintain proper form to maximize the benefits and prevent injuries. Keep your back straight, engage your core muscles, and step up one stair at a time.

Avoid using the railing for support and try to push off with your toes to engage your calf muscles. As you progress, you can increase your speed, step height or try skipping one or two stairs.

Progressive Overload

Just like with other exercises, it’s crucial to gradually increase the workload to keep challenging your body and avoid plateauing. Start with a few flights of stairs and gradually increase the duration and intensity of your workout.

You can also add weight by wearing a backpack or carrying dumbbells to make the climb more challenging.

3. Kettlebells [Burns 800-900 calories/hour]

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A kettlebell is a cannonball-shaped weight that produces a powerful, effective workout. Kettlebell workouts combine strength training with cardio and can help you burn up to 20 calories per minute (the equivalent of running a 6-minute mile.)

Now that’s getting the most from your workout time!

According to the American Council on Exercise, kettlebells can provide a higher intensity workout than the usual strength training routine in a shorter amount of time. This is because kettlebell training simultaneously works your cardio endurance while building muscle strength, balance, and flexibility.

4. Jumping Rope [Burns 600 calories/hour]

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Aside from being a fun pastime, jumping rope is an effective cardio workout that can help you lose weight. By engaging your whole body, it burns a significant amount of calories and improves coordination, balance, and agility.

One of the best cardio exercises for weight loss is jumping rope. It’s not only a calorie blaster but helps build bone density, strengthens your legs, makes your heart stronger, and improves coordination, balance, and agility.

Moreover, it is a low-cost activity that can be done almost anywhere.

Jumping rope is also a great form of plyometric workout, where both feet are off the ground. Plyometrics get your heart pumping and burn calories quickly and effectively.

Other forms of plyometrics include exercises like:

• Jumping jacks
• Split jumps
• Box jumps (you can use any step or safe, elevated platform)

5. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) [Burns 600 calories/hour]

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If you’re short on time but still want to burn calories and get in shape, HIIT is the way to go. This popular cardio workout technique involves short bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by brief rest periods.

Once used to train only elite athletes, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is now mainstream and can be incorporated into many workout routines.

These workouts can be done in as little as 20 minutes and are known for their ability to burn calories not just during the workout, but even after, thanks to the “afterburn effect.” HIIT workouts also trains and conditions both your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems.

HIIT exercises can range from bodyweight movements, such as burpees and jump squats, to using equipment such as kettlebells and resistance bands. The training can also be done with treadmills, outdoor walking, swimming, cycling, and elliptical machines.

Most programs will have you push hard for a work session (between 20-30 seconds), with a short 10-20 second rest in between. The key is to push yourself to your maximum effort during the high-intensity work portion and then allow your body to recover during the rest periods.

With HIIT, a lack of time is no excuse: a 20-minute HIIT session is more effective at burning calories and fat overall than a 60-minute jog.

6. Cycling [Burns 500-600 calories/hour]

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Cycling is a low-impact exercise that increases your heart health, strengthens your leg muscles, and burns some serious calories.

If you’re looking for an effective workout that can help you lose weight while being gentle on your joints, cycling might be the perfect fit for you. This low-impact cardio exercise can be done indoors or outdoors, and it’s suitable for different fitness levels.

When cycling, you target your lower body muscles, such as your glutes, quads, and hamstrings, and you also improve your cardiovascular health. According to Harvard Health Publishing, the average person burns between 250-300 calories per 30 minute session of cycling exercise.

*Calorie burning varies depending on factors such as body weight, intensity, and duration of the workout.

7. Rowing [Burns 500-600 calories/hour]

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Indoor rowing machines, also called “ergs” or “ergometers,” have long been used by crew teams who want to maintain their training during the winter months. But over the years, they’ve also gained popularity with other people—anyone who wants a total-body workout that’s low-impact and gets your heart rate up.

Benefits of Rowing for Cardio Exercise

• Low impact
• Full body workouts
• Meditative
• Simple
• High calorie burn

Most gyms have a rowing machine section, and there are even some group fitness rowing classes you can take.

According to Harvard Health Studies, rowing burns between 250-300 calories in a 30-minute session. 

8. Dancing [Burns 460-1,000 calories/hour]

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Are you tired of the usual workouts and looking for a fun and engaging way to shed those extra pounds? Look no further than dance workouts!

Dancing not only burns calories but also helps improve endurance, coordination, and flexibility. Some popular dance styles for weight loss include Zumba, hip-hop, and salsa.

You don’t need to be a professional dancer to benefit from dance workouts. Many classes cater to beginners and offer modifications to suit different fitness levels. You can also do these cardio sessions right in the comfort of your own home!

The amount of calories you’ll burn depends on the intensity of your workout, and the type of dance:

• Zumba (460-920 calories/hour)
• Hip Hop (500-1,000 calories/hour)
• Salsa (400-800 calories/hour)

*Calorie burning varies depending on factors such as body weight, intensity, and duration of the workout.

In addition to being an effective workout, dance workouts are also a great way to have fun and socialize. Grab a friend or join a class to add some excitement to your fitness routine.

So, put on your dancing shoes and start burning those calories!

9. Swimming [Burns 250-900 calories/hour]

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Additionally, swimming helps to improve your cardiovascular endurance, making it a great form of aerobic exercise that can aid in weight loss.

There are several different swimming strokes that you can try, including:

• Freestyle (400-700 calories/hour)
• Breaststroke (400-600 calories/hour)
• Backstroke (250-400 calories/hour)
• Butterfly (600-900 calories/hour)

*Calories burned per hour are based on an average weight of 155 pounds (70 kg) and vary depending on several factors, including body weight, swimming intensity, and stroke.

Each stroke targets a different set of muscles, allowing you to vary your workout and keep things interesting. For beginners, starting with the freestyle stroke is often the easiest to learn and most effective for burning calories.

If laps aren’t you’re thing, I recommend trying my 30 minute pool workout with simple but effective exercises for any age.

Swimming is a fun and effective way to burn calories, improve endurance, and tone your muscles.

Whether you prefer swimming laps in a pool or splashing around in the ocean, make sure to incorporate this low-impact cardio workout into your fitness routine for maximum weight loss results.

Did you know you can work on your core no matter what your age?

The transverse abdominis extends between your ribs and pelvis and is the deepest of the six ab muscles. Its fibers run horizontally, wrapping around your trunk from front to back like a corset. 

To find it, try this: Place your hand on your lower abs and cough a few times. That contracting muscle you feel? That’s your transverse abdominis—and targeting this particular muscle is the best way to tone your lower abs!

These exercises can help tone and strengthen your lower abs, reduce lower back pain, and keep you feeling fit, strong, and energized.

Core Workout Instructions:

• Be sure to take your time and maintain good form (these are not about speed!), and remember to breathe.
• Try to incorporate these exercises into your workout routine weekly for the best results!

1. Full Plank Exercise

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The plank is a staple of most ab workouts because it recruits the entire core!

How to perform a plank:

• Begin kneeling on all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders and toes on the mat.
• Tighten your abdominals and raise your body up off the floor, lengthening your legs behind you. Hold your entire body tight, and remember to breathe.

2. Bird Dog

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Bird dogs strengthen the lower back and abdominals while promoting stability and balance. You can also try these balance exercises to improve coordination.

How to perform a bird dog:

• Kneel on the mat on all fours. Reach one arm long, draw in the abdominals, and extend the opposite leg long behind you.
• Repeat on the other side.

3. Forearm Side Plank

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Forearm side planks don’t just target your core—they also strengthen your shoulders and upper back.

How to perform a forearm side plank:

• Being lying on the floor with your forearm on the mat and your shoulder stacked over your elbow. Legs are long, with your feet stacked on top of each other.
• Lift your body into a side plank position, keeping your lower knee on the floor and your abdominals engaged. Try not to let your hips rise or drop.
• Repeat on the other side.

4. Bend-Extend Ab Tuck

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Bend-extend ab tucks are great for working your lower abdominal area and protecting your lower back.

How to perform a bend-extend ab tuck:

• Start seated on the mat with arms behind you, hands on the mat, and fingers facing your backside. Sit back on your hands and lift up your feet off the mat, keeping the knees bent.
• Keep abs tight, press your legs out long, and your lower back down slightly (you should feel your lower abdominals working). Push yourself back up and pull your knees in to return to the start position.

5. Bicycle Crunch

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Bicycle crunches help build coordination and a strong core.

How to perform a bicycle crunch:

• Start lying on your back with your feet off the floor and legs in a tabletop position. Hands are behind your head, and your head, neck, and shoulders are flexed off the mat.
• Bring one knee in and to the opposite elbow, reaching towards it. Repeat on the other side in a crisscross motion working the obliques.

6. Toe Reach

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Toe reaches focus on core engagement and really target the transverse abdominis.

How to perform toe reaches:

• Start on your back with your legs long-reaching towards the ceiling.
• Bring your head, neck, and shoulders off the mat and reach your arms up towards your feet. Return to the tips of the shoulders and repeat.

7. Bridge

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Bridges stretch the chest, neck, spine, and hips while strengthening the glutes, core, and lower back. They also promote good posture!

How to perform a bridge: 

• Begin lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor close to the glutes.
• Place your arms flat on the floor next to you, tucking your shoulders under your back. Align your knees with your hip bones.
• Press your palms down as you lift your hips high and squeeze the glutes and abdominals. Keep your neck relaxed on the mat.
• Continue to breathe and hold for 30 seconds.

8. Leg Drop

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Leg drops focus on strengthening the lower abs and back. Keep your movements slow to really work the core!

How to perform leg drops:

• Start lying on your back with both legs long towards the ceiling.
• Keep your abs tight as you lower one leg until it’s a few inches off the floor, then switch legs.
• Tip: never go so low with your legs that your back pops off the mat.

9. Flutter Kick

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You’ll definitely feel these flutter kicks in your lower abs!

How to perform flutter kicks: 

• Start lying on your back, legs extended at a 45-degree angle, with your arms down at your sides and your legs off the ground.
• Slightly lift your head, shoulders, and neck off the ground.
• Start kicking (or fluttering) your legs up and down, alternating as you go. Your flutters should be at a pace you can maintain while still keeping your core still.
• Try to flutter for at least 30 seconds, or as long as you can!

10. Bear Crawl Hold

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The bear crawl hold is another challenging move, but it’s perfect for activating your core, shoulders, quads, back, and hips.

How to perform a bear crawl hold: 

• Start on all fours and lift your knees so that they’re at a 90-degree angle and hovering an inch off the ground. Only your palms and toes should be touching the floor.
• Keep your back flat, core engaged, legs hip-width apart, and arms shoulder-width apart. 
• Hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds, or as long as you can!

One of the best things you can do to stay healthy and active with age is to make mobility exercises a regular part of your routine!

Even if you’re already noticing mobility issues crop up, it’s never too late to start exercising. In fact, a quick mobility routine is often all it takes to start feeling better.

Here are the biggest benefits of mobility exercises:

• Keeps joints healthy
• Improves stiffness and pain 
• Makes everyday activities easier
• Help you stay active
• Helps you look (and feel!) younger

To see these benefits firsthand, try our 10 mobility exercises for seniors to help keep you in action and improve your overall health for years to come.

Tips for Doing These Exercises

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Before starting the next 10 exercises, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• These mobility exercises are for older adults with mobility issues and those looking to stay active. They’re not for people with injuries. These folks should work with a physical therapist or other healthcare provider who can supervise their recovery.
• You only need floor space, a yoga mat, and a chair for most of these exercises.
• Do these exercises two to three times per week. Keep your movements controlled and work at a comfortable pace.
• At first, these exercises might feel awkward and stiff. But the more you do them, the warmer your muscles and the looser your joints will get. Over time, the following exercises will feel easier, and so will daily physical activity.
• Can’t do an exercise as written? Good news! We’ve included tips to modify a move if needed. 

Let’s get started!

1. Shoulder Rolls

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Basic shoulder rolls are simple exercises that loosen up the shoulder muscles and joints. Shoulder mobility is critical for basic tasks like reaching overhead and sports like tennis and swimming. 

How to perform a shoulder roll:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Shrug your shoulders up toward your ears. Then, slowly roll them in a forward motion.
3. After about 30 seconds, roll your shoulders in a backward motion. 

Muscle Groups Targeted: Shoulders

2. Arm Circles

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This move loosens the shoulder joints and engages the shoulders, biceps, and triceps. It’s an easy way to improve posture and get your arms and shoulders ready for sports like swimming and pickleball.

How to perform an arm circle:

1. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart. 
2. Raise and extend your arms to your sides. 
3. Without bending the elbows, rotate your arms forward in small circles for 30 seconds. Then, rotate your arms backward in small circles for 30 seconds. 

Muscle Groups Targeted: Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps, Upper Back

3. Hip Circles

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This simple exercise helps loosen up the muscles and joints in your hips. As the hips play a role in practically every activity you do, it’s important for them to have a healthy range of motion.

How to perform a hip circle:

1. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart and place your hands on your hips.
2. Keeping a slight bend in your knees, slowly circle your hips in a clockwise direction for 30 seconds. Then switch directions and circle your hips counterclockwise for 30 seconds.. 

Muscle Groups Targeted: Lower Back, Hips

4. Standing Side Bends

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The standing side bend stretches the spine and obliques (side abs). This helps improve posture for sports, new exercise, and daily activities.

How to perform a standing side bend:

1. Stand tall with feet and legs together. On an inhale, reach both arms straight up overhead. 
2. Lower your right arm to the right side of your body. On an exhale, lengthen the left arm over your head, bending your body gently to the right. 
3. Inhale to return both arms overhead and repeat on the left side. Do six to 10 reps per side.

Do this exercise in a sturdy chair if you get tired from standing or can’t keep your balance while bending. If chair exercises fit your comfort zone, try these 10 best chair exercises for seniors too!

Muscle Groups Targeted: Spine, Obliques

5. Wall Push-Ups

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Wall push-ups are a great mobility exercise for seniors that target the shoulders, chest and triceps. It helps with daily activities such as pushing open doors and getting up from a chair.

How to perform a wall push-up:

1. While standing, place your hands on a wall shoulder-width apart.
2. Perform a push-up, lowering your chest toward the wall slowly. Then press back up.
3. Your elbows should angle behind you, not point straight out to the sides.
4. Do six to 10 reps.

Muscle Groups Targeted: Shoulders, Triceps

6. Side-to-Side Lunges

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This is a great lower body exercise for strengthening your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and inner and outer thighs. And by moving side-to-side, you’ll improve balance and stability.

How to perform a side-to-side lunge:

1. Start standing with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and toes pointed forward. 
2. Shift your body weight onto one leg and bend the knee to a 90-degree angle. Press your glutes behind you and keep the other leg straight. 
3. Return to the center and switch sides. Do six to 10 reps per side.

To make this exercise easier, shorten your range of motion or hold onto the back of a chair for balance.

Muscle Groups Targeted: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings, Outer Thighs, Inner Thighs

7. Chair Squats

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This move strengthens the lower body and opens up the hips, helping build the strength and mobility you need to climb stairs and go from sitting to standing. 

How to perform a chair squat:

1. Stand directly in front of your chair, facing away from it with feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointing forward.
2. Keeping your chest lifted, bend your knees to sit your hips down and back. Gently tap the chair with your butt.
3. Push yourself back up to the starting position. Do six to 10 reps.

Muscle Groups Targeted: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings

8. Cat-Cows

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The cat-cow yoga pose is a great mobility exercise for seniors that uses slow movements to release tension all along the spine, from the neck to the tailbone. It’s very effective for improving posture and doesn’t require any special equipment.

How to perform a cat-cow:

1. Begin on your hands and knees with hands directly under shoulders and knees directly under hips. 
2. Start with your spine in a “neutral” or long position. On an exhale, slowly tuck your tailbone, lowering the crown of your head so your back gently rounds into a cat pose. 
3. Return to a neutral spine. On an inhale, gently lift your chest and tailbone so your lower back curves downward. Look slightly upward with a relaxed neck. This is cow pose.
4. Continue alternating between cat and cow for six to 10 reps.

You can also do cat-cow standing if the floor version is too challenging. Simply place your hands on top of your knees or on the seat of a chair and focus on moving your spine.

Muscle Groups Targeted: Neck, Spine, Shoulders, Upper Back, Middle Back, Lower Back

9. Bird Dogs

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The bird-dog strengthens the lower back and abdominals while teaching your body to balance and find stability.

How to perform a bird-dog:

1. Begin on your hands and knees with hands directly under shoulders and knees directly under hips. 
2. Reach one arm long, draw in the abdominals, and extend the opposite leg behind you. Hold briefly. 
3. Return your hand and knee to the floor and repeat on the other side. Do six to 10 reps per side.

To make the exercise easier, lift just one limb at a time instead of two. Or keep your limbs closer to the ground. 

Muscle Groups Targeted: Abdominals, Lower back

10. Bridges

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The bridge is a classic yoga pose that stretches the chest, neck, spine and hips and also strengthens the glutes, core and lower back.

How to perform a bridge:

1. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor close to your glutes. Your knees should be in line with your hip bones.
2. Place your arms flat on the floor at your sides and tuck your shoulders under your back.
3. Press your palms into the ground as you raise your hips, squeezing your glutes and abdominals. Keep your neck relaxed on the mat.
4. Continue to move your hips up and down for 30 seconds.

Muscle Groups Targeted: Chest, Neck, Spine, Glutes, Abdominals, Lower Back

Believe it or not, you can get the body you want – at any age!

Ready to lose lower belly fat? Unfortunately, endless sit-ups aren’t the answer.

The reason? You can’t spot-reduce belly fat. If you want to lose fat, you have to lose it all over.

Getting rid of stubborn belly fat and sculpting the muscles underneath requires a healthy diet and ramping up your workouts. 

Here are nine helpful lifestyle and exercise tips from experts to help get rid of that annoying lower belly fat.

1. Get Active!

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To lose weight all over, you have to shed your “extra layer” of visceral fat to see the muscles underneath. That’s where cardio comes in!

The CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week, including anything from jogging, jumping rope, cycling, or a spin class.

Walking is also a great option! There are so many benefits from regular walking, including:

• It burns calories: A power walk can burn anywhere from 200 to 400 calories per hour or more, depending on the speed.
• It can ease knee pain from osteoarthritis.
• It can protect your heart: Research shows walking can lower your risk of cardiovascular events like a heart attack or stroke.
• It can help prevent varicose veins.
• It helps improve your immune system.
• It can lower your blood pressure.

The bottom line? Whether you enjoy running, walking, or dancing, there is no “right” way to raise your heart rate, so pick what you like to do!

2. Try HIIT Workouts

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If you are willing to try High-Intensity Interval Training (or HIIT), it’s a top choice for anyone looking to get rid of belly fat. HIIT helps you burn more fat and calories in less time!

HIIT exercises require maximum effort through quick, intense bursts of exercise followed by short recovery periods. HIIT workouts include some of the best exercises to train and condition your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems.

Consider HIIT your intense workouts, which you only need two to three times a week. Combine them with low-intensity exercise to maximize weight loss!

3. Incorporate Ab-Targeting Exercises

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While you can’t spot-reduce fat in any area of your body, you can absolutely work to tone (or spot-sculpt) specific areas (especially your abs) by using strength training and toning exercises.

Core exercises and lower ab workouts will strengthen and tighten your abs and promote healthy aging. Strong core muscles are important for better balance and most daily activities.

If you’re not sure how to get started, check out some of our best lower-ab exercises that target unwanted belly fat!

4. Create a Calorie Deficit

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It’s fairly straightforward: If you want to lose excess fat and get rid of that lower belly pooch fast, you need to burn more calories than you take in. This is what is referred to as a “calorie deficit.”

In addition to exercise, you also need to maintain a balanced diet, cut down on processed foods (such as frozen meals, deli meats, chips, cookies, etc.), and watch your liquid calorie intake (like alcohol, tea, and soda).

Journaling about your food intake will help you understand what you’re eating and the calories in each meal. If a journal isn’t your thing, try an app like MyFitnessPal.

5. Boost Your Protein and Fiber Intake

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Fiber has a wide range of benefits, including helping you lose weight. Some types of fiber slow the absorption of nutrients, allowing you to feel full longer, which helps you consume fewer calories throughout the day.

Foods high in fiber include fruits (raspberries, bananas, avocados, and pears), veggies (peas, broccoli, and turnip greens), grains (whole wheat pasta and quinoa), and legumes (lentils and black beans).

Protein is made up of amino acids and helps feed and repair our muscles; however, it’s where you are getting your protein that matters most! Try good protein sources such as fish, poultry, eggs, low-fat dairy, leafy greens, broccoli, and asparagus.

6. Reduce Sugar and Refined Carbs

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To maximize weight loss, especially in your lower belly, you should significantly limit or eliminate added sugars and refined carbohydrates (or “empty” calories).

Foods high in refined carbs include white flour and bread, pastries, cookies, cakes, donuts, muffins, breakfast foods like waffles and pancakes, white rice, and pizza dough.

Added sugars like those in sugary drinks (such as soda and juice), processed meals, fast food, and candy increase your hunger and desire for more sugar, neither of which makes weight loss easier! Try sticking to the natural sugar found in fruits, veggies, and dairy products.

7. Stay Hydrated

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Water has plenty of benefits, including maintaining a healthy weight, aiding digestion (thus reducing belly bloat), improving energy, and reducing hunger.

Moreover, in a living, moving body, skeletal muscle is 75 to 80 percent water. In order to put healthy muscle on your body, drinking water is necessary!

On average, you should be drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water a day. If you exercise regularly, add another glass or two to that.

8. Focus on Stress Management

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Although it’s not necessarily the first step in reducing belly fat, chronic stress can certainly be counterproductive to weight loss. Research suggests a correlation between high cortisol levels (also known as the stress hormone) and increased abdominal fat. 

Some ways to help manage stress include meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, self-care, therapy, and exercise.

9. Prioritize Sleep

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You may not think sleep is connected to your weight loss journey, but research shows otherwise!

A study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine found that when dieters got a full night’s sleep, more than half of their weight loss was fat, as opposed to sleep-deprived dieters whose fat loss only accounted for one-fourth of their total weight loss.

Adults should regularly get the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep to stay healthy. Try these 15 tips for getting better sleep.

Planks are one of those solid, tried-and-true workout moves that deliver on what it promises — tight, strong abs. If you’ve nailed the basic plank and are ready to take it to the next level, we’ve got you covered. This is the challenge you need to stay fit in 2024!

Each of our plank variations offers the elements of balance, symmetry, oblique lifts, and lower back engagement to give you a complete, all-around core strength challenge.

Follow These Workout Instructions for Optimal Results:

• Perform each exercise for the time provided and move directly to the next one.
• Go through the routine twice for a 7-minute ab-building workout.
• Your form is crucial, so keep everything tight and aligned.
• This is a great challenge to add to the end of your cardio workout or at-home workout when you have a few spare minutes and want to work your core!

1. Plank to Single-Arm Reach

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How to do a plank to single-arm reach:

1. Begin in a plank position with your shoulders over your wrists, your feet together, and your body in a straight line.
2. Raise your right arm and hold for one count.  Repeat on the other side.
3. Continue for 30 seconds.

2. Side Plank Lift-and-Lower Exercise

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How to do a side plank lift-and-lower:

• Come into a side forearm plank by lying in one long line on one side, stacking your elbow under your shoulder and keeping your forearm on the mat perpendicular to your body. Stack your feet and stay in one long line as you engage your core and lift your hips up forming a side forearm plank.
• Dip your hips down toward the mat and lift back up using your obliques and core muscles.
• Keep dipping for 30 seconds. Then, switch to the other side for another 30 seconds.

3. Side Plank Crunch

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How to do a side plank crunch:

1. Come into a side forearm plank by lying in one long line on one side, stacking your elbow under your shoulder, and keeping your forearm on mat perpendicular to your body. Stack your feet and stay in one long line as you engage your core and lift your hips up forming a side forearm plank. Lift your top arm toward the ceiling.
2. Bring the elbow on your top arm and knee on your top leg in to tap the elbow and knee together. Then reach both long and repeat the tap working your obliques and entire core with these crunches.
3. Perform for 30 seconds on each side.

4. Reverse Plank Exercise

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How to do a reverse plank:

1. Start seated on the floor with legs long in front of your body. Place hands behind your hips slightly wider than shoulders with fingers pointed toward your feet.
2. Lift hips and torso off the floor and gaze up toward the ceiling keeping your neck relaxed. Keep your body in a long line with softly pointed toes. Keep abdominals tight and do not let your back sag.
3. Hold for 30 seconds, then release to the floor slowly.

5. Cross-Body Plank

Photo Credit: Get Healthy U

To perform a cross-body plank:

1. Begin in a plank position with your shoulders over your wrists, your feet together, and your body in a straight line.
2. Lift your right leg off the floor and bring your knee toward your chest and across your body, bringing your knee as close to your opposite elbow as possible. Return your leg to be back in a full plank and repeat on the opposite side.
3. Repeat for 30 seconds.

Rest for 30 seconds and repeat all five moves for a total of 7 minutes!

While more intense exercise like high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is essential for losing fat, there are plenty of everyday activities that burn calories! Even better? They also count towards the CDC-recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week.

Moderate-intensity activities get you moving strenuously enough to burn off three to six times as much energy per minute as you do when sitting quietly.

Even though moderate-intensity, everyday activities might not seem like exercise, there are still great health benefits, like:

• Increased energy
• Reduced blood pressure
• Reduced risk for type 2 diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and cancer
• Lessened arthritis pain
• Lowered risk of osteoporosis
• Decreased  symptoms of anxiety and depression

So, if you don’t have time for a workout, try one of these 12 daily activities that burn more calories than you might realize.

(Note: All of the calorie estimates are based on data for a person weighing around 150 lbs. You may burn more or less, depending on your weight.)

1. Shopping

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Calories Burned: 500-600 calories in 3 hours

It’s fun to head out for a day of shopping to find something fresh and new! A 150-pound person can burn up to 200 calories per hour walking at about 2 mph. And let’s face it—no one shops for just an hour!

2. Cleaning

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Calories Burned: 324 calories per hour

Maybe cleaning isn’t under the category of things you enjoy. (Or maybe it is!) In either case, it’s a very active way to spend your day and quickly burn calories!

Doing some heavy cleaning, whether it’s mopping, shining the windows, or washing the car by hand, is a great way to be productive while getting in a decent workout.

3. Painting the House

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Calories Burned: 352 calories per hour

There’s something refreshing about painting a room, isn’t there? It brightens the entire space and gives it a calm, clean feel.

Instead of spending hundreds of dollars hiring a painter for your next painting job, save the money and do it yourself. Paint is relatively cheap, and you’ll burn tons of calories in the process.

4. Grocery Shopping

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Calories Burned: 212 calories per hour

You have to do it anyway, right? Instead of ordering groceries online and having them delivered, burn some calories by doing it yourself!

Pushing a cart up and down the grocery store aisles for an hour will burn around 200 calories. Bonus if you bag your own groceries!

5. Playing with the Kids

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Calories Burned: Around 282 calories per hour

Whether they’re your kids or your grandkids, getting some one-on-one play time can be incredibly beneficial! Play hopscotch, dance, help them ride a bike, play tag, or get moving in another way that everyone enjoys.

Try these 45 fun and healthy activities to do with kids for even more great ideas!

6. Outdoor Clean-Up

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Calories Burned: Around 1800 calories in four hours

If you’re into volunteering, cleaning up a beach or other outdoor area is great exercise!

If you head out for a few hours to pick up trash, you’ll do something good for the community and torch a bunch of calories in the process.

7. Mowing the Lawn

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Calories Burned: 396 calories per hour

No, not with a riding mower! Pushing a lawnmower, even the self-propelled style, is a fantastic cardiovascular and strength activity combined in one.

Plus, you’ll get a great leg workout with bonus core strengthening when you pull your abs in to protect your back.

8. Walking the Dog

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Calories Burned: 133 calories in 30 minutes

When you take your dog out for some fresh air (and a potty break), you can burn over 100 calories in 30 minutes just by walking 3.5 mph. Not too shabby, right?

If you don’t have a dog, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a morning stroll. A leisurely walk might not feel like much, but you’re getting more of a workout than you think!

Try my power walking challenge to up your steps while getting support along the way.

9. Moving

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Calories Burned: 500 calories per hour

No one likes moving, but the next time your friend asks for help, you might want to consider it!

Moving heavy boxes around can burn around 500 calories per hour. And since moving is usually an all-day affair, you’ll get a pretty major workout without going near a gym!

10. Sleeping

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Calories Burned: 44 calories per hour

Yep—you burn calories while you sleep! This might motivate you to aim for those coveted 7-8 hours of sleep every night: getting a good 8 hours can burn around 350 calories.

These are my favorite tips for getting better sleep!

Whether standing, walking, or climbing stairs, we need our hips for just about every physical activity! So, when the joint we need for everyday movement isn’t at its best, neither are we.

While you should always visit your doctor for chronic or severe pain, there are some hip pain relief treatment options you can try on your own. There are a range of options, from light exercises to homeopathic remedies.

Let’s look at the common causes of hip pain, some of the best at-home hip pain treatments, and when to contact your doctor.

1. Start Your Day with the Right Stretches for Mobility

It is fairly common to get tight hip flexor muscles if you spend a lot of time sitting, running, or biking. Because everything in your body is connected, you’ll need to work the hip flexors and the surrounding muscles and joints that support them.

For example, when your hips feel tight, it can cause overuse of the spine, resulting in pain in your lower back. Adding hip stretches and mobility exercises will support the muscles and joints in the back and spine. 

These are the best mobility exercises to stay active. Plus, you can try these hip-opening stretches and the best yoga poses to relieve tight hips.

2. Evaluate Your Feet

Sometimes, hip pain can signal problems with how you’re walking or the type of shoes you wear. 

If you’re a runner, make sure your shoes have adequate cushioning and support. Chiropractors can also help assess your gait (i.e., how you naturally walk) and see if you over or under-pronate your foot. 

Pronation is how your foot rolls inward when you walk and run. Under or overpronation can cause hip issues because your gluteus muscles have to work extra hard to overcompensate.

3. Work Your Thigh Muscles

Your thigh muscles help support your hips more than you may think! If you suffer from arthritis in particular, strengthening those thigh muscles will help support your hips more and hopefully lessen your pain.

Try these exercises that strengthen the thigh muscles or add leg lifts and pilates moves that target the hips and thighs into your exercise routine. 

Also, be sure to check out our hip-strengthening exercises for seniors.

4. Get More Exercise (But Avoid High-Impact Workouts)

Movement, in general, is also a great way to strengthen a weak hip. Try lower-impact options like walking or cycling, and avoid high-impact activities like running and jumping. Low impact doesn’t have to mean ineffective. All of our favorite picks for the best hip exercises for seniors will help strengthen your hips!

If stability is a problem for you, feel free to grab a chair, couch, or even the wall to hold onto while performing these standing exercises. The more you do these hip exercises, the more you will develop stability and balance. 

5. Give Water Aerobics a Try

Swimming and water exercises are amazing, low-impact exercises. The body is unweighted in water, making it easier to exercise for longer, with less impact. Plus, resistance in water can be anywhere from 4 to 42 times greater than on land, making a pool or body of water a natural weight-training machine! 

These are our favorite pool exercises for seniors, plus a 30-minute pool workout to help you get started. Walking and yoga are other great low-impact exercise options.

6. Know the Difference Between Hot and Cold Therapy

It’s helpful to understand when to use hot vs. cold therapy to treat your hip pain.

Cold Therapy

For new injuries or acute pain, it’s a good idea to use cold therapy, like ice or a cooling gel pack.

• Ice not only numbs the pain but will decrease inflammation and swelling.
• You do not want to use heat to treat acute injuries because it can increase inflammation, delaying your healing.

Heat Therapy

For chronic injuries or arthritis pain, you’ll want to use heat therapy like soaking in a warm tub, or applying a hot compress or heating pad.

• Heat works best for chronic pain because it increases blood flow and helps relax and soothe those tight or painful joints.
• It’s best to apply heat before a workout if you have chronic pain, not after, as that can aggravate your muscles.

7. Try Acupuncture

This 3000-year-old Chinese practice is used to treat a variety of ailments, from muscle pain to depression. Chronic hip pain sufferers may consider acupuncture as an alternative therapy option that doesn’t involve hip surgery or drug treatment.

8. Try to Maintain a Healthy Weight

Carrying excess weight can contribute to hip pain, as your hip is a weight-bearing joint. The more weight you have to support while walking and moving, the more strain your hips feel.

As we previously mentioned, even just one pound of weight loss can feel like removing six pounds of pressure from your hips. 

Getting rid of excess body weight can lessen the strain on your hips and improve your general health. Every little bit helps!

9. Prioritize Sleep

Of course, one of the best ways to treat hip pain at home is to rest. Identify whatever activity is causing the hip pain or making it worse, and take a break.

While your body does need movement and exercise to heal and build strength, initial rest can be important after an injury. For example, a mild, strained hip flexor could require one to three weeks of rest and treatment to recover, while a more severe case may take months.

What’s the main reason behind your weight loss goals?

Finding your “why”—or the driving force behind your weight loss journey—is essential for staying motivated and achieving your goals.

But what is it, exactly? Are you losing weight simply to improve your physical appearance, or is it something else that drives you to make healthier choices?

I always tell my clients that their “why” for wanting to get healthier or lose weight needs to be tied to something deeper—having more energy, getting better sleep, improving relationships, becoming more active, or gaining clearer focus. Weight loss will be the byproduct of achieving these things.

Let’s explore the steps for finding your “why,” setting realistic goals, creating an action plan, and staying motivated along your entire weight loss journey.

1. Identify Your “Why”

It’s essential to understand why you want to make a change in your life. Identifying your “why” can help keep you motivated and focused on achieving your goals.

Your “why” is the purpose behind the action that will drive you forward when times get tough. I like to call it your “purpose statement.” 

Your “why” should be more than just wanting a better physique; it needs to have emotional meaning. It connects to your life values and is so much deeper than just weight loss. Weight loss is the byproduct of your new habits. 

When it comes to weight loss, one size doesn’t fit all. Every person will have a deeper reason as to why weight loss will change their life.

For example:

• Are you looking to improve your overall health?
• Do you want more energy or confidence?
• Are you trying to stay healthy for your kids or grandchildren?
• Do you have medical issues that would benefit from a healthier weight?
• Are you sick of being tired all the time?

No matter the incentive, figuring out why you’re striving for a transformation can assist in sustaining your dedication and keeping you on track to attaining your ambition. These deeper desires will eventually result in weight loss because you’ll change your habits to achieve them.

Once you’ve identified your why (and it can’t be “weight loss”—you need something meaningful!), it’s time to determine how you will get started by setting your goals.

2. Set Realistic Goals

Achieving success necessitates the need for goals. It helps to focus your energy and create a plan for reaching the desired outcome. Goals should be realistic, measurable, and achievable within a reasonable amount of time.

Here’s the plan:

Break Down Large Goals Into Smaller Steps

To ensure that you are setting yourself up for success, it’s best to break down large goals into smaller tasks or steps. Smaller objectives can be established to make the larger goal more manageable and keep you inspired as you progress.

Example: If your aim is to shed 10 pounds by the start of summer, break it down into bite-sized portions, such as losing 1-2 lbs per week for the upcoming months.

Set Weekly or Monthy Mini-Goals

These small successes will add up over time and help keep you on track toward achieving your overall goal.

Example: Exercise five times a week for 20 minutes or cut out sugary snacks from your diet completely.

Find Your Support System

When aiming to reach objectives, consider who or what support systems you can utilize to ensure success.

Examples:

• Consider asking for support from friends and family who can offer encouragement when needed.
• Join a gym with knowledgeable trainers who can provide guidance during workouts.
• Connect with an online community where people share their experiences related to similar objectives so that you don’t feel isolated on your journey toward success.

3. Create an Action Plan

Once your goals are set and organized, it’s time to create a plan of action. This is often where people stop. They set their goals but never really decide how they will actually make them happen.  

Creating a solid action plan is essential to achieving any goal. Think of this as the roadmap that will help you get from where you are now to where you want to be.

An action plan will lay out the daily, weekly, and even monthly tasks you need to do. It also involves a timeline for completing each step.

Here’s how to create your action plan:

Create a “Stop/Start Doing” List

This helps identify the habits you know you need to stop doing and creates awareness of the habits you’d like to adopt. 

Example: Let’s say your goal is to eat healthier. Here is your “stop/start doing” list:

• During week one, eliminate added sugars from your diet. (I.e., something to stop doing.)
• During week two, make sure you’re getting five fruits and vegetables per day. (I.e., something to start doing.)
• During the following weeks, add more things to stop and start doing. You’ll create better habits as you do!

Create Timelines That Help Fit in New Routines

Consider how much time and effort each new habit will take to fit into your lifestyle without becoming overwhelming or too difficult to manage.

Example: If your nearest gym is 30 minutes away, maybe exercising at home is a better choice. If necessary, adjust the timeline accordingly to work along with your schedule and other commitments.

Build In Rewards

Make sure you add in rewards along the way! This could be in the form of self-care after reaching certain milestones or celebrating small victories with the purchase of something you’ve wanted for a while.

You decide what works for you, but make sure you celebrate the milestones because you deserve it!

Monitor Your Progress

Regularly monitor progress on each task with weekly reviews. This holds yourself accountable and keeps you motivated!

Remember that you might not reach your goals in the first weeks or months—but don’t get discouraged. Just ensure your action steps are realistic and achievable so they don’t become overwhelming or discouraging.

4. Journal Your “Why”

Journaling your “why” is a powerful tool to help you stay focused and motivated on the path toward creating a healthier, happier life.

Writing down how you feel before beginning any kind of lifestyle change helps you stay connected with yourself during moments of doubt or discouragement. It allows you time to reflect on your progress thus far and what lies ahead if you remain committed over time.

Journaling before, during, and after your progress allows you access to your innermost thoughts, which gives clarity during the journey.

I’m also a big believer in positive affirmations. Add some to your journal to read them every day to connect yourself back to your “why.”  

Staying motivated can be a challenge when progress seems slow or difficult. I always say, “Strive for progress, not perfection.” Weight loss is hard. You need to dig deep inside, find your grit, be patient, and stay the course.

With dedication and perseverance, finding your “why” can be a powerful tool in helping you reach success with weight loss. So ask yourself—what is my “why?”

Power walking is one of the most underrated forms of exercise—but it shouldn’t be!

There are so many benefits associated with regular walking, including:

• It’s low-impact: Walking gives you a great heart rate boost without wreaking havoc on your joints and connective tissue.
• It burns calories: A power walk can burn anywhere from 200 to 400 calories per hour or more, depending on the speed.
• It can ease knee pain from osteoarthritis.
• It can protect your heart: Research shows walking can lower your risk of cardiovascular events like a heart attack or stroke.
• It can help prevent varicose veins.
• It helps improve your immune system.
• It can lower your blood pressure.

If you’re looking to lose weight by power walking, it’s absolutely doable! Here are 7 tips for maximizing your weight loss with power walking.

1. Warm Up First

Stretching is crucial, even before a walk! Warming up your muscles helps you avoid strain and injury. If you’re too sore or in pain after a walking workout, it can throw a wrench in your routine.

After a stretch, begin your walk slowly. Start by walking for about 5 minutes at a slower pace, and consider adding some walking lunges and hip circles.

2. Maintain Good Posture

Posture is key to a good power walk. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Stand tall: Pull your abs in, keep your head up, pull your shoulders back (but keep them relaxed), and lift your chest.
• Keep your arms moving: Good arm motion will help you burn 5-10 percent more calories. Make relaxed fists, bend your elbows 90 degrees, and keep your elbows pulled in close to your body as you pump your arms straight forward (not diagonally). Be sure they stay low, not going past your breastbone.
• Watch your foot motion: Your footsteps should be in a heel-to-toe motion. Your heel hits first, then your foot rolls through your toe.
• Keep your strides natural: Don’t try to speed up by taking giant steps or an unnaturally long stride.

3. Incorporate Hills

Thanks to gravity, it requires more energy to walk uphill, and you’ll burn more calories!

For every 1 percent of the uphill grade, a 150-pound person burns roughly 10 more calories per mile.

4. Add a Little Weight

A weighted vest surrounds your core, keeping you balanced while helping burn more calories.

One study found that those who wore a weighted vest equal to 15% of their body weight while walking on a treadmill burned 6.3 calories per minute, whereas those who didn’t burned 5.7 calories per minute

Since your body weight is higher with a vest, you’ll boost your walk’s intensity and give your muscles more of a workout while you’re at it!

Check out my entire beginner’s guide to rucking.

5. Keep a Brisk Pace

While you don’t need to run, you do need to walk briskly to increase your calorie burn. You’ll know you’re getting a good moderate-intensity walk when your breathing is harder and talking becomes more difficult.

Aim for a moderate-intensity walk of at least 2-3 mph to reach that coveted fat-burning zone. When you’re up for it, increase your speed to 3-4 mph to really maximize the number of calories burned.

These are my favorite walking workouts for weight loss.

6. Incorporate Intervals

Interval walks don’t just burn more calories; they also stimulate your metabolism in the period after your workout is finished. (A win-win!)

Interval walking can improve your endurance and help torch calories. Intervals include alternating short bursts of walking at a faster pace with short periods at a slower pace. You may actually prefer intervals if you’re not up for maintaining a quicker speed during your entire walk.

Try walking for three to four minutes at an average pace, then walk briskly (ideally, 3-4 mph) for 30 seconds. Repeat this five to ten times for an effective calorie-burning power walk. As you begin to build more endurance, you can increase the amount of time you walk briskly and reduce your time at a slower pace.

7. Be Mindful of Your Body

Power walking too many miles can increase the risk of injury and soreness. Don’t be tempted to start aggressively in an attempt to burn more calories.

If you are new to power walking, shoot for 15-20 minutes or less on your first few walks. After a week of regular movement, increase your time to 20-25 minutes.

After a couple more weeks, you will be up to a solid 30 to 45-minute walk! A good rule of thumb is to gradually increase your walks by 10 percent each week.

While aging is inevitable, but aging well is not!

There are many factors involved in maintaining good physical and mental health as you age, but one of the most important things to consider as you grow older is strength training.

Researchers at the National Institute on Aging have been studying the effects of strength training for decades and have found so many ways it promotes healthy aging. The biggest benefit? It can add years to your life.

Here are six ways strength training over 50 helps slow the aging process and keeps your body healthy and feeling younger than ever.

1. It Helps Build Lean Muscle Mass 

As we age, our bodies lose muscle if we’re not focused on a regular strength training workout. Those who strength train see tighter, more toned bodies rather than getting “bulky.”

It’s a myth that weight training will make you bulk up. It will, however, help you achieve that coveted toned appearance everyone wants!

It takes a combination of strength and cardio exercise. Cardio workouts help burn calories and get your heart pumping, which is critical for your overall heart health and weight management. But as that fat starts to melt off, you also need to strength train if you want any toned definition.

Being stronger means staying independent and strong for life’s daily activities, such as carrying groceries, lifting grandchildren, or engaging in fun activities like golf or other sports. 

2. It Improves Bone Density and Lowers Injury Risk

Injury prevention is important, especially as you age—and it’s an often-overlooked benefit of building muscle.

Unexpected falls put countless older people in the hospital every year. In fact, according to the CDC, falls are the leading cause of injury and death in older Americans.

By training the muscle and connective tissue that surrounds your bones, you are making yourself stronger and helping to prevent a fall from happening in the first place. Bone density is a big deal, and strength training is the best way to preserve it.

Strong muscles protect your bones and joints when they’re in motion and make your ligaments better at absorbing the shock they endure during dynamic movements. It’s important to incorporate weekly strength training into your routine to avoid random strains and sprains.

3. It Lowers the Risk of Obesity and Disease

Maintaining a healthy weight is important for preventing many diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, liver disease, and certain cancers.

Strength training is an excellent way to eliminate excess fat, keep your body healthy, and reduce the risk of obesity and the diseases that come with it.

For those already struggling with obesity, research shows that adding weight lifting to an exercise and diet routine for older adults yields better results than diet or aerobic exercise alone.

4. It Boosts Metabolism

Unfortunately, as you age, your metabolism begins to slow down. One great way to revive it is by weight training.

Your resting metabolic rate (RMR) is how many calories your body burns at rest. The more muscle you have on your body, the higher that metabolic rate.

Essentially, the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism works. Bottom line? When you have more muscle mass in your body, you burn more calories every day.

5. It Improves Mental Health

Strength training is not just about more muscle mass. As you get older, you may go through many life changes, making it normal to feel sad, stressed, or uneasy.

Adopting a strength training program has been shown to improve your confidence and boost your mental health. Moreover, Harvard Medical School reports that exercise helps lessen the incidence and the degree of clinical depression.

6. It Helps Balance, Coordination, and Mobility

Regular strengthening workouts improve your balance and coordination, which helps you do just about everything, from yoga and dance to daily tasks.

As you age, you tend to lose the overall muscle strength that allows you to balance. By lifting weights, you are not only building up muscle strength and protecting bone health but also forcing your body to function in an unbalanced state, thus improving overall balance and coordination.

Bending, lifting, balancing—these movements are very important as you age! If you can strength train, it will help you stay more coordinated and capable throughout the years.

Keeping your joints healthy is key to staying mobile and looking young as you age. 

Although you may not be able to prevent all join injuries or arthritis, there are many things you can start doing today to help keep your joints healthy so you look and feel young.

Use these 8 expert tips to keep your joints healthy, especially as you age.

1. Stretch Daily to Keep Your Joints Healthy 

While warming up before a workout is crucial, it’s equally important to stretch out all the major muscle groups after you’re finished.

Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds, breathing into it and feeling your muscles relax a little deeper with every exhale. 

When your muscles are tight, you decrease the range of motion within your joints, leading to additional pain during your workout.

If you can loosen your muscles post-workout, you’ll have happy joints ready to go for your next sweat session.

Try Some Of These Great Stretches:

• The 8 Best Leg Stretches
• 7 Hip-Opening Stretches That Will Make You Say “Ahhhhh”
• Hamstring Stretch Routine 
• Low Back Yoga Stretches

2. Foam Roll

Foam rolling helps your fascia, which is the connective tissue running through your body that surrounds and separates your muscles, joints, and organs. Fascia helps cushion your joints from impact, so when it’s tight or brittle (as it can become with age) your joints and muscles can suffer.

By performing what’s called myofascial release with a foam roller, you are bringing more fluid back into the fascia, helping your joints stay cushioned and thus pain-free during exercise.

Foam rollers are affordable and easy to use; aim to foam roll about three times a week to reduce your joint pain.

Here are 6 foam roller moves to loosen tight muscles to help you get started.

3. Adopt an Anti-Inflammatory Diet To Keep Joints Healthy

Researchers have identified that many foods found in the Mediterranean diet can help combat inflammation, which is a major cause of arthritis-related joint pain. Staples of the Mediterranean diet include fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines; antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies like berries, spinach, and kale; and monounsaturated fat sources like almonds, avocados, and olive oil.

You may also try incorporating more turmeric into your diet as it’s an anti-inflammatory spice that has been shown to improve joint swelling and stiffness in arthritis patients. Some people also take glucosamine and chondroitin supplements to help their joint pain; these are both structural components of cartilage that are naturally occurring in the body.

4. Break Up Your Workouts To Reduce Strain

For people with joint pain, it may be beneficial to adopt a certain methodology to your movement: if you’re doing a bodyweight workout or weight training, for example, don’t run through a circuit that’s just upper or lower body for too long. Alternate back and forth between upper and lower body exercises to avoid putting too much stress on any one area at a time.

For example, some people choose to do “arm day” and “leg day” but for people with joint pain, it’s better to break your workouts up so you’re not straining any one part. Do a set of push-ups, then focus on squats, etc.

5. Try Aquatic Workouts for Healthy Joints

Sometimes switching up your workout routine can be the best thing you do for your joints.

Taking your workouts to the pool can give your joints some much-needed relief, while still providing resistance that gives you a great workout. Swim laps, check out water aerobics, or try this 30-minute pool workout for inspiration.

6. Get The Proper Footwear

Everything in your body is connected, and regardless of the activity you’re doing, if your shoes don’t provide enough stability and cushion against the impact of your movement, your joints can suffer! Everything from ankle, knee and hip pain can be aggravated or even caused by improper footwear.

This is my guide to choosing the best shoes for walking.

7. Incorporate Both Low and High Impact Exercise For Keeping Your Joints Healthy 

If you suffer from joint pain, too much high-impact exercise can aggravate your body. But incorporating a little of it when you can is great for weight loss and making your muscles stronger.

Balance your workout routine with some higher impact work like plyometrics, interval training, or running, and then lower-impact cardio work like elliptical workouts, walking, swimming, or cycling.

The variety will help keep your body healthy and your muscles engaged without getting overworked.

8. Use Heat To Treat Joint Pain

Get in the habit of heating things up before your workouts. Unlike new injuries that respond well to ice, heat is best for treating chronic pain. The heat helps increase blood flow and soothe tight or painful joints.

Apply a warm towel or hot pack to areas that are stiff and sore before your workout to minimize discomfort.

Our bodies are not meant to sit all day. But way too many people spend the majority of their day in a sedentary way.

Moving your body through a healthy range of motion with light exercise keeps it working smoothly. It can even help prevent future health issues. Luckily, there is a simple solution: a walking pad.

Whether you’re working, watching TV, or cooking, a walking pad can help change any sedentary activity into an active one. Their compact size and affordable, lightweight design make them more approachable than traditional treadmills.

Here, we’ll take a closer look at why it’s important to boost your daily steps, everything you need to know about walking pads, and how they can help you lose weight.

You can also checkout my favorite walking pads for weight loss!

Why Daily Movement Is So Crucial for Health

We typically think of movement and calorie expenditure in terms of minutes of exercise. But, a lot of our daily activity ultimately comes from non-exercise activity thermogenesis (or NEAT).

So, what is NEAT? In short, NEAT includes all the activities we fit into our busy schedules that aren’t “exercise.” Think of things like walking to lunch, pacing on the phone, cleaning, cooking, climbing up and down stairs, watching your kids, folding laundry — the list goes on. 

Basically, NEAT is comprised of all the daily tasks that require some kind of physical activity. (But you wouldn’t consider it “exercise,” per se.)

Why is NEAT So Important?

Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic explains the importance of NEAT and the worthwhile opportunity for weight loss and other health gains.

Dr. Levine pioneered the treadmill desk, and his studies showed that when a healthy individual walks at a slow pace of around 1-2 mph during the workday, they can burn a significant amount of extra calories. This can make a huge impact in people’s weight loss efforts. It’s not sweaty exercise; it’s just consistent movement!

Levine makes the convincing argument that NEAT could burn up to 1,000 extra calories per day when added strategically to the workday. He also explained that obese individuals perform drastically less NEAT than those within a healthy weight range.

As we begin to understand the importance of NEAT, it’s easy to see how working from home or sitting at a desk all day can be quite an obstacle. How can you incorporate more movement into your day when you’re glued to a desk?

That’s where walking pads come into play!

Walking Pads vs. Treadmill Machines

Both walking pads and classic treadmills provide an opportunity for cardiovascular exercise. They are both exercise equipment tools with a user-friendly operation that can be used in a home gym or home office. However, the two have pretty stark differences.

Treadmills

Treadmills are commonly known for their powerful performance and have been a staple running machine in home gyms for years. They are typically heavy and immobile and take up quite a bit of space. Treadmills have many great features, like incline control and higher maximum speed capacities. They can be used for anything from a daily walk to an intense run.

Walking Pads

On the other hand, walking pads are a newer product on the market. With many workers trying to combat sitting at a desk all day and social media trends like cozy cardio, it makes sense that these walking pads are quickly gaining popular product reviews. 

These compact treadmill options are smaller, have lower speed capacities, and are usually portable, making them a great option for limited space. They are a simpler, more affordable option that allows you to walk for a long time in your home office or living room. Some have the capacity for running, but not nearly in the same way as a traditional treadmill does.

Benefits of Walking Pads

Walking pads work well just about anywhere. Any space from a small apartment to a home will work!

Whether working from home or watching TV, the extra steps will benefit your health and general mobility.

Here are just a few of the benefits of walking pads:

• Increase NEAT activity easily at home
• Compact designs are great for small spaces
• Easy to store when not in use
• Easy way to stay active while working
• Affordable pricing

Getting Started With Walking Pads

Walking pads are different than traditional treadmills. If you’re just starting to learn about walking pads, here are a few things you should know:

• Speed Capacity: Walking pads are made for slower movement than treadmills. Most walking pads have various speeds and will top out at a certain point. Top speed can max out around 4 miles per hour. If you’re looking for higher speeds or an option for running, a traditional treadmill might be a better fit.
• Incline: Most walking pads do not come with an adjustable incline feature. There are some available, but the added functionality typically makes them bulkier like regular treadmills.
• Portability: This is the beauty of the walking pad. It works well in small spaces. The compact design allows for easy storage under desks, beds, or standing against the wall, saving you valuable space. Some models are even foldable.  
• Size: These machines are made to be compact. Small, foldable, and movable designs are popular!
• Weight Capacity: The weight capacity for walking pads is much lower than a traditional treadmill. Common weight capacities are around 200-250 pounds. You’ll want to choose an option that works with your weight limit.
• Walking Pad Affordability: The good news is, since they are smaller and simpler than traditional treadmills, they are more affordable, too! Many walking pads fall within the price range of $200 to $500. 
• Data Tracking: Fair warning: A fitness tracker on your wrist like the Apple Watch may not accurately record your steps if you’re working at a standing desk. Typing and resting your arms on the desk will throw off the tracking. Luckily, most of the walking pad models have features that report your speed, time, distance, and calories burned. 

Can a Walking Pad Help You Lose Weight?

Walking pads are great for weight loss! Incorporating more steps into your day with a walking pad helps increase your calorie expenditure, which is key for losing weight.

But remember, your diet is essential, too. If you walk during your whole day but also eat a bunch of unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks, weight loss will be much harder!

That said, walking pads can certainly be helpful in your weight loss journey. If you’re already incorporating a healthy diet and appropriate exercise levels, extra daily movement may help push you towards your goals.

The extra low-impact activity of walking can also relieve stiffness and soreness and help keep your joints lubricated and strong, which helps you stay healthy and avoid injury.

Strength training, core exercises, and yoga are all great additions to expedite your weight loss journey. Walking pads can help with weight loss when you incorporate them into a well-rounded strategy!

Did you know you can work on your core no matter what your age?

The transverse abdominis extends between your ribs and pelvis and is the deepest of the six ab muscles. Its fibers run horizontally, wrapping around your trunk from front to back like a corset. 

To find it, try this: Place your hand on your lower abs and cough a few times. That contracting muscle you feel? That’s your transverse abdominis—and targeting this particular muscle is the best way to tone your lower abs!

These exercises can help tone and strengthen your lower abs, reduce lower back pain, and keep you feeling fit, strong, and energized.

Core Workout Instructions:

• Be sure to take your time and maintain good form (these are not about speed!), and remember to breathe.
• Try to incorporate these exercises into your workout routine weekly for the best results!

1. Full Plank Exercise

The plank is a staple of most ab workouts because it recruits the entire core!

How to perform a plank:

• Begin kneeling on all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders and toes on the mat.
• Tighten your abdominals and raise your body up off the floor, lengthening your legs behind you. Hold your entire body tight, and remember to breathe.

Watch the plank instructions on video, or join my 8 minute plank challenge!

2. Bird Dog

Bird dogs strengthen the lower back and abdominals while promoting stability and balance.

How to perform a bird dog:

• Kneel on the mat on all fours. Reach one arm long, draw in the abdominals, and extend the opposite leg long behind you.
• Repeat on the other side.

Learn more about doing the bird dog exercise.

3. Forearm Side Plank

Forearm side planks don’t just target your core—they also strengthen your shoulders and upper back.

How to perform a forearm side plank:

• Being lying on the floor with your forearm on the mat and your shoulder stacked over your elbow. Legs are long, with your feet stacked on top of each other.
• Lift your body into a side plank position, keeping your lower knee on the floor and your abdominals engaged. Try not to let your hips rise or drop.
• Repeat on the other side.

Learn more about doing the forearm side plank exercise.

4. Bend-Extend Ab Tuck

Bend-extend ab tucks are great for working your lower abdominal area and protecting your lower back.

How to perform a bend-extend ab tuck:

• Start seated on the mat with arms behind you, hands on the mat, and fingers facing your backside. Sit back on your hands and lift up your feet off the mat, keeping the knees bent.
• Keep abs tight, press your legs out long, and your lower back down slightly (you should feel your lower abdominals working). Push yourself back up and pull your knees in to return to the start position.

Learn more about doing the bend extend ab tuck exercise.

5. Bicycle Crunch

Bicycle crunches help build coordination and a strong core.

How to perform a bicycle crunch:

• Start lying on your back with your feet off the floor and legs in a tabletop position. Hands are behind your head, and your head, neck, and shoulders are flexed off the mat.
• Bring one knee in and to the opposite elbow, reaching towards it. Repeat on the other side in a crisscross motion working the obliques.

Learn more about doing the bicycle crunch exercise.

6. Toe Reach

Toe reaches focus on core engagement and really target the transverse abdominis.

How to perform toe reaches:

• Start on your back with your legs long-reaching towards the ceiling.
• Bring your head, neck, and shoulders off the mat and reach your arms up towards your feet. Return to the tips of the shoulders and repeat.

Learn more about how to perform the toe reach exercise.

7. Bridge

Bridges stretch the chest, neck, spine, and hips while strengthening the glutes, core, and lower back. They also promote good posture!

How to perform a bridge: 

• Begin lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor close to the glutes.
• Place your arms flat on the floor next to you, tucking your shoulders under your back. Align your knees with your hip bones.
• Press your palms down as you lift your hips high and squeeze the glutes and abdominals. Keep your neck relaxed on the mat.
• Continue to breathe and hold for 30 seconds.

Learn more about doing the bridge exercise.

8. Leg Drop

Leg drops focus on strengthening the lower abs and back. Keep your movements slow to really work the core!

How to perform leg drops:

• Start lying on your back with both legs long towards the ceiling.
• Keep your abs tight as you lower one leg until it’s a few inches off the floor, then switch legs.
• Tip: never go so low with your legs that your back pops off the mat.

9. Flutter Kick

You’ll definitely feel these flutter kicks in your lower abs!

How to perform flutter kicks: 

• Start lying on your back, legs extended at a 45-degree angle, with your arms down at your sides and your legs off the ground.
• Slightly lift your head, shoulders, and neck off the ground.
• Start kicking (or fluttering) your legs up and down, alternating as you go. Your flutters should be at a pace you can maintain while still keeping your core still.
• Try to flutter for at least 30 seconds, or as long as you can!

10. Bear Crawl Hold

The bear crawl hold is another challenging move, but it’s perfect for activating your core, shoulders, quads, back, and hips.

How to perform a bear crawl hold: 

• Start on all fours and lift your knees so that they’re at a 90-degree angle and hovering an inch off the ground. Only your palms and toes should be touching the floor.
• Keep your back flat, core engaged, legs hip-width apart, and arms shoulder-width apart. 
• Hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds, or as long as you can!

Agility ladder drills come with so many great benefits. Yes, you get your heart rate up, but agility ladder exercise focuses on speed, agility, and quickness far beyond that!W

With decades of experience, I’m breaking down the top benefits of adding agility ladder drills to your weekly workout schedule. Keep reading, the answers may surprise you!

After you see the amazing benefits, make sure you try my favorite agility ladder exercises that burn calories fast!

1. Improves Speed, Agility, and Quickness

Whether you’re an athlete or an exercise newbie, agility ladder drills are the perfect form of cross-training because they work on multiple outcomes at once.

• Speed: your ability to move with fast feet in one direction as quickly as possible
• Agility: your coordination—your ability to accelerate, decelerate, and handle a change of direction
• Quickness: your ability to use fast footwork to react or switch positions quickly

This training will also help your other workouts! You’ll see benefits in your strength training, cardio workouts and even your yoga practice.

2. Enhances Balance and Flexibility

Agility ladder drills require coordinated and controlled footwork. These movements help improve balance and lower body flexibility. Balance is critical in every day life, especially as we age!

Improving your balance may help reduce the risk of falls and injuries.

3. Increases Cardiovascular Fitness

The CDC recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of heart-pumping cardio per week; agility ladder exercises can certainly be a part of that!

Because agility ladder drills require so much precision, foot speed, and focus, they can elevate your heart rate in a short amount of time. You can also check out my top 9 picks for the best cardio workouts for weight loss that don’t involve any running : ).

4. Burns Tons Of Calories

Speed ladder drills are a great form of cardio that burn tons of calories! They are considered a type of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which means they do more in less time.

You’ll go “all-out” in short bursts of intense effort mixed with brief pauses. This format should burn more calories than a steady-state cardio activity.

There are many different types of workouts that fall into this HIIT category. You can see a few of my favorites in my list of 7 total body exercises that burn fat and build muscle.

5. Keeps You Mentally Sharp

Agility ladder drills help keep you young because they keep you on your toes and thinking fast. They require focus and concentration, which helps connect your brain to your body so they are working together.

Many people deal with increased brain fog symptoms as they age, and regular exercise can help.

6. It’s FUN!

We all get bored with our workouts sometimes and agility ladder drills are a fun way to mix it up. You will feel athletic and agile, and you can do the drills anywhere. Inside, in the basement, at the gym, or my favorite place, outside!

It’s so fun that your kids or grandkids may even want to join you.

Agility ladder drills are a great way to add a new exercise format to your routine that helps keep your body and brain feeling young and fresh!

Incorporate my favorite fitness tips into your weekly schedule to see better results for your health and well-bring.

Whether you’re new to your fitness journey or a seasoned pro, these tips can help up your game. I have decades of experience training thousands of women, and let me tell you, these are the pieces of advice that can help you look and feel your best!

1. Get at least 150 minutes of weekly exercise

The CDC recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week.

Break it down to 40 minutes 4 days a week, 30 minutes 5 days a week, or however you’d like. Choose what works best for your lifestyle, whether it’s one of my favorite cardio workouts, a daily yoga practice, a power walking challenge, or anything else that gets your heart rate up.

My beginner’s guide to strength training is a great place to start.

2. Keep a fitness journal

Using a fitness journal will help you stay accountable. Plus, tracking your progress helps you stay connected with yourself during moments of doubt or discouragement. The process will give you time to reflect on your progress thus far and what lies ahead if you remain committed over time.

3. Eat the rainbow

Eat whole foods in a variety of fresh vibrant colors. Try to keep whole foods as close to their original state as possible for the max amount of benefits. Use this list of the best anti-inflammatory foods, and this list of my favorite healthy fats for weight loss as inspiration!

4. Avoid processed foods

Packaged foods typically come with extra unhealthy ingredients to give them a sweeter flavor and a longer shelf life. Unfortunately, these ingredients typically aren’t natural, and they can come with multiple negative side effects.

When shopping, try and remember that the fewer the ingredients, usually the better the food.

If you are buying packaged foods, check out this list of 15 Best Packaged Foods for Clean Eating.

5. Drink more water

Most adults need about two quarts of fluid per day to replace normal water loss or approximately eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. Staying hydrated keeps your body healthy, and helps prevent unhealthy cravings by keeping you full.

These are my favorite hacks for drinking more water.

6. Increase Your Protein

You need protein to build muscle and maintain energy levels while exercising. I wrote an entire guide explaining why women need more protein as they age, plus I broke down my favorite protein powders on the market.

Protein powder is a great way to boost your intake through smoothies or other homemade snacks.

7. Find your workout “why”

Finding your “why” for weight loss means identifying your deeper reason for getting healthy. To see the best results, you need to find a way other than the number on your scale. Think beyond the superficial to what weight loss could mean for you life.

Will you be able to spend more time with loved ones? Will you feel more energetic and confident?

8. Find workouts you enjoy

Find a form (or two!) of movement you truly enjoy doing. It’s easier to stick to goals when we look forward to them. Explore the viral cozy cardio trend, and then find something you love!

9. Make strength training a priority

One of the best fitness tips I can give you is to add some muscle-building activities to your workouts. Dumbbells, resistance band exercises, muscle sculpt classes, or using your body weight with push-ups, planks, lunges, and squats can all work!

Incorporating strength training into your workout regimen can improve bone density, increase metabolism, and enhance overall functional fitness. It’s also a great way to target various muscle groups at the same time in an efficient way.

10. Set perfectionism aside

No one is perfect, so if that’s your goal, you are already setting yourself up for failure! In fact, focusing on prefect usually leads to disaster. Set small goals and stair-step your way to success by developing daily healthy habits.

Remember to celebrate your wins, regardless of perfection.

11. Take recovery days

Overtraining is an easy way to end your workout goals. Give yourself one to two days a week for active recovery (especially if soreness has set in).

Rest days should be simple. You can take a walk or do a gentle yoga class. Engage in something less intense that what you do on your other exercise days, and give your body the break it deserves for working hard!

These fitness tips will help you stay on track while moving one step closer to living your healthiest, happiest life.

As a fitness expert who has trained thousands of women, I can’t tell you how crazy it makes me when I see inaccurate fitness information flying around. I’m debunking some of the most popular (and least true!) women’s fitness myths out there.

Get the real information, so you can start taking care of yourself the RIGHT way. These are the top women’s fitness myths I’m begging you to ignore!

#1: Spot Reduction Works

Spot reduction is the idea that you can choose one area of your body to lose fat. And, I’m here to tell you spot reduction does not work.

When you lose weight and lose fat, it uniformly comes off all over your body. You can’t magically pick one area.

However, as you are losing fat, you can gain muscle and you can spot sculpt. So if you want a bigger bicep, then pick up a heavier weight and do bicep curls! If you want toned shoulders, do shoulder exercises.

In fact, these are the best muscle groups to workout together.

#2: Cardio is Best for Fat Loss

Don’t get me wrong, I love cardio. Cardio is great for heart health and mental health, but the secret to losing fat and maintaining your metabolism is actually strength training.

As we get older, we lose muscle. We lose about a half a pound to a pound of muscle a year starting around the age of 35, if we are not actively replacing it. My favorite strength training moves for women over 50 will help you stay strong and active!

#3: The More Exercise, the Better

Overtraining can lead to injury, feeling more tired, and other health issues. Listen to your body and make sure rest and recover are a part of your fitness journey. I recommend including mobility training and a daily yoga practice to treat your body with care while you train.

Listen to your body, and don’t feel pressured to over-do it!

#4: You Must Gain Weight During Menopause

The good news is, weight gain during menopause is NOT inevitable. Yes your hormones are changing, but the way you move your body, and the diet you consume does make a difference.

And this is part of the reason strength training is so important for middle-aged women. Muscle burns more calories at a resting heart rate than fat, so the more muscle you have, the more you burn! And, the easier it is to keep the weight off.

I also recommend focusing on the best foods for menopause symptoms!

#5: Strength Training Will Make You Look Bulky

I meet many women who are afraid to get started with strength training because they’re worried they will bulk up. The opposite is actually true. Focusing on regular strength training will help create strong, lean muscles.

Knowledge is power! It’s important to understand how your body works so you can live your best life.

It’s never too late to start making impactful lifestyle changes for your future!

Unlocking the door to independence is a goal cherished by many, especially as we navigate the challenges and opportunities of midlife. While various paths may lead to this coveted state, one particularly promising avenue gaining traction is functional strength training.

But is it truly the key to independence? Let’s explore.

Understanding Functional Strength Training

Functional strength training differs from traditional weightlifting in that it focuses on movements that mimic activities of daily living. Rather than isolating individual muscles, it emphasizes compound exercises that engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously.

Think lifting groceries, climbing stairs, or even getting out of a chair – these are the real-world movements functional training aims to enhance.

The Link Between Strength and Independence

It’s no secret that strength is a cornerstone of independence, especially as we age. The ability to perform routine tasks without assistance directly correlates with muscular strength and endurance. Functional strength training hones these essential abilities, empowering individuals to maintain their autonomy and quality of life well into their later years.

Benefits of Functional Strength Training

Functional strength training is an extremely effective way to help strengthen and improve your body’s mobility, allowing it to move more efficiently through everyday activities.

Functional fitness also helps lower your risk of injury at any age!

Ready to see more benefits? Let’s check them out.

Enhances Mobility and Stability

One of the standout features of functional training is its focus on mobility and stability. As we age, maintaining flexibility and balance becomes increasingly vital for preventing falls and injuries. By incorporating exercises that improve range of motion and stability into their routines, individuals can enhance their ability to move confidently and independently.

Promotes Bone Health

Independence relies not only on muscular strength but also on bone health. Osteoporosis and bone fractures can severely limit mobility and autonomy. Functional strength training, particularly when combined with weight-bearing exercises, helps build and maintain bone density, reducing the risk of fractures and preserving independence.

Uses Real World Applicability

Functional strength training focuses on the muscles and movements that we use in everyday life. It’s applicable to daily tasks like lifting groceries, bending down to pick something up from the floor, or even playing with kids or grandchildren.

Helps Prevent Injury

Functional strength training serves as a potent shield against injury by honing not just raw muscle power but also enhancing mobility, stability, and coordination. Unlike conventional weightlifting, which often isolates muscle groups, functional training emphasizes movements that mimic real-world activities, thus fortifying the body against common injury scenarios.

By improving joint integrity, flexibility, and balance, functional exercises help correct muscular imbalances, reducing the likelihood of strains, sprains, and other soft tissue injuries.

Ready to give functional strength training a try? Start with my favorite functional strength training exercises!