Whether you're a broke college student like me, a single mom, or anything in between, living that healthy life in the big city is usually expensive and inconvenient. This blog will address some of the challenges to healthy living in the city, highlight the media coverage of these issues and give you a few tools to make the task of healthy living a little easier. Live long and prosper! But seriously.
Unless you have loads of time on your hands, when you need to work out it had better be quick and effective. Ladies and gents: Squat. Squats work all of the muscles in your legs simultaneously, giving you more bang for your buck. Because you're bearing your whole weight while you perform the squat, you're also burning calories. Studies have been done to dispel the convincing myth that in order to lose fat you have to do hours upon hours of cardiovascular training (i.e. running, cycling, swimming). So if you don't have hours upon hours (really, who does?) then just take a few minutes and do this squat challenge:
The song is slightly annoying...the instructor is slightly annoying...but the 3 minutes and 13 seconds of squatting will tone your legs, burn calories, build muscle, and all those other wonderful things that keep your body in good health and good shape. If you want to be a nerd about it, you can even calculate a close estimate of how many calories you burn while you're squatting.
Who's got money for a gym membership? Not me. Who's got hours to spend sculpting those abdominal muscles? Not me. Who's got YouTube? EVERYONE.
Mike Chang's Six Pack Shortcuts is one of my favorite go-to YouTube accounts for quick workouts that burn calories without burning time or through your wallet. My favorite of his ab work out takes 5 minutes, burns fat while building muscle for overall toning. Regular weight training is more effective for boosting your metabolism and improving your health in the long-run than extensive amounts of cardiovascular exercise (e.g. running, cycling, swimming). Besides, it takes less time! You don't need running shoes. You don't need a bike. You don't need swimming gear. You don't need weights. All you need is your body, a clock, and a bit of floor space.
Check it out! You've got at least 5 minutes. You'll only regret not trying it.
