Ever want to try a board sport like surfing, snow boarding, or windsurfing? Now you can in the comfort of your own living room. That’s right! Just hop on the iJoy Human Touch Balance Board at home and forget about the swimsuit or snow goggles. I was recently given the opportunity to review this cool product. Now YOU can have a chance to win one! Entry details at the end of this article.

According to iJoy, “no matter the season, no matter the board sport, the motorized Human Touch Board Balance Trainer keeps your legs fresh, toned and ready to carve the slopes, grind a rail or catch a wave. Just hop on and press a button on the infrared wireless remote control and experience the simulated motion of a snowboard, skateboard or surfboard in action.”

This board is quite suitable for all fitness levels. My entire family had a lot of fun trying out the board. It provides a unique, and interactive way to get fit at home. The main focus is on core stability and lower body toning. It is certainly a very well built machine. It can be used for mild aerobic training as well. The workout involves your hips, legs, abdominal and lumbar muscles, and obliques. It makes very little noise and requires very little space as well.

You can test your skills by varying the speed of the board – it has slow, medium or fast settings. You can also choose a 15-minute program that intermittently varies the board’s speed for an additional challenge. You wear the remote control on a string around your neck to provide you with complete control of your workout.

For an additional challenge, try adding hand weights. This allows you to work your upper body at the same time or simply increase the resistance for your lower body. I had fun trying to remain stable while attempting squats and alternating balance lunges.

I recommend the iJoy Balance Board as a great piece of stability equipment for the general exerciser. My only critical feedback for the company is that is does not provide guidance on exercises beyond the one standing pose. I ‘m sending them my feedback on this as well. If you enjoy board sports, it’s a great way to keep those muscles in shape in the off-season as well.

All-in-all, by training on the iJoy Human Touch Board, you will definitely gain improved core strength and stability that will help you avoid injury and improve your abdominal and lower body strength and tone as well. For more information, visit the companies website here.

Now, for the fun part – You can win the iJoy Human Touch Balance Board. This product retails for over $400 so this is quite a valuable prize. Here are the entry details. Please do one or more of the following and leave a comment that you have done so.

• Become a follower of Coach Jenn on Twitter.
• Follow Coach Jenn’s Blog – Personal Fit Coach
• Add Personal Fit Coach to your blog roll.
• Sign up for Coach Jenn’s free online fitness coaching.
• Blog about this contest on your blog.
• Make a purchase via Coach Jenn’s site for 10 extra entries

- Contest ends July 15, 2009. Contests are open only to those with a valid US shipping address. Winners will be selected using Random.org. Prizes not claimed within seven (7) days of the winner announcement will be forfeited and another random name will be selected. Good Luck!

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Weight training is a type of strength training that uses weights for resistance. Weight training challenges your muscles by forcing them to adapt to the stress of the weights. Consider basic weight training principles:

Learn proper technique. For best results, proper technique is essential. If you’re not sure whether you’re doing a particular exercise correctly, ask a personal trainer or other fitness specialist for help.

Do a single set of repetitions. Theories on the best way to approach weight training abound, including countless repetitions and hours at the gym. But research shows that a single set of 12 repetitions with the proper weight can build muscle just as efficiently as can three sets of the same exercise. So what’s the proper weight? One that’s heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12 to 15 repetitions. You should be just barely able to finish the last repetition.

Start slowly. If you’re a beginner, you may find that you’re able to lift only a few pounds. That’s OK. Once your muscles, tendons and ligaments get used to weight training exercises, you may be surprised at how quickly you progress. Once you can easily do 12 repetitions with a particular weight, gradually increase the weight.

Take time to rest. To give your muscles time to recover, rest one full day between exercising each specific muscle group. You might choose to work the major muscle groups at a single session two or three times a week — or plan daily sessions for specific muscle groups. For example, on Monday work your arms and shoulders, on Tuesday work your legs, and so on.

For most people, short weight training sessions several times a week are more practical than are extended daily workouts. “You don’t have to be in the weight room for 90 minutes a day to see results,” says Edward Laskowski, M.D., a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center. “You can see significant improvement in your strength with just two or three 20- or 30-minute weight training sessions a week.”

Reap the rewards
Lean muscle mass naturally decreases with age. If you don’t do anything to replace the muscle loss, it’ll be replaced with fat. But weight training can help you reverse the trend — at any age. As your muscle mass increases, you’ll be able to work harder and longer before you get tired. You’ll maintain joint flexibility, increase bone density and better manage your weight. Get started today!

©1998-2009 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER).

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Via Twitter, I found another new fitness blogger. Her name is Lisa from LifeFitSystems. Love this post as we head into the weekend! Enjoy!

Tomorrow is a NEW day!

It’s easy to start off the weekend with the intent to be good. You did a great job all week, following your food plan, working out as planned – even getting enough rest and finding a balance for everything going on in your life. But then your best friend decides to host a Margarita party (the large ones have about 400 calories each, not to mention the chips and guacamole – ouch!)

It’s your “off” day… and you know you’re allowed a cheat meal — but the off day turns into turns into an off weekend — and before you know it, it’s Sunday night, you’re miserable — and you feel deflated by the fact that you didn’t stick to the plan.

You have two choices at this point. Go to bed and roll over feeling like a failure… or make a plan. What action can you take NOW (before the end of the day) in order to start moving in the direction of your goal? Grab a notebook and start with some goal setting. There are 6 elements essential in creating the mindset and actions consistent with making a distinct change in who we are:

1. Intention
2.Strategy
3.Commitment
4.Persistence
5.Belief
6.Passion

Make a list of these elements. Do you have the intention to make a change? What’s your strategy? How about a commitment to creating new healthy habits and ditching the old ones? Persistence (which is a lot about getting back on the horse when you fall off!) Belief – in yourself, in knowing that this is what you really, really want – and you are unashamed in your quest to make it happen. Passion… are you passionate about learning, doing and achieving? You must be — you’re seeking out information (such as this Blog) and learning more each day!

So make a plan… pack up your food for the next day… lay out your workout clothes and set the alarm to be back on schedule and in the gym before work.

It’s a new day. You’re on your way to a new and improved you.

Stop by Lisa’s blog and say hello. All the best in health and fitness everyone. Have a safe, happy and healthy weekend ahead.

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I’ve recently started contributing for a great site called Healthy Moms. One of the fellow trainers there, wrote this great article about Metabolic Training. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks to Jacqueline Gradish, of Baby Bump Busy Mom Fitness for this great content.

Moms have it hard enough without having to worry about losing that pregnancy body. Research indicates short burst high intensity resistance training is ideal for fat loss and proven to improve cardio vascular fitness. That’s right no need for cardio. I know, I know you have heard it all before, there is a magical home fitness program for mom, but what exactly is it? Let me show you. The scientific name is metabolic acceleration training and it comes in many forms such as strength supersets, total body circuits and Tabata’s. What??

Metabolic Training- this type of training is short and nasty. You are most likely aware and/or using some form of metabolic training for fitness as it is conducive for our busy mom life style. The Tabata protocol is by far the superior form of metabolic training for maximum fat burning. Dr. Izumi Tabata is a Japanese researcher who published a study in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports& Exercise in 1996. The conclusion of his study indicated 4 minutes of Tabata interval training could do more to boost aerobic and anaerobic capacity than an hour of endurance exercise.

Metabolic training pushes the limits of your anaerobic system to get maximum fat burning results using the oxygen debt factor. The Tabata 4 minute interval is the superior form of metabolic training for fat burning, so this type of interval is the best of the best. The Tabata Interval requires 4 minutes maximal effort exercise done in a 20 seconds work/ 10 second rest interval. Nothing fancy is needed you can do an all squat Tabata meaning 20 seconds of squats rest 10 seconds and repeat 8x. Each 20 second work interval can yield approximately 15-18 squats if working to your maximum intensity.

How does this affect you as a busy mom? It just so happens that ideal fat burning exercise is short, 4-12 minutes short. Great news for you, because that is probably all the time you have to commit to a workout. You can manage short workouts while sleep deprived and under stress and still get results. Body weight exercises are more than sufficient, so workout anywhere, anytime. Intensity is the key factor for fitness, work to the best of your ability whether you are a beginner or advanced.

I hope this article has educated busy moms about Metabolic Acceleration Training and has inspired moms to exercise, even for 4 minutes.

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Success with a new workout plan is a perfect example of mind over matter. You really can think your way fit. Never give up hope. It is NEVER too late to begin an exercise program. I work with one woman who ran her first marathon at age 54. Get rid of the word “Can’t” and replace it with “Can.”

Start slowly, but be consistent. This is a lifestyle change so it’s not a quick fix. Don’t overdo it, but also don’t quit. No matter what your fitness level, you will be rewarded with results!

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