workouts

What motivates you to exercise? Is it weight loss? A healthy heart? A clear mind? Some jeans hidden in the back corner of your closet? All are viable and helpful motivators for exercise. And the more motivators you have to stay active, the more likely you may be to stick to your routine.

Here’s another motivator to add to your list: save the planet.

By The FIRM Master Instructor Annie Lee

My philosophy is all about the 3 E’s: effective, efficient exercise. Here’s a quick how-to video of my personal total body workouts that focus on the 3 E’s.

By The FIRM Master Instructor Emily Welsh

You can work out every day or even hours a day and get little benefit if you are not fully engaged in the process. I have found that if I’m not paying attention to what I am doing when I work out, I move mindlessly through each set of exercises, not getting the best benefit from each repetition. I call this being on “auto-pilot.”

By The FIRM Master Instructor Louise Smith

If you’re short on time like I sometimes am, it’s great to have a leg routine that will leave your legs burning and your workout done in a flash. I call this go-to routine my Tri-Set Lower Body Blast. It targets all the muscles of the hip and thigh — the glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps — with unilateral, bilateral, single joint and multi-joint exercises. Here’s a quick how-to video we shot at the studio to show you the moves. You’ll need just one heavy set of dumbbells or a sculpting bar.

We typically think of  “swim suit season” as the time of year we all focus on our buns. But I’ve been inundated with booty questions lately, so I thought I’d write about how to firm it up!

One of the most important components of effective physical training is INTENSITY. Here’s how to achieve ideal progress both physically and mentally by knowing how to recognize what zone of intensity you’re in, and pushing yourself into higher zones.

The 4 zones of intensity

There are four zones of intensity:

Every week we highlight the best articles, blogs, news, videos and interesting Web tidbits to help you live green, be healthy, and connect with your sense of spirituality. Read our roundup for info that just helps you live better.

Green Living

Schools Practice What They Teach on Sustainability

Every week we highlight the best articles, blogs, news, videos and interesting Web tidbits to help you live green, be healthy, and connect with your sense of spirituality. Read our roundup for info that just helps you live better.

Green Living

How to Have a Green Christmas

Every week we highlight the best articles, blogs, news, videos and interesting Web tidbits to help you live green, be healthy, and connect with your sense of spirituality. However, since one of us was feeling a bit “under the weather” last Friday, we are posting today instead. Enjoy!

Green Living

How to Pick the Greenest Christmas Trees

Many people think that tons of rigorous workouts help relieve stress. But research shows that it can actually have the opposite effect. Changing up your routine can ease stress more effectively than doing MORE of the same.

You can change your workout routine in many ways including …