Category: guest blog

5 EASY CARDIO WORKOUTS YOU CAN DO AT HOME

~ Loreeebee ~ 1 Comment

Enjoy this guest post that originally appeared on HigherDose.com As many of us are stuck at home in this pandemic, or at least have our activities restricted, we can all use cardio workouts that don’t require expensive equipment or gym memberships. Check it out!

September 02, 2020 3 min read

Since April this year, Lauren and Katie have been sharing how they are getting high naturally by biohacking at home in our #HackAtHome. HigherDOSE fans have been sharing their #HackAtHome photos on Instagram, and we love seeing what you guys have been up to! 

Recently we shared some easy ways to detox at home to give you a good, deep cleanse to get a fresh start this autumn. Today, we’re back with a list of cardio workouts you can do at home to get your sweat on! Whatever your fitness goals – losing weight, toning, coming back from an injury – these workouts will get your blood flowing and calories burning. Here are just a few of our favorite at-home workouts. 

10-Minute Cardio

Crunched for time? There are tons of 10-minute cardio workouts that can help you get your sweat on in between work calls, family time, happy hour, whatever. Look for something HIIT style: maximum reps, minimum duration. HIIT stands for high intensity interval training. The basic concept is that you burn a ton of calories in very little time. Here are a few 10 minute cardio HIIT workouts you could try: 

You’ll give 100% over those 10 minutes and work up a sweat – but then it will be over! Short and sweet, right?

Banded Workouts

Add in some resistance bands to simple moves like squats and lunges to really feel the burn. The Zoe Report recommends workouts from Tone It Up, a fitness brand that uses resistance bands for sculpting and cardio at home. Banded workouts give you the benefit of boosting your heart rate with the added challenge of upping the intensity of your favorite basic bodyweight moves. For a tough workout, alternate between two different exercises with no rest in between. 

The Lagree Method

Not into heavy breathing? We get that. You can still have a super-intense workout without bands and burpees. Try the Lagree Method, a high-intensity, low-impact workout that emphasizes circuit training. “Unlike traditional Pilates, the Lagree Method places a large emphasis on circuit training, which means you move quickly from one exercise to the next for a prescribed number of sets or time limits. This allows you to achieve both cardiovascular and strength benefits as the heart, lungs, and muscle groups are concurrently working,” writes one reporter. You can try a Lagree workout through a virtual studio at home. 

An Infrared Session

Infrared is a good go-to no matter what your fitness goals! Use HigherDOSE’s Infrared Sauna Blanket at home to not only burn calories – upwards of 600 calories! – but also prepare your body to burn calories later, absorb nutrients and stay energized. When you use infrared heat to your circulation, it increases your heart rate and metabolic rate, causing the body to burn calories like if you went for a light jog.

Unlike a light jog, infrared gives your skin that healthy, dewy, juice-cleanse-status summer glow. A quick session in our blanket gives you with a relaxing spa experience that burns calories and that post-gym euphoric high. A runner’s high – without the running part. Heck yes. 

If you’re looking for an at home cardio workout to integrate into the rest of your training, infrared is a good option to bring your performance to the next level. Athletes benefit from the heat as it enhances endurance with “hyperthermic conditioning,” infrared exposure that helps you stand real-life heat in future high-intensity situations.

Skipping

Tap into your inner child and get an incredible workout with just one piece of equipment: a jump rope! “It’s a workout that keeps A-listers on their toes too – fans include Gigi Hadid, Kate Hudson, Kim Kardashian and Victoria’s Secret Angel, Adriana Lima (proof that jumping rope does the body good!),” reports one fitness blogger. 

Jump rope skipping offers a truly full-body workout. Both the body and the brain get a workout as you focus on maintaining a rhythm and controlling your heart rate. Take it to the next level with a weighted rope to work your arms and core. Just 30 minutes a day will have your body looking more toned! What are some ways you’re doing easy cardio at home? Tag us with #HackAtHome on Instagram!

Exercise is known to be beneficial for managing stress; aren’t we all stressed with what’s going on in the world? Hopefully you can find some stress relief in the options provided in this post.

Photo from Pexels.

Kick Your Sugar Habit

kick your sugar diet
~ Loreeebee ~ Leave a comment

The following is another guest post from Pyure:

It’s not breaking news — sugar is bad for you. 

It’s fattening, promotes tooth decay, and puts you at risk for a myriad of diseases.

What you may not know, however, is that sugar has been clinically proven to be addictive, producing symptoms typically associated with substance abuse, including cravings, tolerance and withdrawal. 

In fact, one study showed that given the choice, lab rats choose sugar over cocaine.

So, don’t beat yourself up if you’ve been trying to kick your sugar habit cold turkey, but have been coming up short to kick your sugar habit.

How to Kick Sugar Cravings

Try these realistic tactics to see if you get better results.

  • When it comes to empty-calorie sugar bombs like soda and cake, make them special treats rather than everyday snacks.
  • Before making a purchase, get in the habit of eyeing the nutrition label for sugar content — you’ll be amazed at what products unexpectedly contain sugar.

Tips to Control Your Sugar Consumption

For a sweet fix at work, opt for fresh fruit or the occasional juice. As your taste buds adjust to your reduced sugar diet, these guys will taste all the sweeter!

  • Get in the habit of exercising, even if it’s just once a week to start. 
  • Physical activity stimulates the same pleasure receptors as sugar!
  • When sweetening your morning coffee or tea, opt for Pyure Organic Stevia for a zero-calorie, zero-sugar alternative that tastes great.

Look, when it comes to cutting out sugar, we know it’s easier said than done. But with realistic goals, manageable steps, and a little sweetness from Pyure, you’re well on your way to kicking your sugar habit.

Does Stevia Help with Weight Loss?

~ Loreeebee ~ Leave a comment

This is a guest post, from the Sweet Talk blog at Pyure Brands….

The bottom line is that the only way to lose weight is to create a calorie deficit by eating fewer calories than your body burns for energy.

There are many ways to accomplish this, and targeting added sugars and replacing them with stevia is an easy and tasty fix.

Research has shown that subjects given stevia-containing foods or beverages consumed fewer calories throughout the day. (2,3)

The Truth About Added Sugars

It seems like everything we read talks about avoiding carbs and sugar.

In the U.S., the average intake of added sugars reaches up to 270 calories or more than 13 percent of calories per day based on an average 2000 calorie diet.

Not surprisingly, the largest source of added sugars in the typical diet is beverages, including soft drinks, fruit drinks, sweetened coffee and tea, energy drinks, alcoholic beverages, and flavored waters. They account for almost half (47%) of all added sugars consumed by the U.S. population.

The other major source of added sugars is snacks and sweets.(1) Most people don’t realize how much sugar they consume from other sources like marinades, sauces, salad dressings, yogurt, crackers and other items that don’t “seem sweet.”

The 2015-2020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting added sugars to less than 10% of total calories or about 50 grams per day based on 2000 calories.

If your body needs fewer calories based on size, age, and activity level, the gram limits are even lower.

To take it a step further, the American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to 24g grams per day (6 teaspoons) for women and 36 grams per day (9 teaspoons) for men.

It’s obviously an area of concern in our standard American diet as the term “added sugars” appeared 138 times in the dietary guidelines report!

Knowing Your Limit for Added Sugars

Simply put, consumption of added sugars can make it difficult for people desiring to lose weight to meet their nutrient needs while staying within calorie limits.

Whenever anyone restricts total calories, everything eaten needs to contain more nutrients to make sure you get what you need for proper fueling while limiting total calories.

One of the simplest strategies is to limit added sugars.

Why? Because they are more often found in foods that do not provide quality vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that we look for to help prevent lifestyle diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancers.

That’s where products like stevia fit in.

Can Stevia Help with Weight Loss?

Since stevia is a plant-based, zero-calorie sweetener with a taste 50-350 times sweeter than sugar, a little goes a long way. By substituting stevia for sugar in your daily routine, there are many ways to cut total calories and sugar grams.

  1. Using stevia to sweeten your coffee or tea (hot or iced), saves 16 calories per teaspoon over sugar. A few cups per day with a few teaspoons each can really add up quickly. Each stevia packet is formulated to equal the sweetness of 2 teaspoons of sugar. Take some with you to your favorite coffeehouse or restaurant and add your own.
  2. Instead of eating pre-sweetened Greek yogurt with up to 20 grams of sugar, start with the plain variety and add your own stevia, vanilla extract, cinnamon and fruit.
  3. Swap stevia for sugar, honey or maple syrup in your oatmeal, homemade salad dressings, baked goods and other recipes that call for sugar. Even subbing in ½ the amount in a recipe can make a big difference.

We would love to hear your sugar swap success stories. How do you enjoy Pyure Organic Stevia?

References:

  1. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015- 2018, 8th edition, Added Sugars page 54: https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/resources/2015-2020_Dietary_Guidelines.pdf
  2. Anton SD, Martin CK, Han H, Coulon S, Cefalu WT, Geiselman P, Williamson DA. Effects of stevia, aspartame, and sucrose on food intake, satiety, and postprandial glucose and insulin levels. Appetite 2010;55:37–43.
  3. Tey SL, Salleh NB, Henry J, Forde CG. Effects of aspartame-, monk fruit-, stevia- and sucrose-sweetened beverages on postprandial glucose, insulin and energy intake. Int J Obes (Lond) 2017;41:450–7.