Interval Cardio ??

I would not say I am a a die hard fitness freak, I have my days or months :). However, having said that I am passionate about fitness and research and read for hours together about things I can do differently to achieve the best results. Also, to motivate myself. I have found numerous articles, websites where you can read what to do and what not to. However, I thought it would be good to know what has actually worked for some!

I strongly feel excercise becomes easier if it's somehow made part of something you enjoy doing. For example, I love dancing but it never got beyond night clubs! Recently, I decided to invest sometime in trying out Zumba! (a salsa workout). I found myself bursting with energy and motivated the entire day to get all my chores out of the way just in time for a shimmy. An hour and fifteen minutes of cardio and I didn't even realise when it got done. I definately recommend it to those who tend to hate cardio machines. For others, I strongly suggest finding your passion, be it a sport, biking, rock climbing, swimming even window shopping for hours :) Yes ladies, studies show we burn calories while shopping too...
Now for cardio that actually works for me: Interval Cardio. It's basically short bursts, high energy cardio on any machine of choice: treadmill, elliptical, stepper etc. There's a lot out there about interval training but how many really practice it? Through some personal training sessions I took back in Australia, I realised that similar results can be achieved in lesser time by interval training.

One that I have been following now is on a treamill: 5 min warm up, 1 minute run at 6.5mph & 5 slope followed by 1 min run at 4 mph & 2.5 slope. This to be continued for 6-8 minutes. I usually then continue the run at a steady speed of 5 mph and slope at 1 for another ten minutes. I have found this helps to build my stamina as well.
It's an amazing total cardio workout!!

A thought for us, women.

The first thought that came to me when I created my blog was the hidden pressures every girl, women, mother feels associated with physical beauty. I enjoy being fit, I enjoy going to the gym for all the benefits associated with it and ofcourse to stay healthy and so I think. However, another side to it is also the hidden feeling inside me to be stick thin just as that potrayed by media. This is a common feeling being shared amongst women across the globe. The insecurities related with looks, the obsession to look "one way", the acceptable way, the skinny way. Is it truely what women think as beautiful or a thought seeded in us by "what's termed beautiful by the opposite sex ". So why do we women give in? An answer that probably many are seeking?
I wonder where the concept of inner beauty, the beauty of one' s thoughts, actions and soal is gone? Everyone seems to be striving towards that one image created by several external sources. A world dominated by plastic is what we've come to and that is being defined as Beauty?