60 Scrumptious Spring Salads

Nature isn't the only thing going green for spring—there's something about the season of growth and renewal that has us hankering for salad. To grow healthier and stronger for the warmer months, it’s important to include plenty of veggies—and what better way to sneak in extra greens than with a delicious salad?

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Steal These 10 Exercises from Your Kids

Have you ever noticed that most kids run more than they walk? For little ones, constant physical activity is a way of life, not a task to cross off a to-do list. Whether it's jumping over puddles, using a curb as a balance beam or racing a puppy across the yard, movement just comes naturally to children. Wouldn't it be nice if you could bottle up a little of their boundless energy for yourself—while also burning extra calories and gaining muscle tone?

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12 Sports Bras for All Shapes & Sizes Available on Amazon

Although it doesn't get nearly as much fanfare as those cute yoga capris or that brightly patterned running tank, your sports bra is an essential part of your exercise ensemble. That single garment forms the foundation of your workout, impacting the way you move, feel and perform during a three-mile run, hot yoga class, strength training session or daily walk with your dog. Studies have shown that the type of bra worn has a direct impact on the way women run, and that most of us are wearing the wrong size bra for our body types.

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The Definitive Guide to Indoor Rowing for Rookies

Is rowing the new spinning? Although indoor rowing has been around for centuries, its popularity has been gaining speed in recent years. Those seeking a low-impact, high-intensity cardio activity—or a cross-training workout for running, swimming or CrossFit—are flocking to gyms and specialty studios to row, row, row their way to a fitter physique.

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7 Ways to Eat More Mindfully

What do you do while you eat?
 
If you watch television, work on your computer, page through a magazine or pay your bills while enjoying your lunchtime chicken salad or grilled salmon dinner, you're not alone—but you're also not doing your waistline any favors. Studies have shown that people who ate while distracted consumed 69 percent more than those who ate with no distractions.

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40 One-Pot Dishes with Less Than 500 Calories

When you're on a weight loss journey, coming up with healthy, calorie-controlled meals can seem like a daunting task—but it doesn't have to be. If you have one pot (or pan) and a few healthy ingredients, you can easily whip up a sensible, satisfying meal that will keep the whole family coming back for seconds, all without dooming your diet. Don't let their simplicity fool you—these one-pot, sub-500 calorie dishes are loaded with rich flavors and palate-pleasing textures.

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Is Jackfruit the Next Big Meat Alternative?

Move over, mango, there's a new exotic fruit in town. Okay, so it's not exactly new—the jackfruit has been around for centuries—but it is seeing a recent surge of popularity. With its prickly exterior and generous dimensions (it carries the distinction of being the largest tree fruit), this relative of the fig might not win a beauty pageant any time soon.However, its sweet, starchy flesh is growing in demand as an unlikely meat alternative. Should you make room in your meal plan for jackfruit, or does the hype outweigh the benefits?

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Ditch the Gym & Invest in These 10 Home Strength Training Essentials

Should you lift weights? Regardless of your age, weight or gender, the answer is always a resounding ”yes!” Pumping iron (whether it's three pounds or 30) helps to boost muscle strength, bone density, balance, metabolism and heart health, among other amazing perks.

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50 Simple and Savory Single-Serving Meals

If there's anything tougher than cooking for a crowd, it's cooking for one. When you have a single mouth to feed, it can be difficult to muster the motivation to shop for ingredients, prepare meals, cook and clean up—especially when most recipes yield multiple servings that will likely languish in the fridge before ultimately getting pitched. For many one-person households, the takeout menu often takes priority over the recipe book…but that convenience comes at a cost to your pocketbook and your waistline.

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How 4 Natural Sugar Substitutes Stack Up Against the Real Deal

These days, sugar can seem like a four-letter word, especially if you're trying to lose weight or adopt a healthier lifestyle. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an excess of added sugars is one of the main culprits behind not only weight gain and obesity, but also an increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The FDA recommends consuming no more than six to 11 teaspoons of the sweet stuff each day.

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Keep Your Resolutions with These 15 Health & Fitness Essentials

After the countdown is over and the confetti has been swept up, millions of Americans hang up their party hats and switch to self-improvement mode. Whether your resolutions include eating healthier, exercising regularly, stretching more or finally kicking that bad habit once and for all, you can boost your chances of success with some tools made with that purpose in mind.

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Experts Predict 29 Health Trends for 2017

There are certain things that go hand-in-hand with a new year: confetti, champagne, resolutions and, of course, a fresh crop of health and fitness trends. Some of them, like strength training and meal planning, have stood the test of time, while others were better left in the past (body wraps and weight loss pills, we’re talking to you).

As we hang up our party hats and prepare for a fresh start, we asked some health experts to share their predictions for what they expect to be the big fitness and nutrition trends in 2017.

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15 Goals Health Experts Recommend Making

Many experts agree that the secret to success isn't just about meeting goals, but rather making the right ones in the first place. We asked some professional fitness trainers and nutritionists to share the goals they'd like to see their clients tackle. Some probably sound familiar, but others may come as a bit of a surprise.

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Spark Success Stories: Where Are They Now?

Weight loss isn't easy. It's a long road riddled with obstacles, and the toll is hard work, discipline and sacrifice. That's why at SparkPeople, we spend a lot of time celebrating our members who have achieved their health and fitness goals. Over the years, we've featured dozens of real-life success stories—motivated men and women who had the courage and persistence to not only change their lives, but in many cases, to save their lives.
 
The stories don't stop after the weight comes off. Every so often, we like to check in with our past success stories to find out how they're maintaining their new lifestyles, what challenges they've faced and what advice they have for future Spark successes. 

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10 Ways to Get a Quality Workout in a Jam-Packed Gym

Like any public place, gyms have different volumes of traffic at different types of year. During one of these peak periods, you might be dismayed to show up and find that everybody and their mother—and their brother, sister and second cousin—had the same idea. The locker room resembles Grand Central Station, there's a wait list for the treadmills and there's no way you're doing crunches for an audience of dozens. 

But that doesn't mean you have to hightail it to the car. With a few smart strategies, you can confidently navigate a jam-packed gym.

Tip #1: Go during non-peak hours.

Just as grocery shopping takes more of your time and energy at noon on Saturday than it would on Tuesday evening, hitting the gym during peak times can affect your motivation. What would normally be a simple 30-minute workout can easily take twice as long when you're waiting for machines. To remedy this, yoga instructor Ysmay Walsh recommends planning your sessions during off-peak hours, which can be challenging for those who work a traditional 9-to-5 schedule.

"The less busy times are usually from 10 to 12 in the morning, between 2 and 5 p.m., and between 8 to 11 in the evening," Walsh says. "Group exercise classes are often cheaper during these off-peak times as well." If you're not sure of the most crowded times at your gym, call and ask before planning your workouts.

Tip #2: Arrive to fitness classes early.

Showing up to a jam-packed cycling class or fighting for space in a crowded yoga studio can be daunting—especially if you're new to the exercise scene. Plan to arrive to any group fitness class at least 15 minutes early, which should give you plenty of time to secure a spot, meet the instructor and get some pointers if necessary.

Tip #3: Grab a corner.

As long as you have the basic necessities, you can accomplish a lot in a small space. Personal trainer Kim Schaper recommends setting up shop in a corner of the gym. "Gather your favorite gear—dumbbells, a mat, a band, maybe a kettlebell—and you're good to go," she says. "Have a circuit ready, stay in your little area and you can knock out a great workout while avoiding all the noise."

If your gym has studio space, MomTrainer's Sarah Ann Kelly recommends asking if you can use it when classes aren't being held. "Cardio rooms will usually have everything you need, and lots of space to stretch, lunge or jump rope."

Tip #4: Give the neglected machines some love.

Newbies often make a beeline for the treadmills and ellipticals, so consider experimenting with machines that are rarely used. Tricia Brouk, owner of Brouk Moves, recommends trying the old-school stair climber: "This awesome piece of equipment is an excellent source of cardio and few people use it." Rowing machines and stationary bikes are also effective and more readily available.

Another often overlooked option is the cable machine. "When everyone is fighting over dumbbells, plant yourself at the cable machine and get an entire workout while standing in one place," Brouk suggests. Some examples of effective cable machine exercises include bicep curls, lunges, chest flys, standing upright rows and standing hip abductors.

Tip #5: Go boutique.

If you want to stick to your resolutions while avoiding the January craziness, consider skipping the larger gyms in favor of a small personal training or group fitness studio. These boutique-style fitness centers may cost more than a traditional gym, but they offer the benefits of personalized instruction, specialized equipment and a supportive community. Plus, because many studios require participants to sign up in advance and have a limit on the number of students in each class, you won’t find yourself swimming in a super-crowded space.

Desima Dawdy, an instructor and owner of Pilates Performance and Rehab, greets a lot of New Year's registrants who want a more peaceful environment to kick-start their new lifestyle. "The great thing about working out at a boutique training studio is that when clients receive individual quality instruction, their attendance is generally not seasonal," she says. "They are committing to a permanent, not seasonal, lifestyle change with like-minded people."

Tip #6: Wear headphones.

A jam-packed gym is likely to have plenty of distractions—but you came to get fit, not to catch up on strangers' gossip. Tyler Spraul, trainer with Exercise.com, recommends bringing headphones to help you stay focused on the task at hand. "Wireless Bluetooth headphones are nice to have, so you don't have to worry about getting any wires tangled up in machines or weights," he says. Don't forget to download a motivating playlist before heading out!

Tip #7: Use your own body weight.

Who says you need dumbbells, barbells or a fancy machine? When space and equipment are at a premium, don't underestimate the effectiveness of bodyweight exercises, most of which can be performed in the usually fairly empty stretching area or an unused fitness studio. "There are plenty of exercises you can do without a single piece of equipment," says trainer Kristy Stabler. "These include pushups, sit-ups, planks, squats, lunges and plyometric exercises like jumping jacks, squat jumps, lunge jumps and more."

Tip #8: Have a workout plan—and a backup.

You wouldn't go grocery shopping without a list—so why show up to the gym without a workout plan? "Before heading out, take the time to make a list of the exercises you'd like to do, and then have at least one backup for each in case the weights or machines are in use," recommends trainer Cheryl Russo. "If you don't know a lot of exercises, do an online search."

As an example, if you want to do bicep curls, your first preference might be to use dumbbells, but you could also use a curl bar, straight bar or the cable machine. For triceps, you can do dumbbell extensions, dips, cable push downs or curl bar skull crushers. "If a piece of equipment is taken, move on to something else," Russo suggests. "Also, be open to changing the order of exercises. If you plan on doing biceps first but everything is in use and you see that a bench is open for dips, switch to doing triceps first."

Tip #9: Hire a trainer.

If you're a beginner, consider working with a personal trainer to get acquainted with the layout, machines, equipment and protocol. "You'll learn how to use your gym effectively, get a much better workout and learn the 'rules' of training," says Kelly. "With an experienced trainer by your side, you’ll be better equipped to navigate the lines and crowds like a pro."

Tip #10: Ask to "work in."

You came to the gym to work out, so what's this talk about working in? This is gym lingo for using a piece of equipment in between someone else's sets. For example, if bicep curls are next on your circuit and you notice a woman who is just finishing up with that machine, you can politely ask to work in your own set while she's resting.

"Even if you're a female, don't be afraid to stick your head out and ask to work in with someone," says Schaper. "You are just as entitled to use that piece of equipment as they are."

That said, there are some scenarios when working in doesn't make sense, as Spraul points out. "If someone is squatting 300-plus pounds and you'd need to remove a ton of plates to get your work done, maybe it's best to find another exercise variation, instead."

Not crazy about the idea of working in with strangers? Hit the gym with a workout partner so you can alternate between exercises and share equipment.
 
There’s no need to let a gym rush bring your goals to a screeching halt. By employing some of these strategies, you can successfully navigate the crowds and keep your workouts going all year long.

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