Step to the Beat
25 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 12 years ago - ★★★★ - 5 ratingsFitness, Healthy Eating, Inspiration, and - Free workout music with a wide range of tempos for walking, running, ellipticals, step-aerobics, spinning, stairs...You've found your source for all your motivational fitness needs.
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Episodes
More on the Benefits of Stair Climbing
May 10, 2012 12:36I really liked this study:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743500906340 Abstract: Twenty-two sedentary college-aged women walked up 199 steps – more than you’re likely to find at home, but doable in a high-rise – in 2.25 minutes, a “brisk but comfortable” pace which shot their heart rates up to 90 percent of their predicted maximum. They progressed from one ascent per day during the first week to six ascents per day, for a total of 13.5 minutes over the course of a day...
Running on the Beach
May 08, 2012 12:10Running on sand can be great exercise, but be careful when transitioning from pavement. The added resistance takes some getting used to, and you can injure yourself if you add exertion without conditioning your legs to the new surface first. A friend of mine recently blew out his knee by sprinting on the beach without any prior experience doing so. Here's an article on running on sand. And another one that breaks down calories burned.
Smoothie for a Monday
April 30, 2012 13:05What's for breakfast? I just had a smoothie, let's see if I can remember what I dumped in the blender... 2 apples (1 gala, 1 grannie smith), 2 handfulls of Costco berry trinity (blueberry, blackberry, raspberry), 2 bananas, 2 handfulls of frozen "Normandy" vegetable mix from Costco (broccoli, squash - I removed the cauliflower as it's just bulk, not nutritionally-dense), 12oz water, 12oz DIET Splash (really hard to find the Diet Splash around here, so we stock up like crazy when we're able ...
The SOURCE - FDA Web Site
April 27, 2012 00:25Want the honest 411 on food? Why not go right to the source? Here's the FDA's take on whole milk - read it HERE.
Exercise Balls
April 26, 2012 12:16Brought my exercise ball out of my attic yesterday and then found this site that has animated exercise ball routines. Enjoy!
Who Made That Granola?
April 04, 2012 12:14You can trace breakfast cereal back to gruel-eating ancient Greeks, but it wasn’t until the 19th century that the idea of eating cold cereal was embraced. In 1863, Dr. James Caleb Jackson, a health reformer who believed illness was rooted in the stomach, began experimenting with cold cereal to augment the mineral-spring treatments at his sanitarium in upstate New York. He baked graham flour into brittle cakes, which he then crumbled and baked again. It was not an immediate success; in fact,...
Step to the Beat on Facebook!
April 03, 2012 12:03Cruise on over to STTB on Facebook where I'm posting (almost) daily inspirational photos, smoothie recipes, and other stuff to keep you motivated and on-track with your exercise and healthy eating. Click HERE to be transported :) Thanks!
Ready, Set, Blend!
March 29, 2012 02:53This morning's smoothie: 1 apple, 1 banana, 1 heaping tablespoon of Greek yogurt, 2 tangerines, a handful of peeled baby carrots, huge handful of fresh spinach, scoop of whey protein powder, trinity of berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries - frozen Costco). More on the STTB Facebook page HERE. What's your favorite smoothie?
Avocados are NOT the Pits
March 29, 2012 02:17Don't shy away from avocados. Avocados are a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamins C,K, folate, and B6. Half an avocado has 160 calories, 15 grams of heart-healthy unsaturated fat, and only 2 grams saturated fat. One globe contains more than one-third daily value of vitamin C, and more than half the day’s requirements of vitamin K. More here: http://bit.ly/GXcP6O
Smoothies - Oh Yeah!
March 04, 2012 01:53NOT my smoothie, but same color! :) Imagine this in a plain, ugly tumbler and you'll have a vision of what I make daily. Been blending smoothies with my new Blendtec for a few weeks now - awesome. Some of my favorite variations: Morning Maximum Spinach Carrot Apple Orange Berry mix (raspberry, blueberry, blackberry) Tropical fruit medley - mango, pineapple, papaya, strawberry Broccoli Small handful of walnuts and almonds (approx 1.5 ounces) Protein Pro Broccoli Banana Apple Berry mix ...
Ordinary Blender Vs Blendtec Blender
February 12, 2012 18:43Broke down and bought a Blendtec Total Blender from Costco last week. Costco has the best price I've found on this, so click HERE for that product page if you're interested. While researching blenders, I found many comparisons between Vitamix and Blendtec, but not any decent video comparisons between an ordinary blender and the Blendtec. Hopefully, this video will serve others seeking a similar comparison. One note that I didn't include in the video: When blending softer fruits and veggie...
Blending Vs Juicing - My Opinion
February 02, 2012 03:50Let me start off by mentioning that I'm not a doctor, a nutritionist, nor do I have any formal training in either the medical or dietary fields. Just a guy who has read a lot of peer-reviewed literature on these subjects, done quite a bit of juicing, and is very interested in optimizing my eating plans to achieve a healthy, long life. I've been using juice extractors off and on for 20 years now, and have owned four or five of them during this span. While the benefits of drinking three poun...
Inspiration is...
January 13, 2012 03:31This is a photo of Aimee Mullins. You can read Aimee's story on NPR.org here. Truly inspirational. Sometimes a photo like this one of Aimee can be all it takes to make me want to jump on my bike or go for a run. Other times, it's a story I've read or heard. This weekend, I watched the arm wrestling documentary, Pulling John, the story of John Brzenk. I pulled out my dumb bells while watching that and set a new personal record for curls! What motivates you?
Fitocracy - Quick Tip Tutorial
January 07, 2012 14:57Join me on Fitocracy! Group name: Step to the Beat
A New Way of Looking at Food
September 16, 2011 12:40I've discovered a new way of eating that I'm excited to share. I read the book, "Eat to Live," by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. While I didn't agree with everything he wrote, I did like his take on weaning yourself off of processed foods and eating as many fresh fruits and vegetables (read: nutrient-dense foods) as you want. I LOVE eating plans that allow you to eat as much as you want, so this one fit me like a glove. In the past two weeks, I've cut way back on processed foods, even going as far as...
KettlebellChallenges.com - Start Your Challenge Today
September 01, 2011 02:55Podcasting buddy Russ Turley (Fat 2 Fit Radio, among other ventures), and I have created a Kettlebell Challenge for y'all! If you're into kettleballing (that NEVER will sound right to my ears), and want to challenge yourself, head on over tohttp://www.kettlebellchallenges.com/ where you can sign up and track your progress. This site is still being developed, so look for exciting new features coming your way. Have suggestions for features to the site? Send 'em on in to steptothebeatpodcast...
STTB 36 - 125 BPM - Binge Beat
August 21, 2011 14:04I should have listened to my own advice and stepped on the scale on my usual weigh-in day - Thursday, instead of today, the day after a two-week vacation. Fourteen days of double desserts and carb-o-licious feasting put on an astounding six pounds. I'm oddly okay with that though. I'll have this back off and dip below my normal weight within two weeks. You can hold me to that. :) I'll be back to tell you how I did it too, so stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy the latest 125 bpm beat and ...
Intermittent Fasting
July 27, 2011 01:30Right now, as I write this, I'm experiencing the following health benefits: • Decreasing body fat & body weight while maintaining skeletal muscle mass • Decreasing blood glucose levels (stabilizes blood sugar levels) • Decreasing insulin levels & increased insulin sensitivity (body fat is burned only when insulin levels are low) • Increasing lipolysis & fat oxidation (releases fat from cells so it can be burned) • Increasing Uncoupling Protein 3 mRNA (increases fat burning) • Increasi...
Walking With the Kettlebell - Part II
July 24, 2011 00:08I'm about to launch an all-out-campaign on the benefits of walking with a kettlebell. This new activity has yielded the most dramatic results in the shortest time of any other exercise/fitness regimen I've tried. Take a normal-paced walk, mix in a 16 kg (35 lb) kettlebell, and you're in for a slow-burn workout that improves core strength, balance, endurance, and provides a workout for all the major muscle groups, with a focus on arms (forearms, biceps, grip strength), shoulders, deltoids, a...
Walking With the Kettlebell
July 14, 2011 16:01I've switched up my 3X/week morning walks by adding a kettlebell to the mix. That's right, while some people take their dogs for a walk, I've started lugging my 35 lb cannonball with a handle around the neighborhood. I start out by simply doing a farmers walk, switching sides about every 300 yards or so. Then I carry the kettlebell in front of me, holding it with both hands and keeping it close to my chest as to not put too much strain on my lower back. After a few hundred yards of that, I...
Kettlebell Swing - Keeping Your Back Straight
June 20, 2011 03:37Video I made showing the proper form for keeping your back straight during the kettlebell swing.
STTB 35 - 127 BPM - Back to the Beats
June 19, 2011 20:13I've been tearing into the kettlebell lately and mixing jogging into my morning walks. For the kettelbell, my 35/30 23 rep/14 set routing with the 20 kg bell was getting monotonous, so I changed it up a bit and do 100 reps in a row, followed by a one minute rest, then 50 swings, another minute rest, another 50, then four sets of 25 with 30 seconds in between each set for rest. Also been using the kettlebell to tighten my external oblique abdominal muscles. I'll shoot some video on this soon...
STTB 34 - 151 BPM - Up Beat
May 08, 2011 13:30151 BPM Okay - I'm stepping up my workout routine this week and adding walking back into the mix. Yes, walking. I know that running was there before, but I need to build some base miles on my legs, stretch out my Achilles and calf muscles and condition these bean poles in some way to "accept" running as an activity at which I'm destined to succeed. Beat them into submission, so to speak. So...How was your week? Share your exercise motivations with others on the STTB Facebook Page! Than...
STTB 33 - 146 BPM - Beat Down
April 22, 2011 13:16While building up my mileage in regular heel-strike running, my Achilles/calf seized up last Saturday at .6 miles into the run. So discouraging. I'm tired of injuries. I cycled for decades and never had one injury. I run for five months, and have six of them or three in different forms, depending on how I decide to count. On a positive note, my kettlebell routine is going great. 20 KG for 16 mins 3x/week now, with 23 Reps on a 35/30 work/rest set schedule. Gotta keep looking at the stars,...
STTB 32 - 132 BPM - Personal Best
April 09, 2011 14:45132 BPM Just recently, I've set a couple of fairly lofty personal fitness goals. One of them has to do with the Kettlebell, and I'll talk about that in the next couple of posts. The other one is related to running. Since I started back into running, I've begun thinking about what it would take for me to break a five minute mile. Well, we could start with the math - shaving three minutes off my current pace. But what about physically and emotionally. What an amazing journey this could turn...