Train Hard, Train Safe

For years I have been asked one question more than any other regarding cardio exercise which is: What the best cardio exercise for maximum results?

My answer is the same every time, simply put, it’s the exercise you will do day in and day out consistently. Choose one which you enjoy doing and don't be afraid to mix the exercises up. Interval cardio work consists of moving from one exercise to another in set time intervals. For example, you could do the ARC trainer for 15 minutes, then switch to the stationary bike for another 15 minutes and finish off on the treadmill for the last 15 minutes. Interval training is a great way to keep everything fresh!

There are two schools of thought when it comes to cardio training. The "slow & steady" group and the "high intensity" group. These two groups breakdown like this:

Slow & Steady Cardio
· Long duration (45min - 1 hour)
· Low intensity
· Burn fat and not carbs
· Preserve joints

High Intensity Cardio
· Short duration (20min - 30min)
· High intensity (interval training)
· Burn tons of calories & rev up your metabolism throughout the day
· Treat cardio like weights - explosive movements (sprinting, etc)

Which Cardio Exercise Burns the Most Calories?Below are some examples of cardio exercises which burn the most calories in 30 minutes.

Step Aerobics - Step Aerobics mainly target your legs, hips and gluteus, and can burn approx. 400 calories in 30 minutes.

Cycling - stationary or outdoors is a great cardio exercises, depending on resistance and speed can but 250 to 500 calories in 30 minutes.

Swimming - Swimming is a great cross-training for other cardio activities. Doing the breast stroke can burn approx. 400 calories in 30 minutes.

Rock Climbing - is not only a cardio exercises, but also uses arm and leg strength and power. Rock Climbing can burn up to 380 calories in 30 minutes.

Cross-Country Skiing - whether on a machine or outdoors on snow, is an incredible cardio exercises as it involves both upper and lower body. A 145 lb person can burn approx 330 calories in 30 minutes.

Running - Running is an excellent cardio exercises because all you need is a pair of quality running shoes. Running burns serious calories. A 145 LB person can easily burn 300 calories in 30 minutes.

Elliptical Trainer - is an excellent cardio exercises and a great way to build endurance. A 145 LB person can burn about 300 calories in 30 minutes.

Rowing - is both a cardio exercises as well as giving your arms an incredible workout. 145 LB person can burn about 300 calories in 30 minutes.

Walking - Brisk walking is a less strenuous form of cardio exercises. Walking can burn up to 180 calories in 30 minutes. Sprinting, adding hills or an incline can increase amount of calories burned.

For the real high intensity cardio people out there who love the H.I.I.T training (High Intensity Interval Training), below are the top three cardio exercise which will provide amazing results!

Jumping Rope - This is one of the simplest, yet most effective exercises one can do. In just 15 to 20 minutes, jumping rope will give you an unparalleled total body workout. Jumping rope is ideal for cardiovascular endurance and enhances performance in virtually any sport - tennis, basketball, football, skiing, volleyball and more. This simple exercise is also great for eye-hand coordination, lateral movement, foot and hand speed and agility.

Sprinting - Sprinting not only burns HUGE amounts of calories while sprinting, it also keeps your metabolism flying for days after. Sprinting combined with running / jogging can bring amazing results

Indoor Cycling - These high-intensity workouts to music simulate a challenging bike ride, complete with hills, valleys and varying speeds, all dictated by the group instructor.

Train Hard, Train Safe

Posted by Troy Weaver, Senior Vice President, Y Family Centers and Member Experience, Y of Central Maryland

Growing Good Kids at the Y

We know from experience that programs designed to support the development of the whole child (body, mind, and spirit) keep kids engaged. Every day, thousands of Y kids receive academic support and enjoy choosing from a multitude of activities designed to support their development as artists, writers, dancers, chess players, legislators, scientists... contributing and valuable citizens of this amazing world we live in. Young people vote with their feet. If they don't like or value an Out-of-School-Time (OST) program, they won't attend. Even in our most at-risk communities, the Y's programs consistently maintain a 90% attendance rate.

The places, opportunities, and relationships that young people experience in their families, schools, communities, youth programs and religious congregations provide the foundation on which youth develop.

If these settings support and stimulate development, as well as provide appropriate boundaries and limits, children and youth will most likely grow into healthy and productive adults. When youth don't experience positive, supportive relationships, places, and opportunities, the chances increase that they will get involved with unhealthy behaviors such as alcohol and other drug use, school problems, and violence. The Y, in partnership with the Search Institute, believes that purposeful and intentional OST programs build assets in young people.

Traditionally, policy-makers, funders, and program planners have considered the role and impact of youth programs from a problem-focused perspective (ie.delinquency, teen pregnancy, etc.) The asset-building approach is grounded in the literature on "risk and resiliency". The Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development reports that participation in comprehensive youth development programs can lead to reduction in high-risk behaviors and promotion of pro-social behaviors.

The framework of developmental assets is grounded in extensive research on child and adolescent development, resiliency, health promotion, disease prevention and public health. Numerous researchers have found that assets provide strength for children and youth. In addition, through surveys of almost 2 million young people from all types of communities and cultures, Search Institute has found consistently that the more assets young people have the better.

For instance, the more assets young people have, the more likely they will grow up to be caring, competent, responsible adults. The more assets young people have, the better their chances for contributing to society and finding a meaningful purpose in life. On average, young people with more assets:

· Engage in fewer negative, high-risk behaviors, such as using drugs and alcohol or having premarital sex
· Exhibit more positive behaviors, such as succeeding in school, assuming leadership roles and valuing diversity
· Demonstrate resilience in the face of challenges, stresses and difficult situations

The challenge that the Y and communities face is that, according to the most current Search Institute research, the average young person has about 19 of the 40 assets in his or her life. Our job is to continually refine what has been proven to work and continually look for ways to build upon successes to give these young people the support they need.
OST programs are an effective means of delivering this support.

Given our leadership in this effort and clear successes, the Y of Central Maryland is committed to deepening our investment in after school programming. In fact, increased after school programming is a centerpiece of our long term plan.

You too can be an asset builder! Each of us has the opportunity and responsibility to “grow” the next generation. Consider the many ways that you can intentionally reach out to young people. It can be as simple as addressing a young person by their name and engaging in conversation. Or go deeper…and volunteer in the Y’s Building Future’s mentoring program. For more information, call Michelle Cuebas at 410-728-0945.

Posted by Chris Ader-Soto, Senior Vice President of Family and Youth Asset Development, Y of Central Maryland

The Third Place

You may have heard the term “third place” bandied about in this or other Y blogs, and you may be a bit confused or befuddled by it. Allow me to provide some context and an explanation, if I might.

According to this generation’s encyclopedia – Wikipedia – the “third place”…

… is a term used in the concept of community building to refer to social surroundings separate from the two usual social environments of home and the workplace. In his influential book The Great Good Place, Ray Oldenburg (1989, 1991) argues that third places are important for civil society, democracy, civic engagement, and establishing feelings of a sense of place.

Oldenburg calls one's "first place" the home and those that one lives with. The "second place" is the workplace — where people may actually spend most of their time. Third places, then, are "anchors" of community life and facilitate and foster broader, more creative interaction. All societies already have informal meeting places; what is new in modern times is the intentionality of seeking them out as vital to current societal needs. Oldenburg suggests these hallmarks of a true "third place": free or inexpensive; food and drink, while not essential, are important; highly accessible: proximate for many (walking distance); involve regulars – those who habitually congregate there; welcoming and comfortable; both new friends and old should be found there.

Well, that idea of an “anchor of community life” is the very definition of what we work to make your family center Y be. I often tell people that a Y is really a community center providing healthy, active and positive opportunities for all. That’s why we have spent so much time in the past few years rethinking our programming and spaces – and why we’ve made and continue to make significant changes to our design and programs.

Consider this. All of our new and renovated Ys have and will have family rooms. They have teen and senior spaces. They are designed to foster interaction – not the walling off – of people. We want families to be able to come to the Y together and participate in activities together while they’re there. Of course, if they want, we want family members to have the option of choosing different activities based on individual interests and ages, but to be able to do so at the same time. We want people of all shapes, sizes, ages, races, interests, beliefs, orientations, etc. to see the Y as a comfortable, inviting, friendly place where those differences don’t really matter.

On a visceral level, a Y membership is about belonging in a time when people have fewer and fewer places where they feel they truly belong. The feeling of belonging is something that you just feel in your gut. “I fit here. I am welcomed and accepted.” It’s also a fluid and dynamic thing. In the beginning it might be about losing weight or staying in shape. As time goes on, it will hopefully come to mean more:

· connecting with other members and being a more engaged part of your community
· knowing your neighbors
· learning new things and challenging yourself
· reinforcing who you are as a human being
· feeling a part of something bigger and more important than just you
· being rewarded for giving back
· demonstrating your values to your children, friends and neighbors
· improving in spirit, mind and body
· strengthening your family unit
· volunteering and giving back to the community at large

As a result of an on-going, long term commitment to one’s health and well-being (in the broadest sense of that term), an opportunity for on-going relationships (with other Y members, staff and volunteers) occurs. While for most, the initial motive for becoming a member is self-focused; as members’ lives are impacted (in spirit, mind and body), they become far more focused on giving back and investing in their community. Because membership in the Y of Central Maryland is available to all, regardless of age, race, religion, gender, income or any other difference that may divide us, Y membership is a crucial asset that keeps one connected with the larger community.

As such, we are working to move our programming beyond the “body” (what is currently most commonly understood to be part of a Y membership – fitness, aquatics, group exercise, basketball, etc.) to include programming aimed at developing the “mind” (book, chess and travel clubs) and “spirit”(parenting classes, meditation, etc.). It seeks to accomplish all of that within the context of a community-enhancing model – i.e. bringing people together around common interests who may have never known each other if it wasn’t for the Y. In the end, the member’s experience becomes fuller and more meaningful.

Join us.

Yours in Community,
John

Posted by John K. Hoey, President & CEO, Y of Central Maryland