NEW PRODUCT

Around 60-70% of the human body is composed of water, so it's fair to say that water is vital for survival. It functions to keep our body temperature regulated, allows us to breathe, is essential in digestion and excretion, assists body movement, just to name a few!

Drinking 8-10 glasses of water each day is recommended, but during exercise or when in hot environments, we need to drink more, because we sweat more.

But is water enough? Or do you need a sports drink to stay properly hydrated?
Sports drinks will keep you well hydrated and give you energy if you're participating in high intensity exercise for more than an hour. However, if you're not exercising to this level, plain water will do just fine.

What defines a sports drink?
Sports drinks (sometimes called electrolyte or isotonic drinks) are developed to contain the right level of carbohydrates (5-8 g/litre) and electrolytes (such as sodium and potassium) to keep you well hydrated; replacing what is lost from the body during exercise.

Other drinks that contain high amounts of carbohydrates stop water being absorbed quickly and therefore can delay hydration, so are not suitable before exercise.

So if you're doing a high intensity workout, choose a sports drink. But, if you're not working out to this intensity and drink them as part of your everyday routine you may end up putting on weight because of the extra carbohydrate content.

If you don't like the taste of plain water, add a slice of lemon, orange or a sprig of mint to give your water some flavour without adding the calories you'd get by using cordial.

Hydration tips for exercise

• Make sure you're well hydrated before you exercise - start drinking approximately two hours before
• Keep your fluids topped up during exercise
• Always remember to re-hydrate after exercise – it's essential for recovery. Try to drink one to two glasses per hour until your urine is pale again

When you find that your weekly weight loss has stalled that’s often known as a ‘weight loss plateau’ and many dieters find the sudden lack of progress deeply frustrating. Herbalife’s Nutrition Expert Susan Bowerman helps you understand why your weight may plateau and give you some ideas to make sure you continue to meet your goals so that your weight will start moving again.

Five tips to move off the plateau:

• Use a food diary to keep track of your calorie intake - You may have been more careful when you started your diet — weighing and measuring everything that passed your lips — but you might not be as accurate as you once were. This will get you back on track.
• Replace two meals a day with a protein shake to help you stay within your calorie limit. When you make your shake, you know exactly what goes into it — and how many calories are in the protein powder, the milk and the fruit — so it takes the guesswork out of calorie counting. Use the shake for two meals a day, have a healthy third meal, and fill in with snacks of low fat protein foods, vegetables and fruits.
• Dine out less often - No matter how careful you think you are when you go to a restaurant, it's usually difficult to accurately estimate how many calories you're eating, because it's often hard to tell exactly how foods are prepared.
• Step up your activity, particularly strength training - If you've been working out for a while and haven't increased the intensity of your activity, you might not be burning as many calories as you used to. Add some new moves to your exercise routine, increase the intensity, and pump some iron.
• You might actually be at the right weight - If you can, get your body composition checked. Muscle is ‘denser' and takes up less space than body fat — so if you are carrying more muscle than the average person, you might weigh more than you think you should. If your body fat is within normal range, then you may not have much — if any — additional weight to lose

If you think that just because summer is over, it’s time to pack on some winter padding…think again! Follow my fall workout tips to keep your summer body all year round.

Just because the weather is cooling down and you’re wearing additional clothing doesn’t mean that you should abandon your summer bikini body. Exercise should be done year-round because true health and fitness is achieved with a consistent plan.

Give my fall workout a try to add some fitness to your colder days and nights. It’s great for toning your arms, core and legs. This fall workout routine is also great for building strength and burning calories.

It should take you about 30 minutes to complete and can be done in the comfort of your own home. If you don’t have enough time to complete the entire workout, just do a few moves or one set to fit exercise to your day.

What you’ll need:

• A chair
• A set of hand weights
• A mat

It is important to prepare your body for exercise! Spend at least 10 minutes warming up your body with cardio exercise. For example, you can jog for 5 minutes, followed by jumping jacks or jump rope.

Fall workout move 1: Arm and shoulder combination using weights
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart while holding weights down by your sides. Curl the weight up to work the bicep muscle; then rotate the wrist so palms are facing each other and press the weight overhead at shoulder height to effectively work the shoulder muscles.

Fall workout move 2: Plie squat with arm pull
This move works the legs, glutes, inner thighs and trapezius muscles. Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart with toes pointed out. Hold the weights with palms facing the body. slowly lower into a squat as if you are sliding down a wall keeping your back straight. As you come up to standing, pull the weights toward your chest leading with your elbows and repeat.

Fall workout move 3: Chair dip
This move works the triceps at the back of your arms. Sit in the chair and place your hands on the chair next to you. Place your feet out in front of you keeping your thighs parallel to the floor. Lower out of the chair, and as you bend your arms your elbows should go behind you, supporting your body weight. Finish this move by pushing back up to the starting position.

Fall workout move 4: Hands and knees balance
This total body move works your abdominal core muscles, arms and legs. Get onto the floor on your hands and knees. Position yourself so that your wrists are directly underneath your shoulders and hips over the knees while keeping your back flat. Then lift up one leg behind you and also lift the opposite arm out in front of you. You can hold this pose or crunch bringing your knee to chest and elbow to knee. Once you’ve done one side, repeat on the other side.

Fall workout move 5: Curtsey lunge with leg lift
This move works your inner and outer thighs as well as your glutes. Stand tall and place your hands on a chair for balance. Take a backward lunge step with your left leg, taking your back foot just past the mid line of your body. The knee on your front leg (right leg) should not pass the line of your toe as you lower your body. Keep your core muscles tight and back straight. Return to standing, keeping a flexed foot take your leg out to side.

Fall workout move 6: Bridge pose with chest press
This move will work your chest muscles, core and glutes. Start by lying on your back practicing the bridge pose. Squeeze your glutes and raise your hips up off the floor to make a straight line from the shoulder to the knees. Once you are able to hold this position, you can add in the chest press. Hold weights palms facing forward and in line with your chest. Press the weights up, hold for a second, then return to the starting position.

Do 10-12 repetitions of each exercise in this fall workout and then try to repeat the exercises for three sets. I hope you enjoyed this fall workout routine. Remember that fitness is not just for the summer it’s for life!

Written by Samantha Clayton, AFAA, ISSA. Samantha is Director of Fitness Education at Herbalife.