Between classes, clubs, and work, my days start early and end really, really late. My stress levels are so high it’s no surprise I often choose ice cream over vegetables and Degrassi (shh, don’t tell!) over gymming it up.

So when I do finally muster up the energy to make it to the gym I know I have to make it count. I don’t want to waste any time so I’ve started streamlining my workout by doing exercises that combine cardio and weight training. The cardio aspect gets my heart rate up, allowing the strength training exercises to burn more calories and be even more effective.

I’m all about the multi-tasking and after this workout I feel stronger and skinnier and happy. In fact, I can feel the endorphins kicking in already…

Jumping Lunges
Don’t settle for typical lunges if you want a great butt! Speed up the process by doing jumping lunges. These will spike your heart rate while also toning, so you’ll see results a lot faster. I usually do these in one-minute intervals with a 30 second break between.

How to:
1. With your hands on your waist, lunge forward with one leg.
2. Jump, pushing off both feet and switching your legs in mid-air.
3. Land in a lunge with the opposite leg forward.
4. Repeat. Read More »

Before Miss Indiana was crowned Miss America 2009, TV viewers watched and envied the bodies of 15 in-shape young women strutting across the stage. How do these college-aged women keep their fabulous figures while juggling classes and life in the dead of winter?

The new queen, Katie Stam went home with a $50,000 scholarship and $1,000 for a preliminary swimsuit and fitness award. This basically was a check for having the hottest body. How does the new queen stay fit? You might be surprised.

On Miss America’s official website Katie cites a favorite hobby as working out on a Power Plate!

According to Power Plate’s manufacturers, if you stand on the machine’s vibrating plates for 10 minutes a day and three times a week, you will lose weight, increase bone density and improve your overall health. The whole idea is trying to keep balance on the vibrating platform while you tense and release your muscles 30 to 50 times per second during strength-training moves like squats or bicep curls. There are more than 30 private studios and fitness centers across the nation offering total-body training classes which typically last 25 minutes.

Unfortunately, most gyms still do not carry Power Plates, and many experts are weary of them. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get a Miss America body. Read More »