Shoulders

Want nice looking shoulders while wearing tank tops?! Do this shoulder exercise!!

Tricep Exercise

Side-Rise Tricep Exercise!

This is one of my favorite Tricep exercises that I do in P90X Shoulders and Arms.

Work those Biceps!!

Biceps!

I had to workout this morning especially after those yummy donuts (see my blog posting about Paleo Donuts)!!!! I love working biceps! :) This is one of my favorite exercises.  

This is called a Congdon Curl.  Check out the video!

WarriorZ

Hello all!!!

How many of you are busy with work, commuting, grocery shopping and cooking healthy meals that it is hard to find time to workout?

There is a woman, Zuzana Light, who I have been following for sometime.  She used to be on bodyrock.tv, but now has developed her own site, WarriorZ.  She also has a YouTube channel.  Basically, all her workouts are 15 minutes or less.  I'm warning you, they are not easy workouts.  You will be dripping in sweat if you give it your all! 

She is ripped and her message is that it doesn't take hours in the gym to get her body (but I don't think she eats much LOL).  

Anyhow, it is a nice way to squeeze in a killer workout in a busy day. Let me know what you think of her workouts!  

Shake Things Up!

Hi all!!

I've been enjoying my summer so far! It's been busier than I thought it would be!! It's been tough eating right, but I've been doing pretty well.  I had a weekend where I ate and drank so much (thanks to my sis! LoL), but I got back on the wagon within a few days and was back at my normal weight.  The key is to discipline and get yourself back on track if you get off which can happen often on vacation!

Plus, I've shaken up my workout routine.  I got tired of doing weights and got hooked on Yoga! Before I knew it, my legs were toning up and my body responded to my yoga workouts.  Your muscles have excellent memory.  The key is to shock your muscles in doing new things! Try it!

Do kickboxing, pilates, weights (if you haven't picked up a dumbbell), kettle bell, etc!!! Let me know what you end up liking! I will need to shake things up again soon so any new ideas would be great!! :)

A great lower tummy workout!!!

Hi folks!

Here's a great lower tummy workout with the balance ball! If you don't have the ball, no worries- just put your legs together and do this exercise.  If you want to make it challenging, add a dumbbell between your feet or use ankle weights.

Try it and let me know what you think!!! :)

Don't starve your buns!!

Here is a wonderful article about the booty!! Shannon Dey discusses how she didn't have a booty before and really worked those glutes to develop a booty.  Leg workouts aren't just enough- the booty is the biggest muscle in the body so we gotta do butt exercises to develop a well-toned booty.

Some women diet by skipping meals and going hungry.  This can result in a flat booty.  Eat healthy and don't starve yourself.  Just simply eat right and workout to build muscle.

Here's the link to the article: Where I Found My Booty.

Here are some good booty exercises to start building your booty: Women's Health Booty Exercises.

Fitness Apps

Hi all!!!

Sorry that I've been MIA- needed a break! ;-) Now I'm back!!! :) Look out!

I just bought a few fitness apps!! I was short on time to workout (and I'm really rushing to write this so I'm not late for work! ha!!!!) and I didn't want to just do my own personalized workout that I really lose track of time.  I used Daniel Miller's fitness apps.  They're great and easy to follow.  You can customize them to 5 mins, 7.5 mins or 10 mins.  I did the ab, butt, and arm workout today-- all 7.5 minutes each.  I got a pretty good sweat and heart rate-- you really have to make EACH rep count!! That's the secret!

Here are a couple pics-- see how I use my iPad to follow the workout.  This means I can workout away from home with some motivation to squeeze in a short workout. :) No excuses! ;-)

Be smart while you workout!

Hi all!!

Here's a great exercise that combines yoga and strength training! If you don't have a lot of time to workout, you gotta workout smart! This means, combine several muscle groups in one workout.

For instance, the video below works the legs and back muscles all in one move, plus a bit of core to stabilize yourself.  You want to do three sets of 12-15 reps.  Remember, you want to feel the burn in the last three reps.  If you're going for size, then go for 8-10 reps, whereas if you're going for lean, then do 12-15 reps.

Let me know what you think!!! :)

Ack! Veins!!

Recently, I took a picture of myself to send to my guy and it was such a good picture that I made it my Facebook profile picture.  I took a closer look and *gasp* saw a vein on my forehead!!! :-O Here's a pic from working out tonite as well as a pic of the vein in my arms.

I've always mocked those Hollywood actresses with veins on their forehead especially Julia Roberts! There are quite a few that have it- Natalie Portman, Angelina Jolie, Nina Dobrev (Vampire Diaries)...

What causes this?! I found out that this is due to lower body fat! I guess it's a good thing that I'm losing body fat, but I'm becoming what I've mocked in the past! :-O It's not always on my forehead! Whew! Ah- this is truly my fitness journey!!

Flabby Underarms!

Hi all!

I know that it can be hard to find time to workout especially when you gotta get up at 6 am and have to drive home to making dinners, family or whatever commitments you got! Or simply some days, you are just exhausted from a long day of work.

If you have a few minutes at work, you can re-energize yourself by doing some simple exercises at the office to tone up! Here's one to workout the triceps if you wanna cure those flabby underarms!

I did this before changing out of my work clothes to prove that you can do this in your work clothes at the office! ;-)

You can do a few sets of however maximum reps you can do throughout the day! Here's the video:

Abs are made in the kitchen!!!

Believe it or not, Abs are made 80% in the kitchen and 20% with exercise!!

Many people do spot reduction exercises such as sit-ups to get a flatter stomach.  Doing 500 sit-ups everyday will not reduce belly fat!

You need to lose your overall body fat.  Doing core exercises will strengthen your core, but what you need to do is combine a proper nutrition plan (remember it’s 80% in the kitchen) and do a full body workout program then do core strengthening. 

Some exercises like squats and deadlifts, which you do for your legs also utilize the core.  So you may be working out your core without even knowing it! Isn’t that great?! J

Aside from exercise, you need to eat whole and unrefined foods, meaning foods with only ONE ingredient.  Get rid of the processed junk!!  Eat more protein as it builds muscle, which muscle increases your metabolism, thus it burns fat. 

Your body needs carbs!!!! Eat carbs high in fiber (veggies, fruits, unrefined sprouted whole grains).  Eat carbs that have more than 5g in fiber and less than 5g in sugar.  Get rid of the white stuff!! White bread, pasta, rice—chuck ‘em out!

Eat good fats! Yes! They help you fight fat!  They help maintain your hormone levels, which reduces cravings.  Eat your avocados, nuts, olive oil, eggs, fish and meat!  I like having a handful of nuts in the afternoon for a quick snack!

Hang in there, it takes about 90 days of clean eating to see results!! Keep up the discipline!!! If you have a day of bad eating, so what, you can get back on your feet the next day, it’s not an excuse to keep eating bad!

Happy good eating!! J

In n Out Bicep Curls

Hi all!

Biceps are my favorite muscle group to focus on! Below is a video of one of my favorite moves called In and Out Bicep Curls.  It works on two different areas of the bicep.  Keep in mind that you want to do three sets with a 30 to 60 second rest break in between sets.

As mentioned in the video, if you want to build more muscle, do 8-10 reps and if you want to keep lean, do 12-15 reps.  The last three need to to burn- that's the most important part even if you want to keep lean!

Check out the video below! :)

How many of you worked out today??

Sometimes when it's the weekend, all you wanna do is be lazy! That was me this morning, but I forced myself to workout and I feel better! Working out actually gives you more energy than that energy drink or a cup of coffee! The hardest part is actually doing it!

I was like the picture below after my workout, but after sitting and having some of my hot lemon water, I'm more perked up! :) Fight the laziness and get some exercise- it can just be a walk around the block or pumping weights.  Whatever you are in the mood for!

Reps til they're on FIRE!

Make each rep count!!

When doing your workout, you want the last three reps to be on FIRE!!! Hang in there! That's when it counts the most.  See pic below:

Women- lift those weights!!!!

Muscle burns more fat!!! Cut down a lil bit of your cardio and focus on some strength training! Here's a good link about burning fat with strength training: Women-Weight Training

Flatten those Abs!!

Sick of doing crunches??!! This is a great ab workout without any crunches! It's good to mix it up- I noticed these also work the booty, which I need! ;-) hah!

Here's the link (it's from Women's Health- but it's great for the guys as well!): Women's Health Ab Workout

I did this workout today and I like it!

I'm aiming for a 6 pack- I think it'll come, don't you agree?! ;-) But will need a million more ab workouts!! ugh!!!!!

Great leg workout!

Here's a link to a great leg workout: Natalie Jill- Leg Workout

I did this after doing the LiveFit leg workout (LiveFit Phase 1, day 3)- I wasn't quite satisfied so I ended up doing 12 sets on each leg three times! My legs are jello right now!

LiveFit

I’ve officially started this.  Will see how it goes.  I like Jamie Eason’s nutrition plan and the list of approved foods.  She makes it easy to follow -well- it’s only the first day! hah! 


Here's the link!
LiveFit Phase 1