Hydrate While Eating
With the changes in weather you need to make sure you are hydrating your body enough. Check out these fresh foods that are extremely hydrating!
Cucumber
Mixed Greens Salad
Tomato Sauce
Chicken Noodle Soup
Eggplant
Applesauce
Zucchini
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Bell Peppers
Pear
Romaine Lettuce
Pineapple
Carrots
Mango
Apple
Grapefruit
Yogurt
Strawberries
Navel Orange
Raw Broccoli
Raspberries
Celery
Wild Blueberries
Raw Spinach
Red Seedless Grapes
Tomato
Kiwi
Spring Has Sprung and So Have the Temperatures
As spring heats up, you might want to pick up some Epsom salt. Beauty experts say it can help brighten your skin before you go out in the sun, soften it afterward and get your feet ready for sandals season.
For beach season, celebrity skin care guru Ole Henriksen says you should exfoliate before going out in the sun to rev up circulation, facilitating the elimination of toxins or impurities that may be trapped in the skin. In addition to detoxification, Henriksen says, exfoliation leaves the skin luminous, smooth and soft in texture, and it removes any excess dead skin, allowing for better absorption and easier application of sunscreen or lotion.
Here’s his recipe for an at-home dermabrasion resurfacing treatment called the “Shower smoothie:”
Ingredients: 4 oz. of Epsom salt, 4 oz. coffee grounds, 1 TSP eucalyptus oil and enough sesame oil to form a smooth paste.
Mix the Epsom salt and coffee grounds in a medium bowl, then add the oils and stir thoroughly until you have a smooth, but not runny paste.
Get in the shower, get wet and turn off the water. Use the entire palm of each hand to vigorously scrub your body for several minutes, from your neck to your feet.
Afterward, just rinse and glow. Your skin will feel smooth, and you’ll notice an immediate lifting and constricting of the skin.
“Epsom Salt has amazing detoxifying properties and melts into the skin when activated by ingredients in my recipes,” Henriksen says. “The texture of Epsom Salt is firm, yet very smooth to the touch. This makes the exfoliation process comfortable for all skin types.”
After a day outdoors, cosmetologist Linda Ashbrook of the Golden Door Spa suggests soaking in Epsom salt for 20 minutes to relax tired muscles and soften the skin, which can get dry from the sun or sandy beaches. Add a few drops of aromatherapy oil, such as lavender or frankincense, to make it more relaxing, then use a very rich moisturizer afterward to further soften the skin. The Epsom salt – actually magnesium sulfate – helps retain moisture, eliminate toxins and relieve stress, Ashbrook says.
“With our skin being the largest organ, it absorbs and uses nutrients applied topically,” Ashbrook says. “As most people are deficient in magnesium, taking an Epsom salt bath is the easiest way to restore this mineral to the body.”
To soothe summer skin, Ashbrook also advises making a quick and easy facial mask while in the bath. Here’s how:
Ingredients: a tablespoon each of Epsom salt, honey and olive oil (for oily skin add a few drops of lemon juice).
Leave on for 5 to 10 minutes.
Rinse in a warm shower to wash away any impurities that have been drawn out from the Epsom salt.
Moisturize with your favorite lotion.
Here are two other tips for using Epsom salt this summer:
- Pedicure Perfection: Dissolve a half cup of Epsom Salt into two quarts of warm water. Pour the water into a container and soak your bare feet for 15 to 20 minutes. For an extra treat, add a few drops of eucalyptus oil for a refreshing scent. Massage the entire foot with Epsom Salt concentrating on the heels and ankles to remove any dry, rough spots. Then, rinse your feet off with clean tap water and dry them thoroughly.
- For mild sunburn: Doctors say Epsom salt can help soothe itching, burning skin. Suggestions include:
Make a compress by soaking a cotton washcloth in cold water that has been mixed with Epsom salt (two tablespoons per cup), then apply to the skin.
Create a paste to apply to the skin by adding a teaspoon of Epsom salt to about a cup of hot water until it dissolves, then chilling the solution in the fridge for 20 minutes. Note: Clean the skin and pat dry before applying the paste.
Take an Epsom salt bath, by adding two cups of Epsom salt to the water in a standard-sized bathtub and soaking for at least 12 minutes. The Epsom salt will dissolve quicker if you put it under the running water.
Switch it up in Spring-out with the old and in with the new!
Start preparing you healthy Easter plates. It’s only a few weeks away and why not get excited about exchanging your carbohydrates and empty calories for light, fun, nutrient dense, and delicious new foods!
Start off with a scrumptious Artichoke-Scrambled Eggs Benedict!!
Roasted artichoke bottoms stand in for English muffins in this quick yet elegant supper. Substitute roasted mushrooms for the pancetta for a vegetarian option. Serve with roasted new potatoes or a tossed salad.
4 servings | Active Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 canned artichoke bottoms, (1 1/2 cans), rinsed (see Shopping Tip)
- 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 3 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano, divided, plus 4 sprigs for garnish
- 1/3 cup chopped pancetta
- 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon water
- 6 large eggs
- 4 large egg whites
- 2 tablespoons reduced-fat cream cheese, (Neufchâtel)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Toss artichoke bottoms with 2 teaspoons oil and 2 teaspoons oregano. Place them top-side down on half of a large baking sheet. Spread pancetta in an even layer on the other half. Roast until the artichokes are just beginning to brown and the pancetta is crispy, 12 to 14 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice and water in a small bowl until smooth. Beat eggs and egg whites in a large bowl.
- Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggs and cook, folding and stirring frequently with a heatproof rubber spatula until almost set, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and fold in cream cheese, the remaining 1 teaspoon oregano and salt.
- To serve, divide the artichoke bottoms among 4 plates. Top each artichoke with equal portions scrambled egg, crispy pancetta and creamy lemon sauce. Garnish with oregano sprigs, if desired.
Nutrition
Per serving : 282 Calories; 19 g Fat; 6 g Sat; 7 g Mono; 333 mg Cholesterol; 9 g Carbohydrates; 17 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 737 mg Sodium; 171 mg Potassium
1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 2 medium fat meat, 2 fat
Tips & Notes
- Shopping tip: Artichoke bottoms can be purchased in 14-ounce cans—found near other canned vegetables. If unavailable, substitute two 14-ounce cans rinsed and halved artichoke hearts.
Workout. Eat In.
Eat Right! The Best Pre- and Post-Workout Foods For Your Workout
If you truly are what you eat, then my body must be 80% water and 20% pickle juice. Clearly, a diet of salty brine is not ideal before a tough workout. So what is?
To go full throttle at the gym or wherever our fitness adventures may take us, we need to eat right. But the definition of “right” changes depending on the nature of upcoming or recently completed activities from yoga to running.
Thankfully, “The Bikini Chef” Susan Irby, host of “Bikini Lifestyles” on KABC AM 790 and author of myriad healthy cookbooks including the latest Substitute Yourself Skinny, offers guidelines (and her very own recipes) for eating before and after our various workouts:
Susan Irby – who hosts the likes of Venus Williams, Billy Bush and Wolfgang Puck on her radio show – is a runner herself and stresses the importance of hydration. Before and after a workout, one absolutely must drink water! When it comes to actual nourishment, she explains, “Food is like fuel for your body. And, like gas in your car, the longer the journey the more gas you’re going to need. So, if your workout is longer or more intense, you’re going to need different types and amounts of food.”
Skipping meals altogether is a big mistake: “People fall into the trap of not eating before or after, but then their workouts will start to take away from carbohydrate and muscle resources that they already have.”
Each genre of workout demands a different meal before and afterward to help maintain energy, but also balance the body for maximum results.
Yoga/Stretching:
Before: Though yoga can be difficult, it’s generally lower impact than certain other types of exercise. It’s also good for your digestion, so there’s less concern about upsetting the stomach. For a morning yoga class, for example, you want to eat fibrous foods like a whole grain cereal perhaps or yogurt – Greek or traditional – with fresh berries. Some protein will help build muscles and healthy fats are great, but also that fiber content will further promote digestion and won’t weigh you down. Something heavier will take more time for your body to breakdown and digest, so it won’t be as fuel efficient.
For Example: Kashi GOLEAN cereal w/almond milk.
After: You want to replenish after a workout, so try a sports energy drink. But then – again if it’s morning – you’ll want to have a healthy, simple snack that won’t make you nauseous like an egg white burrito, while your body is still burning calories. It will help build more muscle.
For Example: An ACTIVATE workout drink and a breakfast burrito.
Cardio:
Before: Before you go bouncing around, you don’t want to eat food that might make you nauseous as your stomach is jostled. Because of the physicality of the exercise, you’ll need a little more energy, but you don’t want a heavy meal. For a midday cardio workout, eat a healthy snack beforehand and your actual lunch afterward. Again, high-fiber foods break down well, so eat a banana, trail mix or an energy bar. You mainly need energy and you’re going to get that from healthier carbs, fruits, grains and good fats like nuts.
For Example: A high protein and fiber KIRSCHBAR (in Coffee Mocha, Almond Crunch or Cookies & Cream) from trainer David Kirsch.
After: For lunch, after your workout, choose a salad with mixed greens and some lean protein like chicken breast or grilled fish. Stay away from bottled dressings or anything that has high fat content. You’ve worked your metabolism up and your muscles are hungry, so it’s going to absorb that protein right into your muscles. If you eat high fat or processed foods, your body won’t know what to do with them and all that wonderful calorie-burning metabolism you’ve built up, will actually get slowed back down.
For Example: A lean turkey sandwich or burger (served on a portobello mushroom as Irby does, below) would work well too!
Strength Training:
Before: Eat 2 to 3 ounces of protein before you work out and, again, stay away from heavy meals. Your muscles are going to be working extra hard, so they need that type of food to sustain you throughout the workout. Your body is depleting those resources, so you need to introduce them back in. Portion control is also really important because, if you consume too much, your muscles will focus on digesting that food instead of the workout.
For Example: A turkey breast.
After: After a good strength training workout, eat 4 to 6 ounces of protein and healthy grains like brown or Basmati rice. Stay away from heavier starches like potatoes and reward your body with yummy pieces of grilled fish or shrimp and vegetables. For a balanced meal, it’s very important to include high fiber veggies like with your protein.
For Example: A piece of salmon with kale or Irby’s grilled shrimp salad.
Adds Irby, “I wish people would eat this way most of the time anyway because they would have more energy and also find that they can actually even eat a little bit more. If you eat the right kinds of foods, then your body is going to consume them correctly.”
Celebrities Don’t Always Know Best
The Spring Break 5 Day countdown has official started and the pressure to be in bikini body shape while naturally you’re still in winter mode in New England is a lot to handle. We’re all guilty of flipping through the magazines that are all ready for summer and posting famous beach bods on every page, but don’t think it’s okay or good for you too use some of those famous celebrity diets.
4 Celeb Diets to Avoid
Let’s face it: Hollywood makes losing weight look easy! Especially with all those toned bodies walking the red carpet this awards season. But if shedding a few pounds is on your to-do list, don’t be so quick to follow in the footsteps of your favorite celebs.
Here are 4 popular celebrity diets to be wary of:
1. Paleo Diet
Megan Fox is rumored to have followed this diet, also called the Caveman Diet. On the Paleo Diet, you’re supposed to eat like your ancestors, which means eating a lot of animal protein, “natural” carbohydrates (essentially fruits and vegetables) and some nuts.
The Paleo Diet is high in protein and fat-and there’s an emphasis on getting health-sustaining omega-3s into your diet from oily fish like wild salmon, game meats, free-range chicken and grass-fed beef, all of which can be pricier than their farmed or conventionally raised counterparts.
What’s interesting about this diet is that its phases are the opposite of most other diets in that they get more restrictive as you progress. For example, at the first level, you get 3 “open” or cheat meals a week, plus what they call “transitional items,” such as condiments to flavor food. But when you move to level 2, you only get 2 “open” meals a week and you phase out the transitional items. This type of transition might make it easier to stick to.
What’s missing?
Dairy, which is how most of us get our calcium and vitamin D. The Paleo Diet is also low in carbohydrates-and there’s research that shows limiting or eliminating carbs impacts your memory and your mood.
Don’t Miss: 6 Slimming Carbs to Keep in Your Diet
2. Dukan Diet
Dubbed “the French Atkins” this diet reportedly has Gisele Bundchen and Jennifer Lopez among its celeb fans. Kate Middleton and her mother were rumored to use the Dukan Diet to slim down for the royal wedding.
On the Dukan Diet you only eat lean protein, plus a small amount of oat bran each day, and drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day in the first phase (attack). In phase 2 (the cruise phase), you introduce vegetables back into your diet, but starchy ones-like potatoes or corn-aren’t allowed.
It’s not until phase 3 (consolidation) that you’re allowed to eat fruit, grains and dairy again, which is why this diet isn’t nutritionally sound.
There are some pros to the diet, though: Dr. Dukan incorporates walking 20 to 30 minutes each day into the plan and you’re told to eat lean protein.
What’s missing?
Key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D from dairy, and disease-fighting compounds from fruits and whole grains. Plus there’s no mention of portion sizes. In fact, Dr. Dukan tells you to eat as much protein as you like. And ultimately to lose weight you need to eat fewer calories than what you burn. (Get 25 easy tips to help you lose weight and keep it off here.)
3. Raw Food Diet
Demi Moore, Amanda Seyfried and Uma Thurman are all supposed celeb fans of this diet.
A raw-food diet is just that-you eat raw food. Your food can’t be cooked above 118 degrees Fahrenheit. So you’re eating mostly raw and dehydrated fruits and vegetables and things like smoothies and cold soups that you prepare without heat.
Some raw foodists drink unpasteurized milk and eat cheese made from raw milk, as well as eating raw fish and meats. The big thing to note here is that this can be risky; these foods can carry foodborne-illness bacteria.
There are a small number of studies that suggest there may be some health benefits to a raw-food diet, though: in one study, raw foodists had lower levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol.
What’s missing?
If you’re not eating any animal-based products like meat, fish, eggs, poultry or dairy you’ll miss out on vitamin B12-a vitamin your body needs to transform fat and protein into energy, as well as other essential functions. You also won’t get much, if any, vitamin D-and more and more research is showing that adequate vitamin D is important in warding off a host of chronic conditions, from heart disease to cancer.
4. 17-Day Diet
The 17-Day Diet is apparently backed by Dr. Phil. And unlike what its name implies, the entire diet isn’t 17 days long. Each phase is 17 days-and that’s going to feel even longer when you see how strict the first phase is. In cycle 1, called accelerate, you can eat fish and poultry, as many “cleansing” vegetables as you’d like, low-sugar fruits (but not after 2 p.m.), 2 servings of probiotic foods-like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi and kefir-and tiny amounts of “friendly” fats, such as flaxseed and olive oils.
As with the Dukan Diet, the diet becomes more liberal as you “graduate” to the different cycles. For example, in phase 2 you can introduce lean red meat and whole grains, legumes and starchy vegetables.
Overall the 17-Day Diet is strict and, honestly, it’d be hard to follow without carrying the book around so you knew which foods from the various food groups you can actually eat. Also, the total daily calorie allotment from the meal plans provided is too low for some people, particularly if you’re active. (Find out how many calories you should be eating here-even if you’re trying to lose weight.)
What’s missing?
You aren’t getting much of a variety of fruits and vegetables-and health experts recommend a colorful variety of produce so you can get a healthy mix of disease-fighting phytochemicals. This diet is also short on grains-and there’s recent research that shows eating more whole grains can lengthen your life.
The Bottom Line:
Celebs are fans of these diets because they do work to slim you down quickly. But they work because they are so restrictive-when you cut out certain food groups from your diet, it’s hard to make up for those lost calories by eating more of other foods groups. That’s why you lose the weight: you’re eating fewer calories. Following these diets can help you kick-start your diet and motivate you to transition and stick to a more balanced, healthy diet. But following them for too long means you’ll miss out on key nutrients.
Don’t Miss: 7 Tips to Lose Weight Throughout the Day
I bet you didn’t know!
There is so much information floating around on the Internet, in magazines, and by word of mouth that who knows what is true anymore. Some people say it’s all in your head, while others say it’s all in my belly fat! Read this article from Web-MD to uncover some fascinating fitness myths!
Top 9 Fitness Myths — Busted!
Think you know the facts about getting fit? You may be surprised to learn how many are really fiction.
It’s easy to fall into the trap: A workout buddy passes along an exercise tip, and then you pass it on to several folks you know. Your kid’s coach gives you advice, and sure enough you hear the same thing from several other parents. So you figure it must be true. But experts say that in the world of fitness, myths and half-truths abound – and some of them may be keeping you and your family from getting the best and safest workout.
“Some myths are just harmless half-truths, but many others can actually be harmful,” says professional triathlete and personal coach Eric Harr, author of The Portable Personal Trainer. “They can cause frustration in working out and sometimes even lead to injury,” he notes.
One reason myths get started, says Harr, is that we all react to exercise a little differently. So what’s true for one person may not be true for another.
“In this sense you sometimes have to find your own ‘exercise truths’ – the things that are true for you,” says Harr.
That said, experts say there are also some fitness myths that just need busting, and the sooner the better!
To help put you and your family on the path to a healthier, safer, and more enjoyable workout, WebMD got the lowdown from several top experts on what’s true and what’s not when it comes to exercise tips.
Fitness Myth No. 1: Running on a treadmill puts less stress on your knees than running on asphalt or pavement.
“Running is a great workout, but it can impact the knees — and since it’s the force of your body weight on your joints that causes the stress, it’s the same whether you’re on a treadmill or on asphalt,” says Todd Schlifstein, DO, a clinical instructor at New York University Medical Center’s Rusk Institute.
The best way to reduce knee impact, says Schlifstein, is to vary your workout.
“If you mix running with other cardio activities, like an elliptical machine, or you ride a stationary bike, you will reduce impact on your knees so you’ll be able to run for many more years,” says Schlifstein.
Fitness Myth No. 2: Doing crunches or working on an “ab machine” will get rid of belly fat.
Don’t believe everything you hear on those late-night infomercials! Harr says that while an ab-crunching device might “help strengthen the muscles around your midsection and improve your posture,” being able to “see” your abdominal muscles has to do with your overall percentage of body fat. If you don’t lose the belly fat, he says, you won’t see the ab muscles.
But can doing ab crunches help you to lose that belly fat? Experts say no.
“You can’t pick and choose areas where you’d like to burn fat,” says Phil Tyne, director of the fitness center at the Baylor Tom Landry Health & Wellness Center in Dallas. So crunches aren’t going to target weight loss in that area.
“In order to burn fat, you should create a workout that includes both cardiovascular and strength-training elements. This will decrease your overall body fat content,” including the area around your midsection, he says.
Fitness Myth No. 3: An aerobic workout will boost your metabolism for hours after you stop working out.
This statement is actually true — but the calorie burn is probably not nearly as much as you think!
Harr says that while your metabolism will continue to burn at a slightly higher rate after you finish an aerobic workout, the amount is not statistically significant. In fact, it allows you to burn only about 20 extra calories for the day. While there’s a little bit more of a metabolic boost after strength training, he says, it’s still marginal.
“It doesn’t really count towards your caloric burn,” he says.
Fitness Myth No. 4: Swimming is a great weight loss activity.
While swimming is great for increasing lung capacity, toning muscles, and even helping to burn off excess tension, Harr says the surprising truth is that unless you are swimming for hours a day, it may not help you lose much weight.
“Because the buoyancy of the water is supporting your body, you’re not working as hard as it would if, say, you were moving on your own steam — like you do when you run,” says Harr.
Further, he says, it’s not uncommon to feel ravenous when you come out of the water.
“It may actually cause you to eat more than you normally would, so it can make it harder to stay with an eating plan,” he says.
Fitness Myth No. 5: Yoga can help with all sorts of back pain.
The truth is that yoga can help with back pain, but it’s not equally good for all types.
“If your back pain is muscle-related, then yes, the yoga stretches and some of the positions can help. It can also help build a stronger core, which for many people is the answer to lower back pain,” says Schlifstein.
But if your back problems are related other problems (such as a ruptured disc) yoga is not likely to help, he says. What’s more, it could actually irritate the injury and cause you more pain.
If you do have back pain, get your doctor’s OK before starting any type of exercise program.
Fitness Myth No. 6: If you’re not working up a sweat, you’re not working hard enough.
“Sweating is not necessarily an indicator of exertion,” says Tyne. “Sweating is your body’s way of cooling itself.”
It’s possible to burn a significant number of calories without breaking a sweat: Try taking a walk or doing some light weight training.
Fitness Myth No. 7: As long as you feel OK when you’re working out, you’re probably not overdoing it.
One of the biggest mistakes people tend to make when starting or returning to an exercise program is doing too much too soon. The reason we do that, says Schlifstein, is because we feel OK while we are working out.
“You don’t really feel the overdoing it part until a day or two later,” he says.
No matter how good you feel when you return to an activity after an absence, Schlifstein says you should never try to duplicate how much or how hard you worked in the past. Even if you don’t feel it at the moment, you’ll feel it in time, he says — and it could take you back out of the game again.
Fitness Myth No. 8: Machines are a safer way to exercise because you’re doing it right every time.
Although it may seem as if an exercise machine automatically puts your body in the right position and helps you do all the movements correctly, that’s only true if the machine is properly adjusted for your weight and height, experts say.
“Unless you have a coach or a trainer or someone figure out what is the right setting for you, you can make just as many mistakes in form and function, and have just as high a risk of injury, on a machine as if you work out with free weights or do any other type of nonmachine workout,” says Schlifstein.
Fitness Myth No. 9: When it comes to working out, you’ve got to feel some pain if you’re going to gain any benefits.
Of all the fitness rumors ever to have surfaced, experts agree that the “no pain-no gain” holds the most potential for harm.
While you should expect to have some degree of soreness a day or two after working out, Schlifstein says, that’s very different from feeling pain while you are working out.
“A fitness activity should not hurt while you are doing it, and if it does, then either you are doing it wrong, or you already have an injury,” he says.
As for “working through the pain,” experts don’t advise it. They say that if it hurts, stop, rest, and see if the pain goes away. If it doesn’t go away, or if it begins again or increases after you start to work out, Schlifstein says, see a doctor.
By Colette Bouchez WebMD Feature Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
Fun Fitness Facts
Did you know that your heart is the strongest muscle in your body? It beats about 100,000 times a day in the average adult! That is why it is so important to keep your heart healthy by exercising and eating nutrient dense food.
Here are a few more fun fitness and health facts!
You would need to drink a quart of milk every day for three to four months to drink as much blood as your heart pumps in one hour.
Your heart is about the size of your fist and weighs about as much as a softball.
In the course of a lifetime, the resting heart will have pumped enough blood to fill 13 supertankers.
The pink under your fingernails is the blood in your capillaries.
We need light in order to see. Animals that live in deep caves or in the great depths of the ocean where there is no light are often blind or have no eyes at all.
A person breathes 7 quarts of air every minute.
Almost half the human body’s weight is made from one of three types of muscle tissue.
The human nervous system can relay messages to the brain at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. Your brain receives 100 million nerve messages each second from your senses.
In one day, some 4000 children and teenagers take up smoking.
Underwater swimming is the only time you should hold your breathe while exercising.
Your brain weight about 3 pounds, is a pinkish gray color and is about the size of a cauliflower.
Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end.
The three bones of the middle ear are so small all three could easily fit on your thumbnail.
If all 600 muscles in your body pulled in one direction, you could lift 25 tons.
If the 300,000,000 tiny air sacs (alveoli) in your lungs could be laid out flat, they would cover a home swimming pool.
Tongue prints are as unique as fingerprints.
If you weight 100 pounds on earth, you will weigh about 264 pounds on Jupiter.
There are 206 bones in the human body. One fourth of them are in your feet.
The human body has 45 miles of nerves.
Jazzercize- Kids Get Fit
Last minute toning tips for Spring Break
Spring Break is just a week away, which means it is the perfect time to know what is needed to be physically fit and get that perfect bikini body.
STOMACH
One of the top body insecurities women complain about are the abdominal muscles. In the eyes of women, the perfect bikini body cannot exist without a flatter stomach.
However, second year graduate student and fitness graduate assistant Julia Pohlman discourages doing repetitive crunches every day.
“It is the fat that’s over top the muscle that creates the problem,” Pohlman said. “You could have a 6-pack under that but it is not going to show if you have the fat.”
She recommends doing plank workouts to strengthen the core as well as exercises on a fitness ball and cardio. Just doing one or the other will not get the results. Getting the heart rate up with cardio and core exercises will decrease belly fat.
Pohlman also recommended turbo kick classes, such as kickboxing, which targets the muscles in the core while giving the body a good cardio workout.
CARDIO
With this type of exercise, there are also many misconceptions.
“With cardio, some people think they can run all the time, and they will just jump on the treadmill and bust it out three times a week,” Pohlman said. “But it is important to switch it up.”
To switch up the cardio, try the rowing machine one day, the elliptical another. The Student Recreation and Wellness Center has a vast amount of cardio equipment, including the stair step and stationary bikes which will target different muscle groups. Working different muscles groups will prevent the body from plateauing or becoming too used to the workout.
STRENGTH TRAINING
According to Pohlman, another important component that pairs with cardio is strength training. This does include the pesky abdominal muscles but focuses on the entire strength of the body.
Strength training boosts the metabolism. That means, Pohlman said, that if the metabolism is higher from strength training, the body will burn more calories even when the body is at rest while watching television or lying around.
STRETCHING
There is another component to being physically fit that many people forget about. Stretching is common in the routine of a dancer or a professional athlete, but not as often for the average person or college student.
“I think the average person is uninformed about the need to stretch, and people just don’t do it because its boring,”Pohlman said, “People think, ‘Well, stretching isn’t going to get me the bikini body that I want. Why would I spend 10-15 minutes stretching,?’ But it is so important.”
Nicole Koontz, assistant director of Ball State’s adult physical fitness program and instructor in exercise science, said stretching will improve blood pressure, weight, soreness and circulation.
Ball State University dance instructor Susan Koper said she believes dance helps cover all of the basic needs of the body, including stretching.
“The older I get, I feel, the more important it [stretching] is to me,” Koper said. “After I take class and I do stretches, I feel physically and emotionally better.”
When performing stretches, Koper, Pohlman and Koontz all agree it is important to hold them for at least 30 seconds. Although the total amount of time varies in different studies, the 30-second mark is when the muscles have just begun to relax and expand. Koontz said that holding the stretch for 30 seconds is ideal according to her research, butPohlman said that holding it for about a minute would be even more beneficial.
For some good workouts that cover all three components of being physically fit — strength training, cardio and stretching — there are many online such as P90X on Youtube. Also, the rec center offers Zumba, Turbo Kick, Pilates, and yoga classes that focus on the different components.
Spring Break is just around the corner. Today could be the right time to start a routine bikini body workout.
http://www.bsudailynews.com/last-minute-toning-tips-for-spring-break-1.2707764
Good-For-You Snacks
100- Calorie Snacks
1 medium plum and an 8-ounce cappuccino with skim milk
Make a fast-baked apple by microwaving 1 diced medium apple sprinkled with a pinch each of cinnamon and sugar for 1 minute. Stir; microwave 30 seconds more. Top with 1 tablespoon chopped almonds.
1 mini Lära or Kind bar
3/4 cup Pacific Natural Foods Cashew, Carrot & Ginger soup
1 snack pack Barney Almond Butter with 6 celery sticks
Bake kale chips by placing 1 large bunch raw kale leaves, stems removed, on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and a pinch of salt. Cook at 350° until crispy, 10 to 12 minutes.
3/4 cup edamame sprinkled with curry powder, garlic powder or sea salt
Support Your Fitness Community Members
Come one come all! Bring your Wildcat Fitness key tag and get in to to see an amazing gymnastics competition between our very own UNH team tumble over West Virginia!
