Lunchtime Legs Workout

Leg Day! My favorite workout day ever!
Here's the last workout for this week's round of simple workouts to do during your lunch break that require no weights, but contain strength training exercises. Great exercises for your legs & booty!

• Right & Left Lunges, 20 each side
• Donkey Kicks, Right & Left, 40 each
• Squats - 40
• Hip Bridge Hold - 45 seconds

  - 15 second rest

• Curtsy Lunges, 20 each side
• Russian Dead Lift, 20 each side
• Inner Thigh Raise, 20 each side
• Wall Sit - 45 seconds

- 15 second rest

- Repeat 3 times -

Here are some more leg & booty exercises to get you inspired!

 

 

Fitness and Nutrition Factoids of the Week

• You will get an additional 15 minutes of exercise each day, on average, if you take public transit to work. 

• Air pollution can affect nutrients in your food. Protein levels dropped by 7% in high carbon dioxide areas. High levels also decrease the amounts of zinc and iron in foods like soybeans, rice, and wheat, and these carbon dioxide levels will continue to rise based on - yep - global warming. It's a real thing, not like the Easter bunny.

• For a better focused workout, meditate for 2 - 5 minutes prior to exercise to clear out thoughts that could cripple your efforts.

• There are approximately 1 million bubbles that form in a flute of champagne. 

• Jump as high as you can 20 times a day to increase bone density in your hips.

• Watching intense drama videos can increase cortisol (the stress hormone) levels in some people, which can affect mood negatively. 

• Stress from a poor work environment can also increase cortisol, which can make you crave junk food and trigger hormones that increase fat deposits. 

• Only 36% of Americans consider themselves overweight, when actually 69% are. Get your body fat percentage (not BMI) checked regularly if you're not sure.

• An adult woman needs about 50 grams of protein per day. Protein helps you feel full and protects your muscle mass - which is what you WANT for a healthy metabolism.

Being Young with High Blood Pressure

And what can you young, old, or healthy do about it?

One of my health issues during the four year period I was sick was having high blood pressure. You don't think a life-long dancer is going to have heart issues in her mid-late 20s.

Although I've since conquered that battle, it is something I know I have to continuously keep an eye on. If I see something start to creep up (I'd still like it to keep coming down anyway) it's time to be proactive.

Compiled for myself for you all & anyone to use, are a list of five natural & healthy things you can do to help yourself along - whether you have high blood pressure or would just like to prevent it.

1) What to eat or not to eat:

 Garlic helps naturally with so many things whether you're catching a cold, warding off the flu, or have chronic illnesses. It is an excellent anti-inflammatory and will also help with arthritis.

2) Salt = No bueno for high BP people. The recommended daily amount for regular normal people is 2,300mg / day max. If you have high blood pressure or are susceptible to it, the recommended daily allowance is reduced to no more than 1,800mg a day.


3) Marjoram & essential oils

 

Marjoram was known to the Greeks and Romans as a symbol of happiness. Essential oils enter through the bloodstream by diffusion through the lungs or through the sweat glands when used aromatically or topically. These oils lower the blood pressure by gradually dilating constricted arteries – which usually force the heart to exert more pressure when pumping blood.

I will be picking up a bottle of this in a couple weeks through doTERRA here if you'd like to try it as well.
Here's another short article on essential oils and blood pressure: http://www.naturalhealth365.com/aromatherapy-CDC-high-blood-pressure-1579.html

4) Yoga -

For the past year or so I've been trying to get myself to do yoga more consistently. I had an instructor I liked back in 2014 but only saw her once a week - if that. I'd like to try to get up to three nights a week. Personally I find doing yoga at night instead of the morning is much more relaxing and a great way to end a long (stressful) day.

5) Continuing education, consistent re-evaluation.
 Check your potassium! Low levels can contribute and also cause stiff muscles. Recommended potassium intake is 3,500-4,200mg a day. I went two weeks without my salads that usually contained spinach and avocado and saw my average daily intake drop to only about 600mg. I didn't even realize this until I went back through my food logs on www.myfitnesspal.com

You don't have to be old or a smoker to have high blood pressure. You could be young, eat pretty fabulously and exercise 4-5 times a week and still get it (me! woo hoo!) There are many, many factors that can come into play that we might not think of or even feel we have. While mine may be from stress, that doesn't mean I shouldn't take into account other positive things that I could be doing to help, like consuming more anti-inflammations (ginger, garlic, lemon, cayenne, cinnamon, honey, leafy greens), focusing on better sleep, different exercises, and seeing what works best for me.

One of the greatest things I've noticed in trying to be healthier in one aspect, is that it often ends up helping another aspect that you weren't even intending to. In trying to lose weight, you could notice you don't catch colds as easily since you're eating better. If you try to reduce blood pressure, you may notice a positive change in mental health & overall well-being, because the good and healthy things you do to your body end up touching all aspects, whether you like them or not. :)

Namaste.

Yours in health and happiness,

Samantha Marie

Fitness Friday: 10 Favorite Workouts

 

To get ready for the upcoming transition to the website next year, I've had to go through quite a few blogs to gather up some of the best ones to transfer over. Here's a look at my top 10 favorite blogs for working out and exercising. Let me know what you'd like to see!

 














1) A Dozen Workouts, 10 Minutes & Under
http://naturalbeautyandbody.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-dozen-workouts-10-minutes-under.html


2) Ladies Who Lift: Chest & Back Day
http://naturalbeautyandbody.blogspot.com/2014/06/ladies-who-lift-chest-back-day.html


3) Summertime Ready: Yoga & Pilates
http://naturalbeautyandbody.blogspot.com/2014/06/summertime-ready-yoga-pilates.html


4) Sets, Reps, & Weights: How Much?
http://naturalbeautyandbody.blogspot.com/2014/06/sets-reps-weight-how-much.html


5) My Favorite Cardio Machine & Workout
http://naturalbeautyandbody.blogspot.com/2014/06/my-favorite-cardio-machine-workout.html


6) Trainers Train With Trainers, and You Should Too!
http://naturalbeautyandbody.blogspot.com/2014/07/trainers-train-with-trainers-and-you.html


7) 10 Minutes or Under Workouts
http://naturalbeautyandbody.blogspot.com/2014/07/10-minutes-or-under-workouts.html


8) Shoulders, Biceps & Triceps
http://naturalbeautyandbody.blogspot.com/2014/07/shoulders-biceps-triceps.html


8.5) 20 Minute Shoulder, Bicep & Tricep Workout
http://naturalbeautyandbody.blogspot.com/2014/09/20-minute-shoulder-bicep-tricep-workout.html


9) Leg Workouts at Home
http://naturalbeautyandbody.blogspot.com/2014/09/legs-at-home.html


10) Simple Core Workouts? There's an App for That!
http://naturalbeautyandbody.blogspot.com/2014/10/simple-core-workouts-there-app-for-that.html

50 Weeks to a Happier Healthier You - One Small Step Each Week

New Years resolutions can be exciting & overwhelming. Whether it's lose 50 lbs, eat better, go to the gym more, less this, stop that, go here... Breaking things down into smaller easier things can often be a more ideal way for people to stick with their goals long term.

Here are 50 small things you can do, one per week, to help better your health and life. Some things may be easier than other, so I'm breaking them down into groups of 5 that you can choose which one you want to do first - just be sure to do them all before going to the next group.

Step 1: Make room for good things to come
1. Clean your bedroom. You'll be surprised how much more clearer & organized you'll feel to start.
2. Go through your pantry and remove any expired foods.
3. Check your closet. Be honest and get rid of anything you haven't worn in a year or not planning to wear in the next year. Saving one special occasion outfit outside of these parameters is okay.
4. Pick that one corner, room, other closet or huge box you've been dreading to tackle, and then tackle it. Get it over with!
5. We all have one more place that needs a cleaning: bathroom, car, other closet. Pick one and be done!

Step 2: Trim the Fat
6. Donate everything you have left from Step 1. There are many MANY other people out there that can put to use the things you are not.
7. Check your food labels & get rid of the things no one should have: trans fats & aspartame.
8. Get a large water bottle for daily use: 32oz is great, 64oz is what you'll need in a day, and 20oz should be the minimum smallest size.
9. Find or make a playlist (iTunes, Pandora, Spotify, cassette tapes, whatever) that will help you relax after a stressful day.
10. Take just 1 minute each day this week to remind yourself of all the things you've accomplished so far, and all the things you will continue to accomplish this year.

Step 3: Add some eats
11. Add or eat 1 piece of fruit each morning during your work week. Apples and bananas are convenient. Berries are yummy & full of antioxidants. Melons & cantaloupes have a very high water content and usually the least calories.
12. Find a vegetable you would like to add or eat more consistently in your diet, and figure out a couple ways to prepare it that you like (raw, grilled, slow cooked, baked, with pepper? olive oil?)
13. Think of an easy, healthy, go-to snack (less than 150 cals) that you can keep in your car or desk at work whenever hunger strikes that can save you from making poor drive-thru or vending machine choices. This could be a handful of nuts, trail mix, dried fruit or a fiber bar.
14. Remember that water bottle you got in Step 2? Use it daily. I like to freeze half of it overnight & fill the rest up in the morning to have cold water all day. Add some fruit or lemon juice if you like.
15. If you choose to have dessert on occasion, find a healthy alternative option. My favorites are frozen Greek Yogurt bars, Soy or coconut milk desserts, and sorbets. Enjoy most of these guilt-free desserts at less than 100 calories.

Step 4: Get Connected
16. Sign up for MyFitnessPal: www.myfitnesspal.com
17. Talk with a friend or family member that has had success in reaching their health or fitness goals.
18. Find a health or fitness website that interests you.
19. Sign up for daily emails for tips and ideas from an online magazine that interests you.
20. Download a free exercise app for your phone.

Step 5: Put Your Connections to Use
21. Try logging your food every day for a week in MyFitnessPal
22. Find a friend, family member, coworker or classmate to engage in some form of exercise with. This can be as simple as a single 30 minute walk.
23. Find a healthy recipe online that you'd like to create this week.
24. Think of an inspirational quote for your week.
25. Do an exercise from one of the apps you downloaded on your phone.

Step 6: Review & Reinforce
26. Look what you did in Step 1. Redo anything that needs to be reinforced.
27. Look what you did in Step 2. Redo anything that needs to be reinforced.
28. Look what you did in Step 3. Redo anything that needs to be reinforced.
29.  Look what you did in Step 4. Redo anything that needs to be reinforced.
30. Look what you did in Step 5. Redo anything that needs to be reinforced.

Step 7: Substitute
31. Replace 1 non-water drink during your day with water or unsweetened tea.
32. Replace cow's milk with almond, rice, or organic soy milk.
33. If you drink alcohol, have a glass of red wine this week instead.
34. Replace all white sugar in your house with stevia.
35. Replace all processed white pasta in your house with whole wheat, organic rice, quinoa, or vegetable pasta.

Step 8: Move
36. Walk 10 minutes 5 days this week.
37. Do 20 squats or 20 lunges once a day for 5 days this week.
38. Find a 10 minute YouTube video of Pilates or Yoga to end your day with.
39. Try a 20 second plank. Try to increase your hold time by 5 seconds each day for 5 days.
40. Find a 5 minute arm workout online and do it.

Step 9: Daily Life
41. Get a planner (paper or online.)
42. Make a grocery list for the week. Only purchase and eat things from that list.
43. Schedule a 30 minute time, 5 days this week in your planner where you will do some form of exercise.
44. Drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water per day.
45. Eat a fruit of vegetable with every meal.

Step 10: Last steps
46: Designate 1 cheat day a week for your meals. Follow your healthy habits the other 6 days of the week.
47: Pledge to not put knowingly harmful ingredients into your body (aspartame, BHT, trans-fat, etc.)
48: Get a minimum of 60 minutes of strength training per week.
49. Find a workout buddy or consistent fitness motivatior.
50. Do something nice for yourself this week. You earned it!

A Dozen Workouts, 10 Minutes & Under

For myself and you all on this Workout Wednesday. Here is a small collection taken from my Fitness Pinterest board:

 

Spark People's 9 Minute Lower Body Sculpting Workout (video): http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/videos-detail.asp?video=41#_a5y_p=2521065

Spark People's 10 Minute Pilates Workout (video): http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/videos-detail.asp?video=36#_a5y_p=2406602

Spark People's 6 Minute Upper Body Workout with Stability Ball (video): http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/videos-detail.asp?video=72#_a5y_p=2151419

10 Minute Shoulder Workout: http://news.health.com/2013/12/26/a-10-minute-sexy-shoulder-workout/?crlt.pid=camp.cuw6aBRZWCj3

10 Minute Workout Ideas: http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=10_tenminute_workout_ideas#_a5y_p=1119089

5 Minute Total Body Strength Workout: http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/get-fit-5-minutes-total-body-strength-workout?crlt.pid=camp.4GuaoicexNlk 

 

4 Minute Booty Workout: http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Butt-Exercises-32533061

Enjoy!

~ Samantha Marie

Simple Core Workouts? There's an App for That!

Okay, so maybe there's like 75 million apps for that.

But with working at a gym, having Pilates DVDs at home, and knowing all the other cool stuff you can already do, why would I turn to an app for some core exercises?
Because sometimes you do want the basic & simple stuff. Sometimes at your gym it's too busy & everyone is hogging your equipment or space but you really want to get some abs in. And sometimes you don't really want to get out your DVD... or really do much of anything but you remind yourself: 10 minutes of abs is better than 10 minutes of no abs.

There are lots of free apps, and some paid ones. There have been one or two apps that I really liked the free version so much, that I upgraded to premium for like $2.99. Mind you though, I've probably easily tried at least 50 different exercise apps over the past few years, and that's not including all the other fitness related apps I've tried.

One of my favorites is called "Daily Workouts", which has individual exercises for body parts like your abs, legs, and chest along with cardio and full body workouts. With about 8 different exercises in a workout, you can choose levels 1 or 2 (level 3 is available on the full version) and length of time per workout, usually 5, 8 and 10 minutes, with 30, 45 and 60 seconds per exercise, respectively. Choose two levels for 5 minutes each and you'll have yourself a nice little burn after only 10 minutes, or double the time for 20! These are great to fit in just before bed or on your lunch break. I do these on my lunch break most Wednesdays (when my lunch falls into a very busy time period at my gym) so that's why I am sharing this today. :)

Search for other ab workout apps too: "Instant Abs," "Ab Workouts", "Daily Burn", and "Blogilates" are a few other good ones worth checking out that I currently have on my phone.

You can also, of course, make your own! Write down 10 different types of ab exercises, and challenge yourself to do each one for a certain length of time, like 30, 45 or 60 seconds.

Legs at Home

I like to have Leg Day twice a week. The past six months or so I've mostly been doing these at my work-gym on Tuesdays and Fridays. A couple months ago I stopped being scheduled Fridays and started slacking off a bit on my second day. In my defense though, Fridays became my run-errands-without-a-car-in-the-city days, and I'd clock in usually 12,000+ steps, so it wasn't a total wash. As I mentioned yesterday though, my gym is undergoing renovations, and I'm going to turn this negative into a positive by doing more of my workouts at home the next couple of months. Of course, this involves some planning ahead of time, because if I don't have a plan to exercise, I don't often turn it into a consistent habit. I know some of you feel me out there.

Let's focus on home strength exercises, minus any equipment for now. I'll add in some home workouts with some dumbbells & a stability ball in a week or so.
We all know the single most fabulous workout move in existence: the squat:

 Yes, those squats. They burn the most calories and make your legs look amazing no matter what your goals are. I love doing barbell squats at work with anywhere from 30-95lbs, but solo body weight still has top notch effects! Make your own personal squat challenge, or search from any one of the 81,375,012,875 different squat challenges on the interwebs today. Start off with 10 or 20 squats, and every few days add 5 more reps. If by the time you get to 50 it's too difficult to do them all at once (or even 25) it's okay to break them up in sections. Remember, the point of exercise first is to just DO IT!

Here's another squat challenge brought to you by PopSugar:

Want to add some cardio into your leg day? Try this one out:

You have FIVE MINUTES to spare, don't you? Or is 5 minutes not enough? Times this workout by 3 or 5 sets, or instead of 30 seconds, go for 45 or 60, or 90! I'll double the length of time, and do two sets next week and let you know how it goes:

 

I'm a fan of pyramid workouts too. Try this simple one & let me know how you like it!

End of EAT ME Week, Start of...?

I hope you all enjoyed EAT ME week & that some of you are a lot less afraid to eat more food, and hopefully got some new ideas on what to pick up the next time you're at the grocery store. My current goals are to have at least 25-30 grams of fiber per day, eat at 30% lean protein, 25% healthy fats, and 40% complex carbohydrates. I perceive 40% carbs being rather low, but it's also rather difficult for me to hit that target usually. If you get the vast majority (probably 90%+) of your carb ratio from vegetables, with some fruit & whole grain thrown in, it adds up relatively low. The quality fats & protein I consume helps keep me full and I don't have much of a desire to eat simple carbs. Spacing meals out and getting top-notch nutrients helps a lot with that.

Some changes are happening this week for me and my blog here. October is starting in just a couple days here and I will 1) be on the hunt for a Halloween costume tomorrow, and 2) the gym that I work at is starting a $1.7 million dollar renovation that I've been waiting on since I transferred to this location in January. The Halloween costume I want to look cute in, but my gym will be undergoing upgrades for the next two months. Although it will technically still be open, the showers will not be available and there will be limited changing space. I will still be doing most of my strength training at work, but it's time to put together a solid home-gym workout plan that includes body weight exercises, cardio, and some consistent Pilates. I really love Pilates and will look at this time to take advantage of some of the things I've been wanting to do at home.

Make a home gym with me! I'll give you some ideas, but encourage you to hunt for different things as well that you may find interested. If you're wondering where exactly to even begin, a couple pairs of dumbbells and a resistance band is a good start. A Bosu ball (it looks like Saturn got cut in half) and a stability ball (also called a Swiss ball, those very big gym ones) are two other great options. Pick out a few DVDs and let's play!

20 Minute Shoulder, Bicep & Tricep Workout

Easy enough to do on your lunch break without working up too much of a sweat!

 

I like using the Bosu ball to stand on while I'm doing many types of arm exercises. It adds a little bit of core & balance to the workout.

For this, I use two 5lb plates, two 8-10 lb dumbbells & two 10-12 lbs dumbbells. Choose higher or lower weights depending on your current fitness level and goals you wish to achieve.

Higher weight + low reps (-10) = building muscle focus. Lower weight & higher reps (12-20) = endurance focus.

 15 Reps each:

Lateral raise, front & side with plates (shoulders)

Arnold Press with DBs (biceps & shoulders)

Tricep overhead extension, each arm (triceps)

Repeat 2xs

Wide clapping with plates (shoulders)

Hammer curls with DB (biceps)

Tricep kickbacks, with DBs each arm (triceps)

Repeat 2xs

 

10 Minutes or Under Workouts

Hello Workout Wednesday!

Pick any 5 of these & do for 30 seconds each, repeating twice:

Jumping Jacks
Crunches
Lunges
Wall Hold
Squats
High Knees
Burpees (omg!)
Run in Place

Some other ideas:

Shoulders, Biceps & Triceps

I like to do strength training on my lunch, since you don't work up as much of a sweat as cardio.
I'm lucky to work at a gym where I can use my (usually) short lunch to do this.

The strength training routines I do take about 20-25mins, doing 2 sets of each exercise. For a decent 45 minute workout, double the sets. Remember to rest approximately 45 seconds between sets, and ideally each set should be done to failure.

Currently I am working on endurance, so each set of mine has 15 sets and I'm using lighter weight. Here was my workout for Shoulder, Bicep & Tricep day:

Circuit 1:
Arnold Press (bicep curl with shoulder press) x15
Overhead Tricep Extension x15
Hammer Curl x15 each side
- Repeat twice -

Circuit 2:
Lateral Raise Front & Side x15 each
Tricep Kickbacks x15 each side
Bicep Curl on TRX x15
- repeat twice -

Circuit 3:
Bent Over Row x15 each side
Tricep Dips x15
- repeat twice -

In case you females need a reminder:

Back on the Wagon

It's Monday, and if you are like most people in the United States this past weekend, you likely consumed an excessive amount of food (yum, BBQ!), more alcohol than you usually do (myself: went wine tasting with an old friend), and didn't stick to your usual workout routine (got out of bed at 3pm today.)

Even if you're not in the United States or even celebrated anything at all, you still had a weekend and most weekends you tell yourself you'll start working out Monday, or feel bad from everything you did or did not do the past 2 or 3 days. I'm telling you to NOT feel bad, to savor all that food & those memories (the ones you can remember), and no matter what happened yesterday or what may happen on Monday, tomorrow is ALWAYS a new day.

Personally, I believe in balance. If you are one of those alien creatures who have no problem working out & eating fabulous 365 days out of the year, good for you! But I don't believe those people exist so don't feel bad about not being one. The important thing for you is to take ownership. ALLOW yourself those occasional times to do and eat whatever you want, just as long as those "occasional times" aren't four days out of every week or every day after 3pm or something.

What I learned from my recent 10 Week Plan is that going hardcore for 10 weeks isn't for me, but 5 weeks is totally doable. I also learned things like I seriously need to stretch more because lifting weights & working out as much as I did needs its balance as well: It needs rest & sleep. Some people have a cheat meal once a week, some people take weekends off (just don't go so crazy all weekend that you ruin all your hard work from during the week), some people like to have long-term plans or goals and THEN reward themselves after.

Point being, it's more than okay to have pigged out last weekend, or even next weekend. Heck, it's even healthy and you should plan for it! Today is a new day, tomorrow is a new day - what are you doing to do with it?