You know the kind of books that you pick up and can’t stop reading until it’s completely finished? I had that experience with Chantel Hobb’s Never Say Diet this past weekend. She lost 200 pounds the hard way…naturally. Love that! I loved the book so much because of the great common-sense advice she gives in regard to diet and exercise. The key to her success (and to everyone who has ever stayed successful in fitness) is simply to reduce your caloric intake and exercise an hour a day. People seem to get caught up in trying to find the “secret” to weight loss. It’s no secret. Take in about 1500-1800 calories a day and workout for about an hour a day at least five days a week. Secret revealed! Whether you need to lose 10 pounds or 200 pounds, that’s the way to do it. Mix up your workouts with cardio and strength training …and throw in some Pilates and yoga for fun on other days. It’s really that easy.
Being somewhat of a health/fitness enthusiast, it makes me mental to read books about the “secret” to a great body. It’s no secret. Yes, you’ll need to embrace hunger a bit. If you are used to taking in lots of calories each day, you’ll need to embrace hunger a lot. At least at first. Not to worry, it goes away eventually. The feel good endorphins your brain will release from exercise will actually help curb your hunger pangs.
Nothing tastes as good as being fit and healthy feels.
This is one of my favorite yoga stretches, albeit, one of the hardest stretches. It’s an amazing hip opener. If you are a woman, you should be able to bend down further than the man in this video. We are just programed to be more flexible than men, so go down as far as you can…and breathe into it. Just when you feel like you can’t take it another second, take a deep breath and breathe again. Try to stay in the pose for a full 30 seconds. The more you breathe, the more you’ll feel your hips relax.
Not an aerobics fan? Consider this: Aerobic exercise not only burns calories, but also curbs cravings. Researchers at the University of Chile Clinical Hospital reported that people who ran or biked for 20 minutes three times per week for 10 weeks had reduced appetites due to increased levels of neurotrophic factor (a protein in the brain that may suppress hunger) from the workout sessions compared with when they were sedentary. Rev up your cardio routine and rein in your snack attacks.
One in 10 gymgoers checks her cell phone while exercising, hindering fitness focus and stress relief according to a survey by Standard Life Healtcare. Leave the Blackberry in your locker or car …out of sight, out of mind.
“Women should never use more than 2 or 3 pound weighs because it bulks you up too much.” Tracy Anderson (fitness trainer to Madonna) on the use of weights in the gym.
(ed. note): It appears that 2-3 pound weights do a good job at bulking you up as well. Exhibit A: Madonna’s arms.
Do we like, or is this too bulky? You make the call.
What I’m loving now: Gilad’s Express Workouts. Gilad gives you 15 express workouts that are under 10 minutes each. He gives you fat burning cardio workouts, calorie burning strength workouts, core workouts, and sculpting workouts that target every muscle group in your body. Now you can customize your results by focusing on the body parts you need to work on the most. Complete workout charts are available on Gilad’s website for download. Gilad is the host and producer of the award-winning fitness shows Bodies in Motion and Total Body Sculpt and has been voted FitTV’s fitness instructor of the year 4 years in a row. In 2007, he was inducted into the national Fitness Hall of Fame (a well-deserved title.)
I’ve been working out with Gilad since 1989 and always count on him to wear me out during every workout. He’s tough, but keeps you motivated every step of the way…not to mention, the boy is extremely easy on the eyes. Check your library to see if they carry this DVD and try it for yourself. Your body will look better because of it!
The secret to Madonna’s arms and Gwyneth Paltrow’s slender legs…it’s Tracy Anderson. Take a look at Gwyneth and Tracy in the gym. The resistance band device is pure genius. If you’ve ever worked with resistance bands, you’ll know how beneficial they are to looking long and lean. They are great when you travel, too. (Note to the Irishman: I know you could build this…which would score you serious brownie points. just sayin’.)
Working out in bare feet for exercises such as Yoga and Pilates takes a toll on your feet, causing rough dry spots on your heels and toe pads. If you want baby soft feet, you must try Supernatural Botanicals Body Butters! These body butters are truly skin transforming. The non-greasy formula makes it a perfect foot primer before a hard workout or before you slip your feet into socks.
The results are instantaneous! You’ll watch your skin transform the first time you use the body butter. Made with all-natural ingredients, no chemicals, no parabens, no artificial colorants or fragrances. Supernatural Botanicals Body Butters are made with pure ingredients, such as cocoa butter and beeswax, and are bursting with delicious essential oil scents in Island Coconut, Pure Mango, Pure Orange, and Pure Grapefruit.
Avoid “Yoga Foot” and start protecting those feet. Check out Supernatural Botanicals entire line of Body Butters for happier, sexier feet!
Book Review: Rinnavation, Getting Your Best Life Ever.
Author: Lisa Rinna.
Talk about a pleasant surprise….Lisa Rinna’s book has me surprised! In Lisa’s new book, Rinnavation, she shares with us advice she’s learned over the years from celebrity stylists and celebrity hair and makeup artists. She also shares secrets on diet, exercise, beauty, even sex!
She shares a lot of her life with us in her book, to include her delicious husband, Harry Hamlin, and her two beautiful daughters. And for the record, she shares lots, and I mean lots, of sexual tricks in the bedroom she and Harry have. I love that spice about Lisa.
Another discovery is that Lisa is deep…spiritually, emotionally, sexually, etc. Beyond the blatant beauty she exudes (and such good hair), girlfriend is a self-help junkie and for that reason alone, one could love her! When a person reveals their card-carrying membership of the “Self-Help-Club”, you feel they are part of a society that few understand.
Self-help lovers are continually seeking excellence. They continually seek making the world a better place to live in for themselves and others. They continually strive to be more….to create more, to produce abundance. And they practice being happy beings. It’s an amazing secret-society, of sorts, that makes you feel more connected to one another. It’s an unwritten understanding between people who “get” the self-help genre, and those who don’t.
Lisa delves into her personal life and her beauty and fitness routines. She gives us the skinny on how she looks so darn good all the time. She even explains the lips…silicone! She explains the ambition….The Secret and the Power of Positive Thinking. She explains the happiness….Great sex life with Harry. She explains the body….fitness-fiend. She explains the boobs…plastic surgery.
In summary, Lisa tells you how to get your best life ever. The basic premise of it is, and always has been, exercise, eating well, big thinking, loving your life, and continual learning.
