Workout wear

 Source: Flickr (user lululemonathletica)

Well, I'm back from my cruise!  It was an incredible experience, and I still managed to get a lot of exercising in, in between sampling many delicious dishes...

Today, I wanted to talk about workout clothes.  Personally, I don't buy new active-related outfits all that often; I have the basics and tend to re-use/re-wear what's in my drawers until it's time to replace it.

Reading through e-mails today, I came across a Summer Fit Wear list from stylist Rachel Zoe (whom is certainly fashionista and not fitness guru, but still).  The picks that stood out to me were the Heidi Klum for New Balance black trainers, Marc Jacobs sport watch, and colourful sports satchel.

FitSugar is great about recommending fresh products.  Try Stylish Workout Capris, or Best Underwear For Workouts.

Do you have sportswear brand loyalty?  Say, Athleta, Lucy, Lululemon?  Classics like Nike or Adidas?  Gap Body?  I hear good things about Victoria Secret's athletic line, too. 

Let me know what your favourites and recommendations!

Just cruising...

I didn't mention this in the last post, but as of much later today, I will be on holiday for the next week.  It came as an enormous surprise from friends the other day, but God has seen fit to bless me with an amazing, spontaneous adventure on an Alaskan cruise ship.

There will limited internet access during my time away, so the next post will come upon returning.  Meanwhile, I can't wait to walk around the ship deck and make use of the ship's gym facilities (made all the better with friends)!

See everyone in 10 days!  Until then, I am out to sea...

Tabata Protocol

This post is especially for one of my dear friends.  She asked me what a "Tabata workout" was, and I told her I would dedicate some time to blogging about this approach to exercising.

Tabata is particularly popular in the professional sports world, where you have athletes that are in peak physical condition, and accustomed to serious workouts (and therefore able to handle the intensity).

Some call the Tabata Protocol "The ultimate cardio workout", or "The world's greatest fat burning workout".  For those looking to magically shed pounds, this isn't a cure-in-just-four-minutes; however, pair working your hardest in that short amount of time, combined with a proper diet, and you definitely will see results.  Judge for yourself!

The idea behind Tabata is to burn fat in a very brief amount of time, with high-intensity interval training.  Research indicated that the optimal ratio of intense work to rest was 2:1.

Start with a proper warm up, proceed to 20 seconds on (full-swing!), 10 seconds off (rest period), back into a burst of 20 more seconds at full-intensity, then another 10 seconds rest.  Repeat 8 times.  There are many different exercise variations you can do in those 4 minutes of hell.  Body weight exercises are fantastic (think Squat Thrust/Burpees, which are tough!), and also using free weights (such as a kettle bell).

Here is a Tabata-inspired workout with modified timing (hence the "inspired").  It takes a little easier pace, and is great for beginners.



Be sure to check out more 4 Minute Tabata workouts from Bex; she has at least 10 different videos that I've tried out in this series!  I like all of the different variations.

I originally learned about Tabata workouts a few years ago.  Basically, the exercises are to be so gruelling that you can barely finish.  It's four minutes of major pain, to gain (or complete HELL... but you make it through)!
I will confess, though, that I did my first Tabata exercises under the absolute worst of conditions.  I was in my second or third week of recovering from quite possibly the scariest illness I've ever had (combination of "the Swine flu"/Pneumonia), and in my delirium, had the not-at-all-brilliant idea to do a series like the one below.



Please don't EVER do what I did, unless you want to seriously injure yourself!  Only consider a Tabata workout if you are in really good shape.  I felt like I was going to die... Go figure!

What do you think of the Tabata Protocol?  Are you inspired to increase the intensity of your workouts by incorporating this kind of exercise into your weekly regimen?

"Fat burn is greater when exercise intensity is high."

Just that kind of week

Do you ever have "one of those days" or weeks where there is no end in sight?  Well, you are not alone.  Since being sick earlier in the week, I've been struggling to regain my usual energy, which has been frustrating.

What kind of things (distractions, diversions) do you use or do to pull yourself out of a bad day?  I often turn to exercise.  It brings the energy and rejuvenation needed to make the day a bit brighter!

Bring on the burn, thanks to these fab exercises from Sarah Dussault of Sarah Fit.



Really concentrate on getting the most out of each repetition!



There now, things are looking up!

Brasilian Beautiful

Ever heard of Capoeira?  I hadn't until recently.  This particular martial-arts-meets-dance form comes from Brasil.  Brasilians are well-known for their svelte, statuesque bodies and love of exercise.

The following Capoeira-inspired workouts target multiple areas of your body all at once, while also challenging your balance!



If I lived anywhere near a beach as beautiful as the one in the video above, you can bet that's where I would be working out every day!  More from Self Magazine in the article Look Divine From Behind.

Capoeira can be done at different stages in your life, as seen below with moves demonstrated by Supermodel and Mum, Veronica Webb.



Are you feeling inspired?!  I gave those exercises a shot yesterday, and my body honestly feels absolutely fantastic today (despite being very sore... but it's the "good kind" of sore!)!

Have you tried Capoeira before?  Do you plan to in the future?  Please do share your thoughts below!

Easy exercises that work your midsection

Here are three fantastic exercises that target the external oblique muscles (abs) and hips.  Whether this is a problem area for you or not, the idea is to keep everything tight and avoid any obnoxious extra pounds which seem to gravitate to the sides of the hips.



Let's work those "love handles"!

Fitness inspiration: Kelly Ripa

Has anyone noticed how petite and trim Kelly Ripa looks (borderline too thin at times, but I think she clearly has good genetics and works her bum off!)?  She is one busy mama (with 3 children and multiple jobs), but she manages to stay disciplined and dedicated to maintaining a strong, lean figure.  I hope I look like her in my forties!

Kelly admits that she didn't really take exercising seriously until she was in her thirties.  After being exhausted every day, she began walking on a treadmill, and soon after, turned to running outdoors.

"I try to do something physical every day, something that's a little bit physically grueling."

On exercising:

"I like what it does for my mind. If I've had a bad day, if I'm feeling stressed out, if I'm feeling overwhelmed — it takes it all away. It's my antidote for everything. If I feel any sort of emotional upheaval, I go for a jog and I feel better."

"I work out every day, and I make sure do something different every day," said Ripa. "I like to do SoulCycle, Physique 57, and I even like the Tracy Anderson Method. Throw them together, and there you go -- I mix them all up."
Kelly's workouts are usually high-intensity cardio sessions which she claims helps her focus on fitness when she's at the gym.  She uses a resistance bands, a medicine ball, a pair of 3- to 5-pound dumbbells, a stability ball, and a jump rope.

Here are some typical exercises you can find Kelly doing:

1. Squat and Rotation Row –
Works butt, legs, back, and biceps. Anchor a handled resistance tube to a sturdy object close to the ground and grasp one handle with left hand, arm straight, and rotate arm clockwise until palm faces out.
Lower into a deep squat, feet shoulder-width apart, knees aligned over toes, right hand resting on hip. Rise up and rotate arm inward until palm faces up, as you pull handle toward ribs. Return to starting position and repeat Do 2 sets of 12 to 15 reps on each side.

2. Deep Squat Plié –
"There's one where you get into a deep plié, rise up on the ball of one foot, then switch to the ball of the other foot and back.  Eventually you rise up on the balls of both feet while staying in plié.  You go down an inch, up an inch, down an inch, up an inch.  Your legs are literally shaking.  The burn is significant.  But boy, it really sculpts my legs!"

3. 20-minute cardio Rx –
Alternate jumping rope with 30 seconds of jumping jacks. Start with 20 jump rope revolutions and increase by 20 after each round of jacks until you reach 100. Then reduce by 20 until you’re back down to 20. Repeat twice.

To maintain her beautifully-toned arms (sequence of moves should be done three times per week in addition to a cardio regimen):


1. Straight curl –
To tone biceps, stand up holding two dumbbells, palms up. Beginners should only hold 5-lb. weights, or 10 pounds total, and add more weight as you go. The current weight should always be challenging but not impossible to complete. Curl the barbell toward your chest and back down for one rep. Do three sets of 12 to 15 reps, resting for 30 to 60 seconds between each set.

2. The 21s –
Stand straight. Hold 5-lb. dumbbells in each hand in starting position, which is with arms down. Start with a basic curl from starting position, lifting the dumbbells halfway up, so arms are parallel with the floor. Do 7 reps of this. Then do 7 reps from the half-way position to the top of the straight bicep curl movement. Then, do 7 full reps following the entire range of motion from the starting position to the end of the bicep curl. This is a total of 21 reps. Do two sets.

3. Triceps kickback –
Hold a 3-lb. dumbbell in one hand and place opposite knee on a bench with other foot flexed on the floor. Pull the arm holding the dumbbell straight back and up to your side. Lower to starting position. Repeat 15 reps for one set. Do 3 sets.

Also, lots of push ups!

Wondering about Kelly's diet?

"I don't diet because I feel moderation is the key to what I eat," she said. "So if you were to ask me what my guilty pleasure was, I will tell you it is French fries and white wine, and no, I don't feel remorseful about eating them."
Kelly, who enjoys fruit, nuts and yogurt as snacks, says portion control is the key for staying lean. "I'll have an apple or carrot sticks in my purse so I'm not reaching for potato chips.  As long as you are healthy and sensible about what you eat, and healthy and sensible about your physical fitness, you can kind of have it all."

Hope you enjoyed today's workout!