Tag: fitness

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#FitnessFriday Abs Workout from Popsugar

It’s almost summer and with it, concerns about how you look, especially your abs. More importantly, strengthening your core is something you need to do for health reasons, but what if you don’t go to the gym and have lots of equipment.

Well, you don’t need a gym or equipment for a lot of workouts, like this one from Popsugar. Even better, it’s only 10 minutes long and who doesn’t have 10 minutes to improve their health?

I also like what I think is an alternative to the burpees everyone is always going on about (see minute 1 of the slide back and forth). I have issues with my big toes (seriously, I do) and that move back onto them in the burpee is painful.

If you have a Swiss ball, do a similar move that’s called a prone jacknife to help with those lower abs.

Click here if you can’t see the Popsugar video and please visit their site at www.popsugar.com. They have lots of awesome workouts, fashion, recipes and tips for you!

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#TipTuesday The Carb Dilemma

I’m a carboholic. I admit that and falling off the carb wagon is really really bad for me. Case in point, this week. It started off last weekend with a conference, built over the week in anticipation of Easter and crescendoed on Easter Sunday. Cakes. Bread. Chocolate. Pastries. As much as I kept to eating well for most meals and not only continued with my workouts, but intensified them, the addition of carbs set me back massively on my weight loss plans.

I’m sad about it, but taking steps to rectify the problem by watching my carbs and trying to limit myself to complex carbs in small quantities. What’s the difference between simple and complex? In a nutshell, complex carbs are those that are naturally occurring in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. While they break down into simple sugars eventually, they also contain fiber and other healthy ingredients.

Simple carbs are things like refined sugar, white bread, etc. which even if they have naturally occurring sugars, lack the beneficial fiber and nutrients that come with complex carbs. You can find a more detailed and scientific explanation about the different carbs in this article by Fitday.

So what foods are complex carbs? Here’s just a few:

    Oats
    Fruits
    Carrots
    Potatoes
    Sweet Potatoes
    Peas
    Barley
    Brown Rice
    Beans
    Lentils
    Corn

You can get more info on additional complex carbs and a carb calendar at MyFit.Ca.

I hope this was a helpful Tuesday Tip. You can click there to visit another good article on things to do to lose weight!
carbs

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#ManCandyMonday Model, Fitness Guru, Rugby Player Stuart Reardon

It’s chilly and wet today, so I really needed someone to heat me up! I’ve been seeing Stuart Reardon around on various covers, pages, etc. and thought, today’s the day he visits the blog.

Stuart is a fitness model and professional rugby player for the North Wales Crusaders. You can find out me about Stuart at his website, including lots of awesome photos at his gallery and more about his Fear Nothing Fitness program.

Click here if you cannot see the trailer below for Stuart’s 2016 calender.

I hope you enjoyed today’s Man Candy Monday.

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#WriteWed Conferences and Craziness

I feel like the year is just flying by! It’s already mid-March and I’ve got the awesome Liberty States Fiction Writers Create Something Magical Conference this weekend. I’m excited to be doing a workshop there and the book fair on Saturday, which is open to the general public. If you’ll be in the Woodbridge, NJ area, I’d love to see you there! The signing is from 4 to 6 pm and you can check out what other authors will be there by clicking here.

What other craziness? Well, I’ve been busy writing my story for the SUMMER HEAT box set and also working on a new project. I’ll have news for you soon on that one! Good news that I’m very excited about.

In the meantime, I’ve been working out and trying to get more fit. Writing (and working at a law firm) are both such sedentary tasks, but I’ve been up and about and on my way to 45 pounds lost. I’d love to lose another 25 to 30 by the time that San Diego and the RWA National Conference rolls around. I’ll be doing a workshop there and also participating in the Literacy Signing. Woo hoo! Very excited about that one as well.

Hope you are all having a fabulous Wednesday!

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#TuesdayTip Eating Fat to Lose Fat #Fitness #Health

I hit another milestone today – 40 pounds lost. It took me a long time between the holidays (no pounds gained luckily) and the dreaded plateau.

Anyone who has tried to lose weight has hit a plateau and sometimes they are tough to break through. I tried lowering and raising my calorie counts. Exercising more. Even exercising a little less. Those stubborn 3 or so pounds just would not leave me.

I spoke to my trainer and we talked about my diet and it turned out that in my quest to eat healthier I had seriously eliminated fat from my diet. Both good and bad fats. He said to me, “You need to eat fat to lose fat.”

As you can imagine, I was surprised, but I took his words to heart because he has really helped me improve my overall health and fitness.

So I added back some healthy fats. Avocado. Nuts. Low fat dairy. Coconut oil. Olive oil. Eggs.

What happened? Well, those stubborn pounds disappeared in just a few days. WOO HOO.

So today’s Tuesday Tip is: Eat more healthy fats.

If you want more information on this concept and healthy fats, you can visit these links:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/557726-eat-fat-to-burn-fat/

http://www.coachcalorie.com/eat-fat-to-lose-fat/

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/how-eating-more-fat-helps-you-lose-more-weight.html

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/tips/why-non-fat-isnt-the-answer/

Just a last word of warning: Watch out for foods that claim to be low fat, but just seem too good to be true. Oftentimes there is a lot of added sugar and salt or artificial ingredients to make up for the “lower fat.”
EatFat

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#TuesdayTip Facial Toning Exercises

Let’s face it, gravity keeps us grounded, but it also isn’t the friendliest thing for some of our body parts. Regular exercise can help with keeping your body toned, but what about your face? Is there anything you can do to deal with the effects of gravity and aging?

Apparently there is! Check out the links to these sites and some facial toning exercises to help deal with some very common problems, including drooping eyelids and saggy skin along your jaws and neck.

You may notice that some of the above links mention yoga. My sister is really into yoga, so much so that she became certified to teach. I went to one of her classes the other day and then to a different class on Saturday. In the summer months there is yoga on the beach on Sundays and I love going. I’ve never had good balance or flexibility, so age isn’t necessarily to blame for those things. I find that I am improving both with some occasional yoga classes and doing some yoga at home with a DVD.

Hope these tips helped you today!
Yoga on the Beach

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#TuesdayTip National Bagel Day

Oooh, bagels. Those crusty, chewy, tasty treats! I’ve been watching my carbs because I do see a difference in my body when I eat them, but today I made an exception since it’s NATIONAL BAGEL DAY! Happiness.

So how can you have bagels more often if you are trying to be healthier. This Tuesday I have some tips for you.

    1. See if there is a whole grain/multi grain option.
    2. Scoop out the center stuff and just leave the crusty goodness. You can eliminate close to half the calories (around 400 for a regular bagel) and you get the sense of eating more by doing this instead of just eating half a bagel.
    3. Choose a non-animal fat spread, like mashed avocados or a natural nut butter. Hint on the “natural” nut butters: Read the label. If you’re getting a natural peanut butter it should have just one ingredient: Peanuts. You’d be surprised by what some of the “natural” nut butters actually contain.
    4. Add an egg or other low-fat meat protein, like a lean prosciutto or Canadian ham.
    5. Use a low fat/non fat cream cheese.

Ever wonder how bagels are made? Click here to check out this cool movie about Brooklyn Bagels or watch it below!

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bagelday

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