Workout Wednesday's

Legs Workout

1. Step-ups

Works quadriceps, hamstrings and butt.
• Stand facing a bench, step or stairs. Feet are together with your hands at chest level.
• Firmly step onto the bench with your left leg. Begin extending your hip and knee of the left leg until the right leg is beside it. Remember: squeeze the butt.  
• Slowly begin lowering the right leg back to the ground by hinging at the hips. Maintain your knee behind the toes and body upright. Both feet and hips are facing forward throughout the execution of the exercise.
• Keep the left leg on the bench for the suggested number of repetitions before switching legs.
Intermediate: Add weight.
Advanced: Add speed to the movement. As soon as your lunging leg returns to the starting position, tap the ground and quickly move upward again.

2. Walking Lunges

Works inner and outer thighs, butt, quadriceps and hamstrings.
• Stand with both feet side by side, hip width apart. Take a large step forward with the right leg. Ensure you are landing with the heel first then forefoot. Bend both knees and begin lowering yourself until the front thigh is parallel with the ground and the left knee is almost touching the ground. Both legs should create two 90-degree angles. Do not lean forward, and do not let your front knee move forward of the toes.
• Pushing off from the heel of your front foot, lift the back leg and swing it forward so you are back to the starting standing position.
• Now take a large lunge forward with your left leg and repeat the lunge. Alternate legs with each lunge.
Intermediate: Hold a set of dumbbells in each hand at your sides or on your shoulders.
Advance: Add a torso twist. Hold the dumbbell at chest level and rotate your torso toward the lead leg (whichever leg is in front). Keep your body upright.

3. Lying Hamstring Curl Slides

Works hamstrings, butt and back.

• 
Lie on your back with your feet shoulder width apart, knees bent with your hips off the mat and arms at your sides. Each foot is on a glider.
• Slowly begin extending the right leg as you firmly press into the floor with the right foot as you are sliding the leg straight. Do not lock your knee. Maintain your left leg bent and hips off the floor.
• Return the right leg back to the starting position and repeat with the left leg.

Intermediate: Glide both legs at the same time. Keep your hips off the mat as you continue pressing into the floor with both feet.
Advanced: Lift and keep the support leg off the mat while gliding the other leg.

Tasty Tuesday's

Conquer Your Cravings (and lose your gut)


Toss out all your chips.  Then take this tip from Cornell University: You're 2.7 times more likely to eat healthy snacks if you place them on the middle shelf of your refrigerator than if you keep them in the crisper.

Raw Veggies and Fresh Fruit
These old standbys may be common-sense choices, but often they are passed up for easy-access convenience snacks. To ensure fruits and vegetables are always at the top of your snack list, clean and prepare a day or two's worth of produce when you get home from the store. Keep snack-size containers or bags of carrot sticks, celery sticks, red pepper slices and broccoli florets in your fridge, ready for the grabbing.



When it comes to fruit, apples and pears are great grab-and-go options. But if you'd like a little more variety, make a fruit salad with interesting fruits like mango, papaya and berries that you can eat while in the car or at work or school.

Just Another Manic Monday

Simple Things to Remember on How to Go Green

Save on Gasoline
Instead of always using your car to go to work, carpool instead. Try other ways to get to work by commuting or by choosing healthier options like biking or walking.

Save on Water
Basic things you can do to save water at home is to take shorter showers instead of having luxurious long ones ‘just because.’ Turn the faucet off when you are brushing your teeth and in between rinses. Not all clothes (like jeans) need everyday washing so you can reuse them several times before throwing them into the laundry basket.

Save on Energy
Do simple things to save on energy at home by using power strips or by minimizing the use of your dryer by air drying clothes. Turn off all lights when you are not using them and also use energy efficient bulbs instead of traditional ones.

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
Try not to create so much trash! Don’t accept plastic bags and opt to use reusable canvass bags or boxes. Instead of buying mineral water, bring your stainless steel water bottle everywhere with you and just refill it when you get thirsty. Always recycle what can be recycled.

Fitness Fashion Friday's

Bring your workout wardrobe to life by adding these beautiful and affordable peices from Bia Brazil.

Fabric Care

• Keep your Bia Brazil garments looking their best.
• Do not expose any garment to the sun for long periods of time, for example on a storefront window, as sumndamage may occur.
• If an item turns out damaged after being used once (open seams, rhinestone/grommet comes off, discoloration), it may be a factory defect in which case we will accept it back. We will not accept items that have not complied with our washing instructions found below.
• Before returning any item that you may consider a factory defect, please check it thoroughly, especially discolored items, as discoloration may have been the main cause of not following the care instructions.

Washing instructions:
Wash separately in cool water on the gentle cycle. Do not use bleach or softeners - only mild soap. Do not wrist or twist, nor leave soaking. Line dry in shade. Do not tumble dry, dry clean or iron.
No harm should occur to garments if the above instructions are followed.
We are not accountable for failure to follow them.


Bia Brazil Long top #2272 (Regular Price $45.00, on Sale $35.00; One Hot Tamale)

Bia Brazil Pants #2424 (Regular Price $75.00, on Sale $60.00; One Hot Tamale)

Tune Me Up Thursday's

Top 5 songs to workout to:

1) Billy Idol-White Wedding
2) Enrique Iglesias-I Like It
3) Pink-Get the Party Started
4) Scissor Sisters-I Don't Feel Like Dancing
5) Jamiroquai-Canned Heat 

Workout Wednesday's

8 Variations of the Push-Up

  

Standard Pushup

The benefit: The standard pushup works your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core.

How to do it: Kneel down on all fours and place your hands slightly beyond shoulder-width apart. Set your feet together and straighten your arms and legs. Your body should form a straight line from ankles to head. Keeping your elbows pulled in toward your sides, lower your chest to an inch above the floor, and press back up. That's 1 rep.

 Leg-Kick Pushup

Origin: The Netherlands

The benefit: By forcing you to hold a position, it activates more muscle in your chest and shoulders than a standard pushup does. It also helps develop strength and flexibility in your hip flexors, glutes, and hamstrings.

How to do it: Assume a pushup position, and then lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor. Kick your right leg out to the side as close to a 90-degree angle as possible without bending your knee. Pause, and move your leg back to the starting position. Push your body back up, and repeat with your left leg.

Knee-to-Opposite-Elbow Pushup

Origin: Thailand

The benefit: It uses rotation to work your abdominal muscles, hip flexors, and back in addition to targeting your chest and triceps.

How to do it: Assume a pushup position, but form fists with your hands so your knuckles are flat against the floor. Bring your right knee to your left elbow, and pause before returning your leg to the starting position. Now lower your body as you would for a standard pushup. Push back to the starting position and repeat, this time bringing your left knee to your right elbow.

Corkscrew Pushup

Origin: USA

The benefit: It works your quads, calves, and core in addition to all the upper-body muscles activated when you do a standard pushup.

How to do it: Assume a pushup position, but walk your feet toward your hands until your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle, with your hips slightly higher than your head. Lower your left side close to the floor by rotating your body and bending your elbows. Pause, and then rise slightly and rotate your right side to the floor. Pause again, and push back up to the starting position. That's 1 rep.

Triangle Pushup

Origin: Brazil

The benefit: It forces one arm to work harder to handle a heavier load, and changes the angle of movement to stimulate more muscle.

How to do it: Assume a pushup position, but form fists with your hands so your knuckles are flat against the floor. Lower your chest to your left hand, pause, and push back up. Repeat, this time lowering your chest to your right hand. Alternate sides each rep.

Twisting Pushup

Origin: Brazil

The benefit: It works the rotational muscles in your core, and improves flexibility in your hip and groin muscles.

How to do it: Assume a pushup position, but form fists with your hands so your knuckles are flat against the floor. Rotate your hips to the right and cross your right leg in front of your left. Then lower your chest toward the floor as you would for a standard pushup, being careful not to let your hips touch the floor. Push back up and return to the starting position. Repeat with your left leg.

Uchi Mata Pushup

Origin: Japan

The benefit: It increases activation of your core, lower back, and hamstrings while also boosting demand on the muscles in your shoulders.

How to do it: From a pushup position, lift your right foot so your leg is parallel to the floor. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor. Now raise your lifted leg higher into the air. Push back to the starting position. Do half your reps, switch legs, and finish your set.

Alternating Grip Single-Leg Pushup

Origin: England

The benefit: It works your lower-abdominal muscles and places more demand on your chest and serratus anterior, an important posture muscle that runs from your chest and along your rib cage to your shoulder blade.

How to do it: Place your right hand in a standard pushup position, but move your left hand a few inches forward. Raise your right leg and then lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor. Push back to the starting position. Do half your reps, then switch arms and legs and finish your set.

Kettlebell Pushup

Origin: Russia

The benefit: It challenges your forearms, rotator cuffs, and core muscles as a result of the instability of the exercise.

How to do it: Assume a pushup position, but place each hand on a kettlebell with your palms facing each other. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the kettlebells, pause, and then push back to the starting position.

Tasty Tuesday's

Why Diets Fail

If you’ve tried — and failed — to lose weight, you’re certainly not alone. Up to 95 per cent of diets don’t work, according to Reader’s Digest.


Here are four reasons why your diet fails:
1. It’s too strict. You end up bingeing on foods that “aren’t allowed.”
2. It’s short-sighted. Go for long-term lifestyle change, not short-term satisfaction.
3. It’s too demanding. Go for gradual change and indulge a little.
4. You don’t exercise enough. Add a mix of different physical activities you enjoy.

Changes you should make to your eating habits:

1. Eat smaller portions more often.
2. Don't eat until you feel extremely full.
3. Eat slow to allow your body to digest the food.
4. Have your food prepared before hand (fruits and veggies already cut) so when you get home from work it makes it easier to grab and make.

Enjoy this tasty recipe that will leave you feeling full and satisfied.


Chicken jasmine (Caribbean)

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
■1 lb (450 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into ½ inch/1 cm squares
■1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
■2 cloves of garlic, chopped
■1 tsp (5 mL) ground ginger
■1 tsp (5 mL) black strap molasses
■1 sprig of fresh thyme or ½ tsp/2 mL dried thyme
■1 cup (250 mL) diced Spanish onion
■½ cup (125 mL) carrot, cut julienne
■1 cup (250 mL) diced red peppers
■1 cup (250 mL) diced green peppers
■1 cup (250 mL) bok choy, chopped
■1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano
■Pinch of cayenne pepper
■1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) salt


Directions
1.Heat oil in a large fry pan over medium heat.
2.Cook the chicken, stirring often for about 10 minutes or until no longer pink inside.
3.Add garlic, ginger, molasses, thyme, onion and carrot. Cook for 2 minutes.
4.Add the peppers and bok choy. Cook for 5 minutes.
5.Sprinkle with oregano, cayenne pepper and salt.
6.Serve with baked sweet potatoes.

Nutritional information per serving
(1 ¼ cups/300 mL)
■Calories: 207
■Protein: 27 g
■Total fat: 5 g
■Saturated fat: 1 g
■Dietary cholesterol: 67 mg
■Carbohydrate: 12 g
■Dietary fibre: 3 g
■Sodium: 150 mg
■Potassium: 651 mg