“Just Do You” Celebrate National Bikini Day on July 5th.

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It’s that time of year again!  And yes, there is a holiday dedicated to this time of year as well! Time to take that cover off and walk on the beach. Even the most bikini savvy women and the speedo stud of men, can find this annual fest an ordeal. This summer choose to have fun and enjoy yourself. Have this year be your best year yet with these tips to embrace the day and feel confident in your suit

1) Confidence Comes from Within – Articulate Who You Are

Identify your strengths and parts of your body that you really like. Find a swimsuit that highlights these areas. Style beats shape any day!  When you appreciate you and feel comfortable it becomes easier and more comfortable for you to walk with confidence and have fun! When confidence blossoms, you feel comfortable in your own skin. The great thing about confidence is that it is not bestowed by others, but found within.

2) Be Accountable for the Results You Want–

A big part of you feeling confident is being aware and accountable for your daily activity and staying on your workout plan.  Working with your trainer to create measurable daily goals is a key part in you seeing results and staying accountable. Using a step counter which keeps track of your steps, monitors your movement and wearing a heart rate monitor during your workouts to track your calories burned are two examples of tools you can use during your workouts to ensure you are on the right track to looking good in your bathing suit. When you know you are doing the work and taking care of your body, your confidence builds because you are doing what is necessary for the vision you have.  http://www.thesportsclubla.com/site/club/our-elite-private-trainers

3) Bond with Your Fitness Buddies – Take Group Exercise Classes

A study was done at the turn of the century on what influences if any, our social networks have on our obesity epidemic (Nicholas Christakis). Out of a group of 2,200 people it was found that if you had just one friend that was obese, it increased your chances of being obese by 45%. If you have a friend of a friend who was obese it increased your chances by 25%. Similar to this is the well-known affiliation theory.  This theory draws the conclusion that our lives are dramatically shaped by the affiliations we have with people. If our relationships can cause weight gain, it must have the same effect on weight loss and confidence. Taking Group Exercise classes that are fun, engaging and filled with like minded confident participants will be one of the strongest determinants in you feeling confident and looking good in your bikini.   Have your social networks assist you with behaviors that serve you. Look for Group Summer Slim Down programs, Yoga Series and Spinning/REV classes in your club similar to the ones offered at TheSportsClub/LA. What class will you take this week?
http://www.thesportsclubla.com/site/pdf/GroupEx_Los_Angeles.pdf

4) Stretches to Make You Look Leaner

The key to long lean posture is in the strength of your core and proper length of your muscles. If your core is strong the body will get used to the proper posture and make you look taller. Here are some stretches you can do during your week to strengthen and lengthen –


 The Downward Dog – Straighten your legs, lift the tailbone higher, and lower your upper body with both arms in line with the shoulders. Your position will look like an upside down V. Set your breath as usual and count to eight, then rest. Repeat this position twice.

Walkouts – Start by reaching your fingers to your toes, keeping your knees straight. When you touch the ground with your fingers, begin to walk your hands forward on the ground until you are in a plank position with your body parallel to the ground. Keeping your hands still, walk your feet towards your hands bending from the hip. Repeat 5-6 times as you continue to move forward across the ground.

Supine Leg Plow– Lie on your back with your arms out to your side palms flat on ground. Lift your left leg up and over reaching towards your right hand. Allow your hamstring to lengthen as you lift your leg, your lower back will also lengthen as you rotate your leg towards your right hand. Repeat it on left leg. 5-10 times each leg.

5) Foods that Have You Looking Good in your Suit

Up your fruit and Veggie intake   – High water content fruits and veggies such as fresh watermelon, onion, celery, tomatoes, lemons and cucumbers, generally prove most helpful in reducing water retention. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is helpful tool toward reducing water retention, because they can provide a natural diuretic effect.

Omega-6 Fatty Acids.  According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, omgea-6 fats might also help reduce bodily swelling and bloating associated with PMS. Valuable sources of omega-6 fats include safflower oil, soybean oil, turkey and peanut oil. As with any food, be sure to measure your servings and see your registered dietician to fit in your nutrition plan.

Potassium-Rich Foods -Potassium is an important mineral and electrolyte, or salt that produces an electrical charge. According to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, potassium deficiency can cause bloating. To promote potassium levels and prevent resultant bloating, foods rich in potassium are recommended. These include baked potatoes, prune juice, lima beans plums, bananas, raisins, acorn squash, tomato juice, raisin bran and almonds. You can also buy sport water packs to bring with you and pop in your water throughout the day while you are out on the beach (try Electro Mix by the makers of Emergen-C). As always refer to your physician prior to taking any supplements or changing your diet.

6) “JUST DO YOU”

At the end of the day, you can do things to change your body in a healthy way, but nothing changes the foundation of who you are. The hottest girls and guys are the ones smiling and having fun! The secret to feeling confident is enjoying yourself and being comfortable just being you!

This summer on the beach decide to “Just Do You, No One Can Do it Better!”

-Coach Khadevis Robinson-

Reference, Robert Cappuccio http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-10jMpJYgfc&feature=youtu.be

Here’s to your Independence this July 4th! Exercise, Your Fountain of Youth

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Reduce your biological age and prolong your independence by starting and staying on a regular exercise program.

Engaging in a consistent exercise program has been shown to assist with losing weight, decreasing body fat, lower stress and increasing energy but…reduce our biological age? Yes! This July 4th let’s celebrate our independence and find our fountain of youth by staying consistent on a regular aerobic fitness program.

fitness-stress

Here are the facts:

  • It was reviewed in studies and concluded that aerobic fitness matters – particularly if you want to live independently for all your years!
  • Studies show that overall mortality is cut by as much as 70% among the “highly fit” older adults.
  • It is also well documented that maximal oxygen intake decreases between 20 to 60 years old and is projected to deteriorate at a similar rate into retirement.
  • Starting at age 50, people begin to lose 12% of their muscle strength and 6% of their muscle mass every decade resulting in a decrease in your metabolism

Our Fountain of Youth:

  • To attain the associated health benefits for the fountain of youth, it only takes “moderate levels of physical activity 30 minutes a day, five days a week.”
  • Progressive aerobic training can boost your aerobic power and potentially delay the loss of dependence by as much as 10-12 years.
  • A regular exercise program can slow or reverse the loss of aerobic fitness, reducing the individual’s biological age and prolonging independence.
  • Two to three months of weight training three times a week can increase muscle strength and mass by one-third, making up for three decades of loss of muscle strength and muscle mass.

You have the facts and the solution. It’s time to get moving this July 4th!

Some tips!

  • Plan your week ahead and schedule your times for some form of movement at least 5 days a week, 30 -60minutes.
  • Taking group classes that mix things up and keep it fun are a great way to keep your weekly movement scheduled. Look for Group Exercise Schedules that keep it fun! REV/SPINNING, Dance, Pilates, and Yoga and Definitions classes.
  • Brisk walks or runs, bike riding, taking the stairs at your lunchtime.
  • Scheduling time to workout with a personal trainer is also a great way to keep your movement scheduled weekly.
  • Work with a trainer that is certified in Target Zone Training. This trainer can take you through a sub-max VO2 test that will allow them to design an individualized aerobic program for you. You will get pre- printed workout cards knowing exactly what to do each day you come in to the club for your aerobic fitness program.

There are always ways to fit movement in to your daily routine.  If I told you we could give you the fountain of youth and all you needed to do was make a conscious effort to move each week, would you do it?

IMAGINE

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I just got back from Las Vegas where for my birthday I was treated to The Beatles LOVE, Cirque Du Soleil show featuring the music of The Beatles. As I watched the show with the utmost amazement and awe I began to think about the message we heard from one of the most famous Beatles (as if they were all not famous?) – IMAGINE. Lennon was asking us to imagine a place where things that divide people (religion, possessions, etc.) did not exist. This song was written during the height of the war in viet nam, the first nixon administration and the peace movement. Much of the popular culture of the time was centered around these factors. However, in the spirit of this message it had me thinking( as I do every now and then)…

What if we imagined a place where our behaviors matched our stated goals for fitness and wellness?  A place where our day to day actions and decisions did not divide us leaving for an unrealized fitness and wellness goal. Have you heard yourself say you want to lose weight, get healthier or increase energy yet continue to not change or add the behaviors needed to achieve this? What if I asked you to IMAGINE a place where your behaviors did fall in line to assist you in achieving your goals? Where your actions matched the VISION you have for your fitness and wellness. How many times have we found ourselves taking actions or making decisions during our week, which do not align with our goals yet to find ourselves at the end of the week pondering as to why we are not moving closer to reaching our them? Not making it to the gym for cardio, eating that extra serving for dinner, not reading food labels before eating?

IMAGINE, urges us to create a compelling VISION for ourselves in regards to our fitness and wellness. It asks us to paint a picture of what you would look and feel like at your ideal level of wellness. It asks, what kind of person do you want to be when it comes to your health, fitness and wellness? Our vision is what we want, rather than what we do not want. “It’s hard to see and feel the absence of something; in contrast, it’s hard to ignore and resist the presence of something.” Taking this first step in creating your VISION will assist you in aligning your actions with your desired goals. Your VISION is your dream while your goals are the plans or design you make to reach your VISION.

Your VISION can be something like, “ My wellness vision in the next six months is that I have reversed my trend of steady weight gain and I look better, feel younger and wear stylish clothes.”

First steps to reaching your VISION-

1)    IMAGINE IT, create your vision and write it down. Make it in present tense as if it is already happening. “It is a compelling statement of who you are and what healthy promoting, life giving behaviors you want to do consistently.”

2)   Revisit your VISION for your fitness and wellness each week.

3)   Every time you find yourself in a situation where your actions can determine whether you are on the path to reach your vision, ask yourself “ Does this move me closer to my VISION or farther away?”

Creating your vision of finess or wellness is taking the first step in realizing  your goals. It creates the pathway for you to see where you want to be, it provides the energy needed to move you forward towards your goals.

so I ask…IMAGINE?

You may say I’m a dreamer, But I’m not the only one,I hope someday you’ll join us

Over and Out-

Group Training

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Many experiences are nicer when they are shared with someone else. Meals, movies, laughs, exercise, shopping, sightseeing, and travel are just some of the experiences that are enhanced when shared between two or more people. Sharing experiences in a group many times broadens the scope of your own perceptions of experiences because you witness others reactions, and hear their accounting of incidents, which mixes with your own to form broader perceptions.

Moreover, group personal training lets you measure your progress against the progress being made by the other members of your personal training group. Measuring your progress against the progress of someone else could tell you if you are on target with everyone else or lagging behind for some reason.

Group training provides constant motivation and encouragement on its participants. Often it is seen that people tend to lose interest in the fitness program when working out on their own. But when working out as a group you get into a healthy competition with other members of your fitness class which greatly helps you to stick to your fitness program. You will do more for the group at times then you will do for yourself.

This group session dynamically fuses challenging body-weight exercises, resistance training, interval training, cardio programs, circuit training, games, Pilates, and plenty more ! By attending these sessions you will rapidly build lean muscle & burn body fat.

Meet with individuals like you, looking to stay healthy, reach their fitness and wellness goals…and have fun in the process! Sessions are great in addition to one-on-one individualized training to maximize results

Ask Natania about additional week days and times. $10 for participants. Group meets at Crescent Bay Park in Santa Monica.

Space must be reserved 24 hours in advance. To reserve your space please click here.

 

To learn more about ViPR, visit their site: http://www.viprfit.com/IntroducingViPR/ViPR.aspx