On 29th October, the doors will open to the 2022 K-ZUMA Fashion Show in Sydney and we are excited to announce that Superstar Attraction will be proudly supporting the event as an official sponsor.
The 1st round of the K-ZUMA Fashion Show model auditions was successfully held at King’s Angels Dance Academy on the 5th of September 2022 and hosted by GP Entertainment.
Of the 67 applicants for the audition, 27 passed the first round and 5 were selected as finalists.
Women with a variety of personalities and regardless of age and body size participated in the auditions and showed off their hidden talents to the jury. The 27 models who passed the final audition will be seen on stage at the fashion show on Saturday, October 29.
Star Seo, the founder of Superstar Attraction said, “I’m incredibly excited to be a part of this event and can’t wait to see who of these beautiful women is going to make it into the finals. At Superstar Attraction, we are all about empowering women to look and feel their absolute best and we are honoured to contribute by supporting everyone who entered.”
Alongside Superstar Attraction, other partners and sponsors include Merci, Muse Golf, Unique & Mix, Mosura, King’s Angels Dance Academy, La Belle Aesthetic, Sky J Pilates, and GREY photo studio, amongst others.
The K-ZUMA Model Auditions were covered by iTap and featured on their website.
I get it: There are so many ways to style and shape your brows that it can feel kinda really effing overwhelming. No two brows are the same (seriously—stare closely at all of your friends, pls), which means the journey to getting the “perfect” eyebrows is going to look a little different for everyone. That said, there are some general tips, tricks, and hacks you can try out to help get you there. Ahead, 15 kinda-genius ways to get the best brows of your life, including the best professional methods to try, the top at-home products to experiment with, and so much more.
K, this might seem obvious for some people, but let me just quickly remind you: One of the easiest ways to get the best brows of your life is by leaving them alone (!!!). Yes, tweezers are excellent for getting rid of rogue hairs here and there, but they aren’t your best option for shaping your brows (more on that in a bit).
“Try to tweeze pretty far away from your eyebrow—you don’t want to do any actual shaping, so just grab hairs that are out of place or further away from your brow line,” Umbreen Sheikh, founder and CEO of Wink Brow Bar, has told Cosmo. The Tl;dr: Over-plucking is basically a given when you pull out your tweezers, so use them with caution, alright?
There are so many options when it comes to eyebrow products, which is why it’s super important to make sure you’re using the right one. First: Think about your brow goals. Are you trying to fill in sparse spots and add definition? Grab a brow powder and an angled brush. Are you trying to lightly shape and comb your hairs? Swipe on a lightweight brow gel. Not sure WTF you want or need? Don’t be afraid to play around and cocktail a few products—there’s no right or wrong, so just focus on finding the best product for you.
IMHO, threading is the best method for enhancing and defining your natural brow shape. Unlike waxing, which is great for targeting large areas of skin (like your legs or bikini line), threading is ultra-precise. “Threading is basically when we take a twisted thread and use it to gently pull the hair from the follicle, which means it can remove hairs that are too short or fine to be waxed,” she says. “And since threading puts pressure on top of your skin, it can even push hairs up from underneath the surface to grab and remove.” BTW: Threading does require some serious skill, so it’s always a good idea to see a professional before you try DIYing it.
If going freehand with your eyebrow products feels a biiiit out of your skillset (no shade), you should try using an eyebrow stencil, aka a little template that you stick or hold on top of your brows to prevent you from “coloring” outside of the lines of your brows with your powders, pencils, or gels. They come in a ton of shapes and sizes (I like the Anastasia Beverly Hills Stencils and the Ardell Brow Perfection Stencils) and they’re also a great way to experiment with new looks, like a bolder brow, a straight brow or other brow shapes, etc.
Okay, please, please, please do not fill in your brows with one single, heavy-handed strike of any product. Tiny, hair-like strokes are the goal here, so you’ll want to use small flicking motions (whether you’re using a powder and an angled brush, or a basic pencil) in the direction of your hair growth to get the most realistic-looking result.
Check out: Brisbane Brow Lamination
Overextending the tail of your brows can create a droopy effect, drawing down your face and making you look, well, a little sad. Your eyebrows naturally stop at a place that lifts your face up and out, and you want to maintain that angle. To measure where the tail of your brow needs to end, place a brow pencil diagonally at your nostril and line it up with the side of your eye. Where the pencil hits your brow bone is where the end of your eyebrow should end (or can be extended to) without it looking fake.
Too-pointy arches = confusingly mad or surprised. So, if you weren’t born with a high arch but want to create a subtle one, hold a brow pencil against your nostril and line it up diagonally with the center of your eye. That’s exactly where any arch should go naturally.
Next, take a spoolie brush to help comb your hairs downward. Then, with your brow product of choice (a pencil and a light touch is key here!), ever so slightly alter your brow shape, creating a slight peak where your natural arch is. Finally, fluff your brow hairs back into place with your spoolie so they fall nicely and the arch looks natural.
This article was originally published on https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/how-to/a42963/reasons-your-brows-look-bad/
Break it down to 40 minutes 4 days a week, 30 minutes 5 days a week, or however you’d like! Choose what works best for your lifestyle.
Cut calories in your morning cup of coffee by skipping the cream and sugar. Instead, try drinking it black or reducing your amount of each.
Tracking keeps you accountable, and studies show that those who keep journals are more successful at weight loss than those who don’t.
Thoughts are powerful; bring awareness to yours. Do you encourage yourself with positivity or hold yourself back with negativity? A change in mindset could be all it takes to get your health on track.
Eat foods that are closest to their natural state as possible. Aim for whole, fresh foods in a rainbow of colors.
Watch out, because processed foods have multiple negative side effects. Generally speaking, the fewer the ingredients, the better the food. Taking a quick look at food labels can tell you a lot, but ideally, the majority of food you buy doesn’t need a label.
Most adults need about two quarts of fluid per day to replace normal water loss, or approximately eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. Try this hydration calculator to check your personalized H2O needs.
Add protein powder to smoothies for an added boost. Choose unflavored powders for versatility.
Identify your deeper reason to get healthy other than the number on the scale. Do you want to be able to run with your children or grandchildren? How about being able to enjoy food without feeling guilty all the time? Staying in touch with a deeper reason for health can motivate you to keep going when things get tough.
Find a form (or two!) of movement you truly enjoy. It’s easier to stick to things we look forward to rather than dread.
Add some muscle building activities to your workouts. Free weights, resistance band exercises, muscle sculpt classes or using your body weight with push-ups, planks and squats all work.
Keep in mind that striving for perfection usually leads to disaster. Set small goals and stair step your way to success by developing healthy habits.
Reverse the letters in the word and EDIT what you eat. Make it a lifestyle change toward healthier foods, not a deprivation plan.
Give yourself one to two days a week for active recovery. Take a walk. Do a gentle yoga class. Just engage in something that’s less intense than what you do for exercise the other days of the week.
Select healthier choices to have on standby in your fridge when hunger pangs or emotional eating strikes, such as a bowl of fresh strawberries or blueberries. Here are some healthy snacks to try whenever cravings strike.
Eat healthy 80 percent of the time. Indulge occasionally, but make sure most of your choices are healthy.
Food tends to be the healthiest and less processed on the outside edges of most grocery stores. Here you’ll find fresh fruit and veggies, raw meat and fresh seafood.
Find different ways to measure success other than stepping on the scale. Instead, pay attention to how you feel after you’ve been working out consistently.
Working out in groups can offer more benefits than working out alone – science supports it! Find your go-to person for exercise and weight loss support. Exercise together, share tips and swap encouragement.
While the time of day makes no difference when it comes to results, you may be more likely to make excuses as the day goes on.
Whether it’s the pounds you have lost, how many times you worked out this week, or a picture of you showing off results, display it to motivate you to keep it up!
Circle the days on a calendar when you’ve worked out, or mark it on your phone. That way, you can feel proud of your successes and be able to repeat the schedule that worked for you in the past.
Want to speed up your metabolism? Building muscle is the key since muscle burns more fat at rest.
Don’t overwhelm yourself with your ideal goal weight. When you are down two pounds, let yourself feel proud and then think about the next two.
Portion control is crucial – especially when you are eating an indulgent food. These portion control tips can help you get started.
Buy a new workout top, headband, or piece of equipment. Having something new can motivate you to actually use it!
Put your fork down in between bites to keep from overeating. When you eat more slowly, you allow your mind to recognize when your body is full.
Pat yourself on the back for all your hard work with a massage, your favorite TV show, or draw yourself a nice, relaxing bath. Just make sure your “treat” doesn’t sabotage your success: like a pint of Ben & Jerry’s 😉
Here’s a few to get you started: I love to exercise. I want to live a healthy life. I am getting more fit each day.
There’s no such thing as “cheating”. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Empower yourself to make a better choice next time.
Put your health goals at the top of your priority list. If you’re constantly taking care of everyone else, you’ll never have time to take care of yourself!
When in doubt, go with the healthy alternative!
Try to never go more than two days in a row without exercise, unless of course you are injured or ill. This applies to your vacations too! Remember: not all workouts have to be high-intensity. Try these low-intensity workouts for the days it’s hard to muster up the energy.
Pay attention to what you are eating. Ask yourself if you really are hungry or if something else is going on that’s causing you to turn to food. The HALT method can be helpful – ask yourself if you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. Emotions can trick us into thinking we’re hungry when we’re not.
Don’t start and stop, just keep going. If exercise is new to you, start off slow and aim for a few workouts per week and then increase as you go.
These should be smaller things that take you only a couple of weeks to accomplish. You can have your ultimate goal, but if it’s years out, motivation can wane.
Stop eating when you feel satiated, not stuffed.
Oftentimes, what’s getting us down are a bunch of little irritants rather than one looming problem.
If you have a desk job, consider a standing workstation. Or at the very least, stand up or pace when you use the phone. People in constant motion burn more calories.
Drink caffeinated tea as an afternoon pick-me-up or decaf tea as a way to wind down at night. There are so many health benefits to tea including: lowering blood pressure, reducing wrinkles, aiding in weight loss and more.
Many people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off have set rules for themselves.
Make a list of bad habits you are willing to give up and the good habits you will start.
Get a stainless steel portable water bottle to take with you everywhere. Using less plastic is good for the environment.
Change your limits and surprise yourself. When you mentally and physically push the line, it will motivate you to keep going—or set your sights higher.
It takes a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose one pound. If weight loss is your goal, your caloric intake should be less than your calories burned.
Foam roll to relieve tight muscles and achy joints. Foam rollers are affordable and easy to use; aim for about three times a week for best results.
Learning about others’ success can encourage you to keep going and believe in your own.
Ramp up the intensity on your workouts to rev up your metabolism and break through a plateau. Try High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts to give yourself a boost.
People have the tendency to underestimate the calories they consume. Tracking your calories for a week or two can be helpful in getting an honest assessment of how many calories you’re eating per day. Don’t skip anything – you’ll only hurt yourself by not being honest.
Think of exercise and movement as an all day thing. Just because you got in a 45-minute workout in the morning doesn’t mean you should sit on the couch the rest of the day.
Practicing self compassion means not beating yourself up after a day that fell short of your healthy living goals.
Sparkling water still has the carbonation you’re used to but will save you tons of calories, not to mention the artificial colors and sweeteners.
Don’t compare yourself to others; focus on your own progress instead.
Yoga can help you feel centered (among other benefits). It stretches and strengthens your body, improves your breathing and awareness, and empowers your mind.
How much and the quality of the sleep you get can directly affect your appetite. Try this sleep calculator to find out the right bedtime or wake time for you.
Music can help take your workout up a notch if it’s music that appeals to you.
When a craving strikes, it’s best to find a reasonable, healthy substitute that might still appeal to you. If not, allow yourself to indulge in a craving, but do so in small portions. Remember the 80/20 rule.
Make sure your footwear is suitable for your workouts. Everything from ankle, knee, and hip pain can be aggravated or even caused by improper footwear.
Healthy fat, that is. MUFAs, or monounsaturated fatty acids can actually keep you satiated and aid in weight loss. Nuts, seeds, olive oil, olives, avocados, and dark chocolate all make the cut.
Circuit style workouts combine multiple different exercises and charge your metabolism while helping you shed pounds.
Kale, spinach, broccoli, Swiss chard or collard greens. Greens are full of fiber, vitamins and minerals to protect you against disease.
Tempted to stay near your computer through lunch? Don’t do it, your meal will be less satisfying and you’ll be more likely to want more food soon after.
Without a proper warm up for your body, you’re likely to exacerbate joint and/or muscle pain and cause injury during your workout.
You’re better able to control all the ingredients and stay away from excess calories. Try these easy, healthy recipes for inspiration.
Aim to eat five servings of fruits and veggies daily.
Use consistency to compound your results. It’s not what you do once in a while that counts, it’s what you do each day.
Follow fitness accounts on social media and use them as daily motivation, inspiration and encouragement.
Fitness apps are a great way to track your progress at your fingertips. Find your favorite one and use it as an accountability tool. Here are some good apps to start with.
Use Sundays as prep days to eat healthy all week. Get enough produce and staples needed for the week.
When you’re in the mood for a crunchy snack, try popcorn. It’s a low calorie food you can eat a lot of that also has the added benefit of fiber. Homemade is the best!
Commit to a 5k to motivate you to train. Plus, you just may find out that the energy of the supportive crowds really motivates you to keep jogging—long after the race.
This is so important, we said it three times. Be sure to stretch after exercise. If you can loosen your muscles post-workout, you’ll have happy joints ready to go for your next sweat session and less pain.
If you hate exercise, make incremental changes each week. Aim for 20 minute workouts at first, then increase your time.
Skip the gym membership fee and the commute and work out at home. Join me on Get Healthy U TV for tons of full length workout videos and workout calendars.
Don’t try fads and gimmicks. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Losing weight takes time and hard work, but you can do it.
The morning frenzy is real. Freeze a few fruit smoothies to grab on the go in the early mornings so you can stick to your plan without any hassle.
Drink lemon water in the morning to hydrate and balance pH levels. Alternatively, dilute one teaspoon to a maximum of two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in water. Start small and increase as you can handle the taste.
Schedule your workouts just like you would any other appointment and stick to it. You wouldn’t no-show a meeting at work or a doctor’s appointment; don’t no-show your workouts either.
Don’t overdo it on cocktails. If you’re gonna have a drink, a good choice is red wine. Red wine also has antioxidants, making it good for your heart. Liquid calories add up fast, so opt for one glass only.
Try this green smoothie recipe: frozen banana, pineapple, almond milk, coconut extract, kale and spinach.
Same habits equal same results. If you aren’t getting results, change what you are doing.
Even if the label says only 100 calories, if you’re eating double the serving size, then you need to double the caloric number as well.
Twice a week, instead of going at a steady pace for 30 minutes, go easy for 3 minutes and hard for 1 minute. Repeat this pattern 5-6x!
Finding yourself reaching for ice cream every night? Try Greek yogurt instead with a little honey, berries, and dark chocolate chips or walnuts.
Don’t expect the weight to come off fast. Be realistic! Remember: it takes time to gain weight; it takes time to lose it.
Only fill your plate up once with your favorite appetizers and then stop eating. This becomes a lot more reasonable if you eat a small, healthy meal or hearty snack before you go.
Fitness trackers range from pricey to less expensive, but one that can track your steps and your workouts can add increased motivation to your fitness journey.
It’s always good to keep healthy snacks on you—especially if your schedule is crazy.
Got an injury? Treat it with ice/cold therapy if it’s less than six weeks old. If it’s more than six weeks old, heat therapy is your best bet.
Even if we don’t like it, exercise and your diet are married forever. You can’t lose weight with one and not the other— period. There’s no getting around it.
Exercise is a great stress reliever and mood booster. When you’ve had a rough day, going for an outdoor run or throwing a few punches in a kickboxing workout may be just what you need!
Eating healthy on a budget is possible. Instead of buying fresh fruits and vegetables, try buying frozen, especially when out of season. They’re packed at the peak of freshness; just be sure to check the labels to stay clear of brands with other additives.
Does an argument with your spouse or loved one typically send you to the fridge late at night? Or how about a stressful day at work triggering you to hit up the drive-through on the way home? Being aware of your triggers can cause you to recognize when they may occur and prevent bad choices.
You still want that cardiovascular exercise to stay in the schedule, but change the activity you are doing.
Make hard-boiled eggs at the beginning of the week for a ready-to-grab protein-packed snack you can eat by itself, or add to other items like avocado toast.
Be prepared for hunger to strike when on the go. Keep non-perishable, healthy snacks on hand in multiple locations like your car, in your gym bag and purse. That way you can always have a healthy option you can turn to when in a pinch.
Your thoughts determine how you feel and often determine what you can accomplish. As Napoleon Hill once said, “What your mind can conceive and believe, you can achieve.”
We need more meditation and less medication. Meditating is easy to do and its benefits are numerous. Reduce stress, improve your health, get centered, breathe better and get focused.
Stress produces higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol which can make you crave sweet and salty foods. Reducing your stress will not only help your mind, it can help your waistline! Try these relaxation tips to chill out.
Even if you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, you may still be deficient in key nutrients. If that’s the case, supplement with these important vitamins.
Exercising our ability to love ourselves is just as important as physical exercise. One way you can do this: after each workout, thank your amazing body for being able to do that hard work. This mindset of self-love is important for your health!
Write down your ultimate physique goal and how you’d like to look. Include weight, body fat, and any physique improvements you’d like to see. Now divide it by 3. That’s roughly your 90-day goal—to get you a third of the way there.
Work up to 60 minutes of physical activity each day. That doesn’t mean you’ll be on the weight-room floor seven days a week, but strive to get some kind of activity—even if it’s a walk with your dog or a leisurely bike ride. Take advantage of great weather when it happens by taking your workouts outdoors. If you’re new to fitness, start with two 15-minute sessions or three 10-minute sessions to help you become acclimated.
Weights are one of the best ways to make significant physical changes to your body. Unfortunately, not everyone enjoys lifting. The most important determinant of long-term success with fitness is how much you enjoy an activity. Choose something that make fitness fun! Explore new exercise classes and activities to determine which you prefer. As a beginner, almost anything you choose will be challenging, but gains will be made starting your very first week.
Train with a friend who’s at about your level of ability and has similar goals. You’ll be far less likely to skip your workout when you know someone is depending on you. It’s also more motivating when you push each other, and you’ll be far less likely to cut your sessions short.
Friends can help in other ways too. Surround yourself with five new friends at the office, school, or in your personal life who are committed to health and fitness. People who choose healthy lifestyles will engage in behaviors that will rub off on you. Similarly, if your friends are just the opposite, they’ll likely reinforce the wrong kinds of behaviors.
Instead, compare yourself to you of last week. If you make every week better in some way than the preceding week, you’re moving forward and making progress. Aim to improve yourself 5-10 percent versus last year’s version of you. It’s hard for any of us to feel good about ourselves when we try to measure up to physique athletes who may have been training for a decade or more. What these champions have in common with you is that they decided to improve their fitness one day, and then came back for a second, and kept going.
An easy way to get inspired and increase your knowledge of fitness, training, and nutrition is to commit to reading one online fitness article each day. Thousands of such articles cover a huge number of areas on this site alone! You won’t know everything there is to know in a week, but knowing a little more every day helps you better understand the what, why, and how of what you’re doing. Here’s a starter’s guide to fitness terms that’ll help you find your way around the gym. Just be aware there’s a ton of garbage advice available on the Web, so stick to sites you trust.
We all want to live comfortably, but workouts produce the best results when they make a little—or even more than a little—uncomfortable. Your body adapts to changes when you ask more of it than it’s used to giving. To make improvements, you must push just outside your comfort zone. Adjust your mindset to seek greater challenges over time, and you’ll see your body respond.
Many individuals will drop out of their training program because they’re not seeing results fast enough. However, physiological adaptations occur incrementally. You most likely won’t see much—if any—improvement from one week to the next, but you surely will over 90 days. That’s why you should make an iron-clad commitment of at least three months when starting any exercise program. Only then should you compare before-and-after pictures and measurements.
Want to see the greatest changes in your physique possible? Dive into a transformation contest! Don’t do it for the money; do it for the personal challenge. Going all-in and attaching a deadline provides daily motivation that can become self-perpetuating. Countless people have used this method to achieve incredible results, and so can you! Our site offers transformation contests every year for individuals of all levels, which you can find more about here.
Any fitness enthusiast will tell you that it’s easier to stay on track when you’ve already been following a successful program. Success breeds success. In contrast, it’s much easier for beginners to fall off the fitness wagon, precisely because they’ve got so little invested. As you improve and see physical changes taking place, you’ll be even more motivated to continue. That’s why those first few months are so important, why you need to keep pressing forward even when your mind would rather be on the couch. Buy into a training program for at least three months before evaluating. Only then can you reasonably assess your progress.
Ever heard the adage that life is a marathon, not a sprint? Well, the same goes with your fitness. Doing a four-hour workout in hopes of shaping up faster can do more harm than good—and who in their right mind wants to spend four hours in the gym, anyway? Take a more balanced approach to fitness. Commit to working out an hour a day. Your results will be better, and you won’t get burned out.
If you’ve got a physical condition that limits your activity, schedule an appointment with a sports-medicine doctor or physical therapist. They can help rehabilitate the issues with various exercises. Equally important, they can teach you to modify your training so you can still exercise safely.
Work out in the morning, before the rest of the day gets in your way. Bonus: Nailing a morning workout boosts your confidence for the rest of day.
Sedentary jobs are associated with greater risk for cardiovascular disease, not to mention an extra inch or two around the middle (and those two things are closely related).[1,2] Incorporate some kind of movement every 30 minutes or so at work. At BodyBuilding.com, you’ll see small groups of employees walking the building’s grounds throughout the day. Find other ways to break up long periods of sitting at your desk—even if it’s just delivering a message to a coworker in person rather than by email. Keep moving!
We all feel the midwinter blues, especially those of us at northern latitudes. Personally, for whatever reason, I’m simply not motivated to train when I get off work and it’s already dark outside, so I train in the morning or on my lunch break. While it may lengthen your lunch period, ask your boss if you can work late to make up for it.
I did not say, however, to skip the warm-up. Too many trainees consider stretching to be a pre-workout activity, when it’s best saved for the end. However, 5-10 minutes of cardio helps elevate your heart rate and increases circulation. You can even do some dynamic exercises as part of your warm-up as well. But that’s not the end of your warm-up; don’t forget to do several very light sets of your first exercise. Now you’re ready to tackle the weights with reduced risk of injury. You’ll be stronger, to boot.
When you sweat after an intense workout, your body is cooling itself down. Subjecting yourself to an environment of extreme heat to “remove toxins from the skin” only subjects you to increased risk of hyperthermia, in which your body temperature can rise dangerously. Likewise, skip the post-workout Jacuzzi unless your body has had ample time to cool down.
You consume more total calories when you eat out, and many of those calories will be empty, in the form of sugary beverages and desserts. You won’t be tempted to indulge during a weak moment if you’re eating at home and no junk food or soda is present.
Not everyone loves to cook. However, anyone can turn simple recipes into tasty meals that are clean and loaded with protein by starting with our Recipe Database, which lists more than 1,400 healthy and clean recipes.
Buying a new toy for your kitchen will make eating clean foods more pleasurable. Using the right tools can cut down on the time you spend in the kitchen, and save you money in the long run. Here are eight must-have kitchen gadgets you’ll want around.
Besides being loaded with fiber, most veggies are also low in calories and packed with micronutrients. Here are three every athlete should be eating.
Slow-digesting carbs such as brown rice, whole grains, yams, sweet potatoes, and quinoa provide more sustained energy throughout the day and should make up the bulk of your carbs. Fast-digesting carbs like sugar and white bread can spike blood sugar levels and increase the insulin response. Save these for your post-workout meal, when your body can use the extra carbs to replenish fuel stores and prevent them from being stored as fat. And don’t forget to keep carb-laden drinks in check!
Company potlucks are minefields of sweets and other nutritionally unbalanced foods. So start by putting a few healthy options on your plate with the intention of coming back a second time, which allows the first foods to start filling you up. It sure beats the “I’ll have one of everything” approach that many people use at potlucks.
If you’ve got a sweet tooth like me, don’t buy any Halloween candy ahead of time and expect the bag to still be full by October 31. Better yet, select candies that you really dislike, so you won’t be tempted to indulge—even if you have leftovers.
Don’t encourage others to eat Costco-sized Valentine’s or Easter sweets; they may just return the favor.
Midnight munchies can foil hard-earned efforts during the day, so don’t give in to temptations like these five worst choices. Good choices before bedtime include cottage cheese, hard-boiled eggs, deli meat, and nuts. If you’re searching for something sweet, reach for antioxidant-rich fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and citrus fruits, especially grapefruit.
Besides not having to fight the after-work crowds—and we know that can be a real headache—you’ll have the whole gym to yourself to use whatever equipment you please, even for supersets! Plus, you’ll be one day ahead on your workout schedule.
No matter your fitness goal, your level of experience, or available equipment, Bodybuilding.com BodyFit Elite has the workout plan for you. Through BodyFit Elite, you’ll find exercise plans that can help you lose weight, build muscle, or improve your performance.
Fitness is about more than big muscles. Flexibility, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength and endurance, and body composition are elements in determining how fit you really are, and there are activity and exercise prescriptions for each one of them. Ultimately, a balanced approach that addresses each item is essential to being truly fit.
Great, your workout’s over, and you crushed it. But consider that you’ve just touched numerous plates, handles, dumbbells, pins, benches, and machines—the same apparatus that other gym members have contaminated with a cold, flu, conjunctivitis, or other airborne disease. The gym environment is warm and humid, and bugs are easily spread. Kill them with soap and hot water.
Watching the news today can be totally depressing, and that’s on top of your own set of problems. So laugh as often as you can. My favorite comic relief is watching reruns of “The Big Bang Theory,” but there are any number of comedy shows you can easily download to lighten the mood. Just make sure you turn everything off at least 45 minutes before bedtime—and that includes your phone.
If you’re working out with weights, the single-most important factor early on is learning how to use proper form—not lifting as much weight as possible! Most gyms offer an initial training session with a personal trainer when you sign up for a membership; study up on those exercises, or peruse a beginner’s routine from the Bodybuilding.com library.
Good form ensures the proper muscle groups are targeted and reduces the risk of an injury. Just watching how somebody else does a movement in the gym is like Russian roulette: sooner or later, you’re going to pick up bad form. This site contains photos and videos on how to do hundreds of exercises right in the Exercise Database.
Commit this fundamental process of muscle building to memory. You train given muscle groups by subjecting them to an overload and volume (sets + reps) of work they’re unaccustomed to. That’s the training stimulus. However, the microdamage to muscle fibers takes a few days for repair and growth, and it requires good nutrition (especially protein and carbs) and recovery, so what you eat and how you rest are important in the muscle-building equation. You do not build muscle in the gym; that’s only where you initiate the muscle-building process!
Learn movement patterns on machines first, and then try to duplicate them with barbells and dumbbells. Once you’re in proper position on a given machine, the machine balances the weight for you, which is much easier to control. Free-weight movements are harder to control because there’s no predetermined path that the weight must follow.
The best mass builders are the basic multijoint exercises, which you should be focusing on during your training. “Multijoint” simply means that more than a single pair of joints—and the muscles that attach to them—are at work. For example, when bench pressing, your shoulder and elbow joints are involved, which recruits your chest, delts, and triceps. These types of exercises have been shown to be superior for developing muscle mass by increasing the muscle-building hormonal response. Single-joint exercises don’t deliver near the same muscle-building pop.
Focus your workouts around bench presses, squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, and rows. They can and should be the foundation of your routine, done early in your workout with challenging weights.
If you’re looking to add size, choose a weight that barely allows you to complete 8-12 reps with good form on each set. That’s the range exercise scientists identify as being the best for building muscle. If you can do more than 12 reps, add weight so that you’ll be doing fewer reps. If you can’t reach at least 6, reduce the weight a bit. Simple, right?
There are a number of variables that affect muscle growth, like exercise selection and rep range (which relates to “intensity”) but another one is volume. That’s the number of sets x reps x load per body part. Though you won’t be doing much total volume as a beginner, you’ll be adding exercises and sets over time for each muscle group. Higher-volume, multiple-set protocols consistently have been shown to be superior over single sets when it comes to building muscle.
Because muscle growth is determined in part by the accumulation of substances that build up over the course of your workout, taking rest periods that are too long allows them to dissipate. But cutting your rest periods too short means your body won’t be recovered sufficiently. That’s why exercise scientists recommend that you take about 60-90 seconds between sets.
Though as a beginner you should focus on learning movement patterns and controlling the weight, as you gain experience, you should learn how to take your training close to what’s called “muscle failure.” That’s when you can’t complete any more reps on your own with good form. Training to failure is important in building muscle because it’s been shown to create a greater anabolic stimulus than training below this threshold.
As you can see, there are a number of variables to consider when designing a workout program. Initially, it’s hard to understand them all, so it’s easier to just follow one of the beginner workoutswe’ve created that closely matches your time commitment, goals, and level of ability. Knowing exactly what you want to do each workout—and why you’re doing it—will push you in the right direction better than walking into a gym and following a random approach to your training. Few people find their destination by instinct; following a roadmap will help you get to yours.
Lowering the weight is called the “negative rep,” and when you become more advanced, you’ll learn techniques focused on the negative that can help produce better size and strength gains than when you focus just on the positive. For the time being, simply lower the weight under control. Never let it just drop in an uncontrolled manner. And never rest in the bottom position.
In this position, your feet are about shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly outward, knees unlocked, and torso erect (chest out, shoulders back, low back slightly arched) with your head looking forward. This is a natural, stable, and strong position, and it should be a starting point for you when getting into position for almost any standing movement.
Many guys focus on the so-called mirror muscles—chest, arms, and abs. Over the long term, that can lead to strength imbalances, posture problems, and increased risk of injury, not to mention ridicule. Training legs is hard work, and working back isn’t necessarily sexy, but these two muscle groups in particular are among the body’s largest and will help you burn more total calories when you train them.
One of the simplest ways to ease into a weight workout is to do a whole-body workout three times a week with a day of rest in between for recovery. A whole-body workout hits these major muscle groups: glutes, quads, hamstrings, chest, back, shoulders, triceps, biceps, abs, and calves. Choose one exercise for each muscle group (multijoint exercises hit multiple body parts), training every other day.
As you gain experience in the gym, start adding more exercises and sets (volume) for each body part for better overall development. Rather than just doing longer workouts, start dividing your training into a split, such as push muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps) one day, pull muscles (back, biceps) on another, and legs on a third. Given the greater overall volume you do each session for those individual muscle groups, you’ll also need a longer recovery session before repeating that workout again.
While there are dozens and dozens of products to choose from, start with these:
Once you have those basics in your gym bag, you can more about the best supplements for strength training and bodybuilding or athletic performance. You’ll ultimately want to tailor your supplement choices to your goals and your budget.
If you’re looking to lose weight in 2020, you have thousands of resources to choose from for advice, but not all of them are evidence-based and legit. We not only want you to do it right, without any gimmicks, but safely as well. Check out Bodybuilding.com’s Foundations of Fitness Nutrition course to learn the essentials of eating right for any goal, including weight loss.
Read a transformation success story on Bodybuilding.com, like Jesse Shand’s. He’s lost over 450 pounds with the help of the Bodybuilding.com community members. What’s your excuse, again?
Post a “before” pic of yourself on the fridge where you’ll see it every time before you open the door. Sometimes you need a little reminding of what you want to lose before choosing the foods you want to eat.
Posting your progress photos and engaging with like-minded folks can be incredibly motivating. Many of them are going through their own weight-loss journeys and are a great source of real-world tips.
Never do your grocery shopping when you’re hungry! You’re much more likely to put nutritionally empty foods and snacks in your cart, or to buy more food than you need.
Americans consume almost 20 percent of their daily calories via liquids, so if you’re struggling with your weight, here’s a golden opportunity to cut a bunch out.[3] Drink flavored waters that contain BCAAs or a squirt of Mio or Crystal Light.
When it comes to ordering a dessert in restaurants, make the conversion from dollars to minutes. That is, if a dessert cost $7.50, think instead of the amount of extra work you’ll have to do burn it off. Though imprecise, use this very rough calculation: Multiply the price in dollars by 10 and cut that number in half—that’s the number of minutes you’ll have to do to burn it off. The “price” of indulging in dessert is never what you pay for it. That $7.50 item will cost you 375 minutes of extra work. Still tempted?
Record everything you eat for a week, whether it’s in a food diary or an app like MyFitnessPal. You’ll begin to think more carefully about your food choices, which should help you eat substantially fewer calories.
Weight training is an essential component of weight loss, but it would be a mistake to think that doing high-rep sets with light weight is the best way to burn off extra calories and fat. Muscle is a metabolically active tissue, meaning it burns off loads of calories all day long, even when you’re at rest. To build as much muscle tissue as possible—or even to keep it when dieting—train with moderately heavy weights in the 6- to 12-rep range. And stick with the multijoint exercises for the majority of your movements.
Studies have also shown that intense, moderately heavy lifting of this sort has the greatest effect on keeping your metabolism elevated for as long as 24 hours after your workout has ended.[4] That significantly adds to the total number of calories burned!
To lose body fat, you need to burn more calories than you consume. Doing cardio is one way to widen the caloric deficit. But not all cardio strategies are created equal. In fact, research is beginning to show that high-intensity interval training (HIIT), in which you alternate periods of very fast activity with slower recovery periods, can be more effective at reducing body fat than other types of exercise.[5] Not only does HIIT blast through calories in a shorter amount of time, the totals are amplified by the EPOC effect long after you’ve left the gym.
You likely won’t be able to start off by doing HIIT, but as your cardiovascular fitness improves, incorporate short bouts of near-maximal cardio activity (say, for 30-60 seconds) and alternate then with less-intense recovery intervals (30-60 seconds). Your heart will thank you, too.
No they won’t peel off fat if you’re just sitting on the couch, but metabolism-boosting and energy-enhancing supps will help you go further in your training and preferentially tip the scales to greater fat burning. They should be combined with the right kind of fat-loss program and calorie-deficient diet. Here are our picks for the best fat-loss supps.
The specifics are less important than this simple truth: When you burn an extra handful of calories five times a day, you’re in a better position to reach your fat-loss goal while improving your fitness. Some examples:
Take a date or significant other out for a bike ride or go bowling. Having fun together doesn’t mean you have to go to a restaurant or movie, where the main offerings are all nutritional minefields. You’ll make a better impression by doing something different, and get in a little extra exercise as well.
Nothing’s more exciting than visiting a new city. So why take a taxi or subway when you can soak up the local color by spending an afternoon on a walking tour? Surf the Web for suggestions—and be sure to pack your sneakers.
While you should definitely move every day, a good place to start is by setting a weekly workout goal. You might choose to complete three workouts for the week and gradually progress as you get more confident. Whatever you decide, be sure to have a plan when you get started! If you’re following one of the programs in the SWEAT app, you can choose to complete one of the recommended workout sessions.
Trainer Kayla Itsines says that she schedules in four workouts each week, knowing that she wants to do three. “That way if I miss one of the workouts, I’ve still got three in the week”.
It’s a great idea to plan ahead, and include a backup plan just in case you can’t make your scheduled workout time.
Music is great for motivation during your workout. Find out how to build an awesome workout playlist, and check out our trainers’ playlists for inspiration. When you workout with the SWEAT app you can use Apple Music and Spotify to stream your favourite workout tunes.
Perhaps one of the most important things, when you start a new habit like exercising regularly, is knowing your reasons for wanting to make a healthy change. Knowing your “why” will provide the motivation that you need to keep going with the program, even when you don’t feel like it.
Whether you’re trying to stay motivated with a desk job, you’re a student, a mum or you’re starting a business, knowing WHY you want to create and stick to a new exercise routine will help you to dig deep and find the discipline to make time for your health and fitness.
Exercising with friends is a great way to have fun while training and will also keep you accountable. It’s also one of the ways you can balance fitness with a busy lifestyle by combining socialising with exercise. When you know there’s someone else counting on you to show up for your workout, you are much more likely to go!
If none of your friends is into fitness, then get them to meet you for coffee afterwards! Your workout buddy doesn’t have to do the workout with you every time, there are other ways they can provide you with motivation and support.
A good warm-up prepares your body for the challenges of working out and can help to reduce the risk of injury. It also mentally prepares you for your workout session, creating a break between your day and the time you’re dedicating to yourself.
Warm-up using movement or dynamic stretches to increase your range of motion and get the blood flowing to your muscles.
If you need a fast workout that packs a punch, grab a skipping rope! You can do this at home or in the gym, anywhere with a bit of space and a flat surface.
A simple jump rope workout for beginners could include skipping for 30 seconds, followed by 10 push-ups, then repeat using different bodyweight exercises like crunches, mountain climbers, planks and so on until you reach a 10-20 minute workout.
Interval training can help to make cardio workouts more challenging. If you haven’t done high intensity interval training before, it’s basically where you alternate periods of high intensity and low-intensity exercise. This allows you to work at a higher intensity for much longer than if you tried to do a steady-state workout, burning more calories in less time, meaning more “bang for your buck.”
You can apply interval training to any form of exercise, including running, elliptical, rowing, stair climbing, cycling, swimming and even walking. If you are outdoors, a great way to incorporate interval training is to choose a route with stairs or a hill climb. This adds intensity to your workout without you having to think about it!
Doing strength exercises at the end of your walk or run can help to increase your strength and improve your performance over time. Exercises that you can combine with a walk or run include push-ups, step-ups, pull-ups, planks or lunges.
Think about what might be on your route — can you use the playground equipment or a park bench for a short strength session? Combining some strength training with your cardio session can help if you don’t have enough time to do separate workouts.
Allow for 5-10 minutes of stretching after each workout. This helps your heart rate return to normal and can prevent injury. Taking the time to stretch gives you a moment to reflect on the workout you’ve just done.
If you aren’t ready to join a gym, you can get started with strength training at home. With some basic equipment, you can start strength training in your own time and on your own terms.
If you don’t have any equipment yet, you can substitute with household items. You may be able to buy second-hand gym equipment — check out what’s available on the community marketplace in your area. Some great items to start with include an adjustable barbell, dumbbells and a fit ball.
When lifting weights, all parts of the movement are important. One mistake that people make when lifting weights is focusing on the primary movement, then allowing momentum to drop the weight back into place.
To get the maximum benefit from each movement, lower the weight in a controlled manner. This is called ‘eccentric training’. You’ll find that some of the negative-style exercises in Kelsey Wells’ PWR program in the SWEAT app call for you to focus specifically on this part of the movement.
Choosing the right weight for your workout for maximum results means that you want a weight that challenges you during the final reps, but also allows you to complete all the sets of a given exercise (and the rest of your workout!).
It’s a myth that lifting weights will make you bulk up! For those who haven’t tried strength training before, you’re about to discover one route to becoming stronger and more confident.
If you plan to lift weights and do cardio on the same day, try to do cardio after your resistance session to get the most out of your strength training workout. The reason behind this is to ensure that you have the maximum amount of energy for your strength work. Doing cardio following weight training may even increase the amount of energy you burn.
As you work against the resistance, the hardest part of the movement, breathe out. Then inhale as you return to the starting position, releasing the resistance.
When you exhale, it increases engagement of your core and provides greater stability for the lift. Controlled breathing also helps more oxygen to get to your muscles. Slow, deep breaths also help with good posture and maintaining good form.
A superset contains two dedicated exercises that focus on specific areas of the body. For example, a superset could include 12 reps of bench press followed by 10 reps of a bent-over reverse fly. Complete these exercises as many times as you can with minimal rest in a given time, say seven minutes, or do three rounds of each exercise with a 30-second pause between rounds.
To get stronger you will need to lift heavier weights over fewer repetitions.
Stephanie Sanzo can help you achieve this goal safely with her BUILD program in the SWEAT app. She takes you through a 1RM assessment and a detailed strength program so you’re lifting the correct weight for your body each training session.
When you start lifting weights, consistency is the key to improvement. You might start with a light weight but with repetition, over time you will progress.
Heavy lifting takes preparation, so take the time to build a strong foundation and before you know it you’ll start to see positive changes.
If you’re feeling uncertain when lifting, seek professional advice! You can ask a gym instructor to check your form and ensure that you are lifting safely.
Write down your 1RM, personal best lifts for each exercise and aim to improve these numbers. The best way that you can get results from powerbuilding is by focusing on lifting a weight that challenges you. Be mindful of your current ability and strength when determining a weight that is appropriate for each exercise.
Powerbuilding is fun and lifting heavy weights can give you a great sense of accomplishment! However, over-training can reduce the benefits you are training for and can also put you at risk of injury. That’s why it is so important that you allow adequate time for recovery.
Everyone comes to yoga for a different reason. You might be looking to strengthen your back and improve posture, stretch out tight joints and muscles, or boost your energy levels.
Yoga is also practised as a form of meditation and relaxation and can help improve wellbeing. When deciding what style of yoga to try, think about the health benefits of yoga that you want to experience and choose one or two types that will meet your goals.
To practice yoga at home, the first thing you should invest in is a non-slip yoga mat. A yoga mat gives you grip during the postures and enables you to practice without slipping and causing injury. There is a range of different thicknesses and yoga mat materials, so it pays to look for something that suits you.
When practicing yoga, choose clothing that you feel comfortable in and that allows you to move freely. If you’re not sure exactly what to choose, see our tips on how to buy the best yoga pants for ideas on what styles can suit different types of yoga.
For example, the clothing that you choose to wear for yin yoga where you’re moving more slowly might be different from what you would wear to a hot, fast-moving yoga class. The most important thing is that you are comfortable!
Adding meditation to your yoga practice helps you to be present in the moment with your mind and body. Meditation and mindfulness can enhance the benefits of calming yoga poses to reduce stress after a tough day.
While yoga is a valuable tool for dealing with life’s struggles, it can introduce new sensations to your body. You may experience slight discomfort in some poses, but if it moves into pain, slowly ease out of the position.
A great way to make sure that you don’t overdo it is by paying close attention to your breath throughout your practice. If you notice that you are holding your breath, or if your breathing becomes staggered, pull back until your breathing becomes steady again.
You can still do a workout even if you only have 15 minutes! There are “quick workouts” in the SWEAT app, and even a short walk is so much better than doing nothing. If you are really pressed for time, you can even do just one round in seven minutes to get your heart pumping.
The best thing about HIIT is that you can get creative! There are so many different exercises that you can include in a workout, from burpees and mountain climbers to crunches and lunges. This is great because it means that you can do a workout just about anywhere!
Keep your body guessing and keep challenging yourself to get your heart rate up, build strength and improve your cardiovascular fitness all at the same time! If you’re new to HIIT, try this beginner HIIT workoutto get started. You’ll find plenty of HIIT workouts that you can do either at home or in the gym in the FIERCE program in the SWEAT app.
In addition to choosing from a huge selection of different exercises, you can also change your workout style! This means that each workout is different.
AMRAP stands for “as many reps as possible” and it literally means just that — you’ll complete as many reps as you can of each exercise.
Tabata training is a form of high-intensity training where you complete 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for a specific number of sets before moving on to the next exercise. There’s so much variety to choose from!
High-intensity training isn’t limited to bodyweight exercises. You can challenge yourself by adding weights to your workout! Kettlebell or medicine ball exercises are a great way to add weight to your HIIT workouts. Adding weight increases the intensity of your workout— raising your heart rate, engaging your muscles and working you harder!
During summer you might enjoy changing up your workout routine. SWEAT BBG trainer Kayla Itsines says, “Find a park bench instead of a box in the gym. Get creative and make your workout fit around where you want to be and your other activities”.
“If you’re meeting friends for a picnic or at the beach, arrive early to allow time for a walk or a quick step workout. There are heaps of bodyweight exercises in my BBG program that you can do anywhere.”
Prepare for your workout by organising the equipment you need before you get started. This means you can move smoothly from one exercise to the next, keeping the intensity high.
It might not be good gym etiquette to lay out ALL the equipment for your whole workout at the start. Instead, prepare the things you need for the first circuit, and use the break between rounds to set up the equipment for the next circuit.
A highly effective circuit training routine will target ALL areas of your body to create a true full-body workout! You might start with squats and glute bridges, then move to upright rows and bicep curls. Including a variety of exercises keeps your body guessing and maximises the training effect!
Combining cardio and strength exercises will build your endurance. For example, you could start with burpees to get your heart rate pumping, followed by a round of goblet squats to build strength in your glutes, hamstrings and quads. This training style is very effective for burning fat while building your overall fitness level.
Circuit workouts are ideal if the gym you use is often busy. Can’t get the exact equipment you were hoping to use? No problem! You can do circuit workouts using just about anything — kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, plates, steps, boxes, fit balls, a skipping rope, a slam ball — the list is only limited by your imagination!
It can be easy to get distracted by replying to messages, scrolling on Instagram, or checking your email, and before you know it the 30-second break between sets has turned into five minutes. If you can, turn off your notifications during your workout so you can focus without distraction!
Ideally, you want to power through it and really focus on each exercise, without distractions! This might mean that you get up early and get it done before the day kicks off. If you’re a Mum, you might have to find a time when your children are napping or you have someone to take care of them.
Whether you are an early bird or a night owl, the key is making the time for YOU to focus on your own fitness goals. You’ve got this!
Keeping your workouts to under an hour can help to make staying present easier. Remember it’s quality over quantity! You should be thinking: “Can I jump just that much higher on my next burpee?” rather than “I wonder what’s for dinner…”!
Whatever else might be going on in your life, during your workout all you need to focus on is you, your form and the next move.
Whether you write down a list of exercises on a sheet of paper or follow one of the workout programs in the SWEAT app, having a plan will ensure that you make the maximum use of the time you spend in the gym.
Tracking your fitness progress is one of the best ways to stay motivated. You might keep a journal recording the weights and number of reps you’re completing, cross off a day on the calendar for each day that you dedicate time to your health and fitness, or check off the workout goal trophies in the SWEAT app.
Another way to track your progress is with photos. Have you done a particularly sweaty session? Take a picture! We love it when our members share a post-workout selfie or a transformation photo using the SWEAT app!
Your pre and post-workout meals are important for providing energy to workout and nutrients to help your body recover and get great results from your training.
Kayla recommends eating healthy snacks like apple slices with peanut butter, a fruit cup or eggs on toast before a workout. Remember if you’re eating a pre-workout meal close to your workout time, keep your snack small so you don’t feel ill during your workout.
After a workout, you’ll need food that promotes muscle recovery. BUILD trainer Stephanie Sanzo recommends including a low-fat protein source with carbohydrates in your post-workout meal.
For example, she’ll eat white rice for fast energy with grilled steak and a side of tomato and cucumber. Steph includes red meat in her diet as she’s found it gives her extra stamina.
What you eat will depend on the time of day, but be sure to get a mixture of healthy carbs and protein to support muscle growth and recovery.
It’s important to be hydrated to make the most of your workout because your muscles are actually made up of around 70% water! Good hydration also helps you to recover faster from a workout.
Carrying a water bottle with you can remind you to take regular sips. If you find it hard to drink plain water, try infusing your water with fresh lemon or lime. You could even make your own kombucha or drink sparkling water as both provide a healthy source of hydration.
Active recovery sessions are important to prepare your body for your next workout. Stretching and foam rolling can help to ease muscle tightness and loosen fascia. Fascia is the connective tissue found around your muscles, blood vessels and nerves. It helps to bundle some muscles together while allowing others to slide smoothly over each other.
When your fascia is well-hydrated and lengthened through stretching and release, it helps facilitate smooth contraction during exercise. This means that your muscles can contract with more force and you also lower your risk of potential injury due to an increased range of movement.
Rest is so important to your training schedule! A proper rest day can actually help to boost your performance for both cardio and strength training. Taking rest at the right time can help your body’s immune system stay strong and also helps to prevent injury from overtraining.
You might use your rest day to check out the sauna at your local gym or pool or to practise mindfulness techniques to enhance your overall well-being.
When you’ve started a new training program, your muscles can take time to adjust to the increase in the intensity of your workload. This means that you may experience muscle soreness — a sign that your muscles have been working hard!
When this happens, an Epsom salt bath might help to relieve the soreness. Taking a bath also helps you relax and can reduce stress.
If you can make time for a recovery massage, this may help to relieve post-workout muscle stiffness. Find a therapist that you feel comfortable with, and schedule a time either for a one-off massage or maybe a semi-regular appointment. A massage is a form of self-care that can often be overlooked when you’re busy, but it’s worth it!
If you’re feeling extra tired, taking a nap can provide that instant energy boost you need to get through your day. If you can’t get enough sleep at night for whatever reason, a nap can help you to catch up on the rest you need. It can also help with muscle recovery!
Wearing compression tights have been shown to help with faster muscle recovery and increased performance, so consider investing in a pair if you intend to work out regularly! There’s even some evidence that wearing compression tights during your workout can help to reduce your perception of fatigue.
If you’re not ready to invest in compression tights just yet, an inexpensive way to speed up your post-workout recovery is to take an ice bath. It does take some discipline to get into an ice bath, but the results can be worth it!
When you sit in cold water, your blood vessels and your lymph nodes constrict, and they dilate when you get out. This helps to increase blood flow, allowing more nutrients and oxygen to get to your cells and flushing away the metabolic waste that contributes to muscle soreness.
When you get caught up in a new workout routine, it’s easy to forget to pause and reflect on how far you’ve come. Make the time to celebrate — maybe you’ll do something fun with a friend after 30 days of consistently following a workout program, or share a selfie with your friends to celebrate your achievement!
How you celebrate is up to you! Choose something meaningful that ties back into your reasons for starting the new healthy habit.
1. Use your body weight. You need nothing else besides your own body weight to get great results. The push up, for example, a very simple exercise performed with your own body weight will help you sculpt sexy summer shoulders and a nice firm midsection.
2. Pick up the pace! No matter where you are, you can squeeze in some extra cardio. Walk at a faster pace while breathing deeper to increase your heart rate. Bam! A mini cardio exercise.
3. Use your breath. To get the most out of your breath, breathe from the diaphragm. To do this, think of breathing in a 3D fashion; your ribcage should expand from front to back, top to bottom, and left to right. These deep breaths will help you burn extra calories and give you extra energy during your workouts. The bonus is that you can use this breathing style not only to burn more calories during exercise but also while walking to the corner store, working at your desk, or just sitting in the car on your next road trip!
4. Carry a reusable water bottle. No matter where you go or what you do, bring water with you. Our bodies can misread being hydrated for being hungry, leading to over consumption and weight gain. Also, when traveling on planes or to higher altitudes in general, the amount of oxygen in the air decreases equating to dryer air and reduced body hydration. This can leave you with unhealthy food cravings, headaches and poor body awareness from fatigue. To be more alert and make more right food choices, drink more water! Carry a reusable water bottle wherever you go. You can empty out the water before a security check point and fill it up right after. You’ll save money on bottled water, not to mention help reduce waste!
5. Be food prepared! No matter where we are, we’re often tempted to “grab and go,” especially when traveling. Unfortunately, most ready to go snacks are calorie packed and nutrient deprived. Save yourself the extra calories and pack some yummy granola bars, fruits and/or nuts in your carry-on bag so you’re prepared to fight the urge of the grab and go pastry.
6. No time? No problem! More intensity! Even 20 minutes will get you into the zone of fat blasting and muscle building as long as you maximize your effort. The goal of a short workout should be to workout at your personal intensity max. When you feel like it’s time to stop, try pushing for 10 more reps to maximize the hormonal response from your workout. Do this for at least 20 minutes targeting your upper, middle and lower body with push ups, planks, crunches and burpees, and you’ve got a complete workout!
7. Keep a food log. Recording what you eat is one of the best ways to stay on track. Make it easy for yourself and download an app (my favorite is Lose It!) to keep track of your daily intake no matter where you are. Your goal should be smaller meals, more often.
8. Bring a workout video. No matter where you are, you can pop in a video to stay on track – it’s like bringing a personal trainer wherever you go! My favorite is Exhale’s 30 Day Sculpt. It’s perfectly designed with 30 days of quick and efficient 20 minute fun, fat-blasting workouts!
9. Buddy up! Accountability is everything. Having a partner keeps you accountable and makes diet and fitness goals more fun! Not only have you set yourself up for success with buddy system accountability, but you now have someone to share your excitement with when you hit your goals!
10. Shop the farmers market for fresh produce. If your food can survive nuclear fallout, you shouldn’t be putting it in your body. The less time your food can survive on the supermarket shelf, the better it is for you. Fresh fruits and vegetables don’t last as long as a box of Wheat Thins and that’s a good thing! Vitamins and minerals that are found in darker fruits and vegetables are what you need to keep your body healthy. Pick up fresh produce wherever possible.
11. Find stairs! Climbing stairs is an incredibly effective cardio and lower-body sculpting workout, and you can normally find staircases somewhere in the vicinity of a park or beach.
12. Use water bottles as dumbbells. You get the dual benefits of resistance training and hydration, both critical during the summer. Water bottles can be used for a number of toning exercises such as tricep kickbacks, arm circles and overhead presses, and can also add resistance to lunges and squats.
13. Burpees. The most comprehensive exercise that can be done anywhere, anytime! Three sets of burpees will give you a cardio workout while also targeting upper body, lower body and core strength. It’s the all-in-one exercise!
14. Find a bench. Benches can be found in numerous outdoor areas and serve as a great fitness tool. For a quick full body routine, try the following: Start standing on top of the bench and lunge behind you bending the back knee as low to the ground as possible. Make sure your front knee remains directly above the heel to protect your knee. Alternate reverse lunges completing 8 on each leg, 16 total. Step down from the bench and turn around and sit on the bench with your legs extended straight in front of you, feet on the ground. Pressing your palms into the bench with fingertips forward, lift your rear end off and slightly in front of the bench, and bend your elbows directly behind you for a tricep dip. Shoot for 15 getting the full range of motion. Turn around and finish the set with 15 push ups, hands on the bench, back in a straight line from your neck to bottom of your spine. Start from the beginning with the reverse lunges, followed by tricep dips and pushups. Complete three full sets.
15. Pack some tubing or elastic bands in your suitcase. They’re light, take up very little space in your bag and can provide several options for toning and resistance training.
16. Ocean swim! Take advantage of nature’s biggest pool and get a great workout. When it’s time to cool down from the sun, create a challenge for yourself and see how long you can keep your feet off the ground treading water. Try three rounds and attempt to last a little longer each time.
17. Engage the family. Part of the beauty of summer is family bonding, and finding fun ways to incorporate fitness can also teach kids the value of staying active. I recommend creating a fun obstacle course for the whole family to participate in, either as individual competitors or as teams. Let the kids help you come up with the obstacles, which can be done at the park, the beach or in the backyard. Think of a tough-mudder inspired course…find something you can climb up, something to climb under, something heavy to carry or pull from one spot to another. Add in some long jumps or something to jump over, some cones/stones to zig zag around, or even simple hopscotch. You’ll get a great workout and have stories to tell for years.
18. Walk during airport delays/down time. Depending on the city you’re in, airports have become a modern day shopping mall. If you have a delay or extra time before boarding, take a lap around the airport and browse the shops in your terminal. You can pick up a gift for your loved ones and burn some calories while tugging along your luggage.
19. Pack for fitness. If you pack gym clothes at the top of your suitcase, it can be a great reminder to hold yourself accountable for a workout.
20. Rent a bike. Most major cities around the world have adopted “Rent a Bike” programs. This way you can tour the city and get a great workout.
21. Pack healthy snacks for long flights. It’s best to bring your own healthy snacks on flight rather than purchasing candies, chips and processed foods in flight. Good ideas for snacks include almonds, bananas and energy bars.
22. Hit the sand. Summer traveling involves some fun in the sun and if you’re really lucky, the beach! Challenge yourself with working out in the sand. Exercising in the sand provides an excellent training environment and in certain aspects actually works the body a lot harder than using a hard, flat surface.
23. Drink tons of water. Anywhere, everywhere, any time. Drinking water and staying hydrated can help fight jet-lag, it can amp up your energy and can also prevent heat exposure and heat exhaustion during the summer.
24. Book hotels with fitness amenities. When traveling, it’s easy to get off your A-game and not put any time in at the gym. When booking hotels or other accommodations, be sure that the location has some sort of fitness center or workout space, this way you have no excuse to slack off.
25. Eat the food of the culture. When traveling abroad, you’re most likely to taste different cuisines rather than gorging from places you eat from at home. This way, you can experiment with smaller, multiple meals throughout the day, which is better for digestion and building metabolism.