Health and Wellness

20 Mar 2013

HGB Fitness: My Post Workout Routine and Result Updates!

So I have been working out consistently for the past three weeks. I am so proud of myself! I haven’t been this consistent in ages but I have goals that I am going to meet. So I do an intense workout about 4 times a week and I do smaller circuits for about 20 minutes for 2 days a week and rest for one day. I’ve been sticking with this schedule for the past three weeks. Although last week because of work I had 2 rest days instead.

So I have lost 1 1/4 inches from my waist! I am so excited! I have been getting compliments from family, friends, and colleagues about the change. I gain most of my weight in my upper body and because of my conditioning and cardio I there has been a significant decrease. Also my legs and butt are more toned. So I am going to continue with my squats.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Ok now for my post workout routine. My trainer says we have to have a serving of protein 30 minutes after the workout to repair the muscles that we just broke down. So you can choose a protein shake, muscle milk, or even a can of tuna. I usually drink a protein drink.

1- scoop of protein powder ( I use Designer Whey Protein from Vitamin Shoppe) 1 scoop has 18grams of protein

8-12 oz. of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (I use Almond Breeze)

Dash of Cinnamon for flavor

I mix all of the ingredients in my blender bottle and shake for about 20-30 seconds to make sure the contents are blended well.

I also do more stretching. Most of the time we have pain and tightness because we don’t stretch properly so stretching is key! I also drink an additional 8 oz of water to replenish my body after all of the sweating.

Last but not least, I just relax! Relaxing is key!

Categories: Beauty Bubble, Health and Wellness Tags: #hgbfitness, almond breeze almond milk, blender bottle, designer whey protein, hgb fitness, post workout routine, workout results

14 Mar 2013

HGB Fitness: My Dreaded Ab Workout

By Jai 2 Comments

Once a week I workout with a personal trainer. He’s actually my coworker and he offered to train the entire staff. Only 4 of us took advantage of his offer and I don’t mind at all. We work out on Tuesdays and each week he targets a different area. This week the main focus besides my triceps was my abs.

I will post an update next week on my results so far but my core was one of the main areas I wanted to focus on. The workout was on Tuesday and two days later I am still feeling the soreness! I guess my pervious ab workouts weren’t intense enough. He told me that one problem that many people have is that when they feel a little pain or burn in their muscles they rest and that is the worst thing to do. You must be consistent with the workout so your muscles can become stronger. If you take too long of a break it’s like you are starting from scratch again. It is ok to pause in between sets but it should not be too long to where your muscles return to their original state. Ok that was this weeks lesson now below you will find a list of the ab activities I did for my workout. I didn’t do all circuits straight through. I would work on my arms, shoulders, and hips in between. He says, “always let one muscle rest while you focus on the other.” So in between my ab circuits I would do other activities to rest my core.

Circuit 1 (3 reps)
1. 20 full sit ups
2. 20 half sit ups
3. 15 knee lifts in the captains chair
4. 20 side ab crunches (10 on each side)

Circuit 2 (2 reps)
1. Squat/Core rotation with 5 lb. weight (go in squat position hold 5 lb weight with both hands center for 2 counts, then to the right for 2 counts, then to the left for 2 counts, then back to the center for 2 counts) Do this 5x
2. 30 second superman
3. 30 second plank

Circuit 3 (2 reps)
1. 30 second plank touching knees simultaneously
2. 30 second superman with shoulder rotations
3. 30 second plank touching knees with alternating hands

Circuit 4 (3 reps)
1. 20 full sit ups
2. 20 half sit ups
3. 15 knee raises in captains chair
4. 20 side ab crunches (10 on each side)

Imagine this in addition to everything else I did. I dread Tuesdays! When it comes to targeting your abs you have to do more than sit-ups to see actual results. If you decide to try this workout let me know how it works out for you.

Categories: Health and Wellness Tags: #hgbfitness, ab workouts, fitness, Health, healthy lifestyle, hgb fitness, women's fitness, women's health

06 Mar 2013

#HGBFitness: My New Goals and New Cardio Circuit

By Jai Leave a Comment

Hey my loves,

I have finally written down my workout goals and taking the necessary steps to achieve them. I took my measurements and everything. So here are my goals and I want to accomplish all of this by the end of April. I think that’s a fair timeline.

Goal Weight: 130 lbs- I gain most of my weight in my upper body. My face has gotten fatter, my arms are getting bigger and it’s not muscle, and my midsection is not bikini ready.

Target Areas for Toning: Thighs, Arms, Abs– this will require lots of cardio and strength training. I’ve been consistent the last week with my strength training, but I can’t tone muscle if it is covered in fat and so I need to step my cardio game up. I’ve been consistent with my lower body workout as well. The amount of squats and lunges I do is record breaking for me. I also started this ab challenge to tone that area. Dr. Oz says that a waist size over 32 inches means that you are at greater risk for heart disease. So I would like to lose about 3″-5″ off of my waist. I want to make sure that I am below 32. That’s the largest that it should be.

Miscellaneous: Improve my eating habits. I’ve really gotten better with this over the last month or so. I did have a few set backs, like when I went to Philly and one day at work when I was bombarded with every carb you could imagine. Since my small slip ups I’ve been increasing my water intake, my protein intake, and minimizing the amount of bad fat in my diet.

I’m seeing small results, but I am seeing something. I’m surprised at how much my upper body strength has improved. I gain most of my weight in my upper body so cardio is important and also strengthening my core, arms and shoulders.

I’m using my Prabal Gurung for Target dresses as measurements of progress. Both dresses were a little tight in the upper body so hopefully I see results soon because as soon as it gets warm I’m wearing those dresses!

Here is the new cardio circuit that I’m going to try. This is in between workouts that I have at my job’s bootcamp. The trainer said we need to do at lead 2-3 workouts in between our sessions. I had to go on YouTube to figure out how to do some of the moves but I have them down now. So here is the new circuit I’m starting today. I’ll do this 3 times this week in addition to other strengthening and core workouts. I found it on Instagram by the way lol

I’ll report back next week on my progress.

What are some of your fitness goals?

“Fitness is always in Fashion”

Categories: Beauty Bubble, Health and Wellness Tags: #hgbfitness, cardio circuit, fitness, fitness goals, Health, women's fitness, women's health

27 Feb 2013

Workout Wednesday: 5-10-20-Minute Cardio Routines Plus Heart Soul Footwear

By Jai 8 Comments

Happy and Healthy Wednesday my loves!

Last week we focused on just getting started. So hopefully you have made the commitment, assessed your fitness level, set specific goals, created a workout log, and now it is time begin so we can hit our last point which is being consistent.

One of the most important things that we need to do when it comes to an exercise program is establishing a cardio workout routine. Cardio is important for the following reasons:

Weight loss
Stronger heart and lungs
Increased bone density
Reduced stress
Reduced risk of heart disease and some types of cancer
Temporary relief from depression and anxiety
More confidence about how you feel and how you look
Better sleep
More energy

We should begin with cardio at least three times a week for about 20 minutes per day. If you can commit to about 10-15 minutes per day for about 5 days a week that is great as well.

I found these exercises from a website that I am always on now FitnessMagazine.Com (my other favorite besides Prevention.com). There are three work outs for different levels of fitness that can fit in to almost anyone’s schedule and you don’t need a gym. Check them out! (Source: Fitness Magazine by Jenna Autuori-Dedic)

Split up your workouts. Instead of working out for 40-minutes straight try four 10-minute workout sessions or two 20-minutes sessions. Try working out when you first wake up in the morning for 20-minutes and another 20-minutes when you come home.

The Plan: Got only 5 minutes?

Time	Activity
0:00-0:30	High knees
0:30-1:30	Squat jumps for 20 seconds; then march in place for 10 seconds. Repeat.
1:30-2:30	Mountain climbers for 20 seconds; then march in place for 10 seconds. Repeat.
2:30-3:30	Burpees for 20 seconds (squat, place palms on floor and jump feet back into full plank; do a push-up, then jump feet back in and jump up with arms overhead); then march in place for 10 seconds. Repeat.
3:30-4:30	Alternating jump lunges (lunge back with right leg and jump, switching legs to land in lunge with right foot forward) for 20 seconds; then march in place for 10 seconds. Repeat.
4:30-5:00	March in place.

The Plan: Got 10-minutes?

Time	Activity
0:00-1:00	Step-ups (Step up and down on bottom step of a staircase.)
1:00-2:00	Side-step squats (Stand with right side facing stairs, place right foot on bottom step and lower into squat; return to start. Do for 30 seconds; switch sides and repeat.)
2:00-3:00	Knee tucks (Facing stairs, place right foot on bottom step, right knee slightly bent. Lift left knee toward chest as you bend elbows by sides; lower to start. Do for 30 seconds; switch sides and repeat.)
3:00-4:00	Step hops (Facing stairs, place right foot on bottom step and jump up, extending arms overhead and lifting left knee toward chest. Return to start. Do for 30 seconds; switch sides and repeat.)
4:00-5:00	Liftoffs (Facing stairs with hands on hips, place right foot on bottom step; lunge back with left leg, then stand up on right leg, raising left leg behind you. Return to lunge. Do for 30 seconds; switch sides and repeat.)

The Plan: Got 20-Minutes?

Time	Activity
0:00-2:00	Walk at a slow-to-moderate pace.
2:00-5:00	Jog.
5:00-17:00	Sprint for 1 minute, then walk or jog for 2 minutes. Repeat combo 4 times total.
17:00-20:00	Walk at a slow-to-moderate pace.

Because cardio is great for the heart I decided to feature HeartSoul Footwear. Here are just a few options that are great for the spring and under $150. Check them out

More Farah…

Categories: Beauty Bubble, Fashion, Health and Wellness Tags: #mysmartercommerce, cardio, fashion and fitness, healthy heart, heart soul footwear, workout routines

20 Feb 2013

Workout Wednesday: 5 Tips to Getting Started Plus Fashionable Workout Gear

By Jai Leave a Comment

Earlier this year I said I wanted to do more posts about fitness because let’s face it America is so unhealthy. It doesn’t matter which nationality you are obesity is killing Americans in general, it just so happens that African-Americans are being affected by it the most. When it comes to heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes we are plagued by these conditions the most.

This feature will deal with healthy living, whether it is a fat burning workout tip or healthy eating suggestions, we have to do better as a nation. I spend a lot of time talking about the apparel aspect of fashion, but none of our clothes will fit properly if we are not in shape. Notice I did not say skinny, I said in shape. So my goal with these segments is to improve the health and wellness of my readers and also myself. Of course there will be an element of fashion included because that’s just what I do. So check out today’s workout tips focusing on just getting started because that seems to be the hardest part.

Workout Tips of the Week

Tip #1 Make the Commitment- this seems to be the hardest, but first you must commit to living a healthier lifestyle

Tip #2 Assess your fitness level- most of the time we want to do the most intense workouts to get quick results but we can be doing damage to our bodies. Find out what your body can handle. Here are 4 fitness tests you can do in the comfort of your own home via Spark People (Click Here)

Tip #3 Set Specific and Measurable Goals– do not set a goal that is too difficult because you will get discouraged. Examples of goals are: workout 5-minutes per day, work out 2-days per week, etc. Specific goals would be to do 20 squats 3-days per week. Here you can also determine the style of workout that you do. Currently I go to bootcamp at work (once every 2 weeks), take a dance class on Saturdays, and I’m working yoga in to my schedule.

Tip #4 Create a workout log- this will help you see your progress or track your progress. There are tons of apps now that you can download to your phone or your tablet. Here is a website that has a list of great fitness apps Click Here

Tip #5 Be Consistent– this is probably the most important tip. Many people start off strong, me being one of them, then after a few weeks we are back to our old habits. Let’s set smart and attainable goals in order to make sure we are successful.

Now that we know how to get started, let’s look good doing it, because you don’t have to look frumpy when working out. Here are some awesome options to be on your way to looking good and feeling great!