Exercise of the week...ball tricep push-up

Ball push-ups. Different variation that especially emphasizes the triceps muscles and core/trunk muscles.

To perform, place hands about shoulder width apart on ball, with feet same distance. While keeping abdominal muscles contracted in for stabilization, bend elbows and lower body down towards ball and then back up. Keep elbows in to better work the triceps muscle. For a more advanced variation, bring one leg off ground! Do 2 sets of 15-20 reps.

Why You Should Eat Breakfast

Often people skip "the most important meal of the day". Sure, we're running late to work or too busy getting our kids breakfast, dressed, and out to school, but we are doing an injustice to ourselves here! Here's the top 3 reasons why we need to not only eat breakfast, but make it the best, most nutritious meal of the day.

1. Skipping breakfast isn't good for our metabolisms. Actually, skipping meals and not eating frequently enough isn't good either! Did you know that people who skip breakfast eat more snacks during the day, and have heavier meals later? Numerous studies have shown that you are less likely to be overweight if you eat a healthy breakfast. When we starve ourselves, we are essentially telling our bodies to hold onto the fat, not lose it. Not only does the first meal of the day heat up your metabolism to better burn calories, studies show that the effects of this "jump start" help keep the metabolism working at a higher rate throughout the day. Blood sugar levels rise up and remain higher longer, instead of having a quick drop off that might be generated by eating just high sugar content breakfast snack foods. Skipping this important meal does you no good at all. You will be hungry sooner, eat more later, and not have the good energy to function efficiently.

2. Not reason enough? Additional health benefits of eating breakfast include an increased ability to use your brain, an excellent idea for those younger ones who need to pay attention at school. Some dieters have found that they have better success by flipping their food intake, having dinner for breakfast and typical breakfast foods for dinner. The higher caloric intake at the breakfast meal allows the body to function better all day, and the impact of a good breakfast helps the body become less hungry at later meals. The body can burn off the higher calorie levels all day long, instead of having food sit idle at night, turning into fat with inactivity. Calories burn faster in the morning, following the breakfast meal, and the body metabolism slows down near nighttime.

3. Other health benefits of eating breakfast include a boost in concentration, energy and productivity levels. Eating high fiber breakfast foods like cereal, fruit, grains, nuts, and yogurt are lower calorie than snack foods like doughnuts or sweet rolls. They give you needed bulk in your diet, last longer, help you feel full and less hungry longer. High protein breakfast foods like eggs, milk, and meats are good breakfast foods, but watch out for the fats like butter and cream cheese. Always take fats in moderation. And lastly, eating a good, balanced breakfast has shown to help reduce the risk of heart disease and regulate cholesterol.

Buns of steel

Here are just a few of my favorite glute exercises to help tone, strengthen, and lift your bootie! I swear by all of these (plus plenty of squats and lunges too!). Try them out and tell me what you think!


1. One-legged squats with ball. Place ball against wall with your back centered on ball. With one foot off ground (or if that's too hard, place just heel on ground with little to no weight on leg). Perform squat by sitting back against ball (keep hips/pelvis tilted back towards wall), bending leg to 90 degrees. Make sure to keep weight in the heel, not the toe. To increase resistance, hold dumbbells. Do 2 sets of 15-20 reps each leg.


2. Pelvis/Glute lift on ball. Lay on ball and roll out feet, so that only your upper back is on ball. With feet placed about shoulder-width apart, lower pelvis/hips towards ground and then lift back up, holding at top for 3-5 sec. To increase resistance, use weight in between knees/legs or hold on lower abdomen. Perform 2 sets of 20-30 reps.


3. One-legged deadlift. While holding dumbbells, keeping one leg straight (but not locked), lower dumbbell towards foot. While you perform this exercise, make sure to keep back straight, NOT ROUNDED. Also, the other leg will come straight back behind you. You should feel a stretch down the back of the standing leg. This exercise also works the hamstring muscles very well. Do 2 sets of 15-25 each leg.


4. Cross-over step-up. While standing to the side of a step/bench with the opposite/outside leg on step and inside leg on ground, step-up. To increase resistance, hold dumbbells or even perform at a faster pace for an extra burn. Perform 15-25 reps each leg.


5. Cable leg kickbacks. With ankle strap secured around ankle facing a cable machine (you can also do this with a resistance thera-band), pull weight/cable back, keeping leg straight. Perform 20-30 reps each leg.

10 GREAT healthy snacks

Here are some great, healthy snacks that are under 200 calories and help you feel "full" and burn fat! The key is to combine a little bit of fat, protein and carbohydrates for optimal "fullness". Fiber is also IMPORTANT.

1. Hummus with veggies (carrots, celery, bell peppers, etc), pita chips, or high-fiber crackers

2. Cottage cheese with fruit (pineapple, peaches, pears are best)

3. Protein shake (1/2 scoop of protein powder blended with ice, non-fat plain yogurt or milk, and mixed berries)

4. 2 slices of beef jerky and a clementine/orange

4. String cheese and an apple (or handful of grapes)

5. Yogurt parfait (layer non-fat plain yogurt, low-fat granola, and mixed berries)

6. Apple slices, banana, or celery sticks w/ low-fat peanut butter (watch portion control)

7. Ranch or other dip mixed with cottage cheese (instead of sour cream) and high-fiber crackers, pita chips, or veggies (watch portion control)

8. Luna bar (I like these ones because they are a perfect combo of protein, carbs, and fat, they're under 200 cal, and they TASTE GOOD!!!)

9. 1/2 bagel (or mini bagel) with cottage cheese, tomato slices, and pepper

10. Turkey or other lean deli meat and piece of fruit

Exercise of the week...ball hamstring curls

HAMSTRING CURLS ON BALL (2 variations):

This is one of my favorite hamstring exercises, and it's a lot harder than it looks (esp the second one)!!!

1. Laying on ground with arms/hands at sides (preferably on mat) with feet/calves on stablity ball about shoulder-width apart. Slowly lift hips/pelvis off ground (and maintain position), bring feet and ball in towards you SLOWLY. Key is to dig heels into ball, so feet are flexed. This keeps the hamstring muscles flexed the entire time. Make sure you roll back out ENTIRELY to complete one repitition, otherwise, you might feel a cramp!



2. Variation of #1: Same position as above, only stick one leg straight up in air. Other leg is on ball, IN CENTER. Do same exercise as above SLOWLY, 2 sets of 15-20 reps on each leg.

I've been gone too long...

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately, December was NUTS, plus I just returned from CA after 3 weeks of being gone. One of my New Years' resolutions is to be a little regular at posting on this blog, twice a week to be exact. Look for posts most likely on Sundays and Thursdays. Sundays will be articles of interest or commonly asked questions, Thursdays will be an Exercise of the week. We'll see how I do with that!

As for YOU, PLEASE, PLEASE comment more, ask questions, and give me ideas on what you want to know that relates to fitness and health. I want to help YOU! ENJOY!!!