Titanium Butt

No promises, okay? But we may as well aim for the best! Here's some workout ideas - sure, you could throw them in AFTER your usual workout, but why not try breaking up your usual routine by including these moves between your usual weights/cardio routine? (Do you like how I assume you have a usual routine?)

If you don't have a usual routine, here's an idea:

10 minute warmup on treadmill (walk/light jog)

Jackknife swissball

• Straight leg deadlifts with barbell 3 sets of 12 repetitions (30 second rest between sets)
• Aerobic step ups on a bench - 1 minute
• Wide grip push ups (knees/toes) - 1 minute
• Lat pulldowns (under/overhand grip) 3 sets of 12 reps (30 second rest)
• Swiss ball jackknife (see image) - 1 minute
• Leg press (incline if you prefer) 3 x 12
• Treadmill sprint intervals (2 mins light jog/1 minute heart starter run) - 20 mins
• Mountain climbers - 1 minute
• Plie squats - 1 minute
• Reverse dynamic lunges off low bench - 1 minute
• Stretch

Dynamic Reverse Lunges

Leg Press

Plie Squats

How much protein?

Without going on about something you probably have read or heard about, quality protein in your diet is vital for healthy muscle, hair, skin, nails, and you know, cellular function and metabolism and all those less glamorous things! So, what's a quality protein and how much is enough? It depends on your taste, dietary restrictions or preferences and as far as what is considered the ideal amount, that will come down to your age, size, level of activity and tolerance for certain foods. Here's a great article that recently appeared on body + soul. Hope it answers some questions for you and deters you from being all drastic and cutting carbs or ANY food group in the quest for the body beautiful.

Teaching AND working in media!

Office Yoga

It's been my goal and my ideal to try to combine my passion for health and fitness with my pure love of writing, design and PR/media. Progress! I have secured a contract to promote a health campaign via social media, which I can't say too much about just yet, but I'm thrilled. It has meant a lot to me that the people I know and love have been so encouraging and supportive. I will keep updating this blog and hopefully this will inspire you to know that you if you keep chasing opportunities and believing that what you want is possible, it happens.

Foldover Yoga Shorts

I have prepared by going to Topshop online for the work basics and possibly some crazy tights - hey, just because I'll be in an office does NOT mean my desire for neon sportswear has faded! In fact, just because the Mastercard was taunting me, I went and hit up Hollister too. Yup, if squeezing into tiny yoga shorts is not enough to inspire me to hit the gym post-work, surely nothing is...
Sorry mum - these will be worn OUTSIDE the house :D

Plyometric Training

Today - plyometric circuit. Why? Killer on the lower body primarily, gets the heart rate pumping, builds explosive strength in the legs and challenges the core (abs, glutes, hips, back). Plus it's heaps more fun than watching reruns of Days of Our Lives while on the treadmill. In my endeavours to chill out on my passion for working upper body, I'm trying to find ways to make lower body workouts my new drug of choice. If you love it, tell me. If you have suggestions, I'm up for them!
Circuit:
20 x step ups (dumbbells optional)
10 x squat jumps (bend your knees, get low!)
20 x step ups
10 x plyometric lunges (if you want an alternative, dynamic reverse lunges)  REPEAT x 3

Step Ups

Squat Jumps

Plyometric Lunges

Self Myofascial Release

I have just discovered my local library has a stash of FitnessRx for women. Along with Oxygen magazine, it is an invaluable source of training program ideas, nutrition and body science information. If you can't stretch to a subscription, why not go see if your library stocks Oxygen, Fitness & Health, Shape, FitnessRx or Women's Fitness?

I was inspired by an article on Talia Terese in the FitnessRx December 2011 edition where she discusses her workout philosophy, training program and how she maintains such a gruelling workout without compromising her body. Her trainer is a pilates/yoga and dance instructor with a passion for yoga and full-body training rather than split sessions. I love her approach. What I particularly liked was her adherence to self myofascial release using a massage ball and foam roller to ensure that the muscles and supporting tissues aren't stressed and strained prior to and following a gruelling training session.

Talia Terese Myofascial Release

" Rolling out the muscles helps to release the knots in the fascia, which surround the uscle. Inense training can cause the fascia to become tight, causing inflammation, which leads to a thickening of the tissue...Chronic tightening of the fascia leads to pain and irritation all over the body...I would recommend that individuals roll at least three ties per week and stretch as well." - Michelle Adams.

Ask at your gym for assistance with using the foam roller to release tension in the glutes, back, IT band and hamstrings - often there are one or two trainers with a passion for the roller and the best ways to use it!

Olympic Uniforms - GB leading the pack

Holly Avil in adidas uniform for GB athletes

Ok, hate to be unAustralian but the Stella McCartney designs for London 2012 Olympics uniforms are killer!

Knowing my penchant for suddenly wanting a tennis dress when the tennis hits Melbourne, I might be doomed once the Olympics starts up. Already coveting those shoes. And the black? So chic and so slimming too! Ok, I digress. Do you love it?

Can't wait to see what the Australian team are wearing. With so many awesome Aussie designers, surely we can give GB some major competition in the fashion stakes.

Barre classes at Fernwood and Kew

Portable ballet barre

The wonderful Deb has organised two portable ballet barres for the Barre classes to begin at Fernwood Fitness in Preston when the newly renovated club opens soon! Fantastic.


 
Barre Sculpt kicks off tonight at Kew Recreation Centre - I know a couple of my favourite women

Grand plie

will be there and I can't wait. Poor Gemma is getting a lift home with me. Little did she realise she'd be roped into giving a feedback session on the class. Usually peak-hour traffic too. Better think up some long answers or the poor girl will end up jumping out the window and running home along the Chandler Highway. Hi Gem, love you!

Pinterest: better than a corkboard!

I have been invited to join Pinterest - I even had to go on a waiting list so anything you need to wait for MUST be worthwhile. Right?
Anyway, I'm on it and I love it. As someone who rips out images and articles and lives in a nest of multicoloured pieces of magazine flotsam, this TOTALLY rocks my world. Go see what I'm talking about!

How do you recover?

Massage

After many, many months, out of desperation I booked a massage yesterday and it was worth every cent and more. I had been getting a tingling sensation down my right arm ever since my back incident a few weeks ago and despite my doctor shrugging and the pharmacist handing me some antihistamines, nothing worked. Because the upper limbs are related to the cervical spine when it comes to nerve issues, I decided manipulation to release any compression or tension around the neck might make it better. No tingling in the last 24 hours! Sometimes, we know our bodies better than any professionals and authorities (do NOT avoid your GP on this basis!). Anyway - I find massage is my ideal recovery of choice. Even if it hurts like HELL at the time (trigger points to release infraspinatus? TORTURE)
How else do you deal with muscular pain or soreness?

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

• Acupuncture (doesn't work for me, but some people swear by it)
• Hot/cold showers (alternating hot and cold blasts of water)
• Ice packs or ice baths (no thanks)
• Foam roller stretching (great for the ITB)
• Magnesium/calcium supplements (great for those doing endurance training and vegans)

 

Foam Roller ITB release

Meat Free Monday Global Movement

So, turns out there is a global movement for Meat Free Monday! On this site, you can pledge to go meat free on Monday and there's all sorts of resources including recipes and social media links. Happy MFM!

Meat Free Monday

In honour of Stella McCartney's campaign for Meat Free Monday in Britain, I would like to suggest that if you're really into your meat-based meals, try assigning one day a week to trying a new vegetarian recipe. Not just for the sake of giving up meat, but to rediscover how much flavour and diversity there is without needing to add meat. Thank god for Google. All you need to do is type in "vegetarian recipes" and bang, options galore! To inspire you, here are some yummy options:

Chickpea Burgers with raita

Chickpea Burgers with raita

Avocado and Corn Salad

Avocado and Corn Salad

Vegetable rice paper rolls 
(I'd replace the tzatziki with avocado, but that's personal preference!)


Got a good recipe? Tried one of these?

Eating all about the mind!

So, today I did a great workout. Gave myself a pat on the back, beamed with pride and went on to eat TRIPLE the amount I normally eat! Felt physically awful, but more than that, I felt soooo guilty. This is no way to feel when it comes to food and having overcome a serious eating disorder several years ago, I refuse to wallow in guilt over bad choices. I have to admit, when I find myself anxious or upset by things, as unhelpful as I know it is, I still head for the fridge 60% of the time! Unfortunately, knowing all the facts about food and nutrition is not a safeguard against making unhealthy choices.
The reason I'm writing about it is because I want you to know that we all have habits and relationships with food, and sometimes it takes really bad choices to make us assess what that relationship is about and what needs to change so that it isn't doing us damage physically or emotionally! I hope by being open and honest about it, you feel that you can be too, even if it's just with yourself. I know you haven't been big on responding to my posts, but I'd love to know how you deal with stress and anxiety in healthy way! I'll just have to accept that today wasn't a good one, but for the most part, I do make choices that nourish me and that I'm proud of. I hope you can say the same.

My Barre 3 Month of Workouts

Here goes - a month of unlimited barre 3 workouts - if you see me cringing a little at the sight of a staircase or wincing when I laugh, that will be my hard working glutes and transverse abdominus crying "Stop USING ME!" However, on the upside, you know those gold Kylie Minogue hotpants? I might be able to carry them off! We all need a dream, right? If you want to see what I'll be doing, head to My Barre 3 for info on the program. Think I'll kick things off with Ballet Boot Camp (FREE for all - highly recommended!)

Barre Sculpt starts at Kew YMCA

Pilates rollover

Barre Sculpt starts at Kew YMCA when the new timetable commences March 19. I know 4.45pm isn't easy for a lot of you, but it would make my day to see you come and try the class! All going to plan, I will be starting Barre Core with the lovely Emma Seibold at Barre Body in the city at the end of March. I look forward to telling you more about that closer to the time. As always, any questions or comments about the class or other classes I teach are more than welcome.

Barre Sculpt

Why

·         To strengthen deep stabiliser muscles that hold the spine and ribs in their ideal alignment

·         Improve posture through correcting muscular imbalances and focusing on lengthening through the spine

Engaging core muscles in the abdominals, hips, back and glutes to strengthen and shape these muscles

·         Increased flexibility and balance

  How

·         Combining isolation exercises into the stabilising muscles through the core and limbs that are often overlooked in weight and aerobics disciplines

·         Focusing on a combination of isometric exercises and stretching to elongate and shape muscles (hence, the dancer’s physique)

·         Combining the core focus of pilates, the grace of yoga and the traditions of classical dance training to sculpt and define lean muscle

What

·         A structured 60 minute class that allows modifications for all levels of fitness

·         An excellent addition to aerobic (cardio) training

·         Proven to lengthen, tone and shape the “trouble spots”: thighs, hips, stomach!

 

Where

Thursdays in the Creche

4.40pm with Cat

Women's Day & Exercise alters your DNA

Two things to be thrilled about today! Firstly, it's International Women's Day, so on behalf of the sisterhood, go and do something strong and impressive and amazing. As long as YOU think it's awesome, it is! If you need some ideas, there are a whole bunch of events in Victoria.
Secondly, an article in Huffington Post suggests Exercise Alters Your DNA.

"Zierath and colleagues recently found that healthy, but inactive young adults experienced an immediate change to their muscle cells' genetic material when they engaged in just a few moments of exercise on a stationary bicycle...Bottom line: While each of us inherits our own unique, hardwired, unchangeable version of the genetic code, epigenetic factors such as lifestyle and diet can radically change what our genes do." 
Opinions? Proof otherwise? C'mon you science-types, speak up!

Inspiration

For the past few days, I've been laid up with a painful lower back (ahem, may have been overdoing it a little), but the good news is I'm back in working order (well, 98.2%).
The OTHER good news is that I was able to occupy myself with my favourite inspirations to live a fit, healthy, active life. I want to share them with you, from podcasts to youtube videos. Happy Thursday.

Oxygen Magazine

Jillian Michaels

• Cassey Ho's Blogilates : 10 - 30 minute "pop" pilates workouts that target "trouble" zones - fun and challenging
• Jillian Michaels Podcast : She is not the harsh shrew she is on Biggest Loser. She's funny, smart and addresses so many issues in around half an hour including call-in questions
• Ben Greenfield Podcast : If there is a fitness or nutrition related issue that Ben doesn't know about, I will die of shock. Entertaining, enlightening and if you repeat about 1 minute of what he says word for word, you'll really impress the triathlete/ironman in your life
• Oxygen Magazine : Free workouts, nutrition advice, and a whole lot of photos that will make you feel really crap about your abs (but you WILL want to go workout afterwards)
• Nike Women Training Club : some killer moves. Subscribe on Facebook to get training drill videos!

 Got any to share? Love to hear about it!