Bored with arm exercises – I’ve got 3 moves that will rock your arms in no time!
Today we are throwing out our boring tricep and arm exercises and adding in some new more challenging ones! Let’s get started with…
3 legged crab:This bodyweight move works the triceps, shoulders and the core by challenging your balance as well! This is an intermediate move but the results are worth it!
Medicine ball pushup pass: This medicine ball pushup variation works the chest and triceps and helps to improve muscle coordination!
Wow, hello middle of August! Yikes, the kids are heading back to school and the London 2012 Olympic Games are officially over. My TV has once again fallen silent and I already miss Bob Costas… not to mention I haven’t sat on the couch since the Closing Ceremonies! Let’s reminisce, shall we?
How awesome was Allyson Felix in Track & Field? Taking home 3 Golds when she has been shut out the last 2 Games, so inspiring! When we watched her run that 200, it seemed like it was easy for her. Just crazy! The one thing that really stood out to me was in the interview afterwards, she said that she knew what she had to do but it meant she had to say, “no”, to people and things because she knew that it would interfere with her training. I thought – Now that is a life lesson. I’ve always struggled with saying no to people because I want to help and be part of everything. However, when I’m spread too thin, I’m no good to anyone at anything! Allyson is a perfect example of how setting your sights on something and then going for it, no matter what, is how you Get Shit Done!
Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor – a 3rd Gold Medal! They were so much fun to watch throughout these Games and I thought it was crazy impressive that the Gold medal match was between both US Teams!
One of the next highlights for us was watching David Boudia win Gold in the 10m platform diving competition. I’m all for heights and I use to be a tumbler but adding water to that combo is just amazing to me! I love watching the diving because the precision and the technique is just so elegant and gorgeous to watch. When people make things look easy, it always tricks me into thinking that I could do it too! A friend of ours tweeted during the Games that every competition should include an average person so we could get a better grasp of the scale and the level that the athletes are really at. I laughed because I thought it was a brilliant idea! Could you imagine pulling someone from the audience to go first and then watching the finals in every competition? I think it would definitely add some perspective.
As always the Olympic Games were amazing and inspiring to watch and now we get to look forward to Rio in 2016 and Sochi in 2014 for the Winter Games.
Leave your favorite London 2012 moment in the comments below and you’ll be entered to win a $20 Visa gift card!
Also, it’s not too late to send some Cheers to the athletes on Facebook! Cheer Now!
I am blogging on behalf of the Visa Go World Olympic Campaign and receive compensation for my time, but the thoughts, words, and promotions on this page are mine, not Visa’s.
Most people think gadgets have to be expensive techy things – but the truth is that a fitness gadget can be anything that makes your fitness life better! I’ve got things that will help you stay safe, organized, motivated and maybe even give you super hero powers!
Visibility Bands- $13
You might not want to invest in reflective clothing or vests so these inexpensive reflective bands can be worn on your wrists or ankles and are great for keeping you safe if you end up exercising after dark.
Water Bottle - $20
If you’ve ever lost your ID or keys at the gym or even in your own house – this water bottle will keep all of your stuff concealed and collected!
SpiBelt - $20
Fanny packs have long been out of style and it’s too bad because they were so functional! The spibelt allows you to carry a few items on you and condenses when its empty. It also doesn’t bounce when you run!
Under Water Headphones – $99
This is my new favorite must-have! Music has become a requirement for us when we workout – but if you swim, you’ve been missing out. These headphones are amazing! Put an ipod shuffle in there and you’ve got your workout playlist as you swim!
FitBit - $99
This is a techie gadget that is easy to use! It tracks how many steps you take, how many calories you burn, your sleep patterns and gives you the data so you can work toward your weight loss and fitness goals. Plus if you do have an inner nerd and a smartphone, you can get apps that work with the Fit Bit to make it even more robust!
SuperHero Socks – $10
Whether you are needing a push for your workout or for a big business meeting – these superhero socks are fun and inspirational! They are also a very fun gift idea!
Shorts season is upon us and I’ve got some fun exercise moves that are sure to get your legs in tip top shape for the season! I’ve got 3 moves that will work your lower half to its limit!
The stability ball leg out squat: This move is a combination of strength, balance and stretching. Your butt and standing leg is getting a workout, your abs are keeping you in place and the other leg is getting a nice stretch!
The front reach: This lunge variation is excellent for working the lower body while being kind to the knees.
Well these are just a 3 leg exercises that I think you’ll enjoy and definitely see the benefits of as we speed into shorts season!
You guys know that I’m all about being efficient and I’m always trying to get too much in to each day. There’s been a couple of times this spring that I’ve been able to jog to the store and run and errand while getting in a quick workout and it’s been great. We took it to the next level on Friday though and I’m really proud of it. We had 2 hours to workout, go to the bank, post office AND we really wanted to go to the studio and put a final coat of paint on the white cyc. So we decided to ride our bikes to the bank and post office and then right over to the studio, painted and rode home all in 2 hours! We got in a 10 mile bike ride and got all of the errands/tasks done – WIN!! Plus, there was the added bonus of saving gas money!
Since it was such a success, we are going to try to do things like this more often this summer. It is really hot already and I’m sure that will deter us on some days but overall, I love that its an option and we aren’t bound to the gym to get in a workout. If we could all do a bit more functional fitness, then we might all be a bit healthier (and think of the money and pollution we’d save!)
Drinking water is good for you and helps with weight loss, if it’s cold, its even better for your weight loss goal, if it has other additives, it can help you look thinner and feel better in as little as a day! I get a lot of questions from people wanting to know how to get started with weight loss and I think this water is the perfect jumpstart. It’s from Prevention Magazine’s Flat Belly Diet and I think its so refreshing and delicious – everyone should enjoy this beverage!
8 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon grated ginger (relieves bloating)
1 medium cucumber, sliced thin (natural diuretic)
1 medium lemon, sliced thin (eases digestion)
12 leaves spearmint (anti-inflammatory)
3 Easy Ways to Get Kids on the Right Path of Healthy Living!
Each year, kids become heavier and unhealthier, many kids are even dealing with health issues like Type 2 Diabetes and chronic knee and back pain. We can’t change the situation over night but there are things we can do to get kids moving and making fitness fun.
Here are just 3 ways that we can get kids moving and on the right track to fight obesity and avoid health issues.
1) Make Learning an Activity
Forget sitting at a desk or staring at a computer – make games up to use for teaching tools. Try something like jumproping while saying the alphabet or practicing multiplication tables.
2)Make Play Time Fun Again
Earn outside play points, reward the family with hikes, biking and even fundraising events – lead by example showing kids that its a big active world if they just leave the couch!
3)Education of Parents and Kids
We have to find a way to teach parents and kids how to eat healthy and serve proper portions. I’m not sure how exactly you do that but if it could become common knowledge then so many of the health and weight issues for kids and adults will diminish.
These are just 3 of my suggestions for how to get kids moving and on the right track to fight obesity but What Do YOU Think? Make sure to leave comments or send me your suggestions -amy@withamymac.com .
Do you do exercises for the upper and lower back? So many people struggle with back pain and so much of it is preventable with proper exercises and stretching. Everyone is always so busy working the abs that they rarely pay equal attention to the back. However, they should be treated equal because they each control a side of the body and have to work together so you want them both to be strong! Here are some exercises that will get you started in strengthening the back. And did I mention that proper posture will also make you look taller and thinner?!
Best Back Exercises:
Reverse Crunch - The reverse crunch, or cobra, works to strengthen and stretch the upper back muscles.
Deadlift – Lower back pain plagues most people at some point in their lives. Doing this exercise to strengthen the lower back can save you lots of pain and pills in the future.
Bent over rows – A great way to work the back muscles, this move can be done by anyone at any level with any size weight – so no excuses!
Juicing fruits and vegetables has been around for a long time- I’m sure you saw late night infomercials with Jack Lalanne and his juicer at some point. Well this year – it is the hot ticket to looking and feeling great so I tried it!
The benefits of juicing as opposed to eating lots of fruits and vegetables is that:
1) when the juice is broken down, your body can start absorbing the nutrients almost immediately
2) you use a lot of veggies to make a glass of juice – its possible to put 2 lbs into a glass of juice! not even i would eat that much otherwise
3) because juice doesn’t have to be processed or broken down by the body, your body gets to heal and cleanse itself – think of it as a reset for all ofyour systems.
Now we did a 5 day all juice only diet and it was tough because we wanted to eat. We weren’t hungry or weak or confused, we just wanted to chew! After those 5 days, we decided to keep drinking juice but add small meals back into our diets. It allowed us to cut calories and processed foods and also gave us tons of energy from all the nutrients. Even if you don’t go extreme, you can still make smoothies in the blender or add juices to your day. It takes a bit of prep work, but in the end, the benefits made this dieting fad a keeper!
Here’s a quick recipe to get you started: amazing fresh lemonade
3 apples, 2 carrots, 1 lemon (taste will vary on vegetable sizes)
This is our juicer and we love it. It does exactly what we need it to do and it’s under $100!
If you want to be bootylicious, then you need these 4 butt exercises! Most of these butt exercises work the legs too so that means you are getting more bang for your buck!
In this Fit Life, we are talking about sculpting the butt. The butt is one of the most targeted trouble zones (2nd only to abs!) and usually you just do squats or lunges to target it.
Bored with arm exercises – I’ve got 3 moves that will rock your arms in no time!
