TOTAL24FIT | Health and Fitness Tips: July 2018

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Don't Be a Wimp; Train Your Willpower

Willpower is the ability to be the person you want to be, rather than an impulsive, whiny child. It is the power to create your life.

Monday through Sunday, I’m up by 5, immediately jumping into a movement circuit and then whatever creative work I’ve prioritized for the day. To an outsider, it would appear I have discipline down. With few exceptions, I fit in my daily workout, eat well, and fend off procrastination. Still, a part of me is always trying to rebel. I finish breakfast and want to keep on eating- just for the sport of it. Its worse on those occasional trips for ice cream.

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Women, Weightlifting, Nutrition and Metabolism

Rip away your old beliefs that food makes you fat and that lifting weights is for The Hulk.

Everyone is always looking for quick fixes. No one wants to put in the work that creates lasting changes—which is what you really want in the long run. Right?

So why do we sell ourselves short? I preach about the importance of putting healthy foods into our bodies and the benefits of exercise, but do you really know and understand what causes those benefits inside of us?

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How to Bench Press

Ah, the bench. The classic weight room exercise. Get your form right, so you can reap the maximum benefits.

The post How to Bench Press appeared first on Under Armour.

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Women, Weightlifting, Nutrition and Metabolism

Rip away your old beliefs that food makes you fat and that lifting weights is for The Hulk.

Everyone is always looking for quick fixes. No one wants to put in the work that creates lasting changes—which is what you really want in the long run. Right?

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Stitch Fix for Kids Review

Hi friends! How are ya? Hope you’re having a lovely morning. I’m catching a barre workout today, editing the podcast for tomorrow (be sure to catch it here!) and heading out swimming with the girls. Just living that Tucson summer life until school starts again!

Their back-to-school wardrobe got an awesome boost when their first Stitch Fix boxes arrived a couple of weeks ago. They’ve seen me get fixes for years now – since Liv was a tiny baby! – and would often ask where their boxes were. (Thankfully Mac and Mia was created so they could have a similar experience. We’ve done a few of their deliveries and love them.) When I told the girls that these Stitch Fix boxes were for them, they were soooo adorable and excited about it. They couldn’t wait to open them.

First kids fix

Stitch fix for kids

To be totally honest with you guys, my last few Stitch Fix deliveries have been a bit of a bummer. They sent me some weird pieces including a dress with intense palm tree print all over it, so I didn’t have super high hopes for the kids boxes. I thought maybe we’d keep a few things and just kind of get the feel for it, especially since it’s a newer service.

I was BLOWN AWAY by all of the amazing stuff they sent for the girls!

Stitch fix kids

Our first Stitch Fix Kids delivery:

I had filled out their style profiles online and it was fun to note their personal preferences and the types of styles they usually enjoy. For example, Liv is a little more sporty than P, and also a little bit more adventurous on the fashion front. P only wants to wear dresses right now – she basically acts like she’s on fire if I try to suggest shorts and a top for her to wear – so they sent her quite a few new dresses in her fix.

Right away, Liv was stoked about the new rose gold sandals. The fit her perfectly and she’s been wearing them to church and out to dinner ever since.

Livi bear

She loved all of the clothes she received so much, we ended up keeping everything in her box. It was a fun mix of dresses for school, tops, shorts, and the beloved sandals.

P immediately started trying on all of the dresses in her box. She wore a beautiful red Kate Spade dress the rest of the day and was as happy as a little clam.

Stitch fix kids review

We ended up keeping almost everything in her fix, except for a pair of shorts and a top she’d never wear.

STITCH FIX FOR KIDS 2

Some of the things I loved about the kids’ fixes:

– They really paid attention to the notes in their style profiles. I had answered that a giraffe was Liv’s favorite animal, and she received a shirt with a giraffe on it. I feel like the fixes were extremely personalized for each girl.

– The price points!! I was expecting it to be expensive, especially since Mac & Mia is pretty pricey. I was surprised by the prices, because most of the shirts were $14 to $20 and the most expensive piece was P’s Kate Spade dress at $34.

– High quality. The clothes all felt like they were well-made and like they’d last playtime, school, and running around.

– CONVENIENCE. This is my #1 favorite thing about Stitch Fix: they pick items just for you that you can try on at home and send back what you don’t like. Shopping with the girls is a little crazy right now – they just toss things into the cart with wild abandon and I almost always forget the most important items on our list – but they still need new clothes. Trying on at home is a thousand times easier than lugging them to the mall, especially when they’d rather be playing or doing something fun.

If you’d like to try out Stitch Fix for kids, my referral link is here!

Friends with kiddos: where do you shop for school clothes? Do you shop with your kiddos or prefer to do it solo?

Where did you do most of your back-to-school shopping when you were a kid? I still remember Mervyn’s vividly haha.

Hope you have a great day and I’ll see ya in the morning with this week’s podcast episode all about acupuncture.

Gina

The post Stitch Fix for Kids Review appeared first on The Fitnessista.

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Monday, July 30, 2018

Use Shrugs to Promote Back Health

The barbell shrug is a very misunderstood movement, a commonly passed over exercise, and often an incorrectly executed one.

As a primitive or primal movement, the shrug is as commonplace as flexing your hand to coerce someone to hurry up. Second nature to us, this movement works some finer muscles of the back and the shoulder girdle. Specifically, the levator scapula, serratus anterior, rhomboids, and latissimus dorsi.

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The 4 Best Squat Alternatives

If the squat is troublesome for you, the best alternative exercises to consider are exercises that mimic either the joint action or muscle groups involved in the squat.

The squat is often referred to as "the king of the gym lifts"—for good reason, too. A correctly performed barbell squat utilizes virtually every muscle in the body.¹ If you want to get stronger, squats will help. If you want to get bigger, squats will help. If you want to lose weight, squats will help. As such, most good programs will include the squat.

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Use Shrugs to Promote Back Health

The barbell shrug is a very misunderstood movement, a commonly passed over exercise, and often an incorrectly executed one.

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The 4 Best Squat Alternatives

If the squat is troublesome for you, the best alternative exercises to consider are exercises that mimic either the joint action or muscle groups involved in the squat.

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weekending

Hi friends! Happy Monday! How was the weekend? Ours was a great one. We spent a ton of time with family and friends, got to swim, and enjoyed some beautiful desert monsoons, so no complaining over here.

Friday night, the girls and I decided to enjoy dinner out, so we went to Commoner & Co. I wrote about this recently, but my brother Kyle has taken over as partner chef for Commoner and the popular brunch restaurant, Prep & Pastry. He completely revamped the menu at Commoner, so we were excited to check out the new menu options.

Kyle surprised us with this goat cheese tart while we were waiting for our entrees.

It’s a savory lemon thyme tart with fluffy brûléed goat cheese, served atop STRAWBERRY JAM. It was the perfect mix of sweet and savory… it was like my favorite bite from a cheese board (cracker, cheese, jam), completely elevated. It’s probably my new favorite food ever, and served with Kyle’s signature artistic presentation:

Goat cheese tart

(Everything he makes looks almost too beautiful to eat)

For my entree, I rolled with the salmon, which is served on top of a bed of Spanish rice with veggies, olives, goat cheese, and Romesco.

Salmon dish

Kyle also brought out the deconstructed cake for dessert. It was bites of pistachio sponge cake, cream cheese frosting, and a bunch of other deliciousness I can’t really remember because Liv and P were on either side of me and we were shoveling bites into our mouths in pure bliss. It was everything.

Commoner and Co. was one of our favorite date night spots long before Kyle took over the kitchen. But I have to say that now that he’s there, it’s taken everything to the next level. Our dinner was my favorite meal we’ve had since we’ve been back in Tucson, which says a lot since we’ve eaten at a lot of amazing spots since we’ve been here. We’ll definitely be back soon.

After our incredible meal, we decided to head to Trail Dust Town. Like my friend Lindsay said, it’s like Oregon Trail Disney World. (With way less rides, but the girls still love it.)

Trail dust

We rode the covered wagon Ferris wheel and the carousel (which is unnervingly fast haha) and then walked around for a while, my nana met us there, so it was fun to walk around with her and check out the sights.

Saturday morning, I caught a leg and HIIT workout at the gym, and then we headed to a friend’s birthday party. The girls got to run around with all of their little friends and eat cupcakes, while I got to catch up with Meg and Lindy. After the party, we came home and watched the live version of Alice in Wonderland. I wouldn’t recommend it for a 2-year old – I kept hoping P would fall asleep on the couch, but instead she was intently watching to see if Alice would “slay the jabberwocky” *SMH – but it was definitely good.

After the movie, we went to the park for an hour and met my dad and stepmom at Bear Canyon Pizza for dinner.

Sunday was the usual church, errands, lunch with madre, then grilling/swimming at Uncle E’s.

I started reading Limelight, looking for something lighthearted and fun, and it’s fit the bill. Highly recommend it so far!

Unknown

I hope you had a great weekend, too!

Today, I’m recording a podcast episode with a friend and subbing a class later this afternoon. Hope you have a happy Monday and I’ll see ya in the morning.

xoxo

Gina

The post weekending appeared first on The Fitnessista.

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Simple Effective Plyo HIIT Workout

Workout equipment:

Workout type: 12 Minute

Timer setting: 18 x :10 x :30

1. Squat box jumps
2. Explosive push ups
3. Squat step overs
4. Medicine ball slams
5. Single Leg Jump Ups
6. Sit up + throw

Bonus: 100 Medicine ball twists

——————————————————

Leave your reps in the comments below.

My reps for today’s workout:

Squat box jumps 10, 9, 9
Explosive push ups 17, 16, 16
Squat step overs 12, 11, 11
Medicine ball slams 24, 23, 24
Single leg jump ups 16, 15, 15
Sit up + throws 17, 16, 16

Did you do this workout?Tweet It!

The post Simple Effective Plyo HIIT Workout appeared first on 12 Minute Athlete.

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Saturday, July 28, 2018

Injury Prehab With Natural Movement

Guard yourself against the physical and mental stress of injuries with preventive movement practice.

Injuries suck. There’s no other way around it. You may never become truly bulletproof, but if you understand the injury equation, you can tip the scales in your favor. Here you’ll discover the hidden costs of injury and how to effectively maintain health and body integrity.

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Injury Prehab With Natural Movement

Guard yourself against the physical and mental stress of injuries with preventive movement practice.

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Friday, July 27, 2018

Saving the World, One Chicken Leg at a Time

The vast majority of people who are working out right now are in a globo gym and the vast majority of them don't have proper coaching

My friend's wife recently grimaced in pain while we were out to dinner. She seemed very uncomfortable, and when I asked what was wrong, she told me that she had recently started training at a gym, one of the usual suspects in globo gym chans, and that she had hurt her back. I can't comment on the details of what happened, I wasn't there, but from what I could figure out based on the story I heard, some personal trainer in the gym had put this woman through a series of exercises and she was now in pain. No matter how you slice it, that's not good.

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Saving the World, One Chicken Leg at a Time

The vast majority of people who are working out right now are in a globo gym and the vast majority of them don't have proper coaching

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Low-Carb Diets Effect Men and Women Differently

This is the first study to show low-carb diets can improve blood flow in as little as four weeks.

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Low-Carb Diets Effect Men and Women Differently

This is the first study to show low-carb diets can improve blood flow in as little as four weeks.

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10 Minutes to a Happier Neck

While the upper back and neck take the hit for our poor posture, they are usually not the root cause of our issues.

Do you work in an office? If so, chances are you have neck and upper back pain. Do you get massages and shoulder rubs which temporarily relieve your pain, only to revert back a couple of days later?

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10 Minutes to a Happier Neck

While the upper back and neck take the hit for our poor posture, they are usually not the root cause of our issues.

Do you work in an office? If so, chances are you have neck and upper back pain. Do you get massages and shoulder rubs which temporarily relieve your pain, only to revert back a couple of days later?

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Cycling the Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco is known for the Golden Gate Bridge and its hills, the latter making for a killer cycling workout.

The post Cycling the Golden Gate Bridge appeared first on Under Armour.

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Friday Faves

Hi friends! Happy weekend to ya. What’s going on this weekend? We’re looking forward to swimming with the fam, a birthday party, and catching a couple of fitness classes. We’re getting things ready for school and just enjoying chillin’ in the AC… far away from the insane heat. I’d love to hear what you’re up to!

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I find some of my favorite finds, wears, reads, and treats from the week. Please share any faves you’re loving in the comments section if you’d like to join in the fun.

Life/random:

–The euphy!! I ordered this little beauty during the Amazon Prime sale and for real. It’s changed my cleaning life. I’m a huge fan of our Dyson cordless, which I use for spot-cleaning daily, but I hate dragging out our *regular* vacuum. This magical creation quietly zooms around the house capturing every speckle of dust, crumbs, and dog hair. REJOICE. I thought our floors were clean – we’d had professional cleaners a few days prior and I’d used the Dyson a few times – and then I ran this thing, and the ENTIRE CANISTER was full of dog hair. (Thanks, Caro.) Every time I open the canister, I feel like such a weirdo because I get genuinely happy to see everything it picks up. It’s the little things, right?

Bell and the euphy

Poor Bella doesn’t like the euphy quite as much as I do.

– Playing tourist. I’ve had to get creative with activities for the girls because it’s so hot outside, so we’ve been playing tourist and visiting local attractions.

Miniature museum

It was our first time checking out the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures. It was SO COOL, and the girls loved it! They have various exhibits of contemporary and antique miniatures. There are ornate dollhouses with fully decorated rooms, an entire Christmas village, and a mystical fairy/troll.dragon area. They also have a scavenger hunt for the kiddos; you try to find their miniature fairy, Caitlin, who is hiding in five different areas of the museum. We found three of the fairies, and spent quite a bit of time checking out the exhibits.

Mini museum

– We also checked out the Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium at the U of A, which I haven’t visited since I was in elementary school. We were there for over 3 hours! The girls kept wanting to go around and around, and after tons of learning/exploring, we watched the laser light show in the planetarium theater. P fell asleep after about 20 minutes, but Liv was especially into the stories of Greek mythology and learning about constellations. She’s said she wants to be an astronaut when she grows up since she was like 3, so needless to say, we’ll be going back.

Planetarium

(P’s dress is 100% on backwards because she dresses herself now.)

Fashion:

– These Spanx leggings arrived from the Nordstrom sale and they’re a dream come true. Warning that they look very small out of the package – as most Spanx products do.. I find myself wondering how the heck I’m going to sausage myself into them – but they slide on and feel like nothing. They’re insanely flattering and soooo comfortable. I’ll definitely be wearing them a ton once the weather chills out.

Speaking of the Nordstrom sale, they’ve restocked quite a bit of my faves and still aren’t sold out of some others.

Here’s what’s left of the good stuff:

More colors and sizes in my fave leggings ever

A perfect V-neck tee

Lots of sizes in this hooded long cardigan

Lovin’ the mesh detail on these cropped leggings

This dress would look so cute with booties

These plaid pajamas look amazing

Lots of colors and sizes in my fave bra ever. I got two more

Super cute neutral flat bootie

Perfect time to stock up on Hanky Panky

Amazing deal on this wallet

Love this delicate bracelet as a gift idea

Eats + fitness:

– Bahama Bucks. I mentioned this before, but if you’re in Tucson, you HAVE to go. They have so many flavors and you can add ice cream and sprinkles. I decided to venture outside of my usual birthday or wedding cake shaved ice and went with the fiesta flavors: cucumber, mango, and melón with chili salt. I want another one riiiiight now.

Bahama bucks

– Sheet pan dinners for the win. I haven’t felt much cooking gusto lately, but still managed to cook all week this week (minus Panera last night) with super simple dinners. For this one, I boiled the potatoes for about 10 minutes, then added them to a sheet pan with salmon, and asparagus.

Sheet pan

Everything was seasoned with avocado oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, then I added the Trader Joe’s vegan pesto on top of the salmon and baked everything for 15 minutes. Dinner: done. Clean-up was a breeze.

– 32 smoothie ingredients from Trader Joe’s

– If you’re looking for a leg workout, check out this one! It’s similar to the one I did the other day

Working out