Supernatural Botanicals

Did you know… you can burn double the calories if you do your workout in the morning, on an empty stomach.   Doing an a.m. workout also gives you an extra boost of energy for the remainder of the day.

Julianne Hough’s new DVD workout, Just Dance, is the perfect workout if you love to dance.   Julianne’s DVD features three hip-shaking routines, Work It, Flaunt It, and Pump It.  The routines are fun and flirty…more of a club-style dance.  There’s no hint of a samba or waltz on this DVD.  This DVD provides a serious workout if you keep up with it.  Don’t worry, you can always modify to your level of endurance.  Not to mention, you can learn a few cool moves the next time you are out on the dance floor.

Shape magazine rates the Nike Air Max Trainer One ($85 nike.com) as the best for all around gym use.  This shoe is perfect for women who mix things up with cardio, weights and classes.

Shape says this shoe really absorbs the impact of high intensity moves, like jumping jacks, and it’s super firm midsole is ideal for strength training and cardio machines.  The soft pliable uppers never rub or dig into skin and an adjustable forefoot strap keeps your foot in place no matter which direction you move.  Rubber nodes on the outsole provide strong traction.

I’m loving the wide choice of colors offered, and the strap across the midfoot, which holds shoes on tightly (great for hip hop dance and step aerobics.)

Here’s a great lower body workout by our friend Zuzanna across the pond.  It’s hardcore, but only three minutes long.  Push yourself, push through the pain.  Yes, your muscles will be screaming tomorrow.  But the up side is that your glutes, thighs, and quads will feel sexy and lean.  It’s worth it!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDddazp5f4M

Shape magazine features the adorbs, LeAnn Rimes this month.  Want to know how LeAnn gets those killer abs?  It’s all about boxing for her.  Check out her step by step workout here.

LeAnn and her trainer box for about 20 minutes—after doing 40 minutes of resistance training interspersed with cardio intervals.  The result is an intense hour-long workout.

Her body is the result of hour long intense workouts.  It can be achieved with that simple addition to your life, hour long intense cardio workouts.  …how bad do you want it?

  “I noticed dramatic changes in my body after I started doing yoga, but I also think you have to shake things up.  I have a Spin bike, an elliptical, and a treadmill, and I do some cardio for at least 20 minutes a day. ”

Wow, talk about a workout, check out the ElliptiGo bike.  It’s a cross between a bicycle and an elliptical machine.  It’s a great alternative for runners because it’s far more knee-friendly than hitting the pavement.  A good workout will burn 600+ calories an hour.  

Bike demos are available in the following cities (see website www.ellipitgo.com for more details)

• San Diego, CA
• San Francisco Bay Area, CA
• Colorado Springs, CO
• Boulder, CO
• New York City, NY
• Seattle, WA
• Spokane, WA

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67i6d9Hxjgg

If you want to literally carve an inch (or more!) off of each side of your waist, the Woodchop move will be your new best friend.  The Woodchop, as demonstrated in the video below, targets all of your abdominal muscles.  With slow, controlled movement, the woodchop is one of the most effective abdominal moves of all time.  Not only does the Woodchop target abdominal muscles, but it also works the glutes, hamstrings, calves, arms, shoulders, and tops it off with a good cardio burn.  In short, it’s a total body move that burns fat, sculpts muscles, and turns you into the brick house you’ve always wanted to be. 

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J3NZEYP1Es

Want Jennifer Aniston’s body?  Because you can have it.  Did you know that?  Okay, you can’t specifically have Jenn’s body, but you can have one that looks just like hers.  Jennifer’s celeb fitness trainer, Mandy Ingber, dishes on how she trains Jennifer.

Tips from Mandy:

• Start with cardio:  Ingber suggests 30-60 minutes, three times a week.  “Try running, cycling or even walking.”
• Work thighs:  “Temple pose is essentially a yoga squat.  You plant your feet wide, then plie squat and hold for 30 seconds.  Then plie deeply 8 times, followed by 8 quick shallow pulses.  Repeat.”
• Tone calves:  “Lovely calves are underrated.  Repeat this series slowly twice.  Get on the balls of your feet, then lift and lower yourself 8 times followed by 8 quicker pulses.”

For more exercises, get Mandy’s DVD (and Jennifer Aniston’s workout), Yogalosophy.

Factoid:  If you don’t rest enough between hard cardio or strength workouts, you’ll stop making progress and may even lose some of the fitness you’ve gained. You’re also likely to burn out on exercise.  Additionally, don’t marry your fitness routine.  Nothing will bring your workouts to a screeching halt like a  repetitious workout routine that offers no change up or fun. 

Be sure to alternate shorter, tougher cardio workouts (for instance, 20 minutes) with longer, easier days (40-60 minutes).  Don’t go all-out more than twice a week (how happy does that sentence make you?)  Keep in mind that the more intensely you train, the more time your body needs to recover.  

It’s a good idea to do a couple of tough workouts and take 1 day completely off each week.  On the strength-training front, take at least 1 day off between sessions that work the same muscle group.