Links You’ll Love
Health/Fitness:
Mixing up your workout routine is part of maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle, so why not add some weight bench ab exercises to your workouts? Crunches, hip raises, twists, leg lifts and extensions. Or 20 Minute Intervals with walking and core exercises from Prevention.com.
5 Reasons Your Workout Isn’t Working from the Huffington Post – Advice on keeping things mixed up and how to not lose your motivation if you plateau.
How to work your triceps – Tone Your Arms in 3 Moves from Tracy Anderson for Fitness Magazine.
5 Minute Workouts, 10 Minute Workouts & 15 Minute Workouts – No excuses kids. No matter how little time you have, you have time for a workout!
Fashion:
Mixing and matching high-low fashion is a trick many celebrities and fashion-insiders swear by – Olivia Palermo, Zoe Saldana and Kate Bosworth to name a few. And with stores like J Crew, Zara and French Connection creating well made, on trend clothes for a fraction of what designer duds cost, who can blame them for taking advantage? There are also an increasing number of amazing designer collaborations like Karl Lagerfeld for Macy’s impulse, Versace for H&F and Missoni for Target, where you can swoop up high-end designer created pieces for every day prices.
Looking for some fun new ways to wear traditional winter pieces? Faux fur has long been a winter staple, not only does it evoke old-school glamour, it keeps you toasty warm. Olivia Palermo‘s cropped jacket paired with a skirt and blouse is modern and chic while Kate Moss‘s longer jacket works equally well with Capri pants and a dress with tights. On the other end of the spectrum is plaid, a low-key winter look that can be really versatile and laid back. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley makes plaid a little rock n’ roll with booties & a blazer and Alexa Chung channels the 60’s fashion with a plaid babydoll dress.
Boys, it’s time to step up. Fashionable doesn’t have to mean gay. When in doubt, turn to The Sartorialist – He’ll answer your questions & alleviate your fears. And in related news, Isaac Mizrahi AND Vera Wang may be launching menswear lines.
FabSugar’s Top 50 Reader Looks of 2011 – This is great for finding new ways to mix and match what you already have in your wardrobe in new and exciting ways.
In the market for some new glasses? Take some inspiration from the stars over at The Daily Beast.
Have a good Sunday!
Gym Goddess – Part III
Welcome to week III of the How to Become a Gym Goddess series (if you need to catch up, here are Week 1 and Week 2).
Note: Check with a doctor before beginning a few fitness routine to avoid injuries.
Day 1:
15 minutes of intervals on the elliptical (30 seconds as fast as you can, 1 minute 30 seconds at a fast but manageable pace, repeat for 15 minutes)
100 walking lunges (each knee touching the ground is 1 – try to keep moving for the whole 100 even if you do have to slow down)
20 burpees as quickly as possible (How To – Do level II or III if possible, there are also other variations on burpees that we’ll try later one)
3 x 20 mountain climbers
Stretching
Day 2: CORE!!!
1o minutes of cardio, any machine, moderate pace
5 rounds of:
- 1 minute plank
- 30 frog crunchies
- 30 squat jumps (bend knees, touch ground, jump up, clap at top, repeat)
- 30 leg lifts
- Row 100 meters as fast as possible
* Rest for under 1 minute between each round
10 minutes of cardio – Warm down
Stretching
Day 3: HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) – Pick a machine and go-go-go
5 minute warm up
- 30 seconds as fast as possible
- 1 minute 30 seconds recovery – moderate speed
- 30 seconds as fast as possible
- 1 minute 30 seconds recovery – moderate speed
Repeat for 15 minutes of intervals
Switch machines and repeat for an additional 15 minutes
5 minute cool down (i.e. walking on a treadmill etc)
(Same) Weekend Mini Workout:
To be completed at any point Saturday or Sunday (***Bonus points if you get a workout buddy to join you and race!)
Sprint the length of the street, walk back to your starting point, 5 burpees (how to) – Repeat 10x
Starting w/ your feet together, jump as far as you can & repeat for the length of the street. To the end of the street and back to your starting point = 1, complete 5x
Results: This week wasn’t about change, it was about creating a consistent fitness routine and really trying to make time a couple of days a week to go to the gym even when you’re tired and/or busy. Squeezing in just a small workout can improve your mood and productivity, which is especially important as the holiday season is starting to gear up and your schedule will get more and more hectic.
How do you stay motivated for your workouts? Any tips that always work for you? I like to workout first thing in the morning because in addition to giving my metabolism a little burst, it sets a healthy tone for the day and encourages me to stay on track. I also have to have a great playlist to keep my workouts upbeat. My brother got me the Nano for Christmas last year which is great because it has a clip and it holds such a small number of songs that I update it at least once a week. As for long-term goals, I’ve found that it’s all about giving myself something to look forward to. Like, say, a weekend trip to the Lululemon on Union Square. (Rachel agrees, clearly) Not only do the promise of Lulu’s keep me going, once I have them I’m doubly motivated to hit the gym because I can’t wait to show them off!
As your workouts are progressing and you’re beginning to feel (and see!) results, you should start thinking about your recovery time. We’ve talked about stretching and rest days to help you stay loose and prepare for your next workout, but your choice of foods immediately before and after a workout can also affect your performance (as, obviously, your food throughout the day can affect your fitness goals in general). Shape shares their tips here, Women’s Health shares their top fitness food picks here and fitness guru to the stars David Kirsch shares his post-workout recovery smoothie here. And if this topic interests you and you’re heading to a book store, definitely pick up any of Brendan Brazier’s Thrive books which discuss this in-depth.
Stay tuned for Week IV!
Moi Contre La Vie 