HEALTHY BANANA ICE CREAM

This recipe is just amazing! Healthy, delicious and only consisting of 2 ingredients. Is this possible you ask? Of course it is. And you will love it. I got the recipe from Rachel Ray show and this is how you do it.

Slice ripe bananas and freeze them. (Calculate about one banana per person, depending on how greedy they are... hehe.) Take the frozen bananas and put them in a blender or food processor, pour some milk into the container (depending on how many bananas, I used about 50-100ml semi-skimmed milk for 2 bananas). Whizz/mix/blend it until the bananas have been disolved into the mixture (about 1 min) and there you go... your own soft Whippy style ice-cream.
DEEEE-LISH!

HORMONES & NUTRIENTS: ZINC

I'm sure you haven't been able to surpass all the hallabalooza about the issues on hormones and why it damages our health. How the food industry pump our poor cows, chickens and pigs full of hormones and antibiotic just to make extra profit. This later finds its way to our plates, or glass of milk, and into our bodies to disrupt the fine mechanism we already have inside of us. Due to changes in farming methods and the sad state of our soil, even our whole foods is not nearly as nutritious as it once was. Beside making sure that we eat proper food (as we say: if it had a mother or came from the ground, it's ok.), we can also make sure to eat foods that help our bodies to stay balanced, although it gets rocked by our environment. And whenever you can, go organic.

I do believe in supplementation, especially if you're on a diet and working out as much as I do, but I also believe you should do your best to help your body cope with all the outside toxicity that finds itself into our cells. My first nutrient I like to keep tabs on is:

ZINC
Zinc is one of the most important minerals used by the body for various functions such as maintaining a sense of smell, keeping a healthy immune system, building proteins, triggering enzymes, and creating DNA. Zinc also helps the cells in your body communicate by functioning as a neurotransmitter. A deficiency in zinc can lead to stunted growth in children, depression, impotence, hair loss, eye and skin lesions, impaired appetite, and lower immunity defense. Zinc levels tend to be lower in older people, anorexics, alcoholics, people on diets, children with ADHD and diabetics. Zinc levels are related to leptin, the hormone that helps us feel satisfied. Studies also suggest that restoring deficiencies of zinc, helps people increase lean body mass while maintaining or losing weight.

Recommended daily dose is 15 mg. You can find high levels of zinc in oysters, lobsters, crab, wheat germ, liver, dark meats, cocoa powder, baked beans, peanuts, pumpkin and squash seeds.

TUNA MEATBALLS

What a revelation! I have discovered tuna meatballs. Sooo delish! Here's my recipe:

Mix all these ingredients together to make about 7 tuna meatballs: Canned tuna in water (make sure to squeeze out all the water prior), 2 egg whites, 50gr/0.5dl milk, wheat bran to bind it together. Spice it up with chopped fresh red chilli, 1/2 chopped medium yellow onion, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, then ground black pepper, paprika and garlic powder or fresh garlic to taste.

Fry it in rapeseed oil until brown. Serve on a bed of fresh spinach and some salsa. Yummy!

Minus the oil, each meatball is about 30 kcal each. Wow!

Enjoy!

10 FITNESS MYTHS

Fitness Myth 1:
No Pain, No Gain
Exercise does not need to hurt to be good for you. In fact, if it does hurt you’re probably doing something wrong. Some soreness is common for a first time exerciser, but if that continues, you are pushing way too hard. Delayed onset muscle soreness, in which pain occurs up to 48 hours after exercise, results from inflammation and microscopic tears in the elastic tissues that surround muscle fibers. To give muscles time to adapt, don’t do much too soon, or you will risk injury.

Fitness Myth 2:
Excessive Sweating While Exercising Means You’re Not Fit
In fact, it's just the opposite. Sweating during exercise is a sign of an efficient cooler. An athlete who has adapted to keep the body core cool during exercise will shunt blood to the skin’s surface more quickly and release heat from the body. At the same time, the sweat glands increase their output and thus cool the body during sweat evaporation. While fit people produce more sweat than sedentary folks, they lose less sodium, because more of it is reabsorbed by the body. The result is a more efficient cooler.

Fitness Myth 3:
If You Stop Exercising, Your Muscles Will Turn to Fat
Fat and muscles are two different tissue types. One can not convert to the other. The truth is that muscles atrophy when not used. Therefore, if you continue to eat as you always have, but stop exercising, you will see an increase in body fat and a loss of muscle mass. Of course, the real question is why are you stopping exercise in the first place?

Fitness Myth 4:
You Can Increase Fat Burning By Exercising Longer at a Lower Intensity
It really isn't important what percentage of energy during exercise comes from fat or carbohydrate. What matters at the end of the day is how many total calories were expended. The higher the exercise intensity, the more calories are burned per minute. Many new exercisers, however, are encouraged to exercise at a lower intensity because high-intensity exercise is difficult to sustain, and safer.

Fitness Myth 5:
If You Exercise, You Can Eat Anything
If you try to make up for poor nutrition by exercising, you are going to be disappointed. While eating poorly and not exercising is far worse for your health that eating poorly and exercising, you will get the most out of your workouts if you fuel them with high quality foods.

Fitness Myth 6:
If You Don't Work Out Hard and Often, Exercise Is A Waste Of Time
Nothing could be farther from the truth. Research shows that even moderate exercise, such as walking and gardening a few times a week, can have tremendous benefits. One study found that gardening for as little as an hour a week reduced the risk of heart disease.

Fitness Myth 7:
Exercise Can Fix All Your Health Problems
While consistent exercise can make a huge difference in quality and quantity of life, it can't fix everything. Individuals with other health issues and diseases still need to follow a physician's advice when it comes to disease management protocols. And although exercise alone can not guarantee your health, or cure you of illness, regular physical activity has been shown to help everything from arthritis and heart disease to asthma and diabetes.

Fitness Myth 8:
Weight Training Will Bulk You Up
Many women use this excuse to avoid weight training. What they don't realize it that weight training is often the easiest and quickest way for women to lose body fat and increase muscle definition.

Fitness Myth 9:
To Build Muscle Requires Massive Amounts of Protein
There is no scientific evidence supporting the popular belief that athletes require massive amounts of protein. According to Dr. Suzanne Nelson Steen, head of the University of Washington Huskies Sports Nutrition Program, strength athletes require just slightly more protein than other individuals and still need adequate carbohydrate to replenish muscle glycogen. She points out that all high intensity, powerful muscle contractions (such as weight lifting) are fueled with carbohydrate. "Neither fat nor protein can be oxidized rapidly enough to meet the demands of high-intensity exercise. Adequate dietary carbohydrate must be consumed on a daily basis to restore glycogen levels." To build more muscles, you simply have to follow a good weight training program and eat a well balanced diet consistently.

Fitness Myth 10:
The More Exercise The Better
Of course you can get too much exercise. Many top athletes give in to this myth, and many pay the price with injury, illness and depression. When it comes to exercise, you need an appropriate balance of training and rest in order to perform optimally.


Taken from About:Sportsmedicine.

JACKIE'S 10 TIPS FOR GETTING IN SHAPE

1. It’s not how long, it’s how strong. Incorporate 20 minutes of high intensity cardio each day. Walk fast on a treadmill for 2 minutes at a 15 incline then sprint for 2 minutes on flat ramp. Cool down for 1 minute and repeat this cycle 3 more times until you reach your 20 minute goal.

2. Women, make sure to include weight training at least 3-4 days a week. If you add 3-5 pounds of muscle to your body, you will burn 250-500 extra calories per day which equals 3-5 pounds of fat loss per week.

3. Visualize the muscles you are working on - this is called the mind muscle connection and it will actually increase tone.

4. Your body hits a plateau with cardio and resistance training in one month so change your weight, reps and exercises accordingly.

5. The fastest way to get the body you want is through my power circuit training. Combine 3 upper body exercises and 3 lower body exercises together to make one big set. Do not rest in between and alternate quickly from upper to lower for maximum fat burn.

6. The only muscle groups that really burn fat are the primary muscles like the chest, back, quads, glute and hamstrings. Focus hard on those!

7. You have to eat within an hour of working out to make sure you’re not eating into the muscle for energy. Make sure that you combine proteins and carbs like a blended protein shake with fruit and peanut butter or a piece of fruit with a low-fat string cheese.

8. Don’t just set a weight goal, set a physical goal too like running a 3k or training for a charity marathon. Human beings are competitive and you will spark that inner competition by trying to reach a difficult physical goal.

9. A little thing like changing your music playlist every week can go a long way. The more your mind is stimulated during your workouts, the better your results will be.

10. Instead of focusing on being fat, you’ve got to focus on being fit. If you think healthy, it eventually becomes reality to you. I always push my clients to focus on how strong they’re getting, how well they’re sleeping, and how happy they’re feeling by exercising.


Take from Amazon Exclusive: Read Jackie Warner's Ten Tips for Getting in Shape, from Her Book This Is Why You're Fat.

THOSE LAST 10 POUNDS AND LEPTIN

Why do those last few pounds of fat seem next to impossible to shed? You’ve been painstakingly following a weight reduction program for the past few months. You look and feel better than you can ever remember, but one thing is wrong - that last bit of fat is clinging to you for dear life.

Almost anyone who has tried to lose excess body fat can relate to this problem. Why do those last few pounds seem next to impossible to shed? The secret may lie within a little-known hormone called leptin.
A hormone produced by our fat cells, leptin plays numerous roles in our biochemistry. One of these is to regulate bodyweight by sending satiation (fullness) signals to the brain. Another is to increase our overall energy expenditure - our body’s ability to burn fat.

When we lose body fat, leptin levels decline along with the excess fat. When we gain fat, leptin levels rise.
In fact, leptin does its job so well that one human study presented in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that moderately overweight healthy women following a low-calorie diet over a three-month period actually increased their appetite two-fold. The subjects who experienced the greatest decline in leptin levels also experienced the greatest increase in their desire to eat.

Leptin also has the ability to lower our metabolic rate by negatively affecting the conversion of thyroid hormones when we skip meals or severely restrict our calories. The end result is we find it next to impossible to lose any more fat.

A human study presented in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism proved that the thyroid-lowering effects brought on by declining leptin levels - through weight loss and dieting - could actually be reversed by administration of “replacement” doses of leptin. But before you go asking your family doctor for an injection of leptin, let me explain how you can naturally stimulate its production.

Don’t be deceived by the “fad diet promise” of losing tons of weight in minimal time. Severe caloric deprivation will send leptin plummeting. Instead, teach yourself to eat smaller meals five or six times a day. Whatever you do, don’t skip meals because that only leads to lower levels of leptin and negative changes in your thyroid hormones.

Another little trick is to supplement with the mineral zinc (10 to 30 milligrams, depending on individual needs). Zinc has been shown in studies to raise leptin levels. In fact, a study published in the journal Life Science showed that zinc was able to increase leptin production by a whopping 142 percent.

So try a little zinc and say ta-ta to those last 10 pounds.

Written by Brad King for Alive.com .

BEYOND RIPPED: ENTER THE SHREDDED ZONE THIS SUMMER

Photo: SimplyShredded.com

"Life, they say, is full of contradictions, so why shouldn’t that also apply to working out? You train regularly with both weights and cardio and carefully watch what you eat, which together are supposed to produce a ripped, muscular physique.

There’s the catch: supposed to. But what if you do practically everything you can truly giving 110% to your training and nutrition efforts and you’re still a little soft around the middle? Are you forever doomed to wearing tank tops on warm summer days so friends can see your big guns without knowing there’s an inch to pinch?

This being SimplyShredded.com, we’re not going to recommend an expensive liposuction operation. (Unless, of course, your beloved and rich Uncle Fred left you with several hundred thousand dollars, in which case you can skip this article and call your plastic surgeon.) Rather, we’ve complied a series of tips, tweaks and techniques for you to add to what you’re already doing during the course of a day. Instead of asking you to drop your workouts and follow some one-size-fits-all program, we’ve come up with a list of ways you can increase your caloric deficit each day.

All of the tips presented here use one or more of three bodyfat-fighting strategies: reducing the amount of food you eat (the calories you take in), increasing the amount of exercise you perform (the calories you burn) and boosting your metabolic rate (the number of calories your body requires for body weight maintenance).

Added together, these tips and strategies could theoretically help you synergistically burn up to 3,650 calories a day, but most individuals will want to pick and choose items that allow them to burn up to 1,500 calories* a day without requiring a significant change to diet or training regimen. You can still perform the same weight-training exercises and routines just add our training and nutrition tips to the mix."

(To read the full article and the shredded tips, go to: SimplyShredded.com )

PEN & PAPER TO MANAGE STRESS

Some of my journals

Ever had one of those days when you have so much to do that you don't even know where to begin? Or when you have so many thoughts and emotions swimming in your head that you don't know which end is up? Or you have no clue what, when or where your time and effort is being spent? I know what it's like...

When you're stressed out or something is bothering you, sit down and write. Getting your thoughts on paper helps to identify stressors and to come up with solutions. Plus, it just feels good to get it all out!

If you don't do so already, I recommend keeping a journal and writing in it regularly. Writing for just 10 to 15 minutes a day can make a huge difference in your stress level and your mind-set. Many people do it online, but also consider it doing it the old-fashion way, pen and paper. Get yourself a notebook and write away.

Need some ideas to get started?

• Your day. Simply writing down a play-by-play of your day can get your thoughts flowing and steer you to other topics.
• Your goals. Writing about the person you want to be and the life you want to live can help you visualize your dreams and come up with a plan for making them real.
• Food & Exercise. Here's a perfect opportunity for you to monitor and see how much and what you eat and exercise during the days. It can be a way for you to find out if you're really putting in the effort that you think you are, or just keeping track of it to see what works and what doesn't.
• Specific problems or worries. Write about the things that stress you out or events that have upset you in the past. Describe how these things make you feel, and why, and brainstorm a list of actions you can take to counter these problems and feel better.
• Priorities and to-do lists. This is a must for all us multitaskers and responsibility jugglers! When you feel overwhelmed, write down all the things you have to do and prioritise them.
• What you're thankful for. This might sound cheesy, but trust me, it can help you think more positively. Your life will always have room for improvement, of course, but taking time out to acknowledge and appreciate the good things can help you put everything else in perspective.

When you're writing, resist any perfectionist urges. Don't edit yourself, and don't worry about spelling or how your prose sounds. You're not writing for posterity, or for anyone else's sake, you're doing it for youself.

#1 WORKOUT TIP

What's the #1 tip to make your workout the most successful you can possibly make it. Well, it's clearer than what you might believe. HYDRATE: Drink plenty, plenty of water! Not only does it help pull your big guns out when working out and make you sustain and burn more calories, but it also helps with with digestion as well as making your skin, hair and nails, well your whole body, feel better.

So reach for at least 8-10 glasses of water each day. If you lose count or don't know how much it is, fill a 2-3 litre jug up with water and keep it in the fridge. By the end of the day that jug should be empty and you feeling great as a result. :)

BOB HARPER CORE CHALLENGE

Do you want, and need, to challenge your core muscles to the absolute max? Try this Bob Harper core routine out.

EGG YOLK USES

If you're like me, using loads of egg whites to bump up your protein intake and keep your calorie count down, and on top of that have run out of options on how to use up all those egg yolks instead of dumping them down the drain, then here's a great tip in boosting your hair health.

Egg yolk acts as a natural moisturizer for dry, damaged hair. Egg yolk contains vitamins A, E and D---all nutrients that nourish hair. Vitamins A and E prevent hair loss, including thinning of hair. Vitamin D helps improve the health, texture and luster of your hair. And all three vitamins protect hair from harmful UV rays, chlorine and pollution. Egg yolk can also help you prevent dandruff and maintain a healthy scalp.

For an all natural and nourishing hair mask, mix or whisk egg yolks together with olive oil and apply on newly washed, towel-dried hair. Put a shower cap or dry towel around your head to trap heat inside and keep it on for a minimum of 10 minutes. Rinse hair thoroughly with luke warm water and finish off with cold water to close hair follicles. And voilá, shiny, healthy hair and no egg yolks thrown away in the rubbish. Win-win situation! :)

Other egg yolk uses:
- Feed 1 egg yolk/day (for large dogs) to promote shiny and healthy fur.

- Beat egg yolk and apply on face as a vitamin rich mask. Helps acne prone faces.

DARE TO CHANGE

Personal training is the stuff to be doing if you love fitness as much as I do. But what about myself? It's so easy to take care of others when you have a caretaker personality, and in that spin it's easy to forget about yourself because you live vicariously through others and fulfilling their dreams while yours is put on the shelf.

It's almost gone a week since the first training session with my "victim" and I think it's going really good. When exercising hard, don't be surprised if you get overwhlemed with emotions of all sorts, as hardcore pushing yourself to your limits triggers all kind of mechanisms in your body and can also trigger emotions you didnt know you had. Just go with it, dust yourself off and up you go again.

I'm entering a new phase again. I feel like a snake that sheds its skin during the year. It feels good. Feels uncertain. And it feels a bit scary. But if you never go out of your comfort zone, then how the heck are you suppose to grow and develop new sides of yourself. I say go for change! Go for doing something you never do. I say break free from your own personal chains. In true Wallace spirit: FREEDOM! haha :)

Nite nite. Peace out.

DIZZINESS WHILE WORKING OUT

Are you like me one of the many people who suffer from dizzy spells or light headedness during exercise? Many people seem to suffer from dizzy spells either during exercise or afterwards. If you are one of these people then check the list below to see where you may be going wrong:

1. Running on empty - if you exercise in the morning after maybe 10 hours since your last meal then your body is low on many of the nutrients and energy required to get you through your workout. If your carbohydrate stores (glycogen) levels are low then your body will use your muscles and fat for energy and this can be a strain on your system. Consider eating muesli, fruit, porridge about 1-2 hours before exercise depending on exercise.

2. Lack of fluids - our body's natural equilibrium of water is very crucial - as you perspire you lose water and this can tip you over the edge. Drink water before, during and after exercise but don't overindulge.

3. Low blood pressure - fast movements from standing to lying can cause dizziness in people suffering from low blood pressure. Take your time between transitions or better still perform all your standing exercise and then all your floor exercises.

4. Blood pooling - after heavy leg exercises (squats, deadlifts) blood rushes to your legs in order to fuel your muscles. Ensure you take time to recover after these exercise and give the blood chance to recirculate. Don't sit down, moving around on your feet will help you return back to normal quicker.

5. Anaemia (iron deficiency) - because you have a lack of red blood cells you have less carriers for your oxygen and so can make it harder when exerted to return oxygen back to your brain.

6. Correct breathing - starving your body of oxygen by shallow breathing or holding your breath during exercise is a definate no-no. Concentrate on your breathing and this will not only get you through your exercise session but can improve your lung capacity and control your heart rate too.

7. Too much too soon - if you have been away from exercise for sometime or are trying something new then the shock to your body can cause spells of dizziness.

If after following this advice, or you still feel concerned about your dizzy spells, then consult a doctor.

MINT SUPERFOOD HEALTH BENEFITS

Peppermint tea is one of the most popular herbal infusions. It's refreshing, the flavor is clean and sweet, and it feels good to drink after a heavy meal. But did you know that mint holds some of the best health benefits?! Recent studies have even showed that if exposed to the peppermint scent a few times a day, it actually lowers your appetite and in return makes you consume less calories per day.

Soothe Your Tummy With Peppermint
In the world of health research, trials have repeatedly shown the ability of peppermint oil to relieve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, including indigestion, dyspepsia, and colonic muscle spasms. These healing properties of peppermint are apparently related to its smooth muscle relaxing ability. Once the smooth muscles surrounding the intestine are relaxed, there is less chance of spasm and the indigestion that can accompany it. The menthol contained in peppermint may be a key reason for this bowel-comforting effect.

Potential Anti-Cancer Agent
Interest in peppermint has extended well beyond the digestive tract, however. Perillyl alcohol is a phytonutrient called a monoterpene, and it is plentiful in peppermint oil. In animal studies, this phytonutrient has been shown to stop the growth of pancreatic, mammary, and liver tumors. It has also been shown to protect against cancer formation in the colon, skin, and lungs. These animal-based studies have yet to be matched by equally sound human studies, however.

An Anti-Microbial Oil
Esssential oil of peppermint also stops the growth of many different bacteria. These bacteria include Helicobacter pylori, Salmonella enteritidis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). It has also be found to inhibit the growth of certain types of fungus as well.

Breathe Easier with Peppermint
Peppermint contains the substance rosmarinic acid, which has several actions that are beneficial in asthma. In addition to its antioxidant abilities to neutralize free radicals, rosmarinic acid has been shown to block the production of pro-inflammatory chemicals, such as leukotrienes. It also encourages cells to make substances called prostacyclins that keep the airways open for easy breathing. Extracts of peppermint have also been shown to help relieve the nasal symptoms of allergic rhinitis (colds related to allergy).

A Rich Source of Traditional Nutrients
Peppermint also delivers a wide range of traditional nutrients. Peppermint is an excellent source of manganese, vitamin C and vitamin A, the latter notably through its concentration of carotenoids, including beta-carotene. Both vitamin C and beta-carotene seem to play a role in decreasing colorectal cancer risk. Vitamin C, the main water-soluble antioxidant in the body is needed to decrease levels of free radicals that can cause damage to cells. Some studies have shown a link between increased vitamin C intake and a decreased risk for colon cancer, possibly by as much as 40%, while other studies have shown that vitamin C intake can help to decrease the incidence of colon tumors. Beta-carotene and other carotenoids have been shown in some studies to decrease the risks of developing both colon cancer and rectal cancer. Carotenoids have also been shown to increase cell differentiation and protect cells against carcinogenic chemicals that could damage DNA. Vitamin A, which is structurally similar to beta-carotene, may help to decrease risk by preventing excessive colon cell proliferation and tumor formation.

In addition to all of the above healing properties, peppermint is a very good source of dietary fiber, folate, iron, magnesium, and calcium, vitamin B2 (based on its few calories and high nutrient density). This high nutrient density and low calorie status qualified peppermint as a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins B2, potassium and copper.

Information taken from The World's Healthiest Foods website.

HOW MUCH TO EXERCISE EACH DAY

You may have heard the U.S. Surgeon General's recommendation of 30 minutes of physical activity a day. This is intended for people who want to maintain the most basic level of fitness — but not for people who want to lose weight. In a week, 30 minutes a day works out to an expenditure of about 1,000 calories, which is fine if you are looking to maintain your current weight. But if you want to lose, you're going to have to be prepared for a bit more work.

I much prefer the World Health Organization's recommendation of 60 minutes at a time as a starting point for my clients — an hour is ideal to get the most out of your workout and see significant results. Your 60-minute workout sessions should always include a 5-minute warm-up, followed by 50 minutes of your primary cardio or strength-training exercises, followed by at least 5 minutes of cooling down and stretching.

Of course, putting in more time will get you more results — but there's a limit. Excessive intense physical activity releases stress hormones, such as cortisol, into the body. This can actually inhibit weight loss, causing your body to react by storing fat and retaining water out of self-protection. So, to reach your goal, I recommend limiting intense exercise to no more than two hours a session.

Taken from Losing It! with Jillian Michaels.

CHALLENGES PRODUCES RESULT

To strive for something in life, whether that be your career, health or fitness, it's not always an easy task. No, it might actually come as a shock to you how hard you have to work in order to achieve something you really, really want. It might even frighten you how hard or exhausting the task at hand can or will be. Now, you have choices. Is it so hard, frightening and exhausting that you choose to quit the journey. OR... Or do you find your motivation, dedication for the desire of your goal, dig deep inside of you and keep the fight going. It is your choice!

After all, it's your fight. Your desire. Your dream. Your goal. Your journey. People can help you walk down the path, but they can't walk it for you. That is where your own strength will show itself. How much do you want it? How much are you willing to challenge yourself in order to produce the results you want?

Yes, it is YOUR choice!

FEEL ALIVE WITH EXERCISE

Me getting ready for my morning cardio run.

Amazing how much exercise can make you feel awake, feel alive, feel better in general. No it's not fun when the alarm rings early in the morning and you have to drag your sorry ass out of bed, but once you're out there, after the first couple of kilometres, your body wakes up, you get that rush of endorphines, and once you've completed more than what you set out to do during that run, THAT feeling is what we all strive for. Set goals, dig in, complete them and feel proud of yourself accomplishing yet one more thing in life.

FEEL ALIVE!

WORLD'S BEST AB EXERCISE

We're always on the hunt for the best ab exercise, the one that will give us the flat tummy we've always dreamt about. Could this be it? American Sports Council have named the Captain's Chair the most effective ab exercise since it hits the ab muscles from all around. The best part is, you can do it while sitting in your chair at work.

The way to do a correct Captain's Chair:

- Sit in a chair high enough where your feet come off the ground when flexed.
- Sit on your hands.
- Put your body weight onto your hands (as if you're about to lift yourself up off the chair).
- Lift your thighs at least 6-8cm (2-3 inches) from the chair. Hold! Then lower them down again SLOWLY and controlled. Repeat for at least one minute.

You won't get a flat tummy just by doing this exercise, but it will tighten and strengthen your core muscles and it's a good complement to other ab exercises. Cardio is the key to losing fat on your body. I, myself, like running, but find anything that gets your heart rate up to 85% of your max pulse and just go mad with it.

NEW FITNESS PROJECT

Missing in action for a while. Sporadic blog updates. Yep, that's me. What can I say, I've been busy. :) But I've got a new fitness project starting which I will be sharing with you. This project of mine is actually a human, a girl who wants to get in shape and I'm gonna train her. My first pro-bono client! Haha! I've got 5 weeks to reduce her weight, body fat and tone her up. She's gonna look smoking HOT when I'm done with her.

I'm really excited about this, as this will be my chance to see if what I've learnt over the years, from others and my own experience in losing a total of 35 kilos (75 pounds), can be adapted to others as well. I'm sure it can, but it will take hard work, discipline and desire... on both parts. I will be joining her as well. Won't hurt me to tone up even more. ;))

If you have any questions during the process, comment away. Or even better, join us you too. Wherever you are in the world, follow us. Isn't the internet great?! haha.

That said, my feed day is over and I'm looking forward to a nice early run tomorrow morning. Hope Murphy feels up for it. Will get up real early before the heat strikes so he doesn't suffer too much. See ya'll tomorrow. Nite!

BUILD YOUR UPPER-BODY STRENGTH WITH THESE PUSH-UPS

Now that you've been training for a while, you can do sets of push-ups without even breaking a sweat. Feels good, right? Well, maybe it feels a little too good. It might be time to push yourself a bit by introducing some push-up variations to further train the chest, triceps, and shoulders. And that is on top of the Walking Komodo Dragon Alligator push-ups you're already doing in my BodyCombat class... ;)

Here are two advanced push-ups to add to your workout:

Plyo Push-up
Start in your usual push-up position. Slowly lower yourself to the floor. With an explosive burst, exhale and push yourself up, bringing your hands off the floor and clapping them together. Land in the push-up position and repeat. The plyo (for plyometric) push-up increases muscle power by adding extra difficulty. An easier alternative to this move is to do the push-ups on your knees instead of your toes.

Close-Grip Push-up
Start in a push-up position but keep your hands directly under your shoulders instead of out to the side. Your legs should be extended straight out behind you, your feet slightly apart, so you are balancing on the balls of your feet as well as your palms. Keep your elbows pressed firmly against your torso as you slowly lower yourself down. Exhale, press back up to the starting position, and repeat. This close-grip push-up places more emphasis on your anterior shoulder muscles and triceps as well as your chest.

Now, get going! :)