Blog Archives
Brushing Up On February’s Magazines
Just in the nick of time! It’s the last day of February and March’s mags are all over the newsstands, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pick up an old issue and learn some new tricks (With the flu hitting so hard, you’re bound to see something older at a doctor’s office). Here are a few winners in four of my favorite titles.
1. Marissa Miller has a killer bikini workout.
Miller has a rockin' bod. You can too!
It’s not a surprise when she looks like that on the first page of her feature. I love the “triple-delt duty” exercise sequence to sculpt amazing shoulders and the “burpee” definitely wipes you out! Wanna know how to do it, too?
“Burpee”
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and put hands on floor in front of feet.
- Hop feet back, then forward again.
- Jump up, catching air and raising hands over head.
- Continue for one minute.
- Add a push-up while in plank pose to make it more of a challenge.
“Triple-delt duty”
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand out to the sides at shoulder level.
- Circle arms forward 15 times, then back 15 times.
- Next, bend elbows at 90 degrees.
- Rotate forearms down so they’re parallel to the floor, then back up. Do 15 reps.
- Finally bring elbows together in front of you, then back out. Do 15 reps.
Pick up the February issue of Shape to get the rest of this fat-burning workout!
2. You’re not too fat for the gym.
Excellent, excellent essay.
Self had an amazing essay by Renee L. Todd about dealing with weight gain after being a gym rat. At first, Todd never missed a spin class and made a home among the family of women there. But then she turned into a worried mother to an autistic son, and she felt ashamed heading to the gym to better herself when she could’ve been spending her time finding new ways to help her son. After awhile, she simply felt too fat to go to the gym and was terrified of showing herself in front of her former spinning family. This essay is definitely a must-read, especially if you’re looking for that extra boost of motivation.
3. Machines are your friend.
Lean, mean, fightin' machine!
A ton of my clients tell me that they’ve never used strength-training machines simply because they don’t know how and they look pretty intimidating. Well, FITNESS broke it down for us, explaining which machines are the most efficient and how to properly use them. Now you can be confident using the same machines as the guys!
4. Sleek strategies to boost your body confidence.
Isn't he nice to look at?
Dr. Travis Stork, author of The Lean Belly Prescription is featured in March’s issue of Women’s Health (they put out a January/February issue) and shares the secrets that will slim you down and help you feel healthier and more confident about your body. One not-so-fancy tip? “Spend more time in the dairy , produce and meat aisles,” Stork says. “That’s where slim women shop.” Pick up the latest issue to get more of his slim strategies.
Have you read these issues yet? What do you like about them?
Learning from November’s Magazines
As an obsessed magazine subscriber and purchaser, I constantly forage through as many as I can get my hands on to study layout, design, and of course, look for good content. While I read about 15 different titles a month, there are a few favorites that I always make sure to read cover-to-cover. Of course, they’re all health and fitness related! So, what did we learn this month? Here are three top things I picked up, one from each issue.
1. We have the right to bare arms.
If you couldn’t tell yet, I’m a huge fan of Bob Harper, a personal trainer on The Biggest Loser. I love his personality, the way he connects with clients, and the workouts are sheer torture. I have all of his latest workout DVDs and each one is a doozy. FITNESS created an awesome upper body workout from various moves on Bob’s DVDs, and many of them I never would’ve thought of doing on my own. I’ve done it myself a few times and ran my clients through it, and so far they all love it! No hiding my arms in bulky sweaters this winter!
Added bonus: FITNESS’ Karla Walsh interviewed Bob to get the scoop on his vegan lifestyle and shared healthy eating tips with us!
2. The average smoker inhales 425 cigarettes a month, according to Self.
Wow. And ew. That’s all I can really say. Luckily, Self had a lot more to say. Catherine Ryan wrote a great article that digs into a person’s “smoking personality,” gave them tips to quit, and provided some myth busters. Did you know that the average smoker spends $1,408 a year on smoking? In today’s economy, the cost of cigarettes alone should be reason enough to quit.
Self also gave 10 reasons to quit, most of which I didn’t know before. If you don’t want to quit for you, do it for your favorite pets! Secondhand smoke can lead to them developing cancer. Want to have kids someday? Smokers have a greater risk for infertility. This article is full of interesting information — I immediately texted my smoker friends and told them to go buy it.
3. The average supermarket carries 46,852 items, and Women’s Health scoured the aisles to find 125 of the best packaged food for women. Now I don’t have to search through everything! I don’t know about you, but I hate the fact that grocery shopping takes me about two hours to complete whenever I’m buying a lot of stuff. There are so many labels to read and prices to compare. And I’m still a college student — I have homework to finish, meetings to attend, and work to do! Women’s Health did a great job of narrowing things down for me so I know which packages to not even give a second glance.
The categories are broken into “sweets & treats,” “breads & cereals,” ”condiments,” “pasta & rice,” “snacks, crackers & chips,” ”frozen meals,” “drinks,” “fruits & veggies,” “soups,” “dairy,” and “meat & seafood.” Phew, I think they’ve got it all covered! I’m not going to list everything they have, but let me just say, I’m glad they have Emerald’s Trail Mix – Tropical Blend and Campbell’s Select Harvest Light Italian-Style Vegetable Soup — they’re both staples in my house. Now that I have this list, I bet I’ll be able to transition my boyfriend over to some healthier meals!
Each magazine has a ton of other great articles (FITNESS’ “Power Surge,” Self‘s “Lose weight like a guy” and Women’s Health‘s “Is your health on the line?”), so make sure you go out and snag a copy!
Have you read these issues yet? What did you like about them?
