By Nicole Flanagan With the cold weather rolling in and the days getting shorter it seems like we all have less time on our hands. With an already jam-packed schedule we tend to skip out on workouts (or stop exercising entirely) and by the time we get to the New Year we all feel compelled to get back to that pre-holiday shape. This year lets try to do things a little different. Instead of slowing down on the exercise routine and abandoning your diet completely, keep up the good work and by the time the New Year gets here you will be starting off on a positive foot. Pay attention to what you eat at your holiday parties and keep your butt moving through the last leg of the holiday season. Here are just a few tips to keep you looking and feeling your best! Keep Moving: Without realizing it we sometimes slow down on our exercise routines. This time make a steadfast commitment to workout. Just like you make your work schedule, take time to pencil in a workout. If you end up missing a workout make it up as soon as possible. Remember it is easier to stick to a fitness program than it is to start one after months of inactivity. Take your workout outdoors: Most people will bring their workouts inside when the weather starts to get chilly. Instead, take advantage of what the weather has to offer. Bundle up a bit and take a walk, you’ll have to walk a bit faster to keep yourself warm while also burning more calories. Travel Smart: Don’t abandon your workout because of traveling for work or family holiday parties. If you are on a business trip try staying at a hotel that has a gym. You don’t need…
By Kimberly Putens The look for the holidays is all about “bling”. It’s bling for the hair, on our nails and on our face. Shimmer, shimmer, shimmer is the mantra for the holiday season. But remember its shimmer, not glitter. There is a big difference. Shimmer is dewy and glowing. Glitter is reminiscent of our children’s art box. Avoid the glitter and embrace the shimmer. Shimmer products are best used to accentuate one’s luminous glow. It’s best applied on the cheeks, the lips and down the bridge of the nose. It also looks great along the brow line to give the eye an instant lift. And who doesn’t want a little lift? It’s certainly cheaper and easier than going under the knife. Warm hues of copper and champagne are top notch this holiday season. Think sun kissed, bronzed and glowing, like George Hamilton. Try copper shades on the eyes accented with bronzer on the cheeks and face. Finish the look off with warm champagne hues for the lips. To fully capture this look, the lips should be 24 kt, a la J. Lo. In keeping with the trend for the fall, smoky eyes are still fashionable for the holidays. While not appropriate for the office, the smoky eye is a great evening accessory to the little black dress. Consider shades of amethyst and navy, instead of black, to add some sparkle. Simply take a dark liner and line the eyes along the top and bottom rim. Use a similar shade of eye shadow color and color over the eyeliner and smudge. Some brands have smudge pots that make creating the smoky eye a breeze. A great alternative to the smoky eye is the sultry red lip. Red lips look especially festive during the holiday season. If you intend to wear…
By Kim Putens As we approach the holidays, food becomes more than a necessity to nourish our bodies. It is a reason to bring families together, a reminder of fond memories, and the focus of many traditions. We don’t typically think of food as an important ingredient in our skin care products. In fact, many items from our holiday table are showing up in many skin care products. In the spirit of the holidays, one ingredient worthy of special attention is pumpkin. This enzyme is an alternative to alpha hydroxy acids as an exfoliant/peel ingredient for the skin. A fruit acid, pumpkin has many properties – as an exfoliation accelerator, a powerful anti-oxidant and a mild retonic acid substitute. As an exfoliant pumpkin gently breaks down the outer layers of the skin, leaving it looking fresher and feeling softer by sloughing off dead skin. As a powerful antioxidant, it combats oxidative and free radical damage. The beta carotene properties of pumpkin work to naturally repair skin damage. What also makes pumpkin so desirable in skin care products is that it does not contain fragrance chemicals that are often irritating to the skin. Since food ingredients are proliferating skin care products, let’s explore some of the other common ingredients penetrating our products, their usages and beneficial properties: Basil – contains anti-inflammatory properties and protects the vascular system. In doing so, it calms inflammation and diminishes dark circles. Blueberries – another darling of the antioxidant world, blueberries also have an important vaso-constricting impact. They help diminish redness and, because of its gentle qualities, it is safe for the rosacea-prone to use. Chamomile – found in many forms, the principal components of the essential oil extracted from the flowers has moderate antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Cranberries – provides exfoliating properties, acts as an…
By Nicole Flanagan The holiday season doesn’t just represent one day of overeating, it’s an extended period of time where there is more, alcohol, more snacks, and more appetizers that contain many more calories that are actually necessary. Media stories suggest that the average person gains 7 to 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas. In surveys, people say they gain, on average, about five pounds this time of year. However, several studies now show that the average weight gain during the winter holidays is just one pound. This news isn’t all good. According to the National Institute of Health, most people don’t ever lose the pound of weight they put on during the holidays. The average weight gain during adulthood is about one to two pounds a year, which means much of midlife weight-gain can be explained by holiday eating. The key to maintain a healthy weight during the holidays is to monitor your portions. Of course, this can be hard when the temptations are endless. For one, never arrive at a party hungry. It’s easy to over-eat when you arrive at a party and you’re starving. Try having a healthy snack and a glass of water before you head out. Opt for water or club soda instead of alcohol. Drinking alcohol not only adds on empty calories, it also inhibits your ability to control what you eat. Many people will eat more when consuming alcohol than if they were only drinking non-alcoholic beverages. Not to mention it will make you feel much better for your morning workout! Sticking to your workout plan will also play a big role in how your holiday season plays out. It’s a busy time of year and it is easy to get caught up with everything else going on. Your Monday morning spin class…
By Ryan Unverzagt This month’s exercise is the FitBall Leg Curl. This exercise focuses on the hamstrings, but also involves the glutes, low-back, and spinal extensor muscles. Begin by lying flat on your back with your legs straight. Position the center of the FitBall underneath your heels. Lift the hips up by contracting your glutes and low-back. You should form a straight line from your shoulders to the feet. Arms can be parallel at your sides or out perpendicular (like a “T”) for better balance. This is the start and finish position. Slowly roll the FitBall toward yourself using your hamstrings while maintaining the bridge position. Do not let your hips drop during the exercise. Keep the movement controlled as you roll the ball back to the start position. The slower you go, the more difficult the exercise. An advanced move is to perform this exercise with a single leg. From the bridge position, lift one foot off the FitBall a few inches while the other leg does all the work! This simple maneuver takes much more effort and focus. You will appreciate how much balance is required even though you are lying down! I hope you are keeping up with your exercise routine going into the holiday season, will make it a lot easier to justify eating your way through Thanksgiving! Have a good one. About the Author: Unverzagt holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Wellness Management from Black Hills State University. He is a certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength & Conditioning Association and a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer through the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
By Genevieve LeFranc Fewer things leave us feeling more refreshed than the first signs of autumn. Cold, foggy mornings with frosted grass; air that smells smoky, woodsy and crisp; and that tingling excitement that comes in anticipation of the holiday season and time spent with family. While we briefly mourn the loss of summer, not one of us will miss the days of makeup dripping off our faces under the summer sun, or hiding behind massive sunglasses because of the former. Fall is the time we unpack those boxes of chunky knits and nubby knee socks, and begin to embrace the glittering, sumptuous jewel tones that dazzle this time of year. Autumn gets better as the days get shorter, and colors begin to unfold before our eyes. From the fiery foliage of morphing leaves, to the earthy palette of pumpkins and gourds, no other season embraces rich, refined colors quite like fall. So give your makeup bag an autumnal revamping that will rival the most colorful throngs of Halloween trick or treaters. Eyes are the stars of fall so don’t be afraid to give them the vibrant attention they deserve this time of year. Bold, striking brows, sleek liner, thick lashes, and mesmerizing palates turned up on the runways at Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, Marc Jacobs, and Prada. The best way to execute a colorful eye look is to work with what you got! Use the natural color of your eyes, using complementary colors to guide you. Baby Blues Blue-eyed beauties should stay in the amber to bronze range. Other than that, feel free to explore this color range. If your eyes are a deep, denim blue, try a rich amber, a luxe copper, or a shimmery rust shade to provide a beautiful contrast. For pale, icy blue eyes, try a…
By Nicole Flanigan October marks the beginning of the holiday season. This is the time of year when we start making all those yummy baked goods and delicious homemade soups. Instead of letting all this wonderful food catch up to us this year, let’s make a goal to maintain our fitness. Fall is the best time to get yourself back into a fitness routine and gear up for the cooler months ahead. Well, it has been thirty days since then and hopefully everyone has been able to stick with his or her fitness routines. In case you are starting to falter from your schedule, here are some tips to keep you motivated for the next month. I’m sure that some of you have had a little extra time to set aside for your workout now that the kids are back in school. Just remember that dedicated workout times are great but you can get your exercise other ways as well. You don’t necessarily have to set aside a whole hour to workout. Exercising can actually be a lot of fun. Wondering what to do on a Saturday afternoon? Look for an activity that suits the whole family! Check out a local climbing wall or hiking trail. Push your kids on the swings or climb with them on the jungle gym. Plan a neighborhood kickball or touch football game. Find an activity you enjoy, and go for it. If you get bored, try something new. If you’re moving, it counts! Exercise helps us deal with stress and can increase the energy we need to deal with all of our daily activities. Exercise stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out. You’ll also look better and feel better when you…
By Ryan Unverzagt Balance is the foundation for nearly every movement. We rely on it so much without even thinking twice about it. Balance is utilized during sitting, standing up, walking, climbing stairs, running, and not to mention…exercise, which is why I want to share a few ways to test your balance this month. Let me start off by explaining about the two types of balance – static and dynamic. Static balance is the ability to hold a position without excessive movement for a certain amount of time, such as standing on one leg. Dynamic balance is being able to maintain control while performing a movement, such as walking a tightrope. Now, I don’t expect you to be able to actually walk a tightrope, you can leave that up to Barnum & Bailey’s Circus performers! Here is the first exercise to test your static balance: Stand upright with your feet together and arms at your sides. Slowly lift one foot off the ground by flexing your hip and knee and hold that position for at least 30 seconds. Switch feet to find out which leg has better control. The goal is to feel comfortable on each side in order to progress to more challenging exercises. The second balance exercise starts just like the first except that you will be looking over your left and right shoulders to increase difficulty. Start by looking at the wall in front of you then slowly scan the room toward your left shoulder without looking down at the floor. Once you’ve looked over that shoulder, scan back to the right side until you’ve looked over the other one. Repeat this 10 times on each leg. Once you’ve mastered this exercise, try scanning from your toes, along the floor and up the wall to the ceiling…
By Ryan Unverzagt September is one of my favorite months because college and pro football are in full swing. Athletes have been grinding it out for the past month and a half in training camps and the weight room. Now is their opportunity to showcase their talents to the world. I can only hope that you can find that same type of motivation to keep working hard on your health. Think of how exercise makes you feel better. You have more energy, sleep soundly, stress less, and think clearer, but more importantly, you have more confidence and happiness in your life. If these benefits don’t get you going, I’m not sure what will! This month’s exercise is called the Bosu Balance Single-Leg Abduction. A great challenge for balance and concentration. You want to get comfortable standing on top with both feet before attempting just one. This exercise can be included in your warm-up and performed at the beginning of your routine. To start, step on top of the Bosu with a single foot directly in the center of the rings. I think of it as a bulls-eye. Line the opposite foot next to the planted one (Figure 1). Keep only one foot in contact with the Bosu before moving the leg out to the side (abduction) and away from the center (Figure 2). This movement should be slow and under control. Pause for a few seconds once your leg is abducted before bringing it back to the start position. If your balance gets thrown off (and it will), simply touch the non-planted foot back on the Bosu to regain balance. It’s also ok if you just step off completely and start over. I suggest using a mirror for feedback, but the goal is to maintain balance without looking down at…
By Nicole Flanagan We all have mental hurdles that we need to jump before getting into workout mode. For some of us it’s just getting up and out of bed and making it to the gym first thing in the morning. Sometimes it’s the end of the day exhaustion that you have to convince yourself will go away once you get on the elliptical. Whichever problem you may be having here are a few ways to rethink a pre-workout hesitation. Don’t think: “The scale doesn’t budge, why bother working out” Do think: “Keep up the good work and it will pay off” Stick with the scale: Love it and you’ll probably lose pounds. In a study at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, of 3,026 adults who were watching their waistlines, those who weighed themselves more frequently lost more weight over two years or regained fewer pounds. Plateaus are part of the process, Stay motivated in the meantime by giving yourself credit for how much better your clothes fit and for improving your overall health. Fix the problem by changing up your routine. As your metabolism changes to accommodate your smaller size, you are going to have to change what you’re doing to keep your body responding and shedding fat. If you’re eating light already (around 1,500 calories a day), don’t cut back more; turn up the intensity and/or increase the length of your workout session a smidge. This will not only burn more calories but also increase your cardio capacity, meaning that everything feels easier to do, so you can keep exercising. Crank the resistance on your stationary bike, push the pace of your walk or run for one-minute intervals, or add step-ups or jumping jacks between sets of toning moves: The cardio-strength mix of circuit training burns 512…
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