The side plank and plank jumping jacks are all really great; just be sure to hold that naval to the spine as hard as you can. As for reps, do as many as you can and try for more on your next workout. If you can only do five on Tuesday, make sure you do six or seven on Wednesday. The only rule? Never go back to five! Always continue pushing forward.
A heart rate monitor is very important because every day is different. Sometimes you may have a ton of energy, and other days you may not, but you can hold yourself accountable for knowing how hard you're working by having a very specific goal to work toward.
Veggies and fruit are known to harbor bacteria, and so your body naturally wants to avoid them. I used to beat myself up about trying to get enough fresh food and protein like I did before getting pregnant. But then I resigned myself to the fact that my body is going to crave what it needs.
Fashion is really our armor in the world.
Soup is really easy to make: you can take basil, celery, acorn squash and boil them and then put them in the blender with sea salt. It's delicious and only takes about 15 minutes. You can make it the night before. It's kind of like making baby puree, and there are a ton of super easy recipes.
Our skin is the largest organ and one of the ways we eliminate waste.
Caffeine is hard on an empty system, so I try not to do it unless it's to get my heart rate up. If you drink caffeine 15 minutes before the workout, it can make it more effective. So I'll do tea or coffee after breakfast.
If I have my breakfast after my workout, I'll do a shaker with whey protein, chia, greens powder, and maca. When I get out, I'll put ice in the shaker with coconut water, shake it, and have it for breakfast.
Some great soups are filling and warm. So, at the four o'clock hour, when people are craving caffeine and a cookie, soup is a really great option because it fills you up and feels like a meal, so it can keep you going until dinner, but it's not hugely caloric.
I will make a ton of meat and fish and poultry on Sunday and then again on Wednesday. It's not always easy to get protein if you don't prepare in advance.
There's nothing that helps clear my mind and improve my mood more than sweating in a room with my friends to some amazing new music and feeling stronger and taller every time I walk out. It's truly incredible. I'm addicted. And the results aren't half bad, either.
Just because your body is losing inches doesn't mean you're losing weight or vice versa. It's not about the weight: it's about building lean muscle, which is going to increase your metabolism and then allow you to lose weight quicker.
As I get older, I think about the quality of my life and a balanced way to enjoy that. That's true wellness - being well from inside out.
If you only focus on your abdominal wall, your back isn't going to be as strong, and so there's going to be an imbalance in your body. You want them to be strong together and work together, and not have one overcompensate.
You can tell if you feel like you are unable to recover from the workout you had. It's still hard to breathe. You don't have energy. You are sore instantly. You just can't seem to get enough water. Then it's too hard.
I don't think that anyone should be working out more than 60 to 90 minutes, four to five days a week.
Sleep more. I don't think anyone understands how important it is. If you have a choice where you've only been sleeping five or six hours and can sleep an extra hour or work out, sleep an extra hour.
Dance classes are not designed to be workouts - they're designed to teach skill.
The most important tip is to find a workout that you love - one that you're excited to go to. And do it with a group of friends. That's one of the reasons I created Happy Hour. It's effective, but it's also really fun to dance together under a disco ball.
I love giving myself and my clients gold stars every day that they've completed a workout - it feels really good.
