Bikini Workout

by Jenni in

This bikini workout has become one of my favorites for preparing for summer! The entire workout, with a warm-up and cool-down, should take about thirty minutes. This is a circuit workout, but none of the circuits are the same, making it always changing and never boring.  

Do not kid, this twenty minute sweat session can be intense. If you are running short on time or are new to working out, opt for completing each exercise for thirty seconds instead of one minute. For everyone else, Complete a 3-5 minute warm-up followed by each exercise done for a total of one  minute. Each circuit should take you five minutes. Complete each circuit without breaking in between. 

Circuit One

Complete each in order for 1 minute

Crunches

Lay your back on the ground with legs bent, hands behind the neck, and shoulders off the floor. Contract the abs so the force of their contraction is what lifts you off the ground and brings your chest in towards your legs. Slowly lower back to starting, making sure to keep the shoulders off the ground the entire time. Continue this for one minute.

Mountain Climbers

Oh so good! Get into plank position with arms straight under shoulders. Begin by bringing the right foot, then the left foot in towards the chest as quickly as possible. Be sure to keep you bum down and arms straight throughout. Continue for 1-minute.

Plank Dips

Get into regular plank (advanced) or lowered plank (intermediate) position. Make sure hips are even, then lower the right hip down towards the floor in the center of the body. Slowly return to starting, then alternate, dipping the right hip to the ground. Continue for one minute. 

Lunge to Arabesque

This is my new favorite exercise! It will work your entire leg and bum, plus all those hard to get at muscle between the two. Start by completing one lunge with your right leg, then lift up and swing the leg back to arabesque. Be sure to keep the leg straight, back up, shoulders down, and toes pointed. Hold, then swing the leg forward again to lunge. There should be no pause between the lunge and arabesque. Complete 12 per side.

Circuit Two

Lunges

Stand straight with feet hip width apart and hands on hips. Step the right leg in front of you about three feet and bend the right and left legs 90 degrees. Hold, then return to starting. Alternate legs for one minute, making sure to keep the torso straight and not extending the front knee past the front toes.  

Plank Leg Lifts

These are so great for a total body workout! They will increase balance and work every muscle from the back, arms, shoulders, intercostals, abs, and legs. Get into plank position with arms extended straight for advanced or bent with forerms on the ground for intermediate. Begin by lifting the right leg up about 45 degrees, making sure to keep the knee facing the floor and the foot flexed. Hold, then return to starting. Alternate from the right to the left leg for one minute.

Squats

Stand straight up with arms bent up at your side and legs shoulder width apart. Bend your knees and lower as far down as possible, hold, then slowly return to starting. Continue for one minute.  

Leg Lifts

Stand straight up with arms bent upward at your side and feet hip width apart. Slowly lift the right leg 45-90 degrees into the air, making sure that hips stay even the entire time. It is more important to keep hips even, the foot flexed, the legs straight, and knees facing the ground than it is to have a high leg. Hold this position, then slowly return to starting and alternate to the left side. Continue alternating leg lifts for one minute.  

Plie Squats

These are very similar to regular squats, but the feet are rotated outward and you keep your bum tucked in. Complete as many plie squats as you can in one minute. 

Circuit Three

Toe Touches

These are a great warm-up activity and a great workout. Stand straight up with feet hip width apart and your back straight. Begin lifting the right leg up while extending the left arm out in front of you. The goal is to be able to touch your left hand to your right toes without bending your back your simply kicking your leg up. Slowly return to starting and alternate between the right and left legs. 

Speed Skaters

These will get your heart rate lifted and your fat melting away! Stand with feet together and the right leg slightly out in front and toes pointed. Bend both legs, making sure that most your weight is on your left foot, the right foot should be aiding in balance only. Tuck arms into your sides and lower your back so you are in a running, crouched position. The back should be straight the entire time. Begin alternating lifting the right then the left arm up as quickly as possible in a fast running motion. Continue for one minute then alternate to the left side.   

Windshield Wipers

Goodness are these good for your abs! Lay on the floor, making sure that your entire back is touching the ground. Lift your legs straight into the air at a ninety degree angle. Your legs should be stuck together like glue during this entire exercise. Begin by lowering leg to the right while keeping both hips on the floor, hold, then rise back up. Continue this motion from the right side to the left for one minute.  

Bridge Pose

These will get some major results in the glutes department! Lay on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Tuck shoulders underneath and raise your back off the ground. The only part of your torso on the floor should be your shoulder blade region. Hold this position for 30 seconds, making sure to lift hips as high as possible.  

After thirty seconds, lift the right leg straight into the air. Hold this position for 15 seconds then alternate to the left foot being in the air. Be sure hips stay even and you continue lifting up as high as possible for the whole minute.  

Circuit Four

Complete each exercise in order for 30 seconds.

Sun Salutation

Complete three Sun Salutations. Then, bring the right leg between your hands after the third downward facing dog.  

Warrior Two

Rise up from your downward facing dog and go directly into a warrior two pose. Hold this pose for thirty seconds, making sure your body is in alignment, your arms are up, and your shoulders are down. Keep the front leg bent as low as possible without letting the knee bent extend past the right foot.

Triangle Pose

After 30 seconds in warrior two, straighten the left leg and extend to torso forward, still keeping your body straight like you are between two sheets of glass.

Once you are as forward as possible, bend the torso downward and extend the left arm to the ground, the knee, or the ankle. The goal is to keep the torso in alignment more than low to the ground. Keep the right arm straight up towards the ceiling and look over the right hand. Hold for thirty seconds.

Reverse Warrior

After 30 sconds in triangle, Lift the body back up tow warrior two and bend the right leg. Bend the torso back and place the left arm on the back of the left leg. The right arm should be extended towards the back wall right above your head. Look up towards the ceiling and hold for thirty seconds.

After 30 seconds, complete one more sun salutation and continue every pose on the left side.  

For the First-Time Hot Yogi

by Jenni in

Hot yoga can do wonders for your stamina and health. But, getting into the hot yoga flow can be difficult, and depending on you fitness experience, intimidating. This week I will be going to my first hot yoga class in over three months- it might as well be my first time. 

Since I too am a bit nervous about going to hot yoga and forgetting which way is up, I have collected some great online tips and videos about your first hot yoga class. One of the greatest helps so far is this hot yoga class on YouTube. Although this is only a 60-minute class, it goes over a lot of the flows from hot yoga and will give a great idea of the intensity and poses done in your 90-minute class. This class can be done prior to your actual class. As for tips, I have a few that have helped me through many a first time-like hot yoga experience.

Towels

When it comes to hot yoga, you can never have enough towels. I like to bring one towel or yoga rug for my mat, a facial towel for my face, and a beach towel in my car. Having one or two small towels along with these will always be welcome at the end of your hot yoga experience.

Water

Let me start by saying that I was trained to not drink a lot of water. This has left me with a distaste for drinking water while working out- except when it comes to hot yoga. There are only a few water breaks during hot yoga, use them well. What I do and I have seen many others do is bring two large bottles of water, one cold and one frozen. By the time you are done with your first 16-24 oz water bottle, the second will be nice and chilly for your enjoyment. Ah, refreshing!

Also, remember to drink lot and lots and lots of water after your yoga class. It is common for people to sweat out over a liter of water and, even, pounds of water weight. Be sure to kick up your water intake to double the recommended amount. This will keep you energized and ready for your whole day, not just your 90-minute class.  

Location

The location you pick for your hot yoga class can go a long way towards your positive experience. A rule of thumb is that the room will be cooler the closer you are to the door. Usually, the heat machine is in the far back corner of the room. Therefore, the far back corner tends to be the hottest part of the room and the farther you are from the heater, the cooler you will be.

You may be thinking, "I will take the space closest to the door and have a wonderfully cool class!" Mistake. Although this is the coolest place in the room, you will have no idea what is going on during the portions of the class when you are turned towards the door. Instead, go for the back row middle of the room. This will ensure that you are not in too intense of heat for the first class, but you will also have plenty of other people to refer to when lost. Win.  

Food

There are a great deal of mixed opinions when it comes to food and hot yoga. Personally, I do not enjoy ever working out directly after a meal or snack. If you are in that mindset, it is best to eat a snack with somewhat equal amounts of proteins and carbs one to two hours before class. I like to snack on a protein bar or some Greek yogurt a few hours before class. Too much food can weight you down and leave you feeling heavy or sluggish, too little food can bring nausea and leave you feeling light headed during the class and after it is over. 

Also remember to eat after your class gets out. This snack/meal should be high in protein and have the good carbs. A salad with some lean chicken would be a great post workout meal!

Things I am Excited About

by Jenni in

There are a few things that have happened over the past week that I am super excited about. Since it is unusual for P+K to share personal tid-bits on life, I had a very long debate with myself on whether or not a personal post would be good. Finally, it came down to the fact that, one, I am just to excited not to share, and two, it may explain why some posts have been a bit more dry than others lately. To those whom may dislike personal posts, I completely understand and promise that this will not be a crazy new P+K trend, and more importantly, it will not be boring.

Tomorrow things will be back to health and fitness as usual, but today, we take it personal with a few recent happenings that have made me super happy.  

This Book

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Since we got back from Michigan I have gone a bit crazy on the reading front. Seriously. It has not been uncommon for me to spend anywhere from three to eight (eight!) hours reading per day. I absolutely love stories and have found a pretty big character weakness through them... Almost any story can become like crack to me and there is no stopping until I know everything that has happened. This whole addiction seems to be taken to another level before we leave for Michigan and after we get back since I am unable to read very much at all while away.  

To begin my book obsession stage I read four of the six Mortal Instruments books (do not judge too harshly, this is a no-judge zone), What We Talk About When We Talk About God, and am still in the process of reading Either/Or. Then, I decided to take this week to complete my annual Pride and Prejudice reading (did I mention this is a no judge zone?). After that, a good friend told me I must read Austenland. It has been made into a film that will be out in about a month and looks absolutely hi-lar-i-ous. The book was read in one 6-hour sitting and I loved it the whole way through.  

Now, I cannot wait for the movie to be released and see Keri Russell's rendition of Jane. It will be, possibly, the cutest chick-flick ever. If you are into Jane Austen, even a little, I would completely recommend reading this book. Everything is in true Austen form with witty banter, love-to-hate characters, and a heroin you root for the whole time. Seriously, read.  

Yes, this whole reading fixation is also the reason for my late and, sometimes, shorter than average posts. My guilty pleasure has been found.

This Recipe

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I came across this Snapguide recipe today and am uber excited to try it out. One of the hardest parts of my becoming a vegetarian was giving up buffalo chicken. It is amazing. Sure, the buffalo chick'n you buy at stores are yummy, but is is not the most healthy thing in the world and does not seem to fill that chicken-shaped void in my stomach. Hopefully, this simple and healthy recipe will be good enough to thoroughly enjoy and healthy enough to leave me guilt free.   

This House

The hubs and I will be making  trip to California later this year and I have just found out that Disneyland's Haunted Mansion will be don up in it's Christmas decor when we are there. For the massive Disney fan that I am, it is quite ridiculous that I have never been to Disneyland before. I am embarrassed. Then, add the whole Nightmare Before Christmas love I have and you may understand why I will be counting down the days.

Just in case you have no idea what I am talking about, which is likely, every year Jack Skellington and the Nightmare Before Christmas crew move into the Disneyland Haunted Mansion. It has become a pretty icon part of the Disneyland Christmas decor that I am super excited to see. This is extra special to me since it will also be my first time visiting the original "Happiest Place on Earth". Excited? Yes, I am.  

This Workout

The fittest time of my life would have to be, hands down, when I was training in classical ballet. There is nothing like ballet when it comes to toning and elongating muscles. For real. I can still remember a day when a 14-year-old classmate stoped me to comment on how huge my arm muscles were. I was picking up a stack of books and had no idea that bulging muscles were unusual, especially for a 12 year-old girl. Since then, my workouts have seemed to become more intense, but the muscle definition I had in my ballet days went away along with my pointe shoes.

Ballet is a form of exercise that athletes to actresses to super-models swear by. There is nothing that I have found that tones the muscles, elongates the body, and increases personal ability quite like ballet. Do not believe me, look at those like super-model Miranda Kerr who swears by the Ballet Bodies fitness studio located in L.A. But, not all of us are withing driving distance of L.A., or personal comfort to be seen in a class.  

Enter this workout video series. For quite some time I have considered getting back into ballet, at least for the incredible barre routines that would be sure to give my body a lift. But, pride has gotten in the way every time and whenever I consider it I think of what a bumbling fool I could be. Then, I found this highly acclaimed workout series by the NY ballet that can be done in the privacy of home. Yes.  

Something that excites me just as much as ordering this series is being able to review it for you. Give it a few weeks and I will be sure to tel you all my thoughts on the re-enter ballet subject!  

 


What is Blood Pressure

by Jenni in

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The hubs and I recently had our blood pressure professionally taken. This led to an interesting realization that the hub's blood pressure is waaay too high for his age and fitness level. Up until now, I have never really considered high blood pressure to be an issue for us, we are young twenty-somethings who workout and eat not terribly... Minus the occasional brownie or fast food stop. I know, awful.

What is Blood Pressure

Since this whole blood pressure and the idea of hypertension or high blood pressure is new to me, I need to start from square one- blood pressure is the force of our blood against the walls of our arteries and is measured by systolic and diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure is the amount of force against the arterial wall when the heart is contracted. Diastolic pressure is the force between contractions. Since systolic pressure is measured when the heart is contracted, it makes sense that this pressure would be higher than diastolic pressure.

When measuring blood pressure, the systolic measurement will always be above the diastolic. Meaning that your blood pressure will always be the higher number over the lower. This measurement is made in mm Hg, millimeters of mercury. Normal blood pressure is any number less than 120 over 80. Semi-high is anything between 120-139 over 80-89. High blood pressure is anything between 140-159 over 90-99, this is known as phase 1 of hypertension. Phase 2 hypertension is anything between 160-180 over 100-109. This Having anything higher than this is extremely dangerous.

Effects of Blood Pressure

Low blood pressure or hypotension (anything less than 90/60 mm Hg) can be caused from a lack of blood volume, pregnancy, infection, a lack of vitamin B12, dehydration, endocrine or heart problems , or even be hereditary. Low blood pressure is not an issue unless the person becomes fatigued, depressed, cold or clammy with an inability to become warm on their own, dizzy or lightheaded, dehydrated, or has blurred vision. Unlike low blood pressure, high blood pressure can be dangerous to our health and come with a great deal of unwanted side effects. Sometimes, people with high blood pressure have symptoms such as dizziness, nose bleeds, or headaches. If you have any of these, do not drop everything and run to your doctor. Most people with high blood pressure have no symptoms at all and most of these symptoms over-lap with about fifty other issues. Ridiculous, I know.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, can be caused by anything from lack of sleep to narrow arteries due to arterial plaque build-up. Although our blood pressure is continually changing depending on our heart rate, and even, our sitting position, high blood pressure usually builds up over years and will be seen in multiple blood pressure readings. If your blood pressure is unusually high during a reading, take a moment and test it again. If multiple tests come back with high blood pressure, chances are, the test is right. Hypertension that occurs rapidly is called secondary hypertension. This occurs quickly and, unlike primary hypertension, will not be seen gradually increasing over years. Although primary, or essential hypertension is gradually increased over years, there is no know cause of it. Secondary hypertension can be brought on due to issues with the kidneys, tumors in the adrenal glands, hereditary issues, or be a side effect of certain drugs.

If you find you have high blood pressure, it is best to lower it sooner rather than later. High blood pressure can damage the heart and arteries over time, cause heart attack or strokes.

Causes of High Blood Pressure

One in three Americans have hypertension ranging from phase 1 to severe. Most of us have heard that salt increases blood pressure, so, it goes without saying that one of the most common ways to lower your blood pressure is to lower your salt intake. Keeping our salt intake to below one teaspoon, or 2,300 mg, per day can help lower blood pressure over time.  

Other causes of high blood pressure include age- as we age our risks of hypertension increase, race- African American's are at higher risk of high blood pressure, a potassium deficiency, obesity, increased alcohol consumption- more than two drinks per day can increase blood pressure and damage the heart over time, stress, tobacco, a vitamin D deficiency- vitamin D produces enzymes used in the kidneys, sleep apnea, diabetes, and kidney disease. If you know any of these are an issue for you and can be altered, it is best to alter them now rather than, say, tomorrow. Exercise is one of the quickest ways to see a lower blood pressure measurement since it will effect many different areas of your life. If exercises is not common for you, start out slow with light jogs or speed walks depending on ability.