Ballet

There is a new ballet documentary that I have gotten a bit addicted to as of late. It is about the NYC ballet and what the dancers must do to perform, stay competitive, and keep their places.

Did you ever take ballet? For a few of my friends and myself, it was a cornerstone of our childhood. Dance helped my understand graceful movements and physical awareness. Anytime I see a dancer I am amazed at how structured they are- they know exactly what their bodies can and cannot do and how to make them perform to the fullest. It really is incredible!

This documentary currently has two seasons with mini episodes that will not take you long to watch at all. What is really more dangerous is just marathoning this to the end.

Happy Wednesday and I do not think you will be hearing from me tomorrow since it is our anniversary! Do not fret though, there will be a weekly sum-up on Sunday to make up for Thursday's absence :)

Make Your Own Rules

Tara Stiles' Make Your Own Rules Diet book is now available and I have already started reading mine! Of course, there will be a review out shortly- as soon as I can decide whether to read the book then review it or read the book, do the diet plan, and also complete all the yoga flows, then review it. Honestly, the second option sounds much more thorough and quite a bit better. That, however, will take time.

Although I am not a band-wagon dieter, I do appreciate Tara Stiles' health philosophies and need to get my body on a better track than where it is heading. If you are like me, the diet part may not sound so great, but the getting your health and fitness life on track could be what we all need.

Tara seemed very wise in releasing the book before the holidays rather than after. Of course, she could have made more if it was released right before Christmas or at the New Year, but let's face it, we all need a little extra help when pies, potatoes, cookies, and all other not healthy things are being passed around like a necessity.

Really though, I am just excited to get some help with health goals, see what her ridiculously yummy recipes are, and have some fantastic new yoga flows! If that sounds good to you as well, let's do it together! You can order the book by clicking the link above or any of the links in the article :) Now, let's have some fun with health food!

Motivation for Your Monday

Today is the perfect day for a Disney quote! We all need a little extra courage sometimes. Dreaming takes courage, for sure. But what takes even more courage is making your dreams come true. Today, I hope that you are able to do something that takes you out of your comfort zone and gives you the opportunity to move one step closer to your dreams.

We have all heard the quote, "everything you want lays outside of your comfort zone." Walt Disney knew that for sure. Be courageous and go do that thing that scares you so you can have the things you want!

Why You Should Try GRIT

Happy Sunday! I hope your weekend has been absolutely marvelous! Today, the hubs and I are going out with my Dad ans step-Mom for her birthday. We will also be having my favorite meal ever at our new mall- brunch! Eep, I am so excited!! It is the one the I looked forward to being able to do at this mall more than anything else- although the shopping is pretty darn great too.

This week has included two hot yoga classes, one of which we did 108 Sun Salutations in. The picture above is me post class :) So sleepy! Also, it is super hard to move my arms day after. The second incredible workout I did this week was my first ever Les Mills class, GRIT. I recently met the trainer at a fashion luncheon that we were both modeling for. We hit it off right away and I got to pick her brain for quite a long time about GRIT, workouts, and how she instructs people to loose weight. After that I had to take her class.

For those of you who do not know (which included me a few days ago), GRIT is a form of high intensity interval training that has three different workout types. These workout types include a plyo class, cardio class, and weight class. I was able to take the weight class. Each class is only 30-minutes long but promises an intense interval workout that will either increase athletic performance (plyo), increase calorie burn (cardio), or increase lean muscle growth (weights).

This is an intense workout. For my 30-minute session alone i was able to burn about 300 calories. Considering it was a 30-minute weight class, I was flabbergasted. The class was comprised of multiple 1-2 minute sequences that were done in order with 1-minute breaks in between every few. This allowed your heart rate to come back down off it's high instead of keeping it up the whole time; in the end, burning more calories.

Our class used a barbell, weight plates, and a step. If you are planning on trying this kind of workout, I would highly recommend wearing a HRM. Like Orange Theory, the goal of this workout is to burn as many calories after you leave as when you are in the class. I was constantly looking down at my HRM to make sure my body was in the right zone for the right amount of time. Doing a workout that keeps you at the top of your heart rate would, actually be counterproductive to burning fat and begin burning muscle.

If you are not able to talk to your trainer about the right heart rate before the class begins, try following this rule- The heart should not be between 84%-94% about 20% of the time. The rest of the time it should be between 69%-83%. That is about the same breakdown you will see at Orange Theory and should produce the calorie burn you want in the workout and after.

I cannot wait to try the cardio class and see how many calories are burnt there!