What I Missed While in Greece

Now, I am looking at all the articles, pop culture, and news I have missed over the past week and thinking that it simply must be shared. Because, there is the off chance that you also missed all these goodies and that is simply not acceptable. Happy Tuesday and here's to vacations, the internet, cat babies (who are sitting on your lap right now purring, pawing at your face, and thanking you for the tuna you gave them because you completely forgot they were out of wet food. It happens, don't judge), and coming home!

Oh, and you may see a supreme lack of pictures from Greece on this post. Do not fret, there will be PLENTY in the following week.

Another 20-Minute Kettlebell Workout

Because all the 20-minute kettlebell workouts in the world do not satiate my kettlebell workout desire. I looked at this with longing while kettlebell free in Athens.

These Cookies

They are made with coconut oi and oatmeal. Oh, and chocolate, bananas, and magic.

This Tracey Anderson Workout

I have been eating like a true Grecian and apparently, do not have their god-like metabolism to back it up. This flat stomach workout via flat stomach goddess just might be my ticket to normal-size town! Whoowhoo.

This Outfit

Because it's fall and I love it. I mean really, look at it. Do we need a better reason?!

These Noms

Full disclosure, I am not sure what is in them or how they are made because I have not clicked on the link. They just look soo good that all I can do is stare, and maybe drool a little.

Shape Magazine Workout Review: Brooke Burke-Charvet's Abs

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Man, it is a bit crazy to be talking about the September issue of Shape magazine- can 2014 be that close to ending already?! Apparently so.

This issue of Shape magazine has uber caught my interest. Not just because of the usual great workouts, or the fact that they have a workout by a celebrity and trainer, but also because of the recipes. I am so happy that my first look at this month's (or should I say next month's) issue was after a hearty lunch. There are some incredible recipes in this issue, like the seafood paella, that I am simply dying to try! There are also some fantastic articles that will probably go against those preconceived notions of the breakfast pastry. 

But, what we are really here to talk about is Brooke Burke-Charvet's abs. Most of us ladies, and a few men, would kill for Brooke's incredible abs of steal. At 43, her super toned physique is not minor accomplishment and one that I admire her for. Brooke is a mother of four, TV host, and fitness instructor twice a week. In her interview she talks about being let go from DWTS, family, and how her workout has changed over the years. It is a very humble, very informative article that I was happy to read- especially since I really knew very little about her before reading it. 

In the interview, Brooke said that she focuses a lot of her attention on abs. This made me super excited since the whole workout is some of her favorite (and most grueling) ab exercises. Whether you love ab workouts or could drop them like a sack of potatoes, we all know how important they are and how tough, long, and unsuccessful they can be. This ab workout is only about 4-minutes and includes one set of each exercise geared to work the upper, lower, and oblique abdominal muscles.

The Workout

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This workout is pretty straight forward with 6 moves, two of which uses a weight. I completed mine in the morning just after waking up and before having my breakfast. It was a great way to start the day and ended up taking me 4 1/2 minutes to complete! I am not sure how this would be as a workout on it's own, but together with another workout or as something you do as a quick heart rate raiser during the day, it is pretty great!

Since the whole thing took 4-minutes and was mainly floor work, I decided not to wear my HRM. Not sure about how your HRM works, but mine never seems to get it right when I am horizontal... Because of this, I do not know the calories burned, but I can say that it definitely raised my heart rate in the first 30-seconds!

The workout did not leave my abs quaking or my muscles sore, but it is something I would love to do with another workout or as part of my wake-up regimen :)

10-MInute Isometric Ab Workout

I first did this 10-Minute Isometric Ab Workout back about 2-weeks ago when I, knowingly, was about to eat some pretty bad food that was guaranteed to make me bloat. Since my experience has been that I bloat less when my abs are stronger, it just made sense. What also made sense was doing isometric ab workouts. This form of exercise will make your muscles quake while still being quiet and avoiding running around... Considering is was 12 AM and I was in a house full of people, the not running around like a crazy person bit was important.

Isometric exercises are also great to do when you cannot sweat a ton or are too tired for that pesky exercising thing. Really, these workouts will feel like you are working out, but in a completely different way that the usual circuit or HIIT workout.

TBT: What is Water Weight and How to Loose it

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Water weight is like a stealth bomber to so many people's fitness aspirations and one of the main causes of the dreaded mini yo-yo effect. With the mini yo-yo, you can gain and loose up to 10-pounds in as little as one night. Simply put, there is no way that we are able to gain pounds of fat or muscle that quickly, even if we are eating cruise ship style. Those crazy scale fluctuations that simply make no sense and leave me recalibrating my scale on an [almost] weekly basis can be attributed to water weight. This small annoyance has got me asking the questions what is water weight and where does it come from?

In simple terms, water weight is an abnormally large amount of fluid in our circulatory system. This fluid is mainly from the pressure in our capillaries getting too high. When this pressure gets to high, fluid is excreted into the surrounding tissue as a way of equalizing. Sometimes, this fluid is re-absorbed back into the capillaries when pressure regulates, and sometimes, it does not. When the fluid is not immediately re-absorbed, it becomes what we endearingly refer to as bloat or water weight.

Water weight can usually be found in our abdomen, legs, knees, and ankles. Although rare, water retention in the ankles and feet can also be a sign of congestive heart failure. This is normally only seen in people ages 50 and over. Other symptoms of congestive heart failure include fluid in the lungs and chronic coughing.  

There are a few less severe reasons for water retention other than congestive heart failure. Usually, bloating is brought on by a diet too high in sodium or alcohol, or too little water. By decreasing the alcohol consumption and limiting the amount of processed foods eaten on a daily basis, we can usually cut back the bloat. Of course, drinking at least 8 cups of water per day is vital for water retention prevention.

The average person will see a decrease in water retention after 1-4 days of a diet with lower sodium and alcohol and a higher intake of water. Sometimes, the weight loss process can take as long as three weeks, depending on one's diet. If your first go at loosing that water weight leaves you heavier rather than lighter, do not fret. It is common for our bodies to retain both the water we are drinking and the fluid in our body for a small amount of time. This normally goes away after the first 1-2 days.

Try eating grapefruits, blueberries, and non-artificial sweeteners to increase the water weight loss. Exercising at least 30-minutes per day will also help reduce water weight along with staying away from carbonated beverages, starchy foods, and dairy. For those who are extra serious about loosing those extra lb's, take Jillian Michaels water wight-loss challenge and drink 60-ounces of distilled water mixed with one tablespoon of sugar-free cranberry juice, 1 dandelion root tea bag, and two tablespoons lemon juice daily for a week. 

Check out this article for an in-depth list of foods to reduce bloating, and this article to find out some of the foods that cause it.  

Originally published on September 9, 2013 :)