A really important aspect of working out, that many people neglect, is stretching. Stretching before and after your workout is a good habit to form. It prevents you from pulling muscles during your workout, and helps keep your muscles loose so you’re not sore after. I’m going to show you three simple stretches that I always do before my workouts, that you can use in your daily workout routine! Middle Splits This stretch really helps to loosen up the muscles in your upper thighs, and you can choose how intense you want your stretch to be by moving your hands farther away or closer to your body. Backwards Reach If your hands can't touch each other behind your back, just reach as far as you can. This will help to stretch out your upper body. Butterfly
This one also helps to stretch out your legs, and is one of my favorites to do before and after my workout. If you want to make the stretch more intense you can move your feet closer or farther away from your body.
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Hopefully everyone had a good Thanksgiving break and was able to spend a lot of time with their loved ones. I spent a lot of time with family and friends, but I was sick all of break, as was the rest of my family. Imagine all of us sniffling around the dining room table, passing around a box of tissues. We drink a lot of tea and coffee when we’re sick, so my Mom went and picked up this special turmeric detoxifying tea to see if it would help get rid of our colds. Tea always helps me when I have a stuffy nose, but this one – with all of the spices in it – especially helped to clear up my sinuses. Turmeric can also serve as an anti-inflammatory, and helped to give me a little extra boost so I could go on a walk with my Dad since it was so nice out this weekend. Hopefully you guys weren’t sick during this break, and don’t get sick in these weeks leading up to finals. Tea is always my go-to-temporary health remedy. Remember to stay active this week, drink a lot of fluids and to make yourself a better person inside and out.
By: Sophia Yasger
One of my main priorities in life has always been to stay healthy. There are many ways to stay healthy physically and mentally, but one of my favorite ways is to be active. Whether it’s doing yoga in my dorm, going for a run around campus, or going to the gym I like to try to be active a couple times a week. The one key factor that plays into my whole fitness routine is Laziness. There are some days where I don’t feel like braving the cold to walk to the gym, and just want to stay in my warm and fuzzy pink blanket. For days like this when I’m feeling lazy, I pull up some of my favorite fitness youtubers and do a twenty minute workouts in the comfort of my dorm. I wanted to share with you some of the youtubers that help me get active and motivated on my lazy days. ★ Blogilates: https://www.youtube.com/user/blogilates ○ Blogilates has really great workouts that are very upbeat and challenging. You can pick how much you want to be challenged during the workout videos, and there are even some videos where you can dance for your workout. ★ Yoga with Adriene: https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene ○ I definitely consider yoga a form of exercise and Adrienne has all types of yoga on her channel. Whether you’re looking for an ab workout or a wind down from a stressful day, she is your go to girl! ★ Rebecca Louise: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi0AqmA_3DGPFCu5qY0LLSg ○ Rebecca Louise is an overall health and lifestyle channel. She has a lot of great workouts for abs, cardio, legs you name it. She also has healthy recipes and tips to help maintain a healthier and happier lifestyle. ★ Boho Beautiful: ○ Boho Beautiful is combination of a fitness, lifestyle, and yoga channel. She has very specific workouts or yoga practices that target certain muscle groups or emotions you are feeling. She is a super cool woman, and has some unique ways to become a healthier person. Lemon is a natural energizer known for hydrating and oxygenating the body so that you feel revitalized and refreshed.
"When life gives you lemons, make lemon water."2. Increases mood 3. Full of Vitamin C 4. Beautifies skin 5. Detoxifies system 6. Aids in digestion 7. Speeds up metabolism I highly recommend the water bottles with the separate compartment for the lemon . . . I bought mine at Target! Two of my favorite workout tips for motivation are:
1. Coconut Water 2. Good Beats Why Coconut Water? -Keeps you hydrated -Supplies energy -Increases heart health -Burns fat faster -Balances your blood sugar -Improves blood circulation -Speeds up metabolism -EVEN cures bad hangovers! Suggested Workout Playlist: Lose Yourself - Eminem Drop That Low- Tujamo Solo Dance - Martin Jensen Unsteady - (Boehm Remix) X Ambassadors Sit Still, Look Pretty (RIOT Remix) - Daya All I Do is Win - DJ Khaled Fight Song (Dave Aude Remix Edit) - Rachel Platten Light it Up (Feat Nyla & Fuse) - Major Lazer Put On - Young Jeezy Don't Let Me Down - The Chainsmokers I Made It - Kevin Rudolf Right Above It - Lil Wayne I Like It - Enrique Iglesias The Final Countdown - Europe Did you know that no matter what time of year it is that catching some sunlight will enhance your mood and strengthen your state of health? So, take a walk, even try leaving your phone at home. Clear your mind. I think having a pet, such as a dog, is the best motivation to get outside and walk each day. No matter how long you are in the office each day, challenge yourself to catch some fresh air and take in some Vitamin D whether that be in the morning, on lunch break, or after work. Benefits of Vitamin D: -reduces risk of cancer -lowers inflammation -boosts immune function -regulates 2000+ genes -reverses depression -lowers blood pressure -optimizes body weight -prevents bone loss -helps with MS & Autism So, go for a walk . . . take a run . . . maybe even catch happy hour on an outdoor patio! Xo Hi! My name is Mollie Nichols. I am the new fitness blogger for TWIN! I love to inspire good lifestyle habits with friends and family as a reminder to both you and myself to to achieve a happy and healthy lifestyle ☺ If you could wake up every morning and be happy would you do it? My solution for you is “The Happy Drug!” Each day that we wake up is a reminder that we’ve survived another day, we haven’t only survived, but we have yet another day to breathe and to live. Life is a gift and our bodies are a gift, but we must wake up every day and realize that. One of the simplest ways to be happy is to decide every morning that you are in a good mood. Fitness releases dopamine in the brain and it is actually this chemical that is associated with feelings of pleasure and happiness. Exercise is also known for lowering anxiety and depression; boosting your energy; and reducing your stress levels because your body becomes so immune to the stress of working out. Your body is then able to adapt to other forms of stress in your life. Exercise really is this so called, “Happy Drug” that everyone longs for amidst a stressful school or workweek. That being said, I want to share with you the five parts of my morning routine and it all starts with the “Happy Drug”
Suggestions:
2. Get some Vitamin D
3. “The Happy Drug” A Quick Morning Workout
4. Protein Smoothie
5. While you get ready . . .
Thanks for reading, Have a happy & healthy week! Xo, Mollie By Jessie BaconIf you can’t already tell by the snow on the ground or the abundance of “omg it snowed” snap stories, it’s winter. During the winter seasons, I find myself having less motivation to workout and care for the food I’m putting in my body. In this post, I’ll be giving you tips to improve your routine and your will to stay with your fitness mindset.
By Jessie BaconHappy Thanksgiving everyone! The holidays are my favorite time of year because of the traditions, family time, and the food. Thanksgiving is obviously a day that your health habits get put on hold and rightfully so. Enjoy the food, and the special moments you will be sharing with your family instead of how many calories you’re eating. The next day just kick it into high gear by cleansing and working out hard. Today’s blog post will include a post-Thanksgiving cleanse. As for exercising goes, try and get two workouts in the day after (I know it sucks), but you will feel so motivated after you complete the cleanse and a hard a$$ workout. You can look at my previous posts for great HIIT workouts that will get you sweating like crazy. Happy eating:) Black Friday- Before eating anything this day squeeze the juice of 1 lemon and add that to 30 ounces of hot water. This will help get your digestive system moving efficiently, and it will help immensely with bloat. Then, have some ginger based green tea along with that hot lemon water. It’s so so important to have hot liquids an hour before you eat because it will help move all of that food out of your system before you consume even more food. Also, along with the food plan you can snack on nuts, vegetables, high fibrous fruit, or unprocessed whole food sources throughout the day. Just make sure you are also sipping on lots of tea and water throughout the day! Breakfast: For this day, the cleansing plan includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber, nutrients, and water. Green Smoothie 1 cup of spinach 1 medium sized apple The juice of 1 lime ½ cup of pineapple 8 ounces of coconut water ¼ cup of ice After all of your ingredients are in the blender just blend!! Lunch: The key to this lunch is to have high fiber, high protein foods. Veggie Omelette 2 eggs and one egg white ¼ cup of spinach ¼ cup of cherry tomatoes Mushrooms (Not everyone's favorite but I dig it) Herbs of your choice The beauty of omelets is that it adds great protein and vegetables to fill you up, and give you great nutrients. Add all of those ingredients to a pan and cook the vegetables for some time first and then add your egg mixture after! Along with this omelet have a side of fresh vegetables, fruit, or nuts to keep you full. The key is to try and stay away from dairy or any processed foods so whatever falls into that category you’re safe to eat it. Just make sure it’s a whole food source because this will actually cleanse you more. Dinner: This salad will be filled with vegetables to the rim with healthy fat sources and protein sources. I’m also giving you a low sodium salad dressing choice that will not bloat you. Garden Salad: 1 cup of romaine lettuce 1 cup of spinach ¼ cup of mushrooms ¼ cup of carrot 1 hard boiled egg ½ red pepper ¼ cup of cherry tomatoes Handful of almonds Salad Dressing: 2 tbs. Mustard 1 tbs. Apple Cider Vinegar 1 tbs. Balsamic Vinegar Pinch of salt Pinch of pepper This salad is so good for you and cleansing purposes. It’s filled with nutrients that are vital to your health. If you want to add lean meat sources like fish or chicken into the salad, also that’s all good. I understand that the ingredients for today's food can be expensive, but it’s one day where it’s vital to eat all of those fresh fruits and vegetables! By Jessie BaconSo with Thanksgiving coming up, I’m assuming that you want to most likely either look amazing or just overall prepare for all of the food that you will eat. This workout is quick, fat burning, and you will sweat like crazy, so it’s perfect in a time of midterms and the holidays. HIIT stands for high intensity interval training and it’s basically an insanely hard workout for thirty minutes that alternates intervals to increase metabolism and burn more fat. This specific workout is used on a treadmill and I’m assuming a majority of you have access to the Rec Center which has those machines. The beautiful treadmill area in the Rec Center. Take advantage of it! You can also change up the different speeds and formulate different intensities to fit your various fitness goals! I recommend doing this workout and then after completion you do an ab workout or focus on arms and legs! I understand that people are very busy preparing for possible midterms or to leave on time for break so this workout is effective and quick! Happy running and Go Gophers. |
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