By Jessie BaconLAKE OF THE ISLES Majority of you most likely know what the Lake of the Isles is and or have walked the path. Recently, my parents and I during Parents weekend went and walked the 2.8 mile route. Looking at all of the houses, the Minneapolis skyline, and all of the beautiful lakes on a 70 degree sunday was one of my favorite memories so far since coming to the U. Lake of the Isles connects with Lake Calhoun and Cedar Lake and it has trails for walking, running, and biking. I highly, highly, highly recommend on a nice day, that you split uber with your friends (will range two dollars) and go walk the paths of the lakes. The nature will de-stress your body and you’re getting a light workout at the same time. Lastly, stop at the Lake of the Isles Bakery and get the Puppy Dog Tails, literally so freaking delicious you won’t regret it. (A picture I took on the walk) STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE PARFAIT GUYS. THIS IS SO GOOD. IT’S SERIOUSLY A GAME CHANGER. I had this for breakfast the other day and my first thought was “Wow this will be going on my blog”. The ingredients go together so well and they’re all healthy and overall just great for you. Have this for breakfast or lighten up the amount of “product” you use for a nice snack. Ingredients: Strawberries, Purely Elizabeth granola AKA the best and cleanest granola you’ll ever find, and lastly 80 calorie strawberry cheesecake greek yogurt. Something magical about this combination that you need to try. Also, if you’re feeling adventurous put your parfait in a cool mason jar for an added effect LOOK HOW GOOD THAT LOOKS. Ok have a good day and a fantastic week!! Go Gophers.
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By Jessica Bacon“Use everything in moderation, including moderation.” I wanted to start off this post with a quote that’s simple but leads to an important message. Essentially we live in a world today where everyone compares themselves to one another, and we do not understand how dangerous this form of jealousy is. Just because on the outside they may look perfect doesn't mean on the inside that they have absolutely no insecurities and don't struggle with hardships and adversities. My interest to write about this topic and to share my thoughts came about when I overheard two girls talking at the gym, and one of them was reiterating the fact that this one girl she knew had absolutely no fat on her body and that she never ate anything bad for her. Eating healthy 100% of the time will drive one insane. Life is too short to starve yourself or only eat clean all the time. If anything find healthier versions of those guilty indulgences that bring a pure pleasure to your life. For example, I love Greek yogurt. I'm not sure why but I always have, and I always purchase delicious flavors of it. Greek yogurt provides a great source of protein and probiotics while staying lower in fat and calories. (Looks like a great dessert but strawberries on vanilla yogurt is my personal fave) To stay fit and "lean" you don't necessarily need to cut all of the food that you once enjoyed, rather eat them in moderation or find a healthier version. It may be fun to look super fit for your new Instagram picture, but you also have to remember the importance of enjoying life with those you love also. One slice of cake ever so often, or a couple of chips won't change your whole physique and make you fat, but if you do all the time, you won't love the way you look. That's why you should find the perfect balance in your life to not only stay sane but to also actually enjoy your life. Just a little message that I wanted to share for the week and to remind you that your mental health and overall happiness is as important as your physique!!! Hope you all enjoyed Halloween thoroughly and had a kick ass time with all of your friends! By Jessie BaconHIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING
As the school work increases and the available time for you to workout decreases, high intensive interval training might be the workout for you. This new workout phenomenon has gained its popularity for a reason- it burns fat and calories effectively in a short duration of time. Essentially you alternate a moderate-intensity exercise with a high-intensity exercise to increase your heart rate which maximizes fat loss. Below I’m providing you with five HIIT exercises that take thirty minutes to complete but are created to burn fat fast which raising your metabolism. No gym required or weights required except for the last day, but can also be completed outside. Day 1: FULL BODY Complete 4 Circuits of These Exercises:
Day 2: LEGS Complete 4 Circuits of These Exercises:
Day 3: ABS Complete 4 Circuits of These Exercises:
Day 4: Cardio Complete 4 Circuits of These Exercises:
Day 5: Running
This week try some of these exercises out and the beauty of HIIT is you can always customize your workouts to your ability and the type of body part that you want to focus on. Fall Food Ideas- Also, during the fall people tend to find themselves craving comfort food and often comfort food isn’t always the healthiest. I will provide you with a healthy breakfast and a healthy snack that are both satisfying and overall healthy for you! They’re also dorm friendly, and I know this because I make them all the time. Healthy Breakfast: -½ cup of original oats cooked with directions -½ apple chopped -2 teaspoons of stevia -2 teaspoons of cinnamon -2 tablespoons of chopped pecans -1 tablespoon of almond butter -½ banana Mix all of these ingredients together and I promise you it will be the most satisfying oatmeal that has a great mixture of good complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. Healthy Snack: Pumpkin Milkshake -1 frozen ripe banana -2 teaspoons of stevia -¼ cup of pumpkin puree -½ cup of any plant based milk unsweetened -2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice -½ cup of ice By Jessie Bacon Health and wellness both have been a love of mine for the last three years. I’ve gone through so many “lifestyle” phases, and I can finally say that I’m perfectly content with my life- something I thought that I could never say. It has been a long journey with plenty of adversities, but nothing great comes from minimal effort. For the first two years, I only looked for improvement in my physique and based my health off of that. But I truly wasn’t content until I worked to improve my mental state. During the duration of this blog post, you will read my top two personal tips on creating a better version of yourself; mentally and physically. I’m not an expert, but I’ve read enough books/articles and watched enough videos establish my credibility. But what’s greater than having knowledge from all of those sources is that I have experience. So today I am going to share my two "secret" tips on wellness. It’s a long post, and I promise it won’t be like this every week. I’m very sorry. Tip #1: Partake in yoga classes- By no means am I a yogi or relatively even close to that. I’m the type of yoga participant that is always falling over during some pose or aimlessly looks around to see what the hell everyone else is doing. I am proud to say though that I can do the splits and I take pride in that even though it’s not about this subject. I’ve always heard about how yoga affects your mental state but I never actually realized that until I started taking three classes of it a week. Being a college student, I deal with a high amount of pressure. Not only the mental state type of stress but the physical stress on my body from working out. During the duration of the last four weeks, I’ve made it my goal to attend three yoga classes a week. Yoga seriously has improved my flexibility, my overall approach to being present in certain situations, and being conscious of the importance of taking care of myself. Many types of yoga classes tailor to your specific fitness goals and levels:
Tip #2: Set goals that are achievable and that spark your interest- If you set goals that aren’t doable or desirable, you’ll lose the ambition to complete them, and you never will improve your lifestyle. Think about what’s most important to you. Don’t set goals based on the people around you because everyone is different. Some of the best goals to improve your overall lifestyle aren’t always physical related but rather mental related. Improving your mindset will help enhance your lifestyle goals by having a more positive attitude towards fitness. Set small goals rather than large goals that will take years to complete. By doing this, it will keep you motivated because you will see small improvements along the way versus in a couple of years. A couple of examples of small goals that I have implemented in my life include:
Implementing small daily goals will help improve your routine, and they will become so uniform to the point that you won’t even think about them anymore. So for the forthcoming week I challenge you to:
Have an awesome week, happy homecoming, and go Gophers. By Julia & Jenessa AndersonWe want to start out by saying I hope everyone has enjoyed the TWIN blog along with all the different categories and individuals who were part of it! We thank you for the views and support and wish everyone an AWESOME summer! Be sure to catch up with us on our instagram accounts as we will continue giving fun tips and ideas for a healthy and fit lifestyle! Keep in mind, it is summer. Therefore, get out, get active, and have some fun! Until next time, BEST SWEATS!
-Julia and Jenessa By Julia & Jenessa AndersonDo you want more out of your mundane ab routine? There seems to be a new trend upon us when it comes to ab workouts. Say goodbye to boring old crunches and hello to “Ab Vacuuming”! I know, it sounds absolutely ridiculous! Basically this exercise uses breathing techniques to work the inner abdominal region. When doing basic ab exercises you are primarily only working your external abdominal muscles. Stomach vacuuming allows your internal abdominal muscles (Transversus Abdominis and Lumbar Multifidus) to be worked, giving your abs a more “sculpted” look. Being able to exercise your inner abdominal muscles will allow your core to become tighter and your waistline to become smaller. Here’s how it’s done: Step 1: Stand in an upright position with hands placed on your hips. Breathe air in through your nose, expanding your stomach outward full of air. Step 2: Once stomach is expanded, hold for 3 counts and push all the air out of your stomach through your mouth, squeezing your stomach as far in as you can. Step 3: Once stomach is squeezed as far in as possible, hold this position for about 15-20 seconds. (With time you will be able to hold it longer) Remember, practice makes perfect! We would highly recommend watching videos on stomach vacuuming as well to perfect your own technique. Our personal favorite is the video from http://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/a43027/flat-ab-hack-vacuum-your-stomach/ By Julia & Jenessa AndersonAs many of you know, swimsuit season is right around the corner! There is no need to fret ladies because we have some great tips to help you “beat the bloat”. Here is a list of the best things you can do to flatten your tummy. Eat Pineapple! Pineapple? Yes, Pineapple! Eating this delicious fruit has been proven to decrease bloating. This is because of a magical enzyme within the fruit called bromelain. Bromelain eases digestion and helps break down proteins, therefore leading to a flatter stomach. Don’t go crazy with the pineapple though, too much of anything isn’t necessarily good for you! Fiber it Up! Eat foods higher in fiber to move food through your system more quickly allowing yourself to “de-bloat”. Personally, we are obsessed with apples and have one every morning. It’s a quick and tasty way we get more fiber in our diets. Other foods with good fiber content are avocados, whole grains, black beans, brown rice, pears, and oatmeal. There are many others as well these are just our favorite sources. Say No to Extra Sodium! Extra added sodium causes your entire body to retain water. So it is best to try not dousing your food in salt and sticking to lower sodium foods. Some foods you may want to limit or steer clear of are cottage cheese, canned veggies, certain dressings/sauces, high sodium soups, bacon, soy sauce, hot dogs, and chips! The main thing is reading the nutritional content on food items to really be aware of what is going into your body. Start Every Morning with some Lemon Water! Lemon helps in aiding digestion as well as reducing water retention. This is important when wanting to reduce bloating in the lower stomach region. We start our mornings with one full glass of lemon water on an empty stomach and it really works wonders! For added flavor try it with some cinnamon, honey, or ginger. Replace White Rice with Brown
I know all of our sushi lovers are having a mini panic attack right now but have no fear! White rice isn’t terrible for you however, if given the option of brown rice, CHOOSE IT! Brown rice is a complex carb, meaning it will digest through the body slower than white rice. By digesting slower, the brown rice won’t stick to your stomach, and it will keep you fuller longer. By Julia & Jenessa AndersonWhat’s all this rave about protein? Many people have questions about what role it plays in weight loss and wellness. Hopefully, we can help give you a greater insight of the wondrous powers of protein! In terms of Weight Loss: Proteins require more work to digest and more energy to be put to use in the body. Because of this you actually burn more calories while it processes. It is true ladies! Protein actually keeps you fuller longer. This helps curb cravings so you are able to resist that bag of potato chips! The reason protein keeps you feeling full is because protein takes longer than other nutrients to leave the body. In combination with exercise, the amino acids in protein help the body keep lean muscle while strictly targeting the loss of body fat. This is exactly what you want to be able to get that “tight and toned” bod. Cheers to that! When you workout you are losing both fat and muscle. Protein helps keep lean muscle while repairing tissue and speeding up your recovery after exercise. Our favorite forms of Protein: GNC’s Total lean collection (Chocolate Peanut Butter) I highly recommend this brand not only for the quality of the protein but the TASTE! It is so delicious and if you are a Reese’s lover (like us), you will LOVE this flavor. Other flavors include vanilla, chocolate, cookies and cream, banana, and more! Egg Whites Egg whites can be a little bland we’re not gonna lie, however, with a little spice for flavor it’s all the rave! Egg whites are an excellent, and easy source of protein. I recommend buying the carton of egg whites instead of separating each individual egg (that gets excessive and wasteful). We love adding cayenne pepper and a little chili powder in order to spice up the egg whites with flavor, and suppress our appetite with the pepper as well. “Perfect Fit Meals” Coconut Chicken Breast Healthy prepackaged meals are perfect for college students that are always on the go! It’s fast and easy and more importantly, packed with 32g of protein! This particular brand is a must for us because it's BPA free and dietitian designed. http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/protein-weight-loss
By Julia and Jenessa AndersonI think we can all agree that mornings are rough. It is time to start making them more enjoyable with some energizing stretches! One of the biggest benefits of taking the time to stretch in the morning is that it will help improve blood circulation and increase energy levels. Better blood circulation sharpens and improves one’s concentration throughout the day! Who wouldn't want that? In addition, stretching in the morning also increases your flexibility and posture. Stretching is an underutilized tool that will help keep your body feeling healthy and happy! Here are some “Rise and Shine” stretches you can do without even leaving your bed. Enjoy! "Pillow Stretch" This pose is the best for stretching out your entire spin and back. Place a pillow on your lap with your legs straight out and lightly grab onto your lower legs. Make sure your forehead hits the pillow to get the full effect of the stretch. "Full Loop Stretch" This stretch is sure to get the blood flowin! It will help circulate energy in your chest, heart, and throat. Begin kneeling and bend your upper torso backwards, grabbing onto the heels of your feet. Hold for about 30-45 seconds. “Child’s Pose” Start by kneeling with both feet together. Lean forward so your chest touches your knees and place your hands straight back towards your feet. Your face will be placed face down. This one looks awkward I admit, however, it is a great stretch! “The Mermaid Stretch”
Place your hands underneath your back side and slowly bring your neck and head backwards. Keep your legs straight as you lean back and make sure there is a solid arch to your back. By Julia & Jenessa AndersonDo you ever walk by a park and reminisce the old days when you would play for hours on end?! Well you're in luck because this week we are featuring exercises that are perfect for your local playground! Spring is here and we should all be looking for fun new ways to get out and get active. Try these workouts alone or with a buddy, and more importantly, have fun releasing your inner child! “Hang-Loose” 3 x 12 reps For this exercise, securely place your legs into sturdy monkey bars. Start by hanging upside down with your arms crossed over your chest. Gradually move upward until your head is at the same height as your knees. Now, make your way back down (Be sure legs are entirely secure before performing the upside down crunches). “The bench jump squat” 3 x 12 reps Find a park bench and start in a bent standing position, from there jump on to the bench. Once on the bench, go down into a squat. After finishing the squat, jump backwards off of the bench, and start again! “Swing Low” 3 x 15 reps Start in a plank position with feet balanced on the center of the swing. Once stable, bring feet forward while having the swing come closer to the center of your body. Your knees should make it fairly close to your abdominal region. (Should be in a “fetal-like” position). “Monkey pull-ups” 3 x 10 reps Start in a standing position. As you hold on to the leveled monkey bars above, pull your body weight as high above the bars as you can go. Slowly come back down to standing position and start again. “The Bee’s Knees” 3 x 20 reps Start off in a standing position facing the slide. Step up with your left leg and raise your right knee as high as you can. Step down and return to beginning position. After 20 reps, switch legs so that the left knee is now in the air. Repeat this 3 times. “Slide Lunges”
3 x 15 reps (per leg) Pick one leg to start as the front leg, and place the second leg onto the slide. Start in an upright lunge position and gradually lower yourself until your front leg has reached a 90 degree angle. Repeat for each leg. (Try to keep your back as straight as possible) |
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