Fitness; Staying Fit On The Road...

Staying fit and healthy on the road doesn't necessary have to be strenuous... There many ways to stay on top of your fitness regime.
Aside from keeping a healthy diet, most hotels typically have a fitness center and they may not be what you are used to  with your health club accommodation they are usually stocked with the basics of treadmill, free weights, leg press and/or abs apparatus. Can't/Won't leave your room? You can always use body weight, chair or floor.
Here are a few things I like to do when I am traveling and have a few to spare for fitness =)

Running
Running is so invigorating to me specially when I am near an ocean and it's not humid outside, Usually my only form of heavy cardio which I take advantage of when I can, treadmills bore me and running outdoors gives me a chance to explore the city and sounds weird but it actually relaxes me =) So don't forget to pack a comfy sneaks and load up your phone with your favorite tracks and inquire at the concierge for the nearest park/trail.

Bodyweight & HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
Gloomy outside? Pushups, Dips and Squats gets me energized. Most hotel rooms usually have a basic desk or table (perfect for pull reverse pull-up) and chair (dips or inclined pushup) in the room so why not utilize it =)
For those who find the previous sets boring, intensify it with some plyometric and HIIT intervals with jump rope, burpees, mountain climbers, jump squats, plank jacks. I love combining bodyweight and HIIT because I don't need to do this for an hour, 30 minutes of HIIT is enough to keep your metabolism going throughout the day. Try my calorie/fat burning hotel room/"makeshift gym" buster =)
Please make sure you are healthy enough to do all these intervals, these are MY routines and it's what my body can tolerate so feel free to adjust it to your own resistance. Safe travels, Stay Happy and Healthy =)

50 jumping jacks or jump rope to warm up
50 squats
50 burpees
30 seconds jog in place
30 mountain climber
40 seconds plank jack
30 seconds side plank (both sides)
30 seconds jog in place
15 pushups/inclined pushups
15 dips
15 reverse pull-ups
Rest for 1 minute
Repeat 4X or however much time you have to spare =)

Burpees

Mountain Climber

Plank Jacks

How do you stay in shape on the road?
Comment with your thoughts below or email with any queries, don't forget to share & socialize with me on twitter, instagram and facebook ......stay beauty-full :) 

Fitness; Cardio and Strength Training for 10 Minutes

I hear this a lot, "I would love to get more workout in but I just don't have the time.." I don't judge and I do understand that not everyone has 30 let alone an hour to spend at the gym, but....I am quiet sure that you have spent at least 10 minutes in front of your tv, or checked your social network for longer than that.... Okay enough prattle, here's a quick 10 minute circuit to help you kick-start your Monday ;) Have an amazing and productive week!!

Repeat 3X
30 seconds of jumping jacks
10 to 15 reps of push ups
20 to 30 seconds planks
30 seconds of wall squats
10 to 15 reps of bicep curls with 10 lb weights
10 to 15 reps of tricep dips (either using the edge of a chair or stair steps)
30 seconds of butt kicks (or running in place)

What's your Ten Routine? or 20, 30 or 60 ;)
Please comment with your thoughts below or email with any queries, don't forget to share & socialize with me on twitter, instagram and facebook ......stay beauty-full :)

Fitness: Loose weight without breaking a sweat..

Did you know that you don't have t break a single sweat to loose weight?? I mean, who really likes to sweat and smell salty anyway right?!?!...
Anyhow, you CAN exercise and loose weight effectively without sweating :).
How you ask? Well, Pounds are shed from burning off calories and not from pouring out sweat, typically a misconception but it does work hand in hand..

Facts about Weight Loss.....

Each pound is worth 3,500 calories, meaning you have to burn off additional 3,500 calories that your body uses to loose a single pound. The only way for a productive weight loss is to either cut back or burn off more calories than you consume and it really doesn't matter if you're body is sweating in the process or not.

Of course the most efficient way to loose weight is through a healthy diet and regular exercise and anyone can adopt a healthy diet and lose weight, however, you must be able to recognize what compromises a healthy diet.....For the sake of sticking to the topic of sweat, I will deviate from this subject and save it for next week's post :) I know, I know I digress...

Effectively, exercise and weight loss is far more productive when combined simultaneously because your body heightens the burning rate when you're mobile and active. Sitting at an idle state burns a little under 80 calories per hour (no sweat involved lol) but amping it up a bit with say, swimming which can help you burn about a little over 500 calories and technically, does NOT count as sweating, ramp it even higher with a 10mph run for an hour and you will burn a whopping 900+ calories but of course, that definitely involves sweating :) 

 

So why do we sweat? Our body is covered with eccrine sweat glands, which are involved in regulating our body's temperature. These glands are responsible in cooling our body when it reaches higher than normal temperature, releasing sweat on the surface of our skin when we get hot.

There you have it, choose your weight loss options with no sweat/minimal or full on sweat session to loose that extra pound :)

Do you have a simple, calorie burning secret you would like to share?
Please comment with your thoughts below or email with any queries, don't forget to socialize with me on twitter, instagram and facebook ......sharing is beauty-ful :)

Fitness; Toned Tricep

So I have been having the hardest time toning my arms lately (I hate when I hit a plateau in my workout) so of course in PF manner, I have reached out to one of the best trainer and here are some suggestions that I have tried and seems to have worked and thought it was share-worthy...

Like any other workout/Weight Loss regimen, it all starts in your diet.... You can't spot-reduce fat, but you can shift it with cutting carb intake and amped cardiovascular routine combined with specific bicep & tricep exercises.

Try these exercises below every other day with 15-30 reps each set of 3-4. Do these sets in slowly and keep it controlled. Make sure you give your self a mini breaks with stretches in between sets.

With a Stability ball (advanced) or Step (intermediate). Put yourself in a plank position, with your toes resting on the ball/step. With your hands shoulder-width apart, bend your arms slowly and stop when your elbows are at a 90-degree angle, then straighten back to the starting position. Exhale slowly as you bend your arms.

Lie on your left side with one leg on top of the other, knees slightly bent. Place your right arm on your left shoulder. Press your left palm into the floor to lift your torso, extending your left arm until it is straight. Repeat on the other side, then stretch.

For this tricep kick-back exercise, use a dumbbell (or water bottle). Put your right knee and right hand on a sofa. With the dumbbell in the other hand bring it close to your body, with your upper arm parallel to the floor. Aim to straighten your arm by bending from the elbow, keeping your shoulders still. Squeeze your arm as it straightens. Return your lower arm to the starting position. Exhale slowly, straightening your arms. Stretch the tricep. Now repeat on the other side.

Now try some one-arm push-ups. Rather than full push-ups, bend your knees, and allow them to touch the floor. Perform just like a regular push-up but with one arm at a time. Alternate your arms and do every repetition slowly, exhaling on the effort.

The last exercise might seem easy compared to the others, but your arms will be tired at this stage. Leaning wall push-ups require you to face the wall and extend your arms. With the palms against the wall and shoulder-width apart, keep your feet flat on the floor. The closer you are to the wall, the easier the repetition. Bend the elbows as you bring your face to the wall, then push back to the beginning point.

And that is all folks... I hope these help revive your arms workout and please keep your self hydrated and get those arms toned and instagram-worthy :)

Do you have any additional Arm Toning workout to suggest?
 Please comment with your thoughts below or email with any queries, don't forget to socialize with me on twitter, instagram and facebook ......sharing is beauty-ful :)

Health; Food you should avoid when sick

So this weekend was a complete dud for me as it left me bed ridden with the cold and missed a waterpark fun day with the fam at Knott's Soaked City :( I mean seriously?!?! it couldn't have come Sunday or Monday even? smh.. I felt it creeping up Friday afternoon but ignored it and thought it would go away by the time we leave for the waterpark....NOT!!! Had my waterpark duffle all packed and ready for a family fun day with nieces and nephews, cousins and siblings and then....6AM Saturday morning, it hits me.....Sooooo vexed!! no choice but to just shrug this off and lay it down all weekend.. 

While bed ridden, I was left with noooo appetite at all but I know I had to eat something at some point and I know it's common sense to some but for others, one may not know what to avoid when they are sick. I know some of these items listed I definitely didn't know I shouldn't be eating...

When we are sick there are certain foods that we should strive to avoid in bringing back the body function to normalcy. Naturally, we should try to avoid doing many daily routines while sick. The body is weak and would want to rest. While resting, your body needs all the help from the food you intake to fight against the cold/flu viruses in your body. We all have a pretty good idea of what we should be eating but what about what we shouldn't be eating??? Here are a few list of foods to avoid when sick.

1. Raw Food- Among sickness foods that the body cannot digest is raw foods. Cooked food is definitely preferred to raw foods.
2. Cookies, fries, cream, beef and pork are among fatty foods to avoid when sick. These have hydrogenated and saturated animal fats, which is difficult for the body to digest. Fried food has excess fat that is an immune suppressor.
3. Tomatoes can cause more problems for acidity. The lycopene in tomatoes aggravates the ailment. (I definitely didn't think this was a no no when you are sick lol)
4. Cured meats such as bacon. They have nitrates to maintain the microbial safety. The nitrate converts into nitrites and this causes harm to the body. It can trigger growth of cancer cells especially when the body is sick and weak.
5. Soda and fizz drinks. Soda is a poor source of fluids. It contains sugar, caffeine and flavors.
6. Dairy- When you are sick, your mucous production is increased, Consumption of dairy products only heightens that production (Snot eeewww) and often upsets your tummy & actually worsen the situation. Cheese can cause constipation, and sometimes milk can cause diarrhea.
7. Nuts are foods to avoid when the body is sick. Yes, nuts can cause a stomach upset. The oils in these nuts can react in the stomach further aggravating the ailment.
8. Caffeine (coffee, tea, or chocolate) intake. It is difficult for the digestive system to digest it. I definitely thought tea was good for you but I was told it should be taken in controlled amount, it is advisable that you recover completely to have these foods.
9. Spicy foods are foods to avoid when sick as they react with the body. Spicy foods can trouble the tummy leading to acidity and tummy upsets.
10. Sugar can actually slow the action of white bloods cells against bacteria. Opt for a fresh squeezed orange juice to get your sugar fix.
11. Alcohol- Dehydrates and suppresses your immune system which is already weakened so this is one of those common sense thing I mentioned that when you are sick, uhhh duhhh you should NOT be drinking alcohol...

While recovering from any illness keep a watch on foods to avoid as they may hamper a speedy recovery. Hydrate and continue taking your daily Vit C & B12 (Which is where I slacked off on) to stay on tip top shape with this approaching cold season...

This was definitely me with my nephews in the background asking me for my iphone, ipad and apps...

 

What are your "Go-to" stay healthy regimen during cold season??

Let me know your thoughts below or email with any queries, don't forget to socialize with me on twitter, instagram and facebook ......sharing is beauty-ful :)

Fitness; No time for Sauna or Steam room?

I don't know about you but I enjoy a lil zen moment and sweat out some extra calories in the sauna or steam room after my workout, some people do it before their workout to loosen their muscles but hey to each it's own right?!?!?!

My amazing trainer suggests 20 minutes, but I usually go for 30 minutes.
But ummm P, what if one doesn't have that time? Sometimes, you only have that hour for gym and about 30 minutes to shower and get ready for work right?!?!  

So here's something that I've tried and actually helped even if my drive was just about 5 minutes :(

***extreme caution disclosure, this is what I (ME, P) Do, *** DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU HAVE ANY MEDICAL CONDITIONS. EXECUTE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

This is usually more effective when the sun is out or its hot outside.
First off, park your car as far away as you can from the gym entrance, every little bit of physical movement helps, and preferably with direct sunlight to help heat up the inside of your car.
After your workout, get inside your car and don't roll down your window or turn on the ac, the heat built up inside your car while working out will give that sauna effect and will help extend that burning momentum and sweat out extra calories while driving from gym to home. Personally, I purposely miss that yellow light or take the longer route home just to extend my time inside the car or sit in my driveway for as long as I can to get that extra boost of sweat.

Would you try this?
Please comment with your thoughts and responses below or email with any queries, don't forget to socialize with me on twitter, instagram and facebook ......sharing is beauty-ful :)  
 

Pardon the bare face :-/ I usually don't wear makeup when I hit the gym :-)

Abs exercises to try!

 

Health & Fitness: ABS ABS ABS!

Happy Labor Day everyone! I hope you are having a great day off and enjoying all those yummily delish BBQ goodness with all the sides...

So I have been bugging the crap our of my trainer all the way from Florida for some new routine to somehow get me out of this quiescent stage of my workout routine and specifically abs :-/
And of course he always reiterates, "It begins with your diet P!" Uhhh, yeah that definitely didn't go too well this weekend lol.....but umm Ok I get it but I still need some new routines lol.. so finally he spills, so here are some moves to try if you have also hit a plateau :)

Let's talk Abs for s second.. Getting those Gwen Stefani or JLo washboard abs does NOT come easy nor it is achieved just by doing crunches, Crunches only works the muscles on the front and sides of your abdomen. The key is targeting all the muscles of the core to get a more defined abs including lower back, hips and upper thighs.
 
On to Core exercises- Not only does these exercises burn more calories than crunches it also help improve your posture and train the muscles to stabilize the spine and pelvis so you can avoid back pain.

Here are some exercises that I have tried and actually loved and hated, because it hurts in a good way lol:)

Alligator Drag/Crawl/Walk: I usually incorporate this 3-4 times a week when I am having a lower body workout day.

1. Find a stretch of floor that allows you to go forward 10 to 20 yards, and grab anything that will slide over the surface with minimal friction. Dinner plates or plastic bags might work on a carpeted floor, while towels might work on wood or tile when you are doing the drag but you may sans all plates, bags or towel if you are doing a walk or crawl.
2. Start in push-up position with your feet on the slides, towels, or plates.
3. Walk yourself forward with your hands to the end of your runway (aim for at least 10 yards). Rest for 60 to 90 seconds (or as long as you need to recover) and repeat the alligator walk back to where you started.
4. Repeat 3-4 times



Try the Side Plank: I personally love this ab exercise because it is more challenging than the traditional plank by working your core harder to stay stabilized. I incorporate this move when I am doing a full body 2-3 times a week.
Beginner:

1. Lie on your side with your knees bent, and prop your upper body up on your elbow.
2. Raise your hips off the floor, and hold for 30-45 seconds or and as long as you can and repeat until you've held for 30 seconds total.
3. Switch sides and Repeat 3-4 times

Expert:
1. Lie on your right side with your elbow directly beneath your shoulder and legs stacked. Place your left hand on your right on your right hip.

2. Contract your abs and lift your hips off the floor until you're balancing on your forearm and feet so that your body forms a diagonal line.
3. Hold for 45 to 60 seconds. If you can’t hold that long, stay up as long as you can and then repeat until you’ve held for 60 seconds total.
4. Switch sides and repeat.
**Advance: brace your abs and reach your left hand toward the ceiling. Slowly tuck your left arm under your body and twist forward until your torso is almost parallel to the floor. Return to the side plank. Repeat 6-8 times.

The Walkout from push-up position is what I incorporate with my upper body workout days. I managed to find a quick 19 sec video of how to do this as I figured a photo may not show as much detail. :)

1. Start in push-up position with hands two inches wider than your shoulders.

2. Walk hands out as far as possible, then walk back. Do 10-12 reps.

**Advance: Lift one leg before you walk your hands out and back.

Try these moves and umm yeah watch what you eat and you should be well on your way to a perfectly toned ABS :)

Check out some of my green cleansing smoothie recipe :)

What are you CORE buster moves?
 Please comment with your thoughts and responses below or email with any queries, don't forget to socialize with me on twitter, instagram and facebook ......sharing is beauty-ful :)

Health & Fitness: Green Smoothie Recipe..

So that week without Sugar was a torture...
Here's the update...
Like I said, I started with eliminating the sweetened creamer from my coffee, and that black coffee is actually not bad as the days went on..
I've always tried to eat fairly sensible (when I'm alone anyway) around family and family outings is when I end up going over board lol..
So, the weekend I started the sugar-free challenge, my brother and cousins had poker night at my house and of course, that came with snacks and Filipino delicacy called fish-ball with a sugar based sauce and here I am dipping in the sauce like it was cool, then my sis reminded me, "Aren't you on a sugar-free diet?" errrr duh... welp, quickly stopped dipping and just ate the fish-ball as is, which was tasty even without the sauce so I was ok. Didn't even drink a drop of alcohol or wine that night so I was quiet proud of my self..
During the week, I made sure I had my green smoothie at least once a day, I've averaged 2-3 smoothies a day whenever I get a sugar craving. I worked out at least 3-4X during the week as well. Both definitely helped with the weight loss.

Here is my main recipe for my green smoothie: Feel free to adjust to your taste. I suggest make a small batch first to start to make sure you acquire the taste prior to making a big batch.

3 leaves/stalk of Chard - can be subbed with spinach, or any other green leafy vegetables just add a bit more than 3 stalks (at least 1/4-1/2 of the bunch) or combine both.
5 large leaves of basil
3 leaves mint
5 passion fruit (if you don't have passion fruit or don't like passion fruit (you should lol), you can sub this with any grainy, fiber fruits or seeds like flax seeds)
1 whole apple
3 ice cubes

Rinse veggies and fruits, core the apple, you can discard the chard's stalk, blend and enjoy :)
Starting Weight: 125
Current Weight: 122 (I guess 3lbs is not bad for 1 week)

What is your go to green smoothie or healthy weight loss recipe?
Please comment with your thoughts below or email with any queries, don't forget to socialize with me on twitter, instagram and facebook ......sharing is beauty-ful :)  

Health & Fitness: The beginning of cutting refined sugar out of my diet..... #YIKES!

So I have made an impulsive decision of cutting refined sugar (among other things, but let's stick to one item at a time) out of my diet for as long as I can in an attempt of dropping some weight that I can't seem to shed off despite hours of working out at the gym :/
We all know diet is a major factor in assisting with weight loss so, I am starting with artificial sugar elimination and continue utilizing fresh fruits and vegetables as a source of my natural sugar.

And of course, doing it the PMc way, I WOULD do it on a weekend where I know it would be filled with family festivities and yummy Filipino food, desserts and snacks spread in a platter (literally lol)
So my first attempt this morning was drinking black coffee (sorry, I don't think I can give up my caffeine), sans sugar & cream.....(I drink tea plain but not coffee so this was a challenge.)
-First reaction... yikes, but drank it like a champ.
I was never really into a lot of refined sugar or artificial sweeteners to begin with, I usually opt for fresh fruits or water BUT I use the original International Delight creamer which has 6 grams of sugar/serving (original) and artificial sugar for the "sugar-free" version.
Anyhow, So this I am making this short and sweet (pun definitely intended lol) but wish me luck with this journey and will update you at how it goes and how long I am sticking to it... (Crossing fingers)
Next stop.... 12 weeks huh??? maybe by the time my 35th birthday comes around, my abs would be close to this lol...
Current weight: 125lbs (yeah, not cute at all...smh)
Goal is to get back down to 108-110

How long do you think I can keep this up? 
Please comment with your thoughts below or email with any queries, don't forget to socialize with me on twitter, instagram and facebook ......sharing is beauty-ful :)