Roll Away Your Problem Areas: How The Foam Roller Can Reduce Cellulite

Cellulite is many of my clients’ biggest complaints. Working out and eating well can tone muscle and get rid of fat. Cellulite can be more frustrating because it is mostly caused by genetics.

The appearance of cellulite comes from fat cells pushing through fascia. fascia becomes dehydrated with lack of movement or age, and cellulite becomes more apparent.

The most common problem area for cellulite is the upper legs and butt. Rolling out these areas drains the lymphatic system and helps rehydrate the area, thus reducing the appearance of cellulite!

3 ways to Roll: 

Backs of Thighs and Butt 

5 stretches you can do everyday!

Many of my clients say they don’t stretch enough. We have this problem because we find working out more important, we have limited time or we get bored with stretching. But stretching is really important. Try stretching every day for just 5 minutes and see what kind of difference it makes in your body!

1. Spine stretch forward: 

This is a great stretch because it stretched your hamstrings, lower back and works your abs. Start with feet mat width apart, feet flexed, arms straight out in front of you parallel to the floor. Inhale sit as tall as you can. Exhale round forward reaching your lower back, back in opposition, your nose between your knees and your fingertips past your toes. Inhale sit tall. Repeat 5 times.

2. Hip stretch (supine pigeon):  

The Mental Power of Yoga

I’ve never really been into yoga. I’m not really about the OM life (there’s nothing wrong with it its just not my thing). But, over the past 10 years people have continuous suggested I do yoga to lower my stress level and help with my anxiety. I finally took their advice and WOW.

WCW: Kathryn Budig

Why we’re crushing on Kathryn Budig:

Kathryn Budig is an American yoga teacher and writer. She has appeared on the covers of Yoga Journal, Yoga International and she is a contributing editor for Women’s Health Magazine. She also wrote a book called The Women’s Health Big Book of Yoga and writes many publications for The Huffington Post, Yahoo! and many more.

She taught at YogaWorks in Santa Monica for 8 Years and now teaches online at YogaGlo, so everyone can enjoy her classes!

In 2014 she appeared on the cover of   Yoga Journal’s The Body Issue.

WCW: Hilary Knight

Why we’re crushing on Hilary Knight: 

Hilary is a two-time Olympic Silver Medal-winning hockey player from the United States and is widely considered the best female hockey player in the world. She has also competed in seven consecutive IIHF World Championships with Team USA, winning five Gold Medals and two Silver Medals along the way. In college, Knight led NCAA Women’s Hockey in 2011 with 47 goals and helped propel her University of Wisconsin Badgers to a National Championship. Click here for a complete summary of everything she has accomplished in hockey so far!

Last year, Hilary was featured in the 2014 edition of ESPN’s Body Issue. She received a lot of positive feedback but also plenty of negative criticism about how she is too muscular for a woman. We love the way she reacted to the commentary with confidence and poise, here’s the video from Hilary’s shoot:

5 Minute Abs- The Pilates Series of Five

If you’ve ever tried Pilates, you’ve probably done the Series of Five. It is a quick, challenging core work-out that is included in any mat class as well as most reformer classes. It is very effective and easy to remember, so you can do it at home or almost anywhere! I will break it down for you so you can try it for the first time or so you can remember the exact exercises from the class you took.

1. Single Leg Stretch:

What it works – Single leg stretch works the abdominals, stretches the hip and challenges coordination.

How to do it – Start with both knees into your chest. Lift your head and chest. Take your outside hand on the shin near the ankle and your inside hand on your shin near the knee of one leg. Pull that leg deeper into your chest while stretching the other leg out on the high diagonal (You can go lower for more of a challenge if your core is strong enough and your lower back stays down into the mat). Switch legs. Continue for 10 sets.

The Breath – Inhale Hold start position. Exhale pull the knee deeper into your chest for a hip stretch. Inhale switch legs. Exhale Pull knee into chest and stretch other leg to high diagonal.

2. Double Leg Stretch:

What it works – Double leg stretch works the abdominals. 

The Perfect Workout: At Home or in a Hotel

If you are a morning gym goer I salute you.  You get your workout in early and have a good start to your day.  That is not me.  I very much enjoy sleep. I am a workout when I want to workout kinda gal.  I have to be honest, sometimes I just don’t get my workout in.  Usually its because I didn’t manage my time well that day or I’m rushing to get to the next place.  It’s especially hard when I am traveling.  Which I will be doing this upcoming weekend VEGAS!  So I have put together the most perfect workout to do at home or in a hotel.  

Sweating is GROSS but so BENEFICIAL

Sweating is an essential part of working out.  Your body gets hot from the physical exertion and the mechanism it uses to cool itself off is sweat.  Sweating isn’t fun or glamorous; its actually pretty gross.  But there are SO many benefits of getting a good sweat on while you work out.  The most important being: if you sweat you are working hard enough to burn fat.  That, in my book, is a WIN!  But if thats not enough to let yourself get down and dirty 3-5 times a week, maybe these benefits of sweating will help.

Women Crush Wednesday- Brittany Underwood

Why we’re crushing on Brittany Underwood:

  Photo: Paul Smith

Brittany Underwood is not only a total babe, she is also a wildly talented actress and singer who is fluent in Spanish (with a very sexy accent). She is one of the most passionate, driven women we know. Her focus and dedication to her art inspire us and we love that she always has a witty comment to lighten the mood. She recently took up beach volleyball and also happens to have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do! She inspires us to find something you love doing that keeps you active. We love that she doesn’t just go to the gym to stay fit, she gets out there and challenges herself physically and mentally by not just trying new things but fully delving into them.

We interviewed Brittany to learn more about her healthy lifestyle:

What type of activities do you do to stay fit?

I just started playing beach volleyball and I am hooked!  I take classes at South Bay Volley and private coach with Steve Ijams. He pumps you up so much that it makes you work extra hard, I love that! I think having someone who pushes you in any type of physical activity is super important to getting the most out of yourself.  

Why Pilates?

“Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.”

– Joseph Pilates

Joseph Pilates

What is Pilates?

Pilates is a full body work out that focuses on six key principles: control, centering, concentration, precision, breath and flow. It is a system of exercises created by Joseph Pilates (1883-1967) to strengthen the body, increase flexibility, improve posture and enhance the mind-body connection. Joseph Pilates used this method to cure his own physical ailments, rehab war veterans and then to train boxers, athletes and dancers. He created many apparatuses to help move the body into the proper position for his exercises and to add resistance using springs.

What makes Pilates different than other forms of exercise?