Eat eggs for breakfast! The protein will help keep you fuller longer and help you lose weight! Here’s a quick and easy recipe to get you started! It’s so delicious you’re going to love it! It’s my NEW OBSSESION!! xOx

“POPEYE’s” Spinach Scrambled Eggs

Time including preperation: 15 Minutes
Ingredients:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

* 2 cups of frozen spinach, defrosted and drained of any excess water ( I use 2 cups fresh Spinach)

* 2 cloves of garlic minced (or use 1 tbsp of pre-minced garlic)

* 1 cup of egg whites (or 3 eggs)

* 1/4 cup of light mozzarella or cheddar (I add a little pepperjack cheese for added flavor, YUM!)

* Salt and pepper to taste (I do not add salt nor pepper but some like it)

How to make Spinach Scramble Eggs

1. Heat oil over medium flame in a small skillet. Add garlic cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.

2. Stir in spinach cook for about 2 minutes, until spinach is heated thru and excess water has evaporated.

3. Season spinach with salt and pepper.

3. Add eggs and scramble till cooked! VOILA!! Enjoy a quick, healthy breakfast, that’s just DELICIOUS!

Now, who doesn’t have time for that! THROW AWAY YOUR EXCUSES!! Eating healthy is a choice! Take it one step at a time and make small changes. Take one thing at a time and soon YOU WILL ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS!! xOx

Roasting may not be the typical cooking method in most kitchens, but it can help transform bland vegetables into mouthwatering side dishes the entire family will enjoy! Roasted veggies is a healthy way to change up your boring, open the can of corn dinner routine, and you’ll never believe how easy it is! Once you’ve roasted once you’ll never go back! Here’s my favorite way to have roasted vegetables. Feel free to swap out or add in your favorite vegetable!

Directions:  

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Place veggies of choice on a pan. Lightly pour some Extra Virgin Oil over them and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Cook for 10-15 minutes, until vegetables are soft.

Ingredients:  

2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced  

1 Large Zucchini , peeled and diced 

1 red onion, quartered  

1/4 cup olive oil  

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar  

Salt and freshly ground black pepper  

Skinny Truth Diet Tip 1: You can add 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed to this recipe, just increase cook time by 10-20 minutes depending on size of cubes.

Skinny Truth Diet Tip 2: You can exchange any veggies in the recipe for one you enjoy!

Esquire magazine has named Minka Kelly the “Sexiest Woman Alive” and we can see why!  Minka makes her big-screen debut starring in the psychological thriller “The Roommate” along with Leighton Meester (Past Fit Icon), who plays her psychotic roommate. Minka knows the hard work it takes to having a Fit Icon body! Here’s three things to pick up from Minka’s healthy lifestyle that we LOVE!

EAT BREAKFAST

Minka knows how important it is to get a healthy, hearty, breakfast! Minka stated, ”I always have a bowl of Kashi Go Lean cereal with some cut-up strawberries for breakfast. It’s just the quickest, healthiest breakfast. And it fills me up.” Make sure you eat breakfast within the first hour of waking up to get your metabolism revved for the day. Your body is starving, needing energy because you’ve just slept for about 8 hours and haven’t fueled yourself. Make sure you eat enough so you are not starving and muching all day. I recommend 3 eggs= 210 calories, 4 pieces of turkey bacon= 140 calories, and add in your favorite fruit! If you like oatmeal try OAT FIT, only 100 calories a serving and they have maple brown sugar.. yum!

MODERATION

Minka loves her peach cobblers and she didn’t give the up forever to keep her body fit and toned, she CHEATED!! You heard right! Minka has a cheat day and that’s perfectly fine! I even encourage it to the ladies I train. When you’re craving your favorite treat, break yourself off a piece and enjoy! If you with hold for days or weeks you might breakdown and eat the whole candy bar, cake, or bag of chips. “Everything in moderation. Have a cheat day.” Minka Kelly

DO WHAT YOU LOVE

Don’t give up if you’ve tried a class at the gym and hated it or the DVD you bought is too hard or boring. Keep trying new exercises and different routines until you find one that’s right for you! You may end up taking exercises you like from different workouts and creating your very own personalized program, filled with FUN and KILLER RESULTS!  Minka said, ”I did Bikram yoga for a while, and I know that’s not for me. Too hot! I do a lot of running, which I enjoy for mental reasons, too!” Find a way to enjoy working out, it doesn’t have to be a chore like doing the dishes.

For Other Celebrity Fit Icons:

Fit Icon: Leighton Meester Workout
Fit Icon: Amanda Peet Workout
Fit Icon: Natalie Portman
Fit Icon: Jessica Alba Workout

This exercise increases your overall stability and targets your abs and obliques, giving you a sexy hourglass figure! It is more of advanced move so do not get discouraged if you can’t do it right away. Start of with as many reps as you can do and slowly increase every few days.

STEP 1: Begin by resting on your side with your arm straight resting flat on the floor, feet resting comfortably with one on top of the other. Bend your upper arm and place fingertips behind ears.

STEP 2: Slowly move your upper body and your bent knees at the same time, pulling them in towards your chest so that your bottom is the only part touching the ground. Feeling the crunch in your oblique muscles (side of your stomach). Slowly return to the starting position and repeat for 25 reps and then complete 25 reps on your other side!

Check Out These Articles:

Abdominals 101: Standing Crunch Exercise
Abdominal 101: Crossover Crunch Exercise
Obliques 101: Oblique Crunch on Swiss Ball

Slim down and burn that fat baby! Say bye bye to your one piece bathing suit cause girl, you’ll be sporting one hot and sexy bikini this summer! Try this cardio routine a minimum of 3x’s a week. These three different types of jogging are very self explanatory just do what the title states. Check it out! 

 
KICK YOUR BUTT
 
Simply beginning jogging and kick your legs back and lightly kick yourself in the bum with your heels.

KNEES TO CHEST

Beginning jogging, bringing knees up to hip height. Alternate between fast and slow speeds. 

TIRE RUN

Stand with feet wide and knees slightly bent. Lift right knee to hip height and then lower right foot and raise left knee. Repeat, taking short, quick steps forward and backward as if you’re running through tires. 

Complete Each one for 5 minutes each and then repeat for a 30 minute cardio workout, that seriously KICKS BUTT!!

Check Out these articles:

10 Ways to Change Your Boring Workout Routine & Still Get Killer Results
Get a Toned Beach Body in 3 Weeks

Brooklyn Decker is a breathtaking model and rising actress. Starring along side Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston in the upcoming film Just Go With It, releasing February 11, 2011, Decker is soon to be on the WANTED list of every guy! Now there’s many reason to love her but we absolutely love Brooklyn and the series of DVDS she created about fitness and nutrition called Make Better, showing off the best workouts and lifestyle regimes.

As the host, Brooklyn will take you to yoga, through a cardio workout, and even on Cirque de Soleil’s Jukari Fit to Fly trapeze. The reason we think these videos are a hit is because they are perfect for a model, mom, or business woman on the go! So, we’ve created a 15 minute power workout to get you revved and ready to take on the world!

This workout alternates a dynamic strength move along with a high-intensity power move so you work your entire body and get your heart rate up to burn more calories.

FIT TIPS:

Perform each exercise one after the other, resting when you need to. If you’re a beginner, modify where needed.

Warm up with a few minutes of light cardio or light versions of each exercise.

Complete 1 circuit for a short workout, or go through the series 2 to 3 more times for a more challenging workout.

If you don’t have weights, use whatever is handy (water bottles, soup cans, etc.) or use no weights and add reps if you need more intensity


Use the following chart from Sport Fitness Advisor as a guideline:

It is important for one to understand and be able to calculate the number of calories you burn with a sedentary lifestyle. This requires you to estimate your basal metabolic rate, or BMR. Your BMR is the minimum rate at which you must burn calories in order to live. It assumes that you are actively resting, and aren’t actively digesting food.

Activity Factor
Your activity factor is the relative measure of your activity level for the day, such that the lowest possible activity factor is one.An activity factor of 1.2 indicates you have a sedentary lifestyle, an activity factor of 1.375 shows you engage in light exercise for a maximum of three days a week, while an activity factor of 1.55 is for someone moderately active. An activity factor of 1.725 reflects heavy exercise up to six days a week, and an activity factor of 1.9 means your job is physically strenuous.

Calculations
The Harris-Benedict equations estimate your BMR from your height in centimeters, your weight in kilograms and your age in years.
The formula for men is BMR = (Height x 5.003) + (Weight x 13.75) – (Age x 6.775) + 66.5.
The corresponding equation for women is BMR = (Height x 1.850) + (Weight x 9.563) – (Age x 4.676) + 655.1.

Your daily calorie expenditure for a sedentary lifestyle is your BMR x 1.2.

Weight Loss
A pound of fat contains approximately 3,500 calories. This means that you will lose 1 lb. of fat for every 3,500 calories that you burn. You may therefore use the difference between your calorie expenditure and your calorie intake to predict your weight loss rate. If you burn 2,000 calories per day but only consume 1,500 calories per day, you have a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day. Your calorie deficit for a week is 3,500, so your expected weight loss rate is 1 lb. per week.

Check Out These Articles

Toned Beach Body in 3 Weeks Workout
Get A Tighter Butt Workout

Want to work your abdominal muscles but have limitations or it is hard to get up and down on the floor? Do standing crunches! Yes! It is true! You can work your abs and never get down on the floor! Follow these simple steps to a stronger core!

STEP 1: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your chest, elbows bent and palms facing each other.

STEP 2: Pull your abs in and lean forward and to the right, using the same motion as you would when doing a regular crunch. Repeat to the other side to complete 1 rep. Do 15 to 25 reps.

Check Out These Articles:

Abdominals 101: Butterfly Crunch
Abdominals 101: Hips Up With Ball Workout

Don’t have much time to workout or you want an exercise that is not complicated but will get your results! BURPEE’s is the exercise for you! This technique is used by military and conditioning camps for sports, like football. The reason? It works your entire body: Abs, Arms, Back, Biceps, Butt, Calves, Chest, Core, Forearms, Hamstrings, Legs, Lower back, Shoulders, Triceps! What more could you ask for! Here’s how to complete a perfect BURPEE!

STEP 1: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, then get into squat position for a few seconds and then put your hands on floor in front of feet.

STEP 2: Hop feet back into Plank position. (Add a push-up here while you are in plank pose for more of a challenge.) Then jump forward again.

STEP 3: Jump straight up, raising hands overhead and return immediately into a squat and repeat series.

FIT TIP: Enjoy Burpee’s but want more? No problem! Complete Burpee ladders! Start with 10 Burpee’s in a row. Rest for one minute after you complete your set of 10 Burpee’s. Than do 9 Burpee’s, rest one minute and then complete 8 Burpee’s and so on!

Check out this article:

Fit Tips for a Successful Workout Routine

We don’t love her because she is simply gorgeous, we love Leighton Meester (well known for her role in Gossip Girl) because she is not afraid to be daring and get attention! Leighton’s crazy, sexy, unique style, proves she is a confident woman! WE LOVE THAT!

At the MTV Movie Awards she wore a little black dress that revealed her sexy bum! This singer/actress is not afraid to be herself and that is one thing Love The Burn is all about, LOVE WHO YOU ARE! Check out Meester in her upcoming film, The Roommate, which hits theaters this Friday February 4, 2011. It’s a psychological thriller about a deranged college freshman who becomes obsessed with her new roommate (Minka Kelly). It’s sure to be hit, just like Meester’s workout plan: STAY ACTIVE!  “Exercise is fun and when I don’t feel like exercising, I like to swim or walk around a new city while traveling and cycling are all great.” …. says Leighton in Cosmo UK. That is the key to being healthy! Here’s a few ideas to stay active and not be bored while doing it!

1. Go for hikes or walks in your community! A great site to find location or events in your local area is www.localhikes.com. Get a couple friends together and start a walking or hiking club! You won’t be sorry and either will your bum! By this summer, you’ll have sexy lean legs after all that cardio!

2. Take your vacation to a whole new level with these amazing Health Spa Vacations (www.destinationspagroup.com). You can find information on the Biggest Loser Resort, Mountain resorts, and Hiking vacations, and much more! I personally have two vacations planned that involve physical activity! I will be going to San Francisco to run across the Golden Gate Bridge (8 miles both ways) and to the obstacle course in Maui! This website can give you more information on the many programs offered at these resorts, teaching you to cook, all about Weight Loss & Nutrition, dance, and more.

3. Contact your local gym, city civic center, or community college to see what classes they offer. Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and try something new. You’ll be able to sign up for a single class to try or maybe try one class for free! You can try a dance class, Yoga, Pilate’s, bootcamp, Zumba, and much more! Sign up for month or two of classes and learn something new for a reasonable fee. At the end of each class, sign up for a new activity and you’re sure to find new hobbies or exercises to keep you active, healthy, and you’ll have fun doing it!

Check out other celebrity Fit Icons:

Fit Icon: Blake Lively
Fit Icon: AnnaLynne McCord
Fit Icon: Hilary Duff
Fit Icon: Marisa Miller

Check Out These Articles:

Toned Beach Body in 3 Weeks Workout
Get A Tighter Butt Workout
Fit Tip: Combine Strength Training & Cardio: Best Way to Lose Weight

2 OUT OF 3 AMERICANS ARE OBESE!

Obesity has now surpassed smoking for the highest number of deaths. Childhood obesity is at an all-time high in America, while the overall nutritional value of school lunches continues to plummet. How can parents help to control their children’s weight and diet? First, parents can begin by leading by example. If you create a healthy eating environment, kids will pick up better eating habits and make better choices on their own. Try these 8 lifestyle changes to better your families’ health today!

1. HAVE SIT DOWN DINNERS: By reducing the number of distractions while your family is eating, like turning off the TV, computer, or video games, your family closer together and it discourages eating on the run and random snacking. Instead, establish routines for breakfast, lunch, dinner and after-school snacks.

2. COOK NEW FOODS TOGETHER: Encourage your child to help prepare food in the kitchen. If they do not something the first time, try preparing it in a different way. They may like it next time!

3. MONITOR YOUR CHILDS SCHOOL LUNCHES: Make sure your child is getting many unprocessed foods for lunch. Add in healthy options like granola, fruit, veggies, nuts, and protein bar.

4. SNACK ON FRUITS & VEGGIES: Cut out the junk food, chips, sweets, and juices as a part of your daily diet and replace them with fruits and veggies. Eating an apple or grapes reduces hunger, drinking an apple or grape juice doesn’t.

5. KEEP SNACK SIZE IN THE HOUSE: If you need to keep cookies in the house, limit the number of choices and buy single-serving packages so there is less temptation to overindulge. Substitute healthier choices whenever possible, like 100-calorie snacks.

6. CUT OUT SUGARY CEREALS: Check the nutrition information on the box and avoid cereals high in sugar. Oatmeal, raisin bran, fat-free granola, Cheerios and shredded wheat are good choices. If your child is used to sugary cereals, gradually mix in healthier cereals while reducing the proportion of the sweeter stuff.

7. NEVER SAY “I CAN‘T HAVE…”: If you tell yourself you cannot have something, you will want it and may end up overeating. Instead, enjoy your snack in moderation but not in place of regular meals.

8. FOOD IS NOT A REWARD OR A SOURCE TO “FEEL BETTER”: Do not offer food as a reward for an accomplishment or if your child is feeling sad, tend to the emotions, not the appetite. Therefore, that means no ice cream when your kids are sad or to reward them for good behavior or grades.

The Genie is a great exercise to work the top of your thighs, which are your quad muscles. There is no equipment required and you can do these anywhere, anytime! Complete a couple sets of 15-25 reps each day to maintain strong quads and work on sculpting sexy lean legs!

STEP 1: Begin exercise by kneeling on a mat. Your torso should be straight up (nice tall posture) and your arms crossed out in front of your chest.

STEP 2: Keeping your arms folded across your chest, inhale and lean back slightly. Hold for a few seconds and return to starting position. Repeat 15 reps, 3 sets.

Check Out These Articles:

Legs 101: Sumo Strut Exercise
Thighs 101: Side Lunge In 3 Easy Steps!

There’s a lot of talk on whether or not Lady Gaga has a fit body. Does she have a nice shape? Talks that Gaga is too skinny, then she’s too curvy. Well, you know what I say! SHE ROCKS! Anyone with enough confidence to pull off some of these outfits she wears, like NO PANTS, and make it hot, sexy, and ultimately shell-shocking, must LOVE who she is and this sends a great message to our youth today! One I’m always trying to stress.. LOVE WHO YOU ARE and don’t worry about what others think of you or what the media states is “the perfect look”.

So how does Lady Gaga keep up her endurance for all her crazy shows?  ”Lady Gaga has always been active, but about a year ago, she decided she wanted to have the best abs, legs and arms ever, so she stepped up her workouts,” said her trainer and author of 5-Factor World Diet, Harley Pasternak. What’s more astounding is Pasternak explained GaGa got into the best shape of her life by simply using a workout regime that’s only 30 minutes, three to five times a week. ”We do a cardio warm-up and various body strength exercises and ab work,” GaGa’s trainer said.  

THE GAGA WORKOUT:

Warm up by Dancing: If you want to burn big-time calories and have fun doing it, start dancing. It’s a great way to get your heart rate up and change body tempature, perfect warm up!  

Circuit Training: choose 3 new exercises to complete. Complete just one more round for a total of three rounds and you have just completed a 15-minute routine! It really is that simple! You can do anything for 15 minutes! Use any of the exercises below: 

15-20 push-ups 

20 lunges on one leg then switch or walking lunges for 30 seconds 

Static Squats with punches – 30 seconds 

Calf raises – 30 seconds 

Plank holds – 30 seconds – Complete both side planks 

Abs Crunches: Bicycles are the best, working upper, lower and oblique muscles 

Stair steps: With one leg at a time, step up onto the stair then back down 20 times. 

Tricep dips: Find a bench or a chair 

HABITS TO PICK UP FROM GAGA:

GAGA DOESN’T COMPLAIN: “Like most stars, she doesn’t have a ton of time, so when she is with me, she stays focused and never complains no matter how hard I push her.”  

SHE HAS NO EXCUSES: While on tour traveling Gaga bring a Harley Bar and a combination barbell dumbbell which allows her to fit in a workout in her hotel room. Said to be an amazing cook, Gaga diligently follows the 5-Factor World Diet which includes healthy dishes from many different countries.   

Check Out These Celebrity Fit Icons:

Katy Perry Workout
Pink Workout
Fergie Workout

We all experience days like these, where we cannot seem to budge, and total laziness! Are you too tired to exercise? Looking for that extra little push to keep you energized and helps you stay on track? Try one of these pick-me-ups to add energy to your life and your workouts!

EAT=ENERGY

1. Energy Snack: About two hours before you exercise, put 1-1/2 teaspoons of natural peanut butter and 1 teaspoon of no-sugar-added jam on 1 piece of whole-grain bread. This snack contains healthy protein, fat, and carbohydrates, which help to stabilize your blood sugar and energy levels.

WARM-UP=ENERGY

2. Start with a Walk: Feeling unmotivated, tell yourself you will just go for a brisk five-minute walk. As you walk, breathe in for a count of three and then breathe out slowly. This mini meditation increases your focus and may help you complete a longer workout. Keep adding 5 minutes to your walk to increase endurance.

MUSIC=ENERGY

3. Listen to Music: Music that pumps you up and makes you feel energized is a great way to get ready to workout. Put on your favorite song and dance to increase your heart rate and change your body temperature. Check out our play lists!

PARTNER=ENERGY

4. Have a workout buddy: Working out with a friend, family member or group, helps keep you motivated and on stay on track with your workout goals and diet. When one of you doesn’t feel like working out, the other can encourage you to go. The best part of having a workout buddy for me is that I am competitive and I know I can push myself hard. When my workout buddy feels the same way, we know we can push ourselves to the limit and conquer our goals!

There’s nothing like taking my favorite meals and turning them into healthier options for my family and I. My favorite part of Chinese food was the fried rice. Here’s how I make it healthy and delicious.

Healthy Chicken “Fried” Rice
Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 Eggs
1 Cup of Brown Rice (microwavable)
Your Favorite Veggies: Zucchini, Broccoli, Carrots, Red Peppers, Onion

Pre-Cooked and Chopped Chicken Breast

Directions:

Put veggies in a Steamer Bag and season them with your favorite seasonings (I use onion & garlic powder). Cook as directed (about 3 minutes).  Microwave rice (as directed) and reheat chicken. make two scrambled eggs. Toss all together in a large pan until warm. Serve!

Get Ready for the GO TO workout for the New Year AND the New You! Commit to getting your body in shape!

$25- six week body makeover
$30- three month motivator
$99- Ultimate Resolution
$129- Unlimited package

Images, pricing and/or more information on any of the above offerings can be provided upon request and link for your readers to view Gilt City LA and access the event is: http://www.giltcity.com/los-angeles

This exercise can be done with a medicine ball or a Swiss ball. I LOVE using a weighted medicine ball when I only have time for a short workout. I like the swiss ball when I’m doing more reps. This is a good exercise to work your abdominals, hip flexors, and thighs.

STEP 1: Begin by lying on our back with your knees bent. Extend your arms above you head, holding the ball straight behind your head, (medicine or swiss) in both hands. This is your starting position.

STEP 2: Lift your arms (overhead) and shoulders simultaneously with your right leg, off the ground and into the air.

STEP 3: Tap your right foot to the ball and lower upper body slowly & simultaneously back to starting position.

Check out these ab exercises:

Abdominals 101: Learn The Boat Pose
Abdominals 101: Hips Up With Ball Workout

With a movie releasing in theaters nationwide this Friday, January 14, 2011, it was only befitting to have Jennifer Connelly as this week’s Fit Icon. Connelly plays a part alongside Vince Vaughn and Kevin James in the upcoming movie The Dilemma. You may know Jennifer from such movies as, A Beautiful Mind & He’s Just Not That Into You.

With a curvy, lean yet, muscular body, what’s not to love (Measurements: 34B-22-34; Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine). Jennifer’s sculpted arms look simply amazing in every picture and film, along with her flat tummy (not everyone aspires to have a hard 6-pack. Love the body you have!), and defined back, we were sure to notice her. Planks are a great way to achieve her body because they work the abdominals, arms, shoulders, and back muscles.  

STEP 1: Lay face down on the floor resting on your toes, with arms bent. With hands making a fist, place them just outside shoulders with your elbows tucked in at your sides, resting on your forearms. This is your starting position.

STEP 2: Contracting your abdominal muscles, slowly raise your body up off the ground and hold it in a nice straight line. Make sure you are not swooping your back or arching it. The trick is to keep abs tight and back/body straight. Hold as long as you can. Try to complete 3 holds and increase time each set by 10 seconds. Maximum hold time is 1 minute.

DIET: As a vegan, Jennifer eats a lot of whole foods and lots of leafy green vegetables, giving her body all the nutrients it requires to be healthy and have a healthy, glowing physique. I’m not going to suggest everyone try a vegan diet (I know I couldn’t) but I will suggest eating tons of green leafy vegetables such as kale.   

Check out these articles:
Protein Choices For Vegan Diet
Obliques 101: Side Plank Hold & Oblique Twists

Like Jennifer Connelly?
Click On These Other Celebrity Fit Icons:

Kate Beckinsale
Jennifer Aniston
Demi Moore
Sandra Bullock
Megan Fox

And Check Out These Love The Burn Links:

Brianna Marie Online
Love The Burn of FitSugar

If you are injured, you need to allow your body to rest and heal before returning to working out, but what do you do when it first happens? As with all muscle injuries, R.I.C.E. is an initial response to therapy recommended by health providers. It is the best way to start the healing process of your injury. Memorize it!

Rest - Means ceasing movement of the affected area.

Ice – To reduce inflammation.

Compression – Limits the swelling.

Elevation – Involves placing the area higher to reduce inflammation and swelling.

As with any exercise program, check with your Doctor before beginning to make sure you are in physical health and you won’t get injured by overloading yourself. If pain continues, SEE A DOCTOR and DO NOT workout. Depending on severity of symptoms, further imaging with radiograph, or MRI may be warranted to see if surgery or an underlying bone injury exists. xOx

Check Out These Articles:

10 Ways to Change Your Boring Workout Routine & Still Get Killer Results!
5 Cardio Exercises for Injured Knees

This Pilates exercise is called a “peel” instead of a lift or raise because you should move your body very slowly from the ground up. This creates space betwen the vertebrae disks, helping to lengthen and stretch your back. Part of the challenge in pilates comes from not allowing the momentum to take away from the control and precision you need to do an exercise. Although this exercise works our hamstrings, hip flexors, and abdominals, it is also working the pelvic area which helps us to control our bladders and bowels for a short or long time, allows us to enjoy sex, and strengthen out lower back and pelvis.

STEP 1: Begin by lying flat on the floor, hips in front of ball, with ball resting under your calves and heels pressed firmly into the ball. (For beginners, you can place ball closer to your bum (even touching it) with knees bent and calves resting on ball.

STEP 2: Squeezing your hamstrings and glutes, contract your abdominals, and raise your hips up off the floor. Keep shoulders away from ears and arms at your sides.

STEP 3: From this raised position, lift your left leg straight upward. Do this slowly and with a lot of control. This requires some balance so be sure to keep your right heel firmly pressed into the ball. Hold for 3 seconds and slowly lower leg back onto ball, returning to start position. Repeat for 15 reps and then switch legs. Work up to 3 sets of 15 reps.

Check Out These Workouts

Sexy Legs 101: Lunge with Leg “LOVE” Tap
Glutes & Legs 101: Fire Hydrants Workout

Get Ready for the ULTIMATE event for the New Year AND the New You! Commit to getting fit with Freshology, New Balance, and SELF magazine’s perfect picks!

Starting on Thursday, January 6th-9th, 2011, let Gilt Groupe and SELF magazine set the tone for the new year with a fab selection of wellness and fitness essentials, all aimed at helping you keep those resolutions.

Whether you want to transform your body or simply freshen up your fitness routine, our wellness and fitness extravaganza with SELF makes it fun and easy. As the preeminent authority on beauty, fitness, nutrition, health and happiness, SELF inspires women to be their healthiest and happiest self. Our members will be able to recharge and restart after their holidays and get fit for 2011 with this exceptional event!

And now for SELF’s picks, featured below:

• A SELF magazine subscription
• Ultimate Home Gym Bundle by Savasa Yoga
• “Mat Workout” DVD by Tracy Anderson
• Freshology’s National GETSLIM Silver 14 Day Package
• Sneakers and Shoes by New Balance, Reebok and Columbia
• Workout Clothes and Gear by Puma, Rese Pilates and Beyond Yoga
• For all you LA-dwellers: The Sports Club LA
• AND MORE!

Images, pricing and/or more information on any of the above offerings can be provided upon request. Here’s a exclusive invite for you join Gilt and access the event: www.gilt.com/self

Want More Love The Burn?
Check Us Out On YouTube:

Love The Burn YouTube Page

A muscle group often overlooked by most when building a workout routine is the shoulders. The rotator cuff (Layman’s Term) or rotor cuff (Medical Terminology) is the group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the shoulder. This is an imporant group of muscles to exercise. Try the Shoulder Rotator with these two easy steps! xOx

STEP 1: Begin by standing tall, feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Bend elbows and bring upper arms to about parallel to floor with hands in front of waist and palms facing in.

STEP 2: Keeping upper arms parallel to floor, rotate elbows so that lower arms are up and perpendicular to upper arms with palms now facing out. Try to keep upper arms still. Return to start position and repeat.

Check out these exercises:

Chest, Arms, Shoulders 101: Push-Up With Knee To Chest
Back 101: One Arm Row Workout
HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training

The Sumo Strut is a great exercise to engage your bottom (glutes), obliques (side muscles), and your thighs! For us women, that is all our trouble areas and you can work to strengthen them in one easy move! To see results, as with any exercise, you must complete this exercise in your leg routine three times a week! So take 5 leg exercises from our blog or some of your favorite ones, and build a leg routine out of them. Do 12 reps, 3 set of each, 3 times a day!! It’s that easy! Here’s how to do the Sumo Strut!

STEP 1: Stand with feet wider than hip-width apart, toes out, and extend arms at chest level, palms together. Bend knees to 45 degrees.

STEP 2: Maintain wide squat as you take baby steps forward. With each step, move arms mechanically in a semicircle, from left, to center, to right, then back to center, to complete one rep. Do 12 continuous reps for one set. Complete 3 sets.

Try these leg exercises:

Sexy Legs 101: Power Skips Exercises
Thighs 101: Side Lunge In 3 Easy Steps!
Legs 101: Free Standing Squats

Pink is the amazing voice behind songs like So What, Sober, and her newest release Raise The Glass(which can be played on our “Pump you up & Energize you” Workout Playlist.

We LOVE Pink’s body because she’s a sexy singer who’s unique in her field. Most singers have lean, dancer bodies but Pink has one hot, muscular bod and it’s something that anyone can get for themselves with enough hard work & determination! Remember to slowly increase your workout intensity and take baby steps in changing your diet. Here’s three tips to get a “Pink” body = toned, defined, and muscular!

CARDIO: Pink has been known to run everyday for an hour. Begin by going for a light jog for 20 minutes the first week. Week two, increase to 30 minutes and so on until you reach an hour. You will slowly build up your endurance and begin to lean your body. Increase your intensity as jogging becomes easier. Push yourself to go the extra step! I recommend jogging 3-4 times a week.

YOGA: The singer started doing yoga years ago and has worked up to an hour routine a day. Yoga is an amazing way to lengthen and stretch your muscles, working out your entire body. There are different levels and styles of Yoga.  I tried a few classes before I found one I liked. I now LOVE Yoga after a hard week of strength training. Try a few moves to help your body relax as you hold each position and concentrate on breathing.

DIET: Eat 4-6 small meals a day to speed up your metabolism and keep your body energized. This is not a free pass to eat fast food all day. You’ll be surprised how much you have to eat, when you eat healthy, fresh, non-processed calories. Most of my new clients eat fast food for lunch and dinner.. that’s it! No breakfast but maybe night snacking!  If this sounds like you I’d recommend,  adding breakfast to your diet the first week and than add snacks the next week. Try portion control so that you can still eat what you want, but you learn how to monitor your eating. Pink loves eating her favorite foods, but also knows that she can only eat them in moderation. Use a balanced diet full of healthy foods and less of the unhealthy foods. You’ll have more energy in no time, sleep better, and live longer!

Check out these other Celebrity Fit Icons:

Katy Perry Workout
Halle Berry Workout
Olivia Wilde Workout
Eliza Dusku Workout
Fergie Workout

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM OF ALL US HERE AT LOVE THE BURN FITNESS!! We wish you a safe, happy, and healthy holiday! If you’re trying to stay on a healthy path but want to enjoy the New Year with some alcohol, no worries!

Drink water, juice, or sparkling cider in between alcoholic beverages at your New Years Eve party! This will ensure you don’t get too tipsy and you won’t drink all your calories away! Also, make your goals realistic. No one wants to wake up with a killer hangover on New Years day and than realize they made a goal to start working out January first!

Here’s a non-alcoholic drink I LOVE and drink at many parties (Guess what?! Noone will know you’re not drinking!!) Add an unbrella and you feel like you’re having the most amazing cocktail! My non-acoholic drink specialty is so easy to make and very YUMMY!!

Ingredients:

• 7-up
• Cranberry
• Fresh Fruit of you choice – cut up
• Ice

Put some ice in a tall glass. Fill it up a little more than half way with 7-up and the rest of the way with Cranberry juice. Add cut up, fresh fruit (I put strawberries, raspberries, and pineapple! I hear cherries are good)  and add an umbrella! ENJOY!! xOx

Check out these article too:

The Holiday “No Weight Gain” Challenge
Fit Tip: The Affects of Alcohol on Your Body & Workout
Fitness Tip Video: Emergen-C